The three-hour deadline was up. Have you made your decision?

As soon as Pang Jun answered the call and turned on the speakerphone, a cold voice came from the other end.

There was no longer any effort to pretend.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm standing at the entrance of the police station right now. If your decision disappoints me, I'll walk right in. The next step will be a medical examination. Your DNA is in my body—there's no escaping this. I suggest you don't waste your time on futile resistance or false hope."

Before Pang Jun could respond, Lin Mengxi added on the other end.

However, the voice sounded vaguely familiar to Ye Chen.

But he couldn't quite place it at the moment.

This was mainly because Lin Mengxi had altered her voice slightly.

Otherwise, with Ye Chen's memory, he wouldn't have forgotten.

"Go ahead and call the police. I'm not handing over the Wuxia Cream formula. Even if it means going to prison for a crime I didn't commit, I'm ready to face it. I know—you and Ding Chengjun are probably in this together, but if you think you can blackmail me into giving up the formula, you're mistaken. I won't let that happen, no matter the cost. Even if it means living with the stigma for the rest of my life or sitting in jail for years." Pang Jun's voice was calm.

Lin Mengxi, standing at the police station entrance, was momentarily stunned.

Rejected?

How could this be possible?

To protect the formula for Wuxia Cream, he was willing to endure imprisonment and public shame that could affect his family for generations?

If Pang Jun wanted to start his own business, this might make sense.

But he wasn't the type to go solo.

In other words, he was doing this for Ye Chen—for Ye Chen's company, Yiren Ruxue—destroying himself in the process?

"Are you sure? Do you think I'm bluffing?" Lin Mengxi asked.

"I'm sure. From the moment you demanded the Wuxia Cream formula, I knew you were capable of anything. But no matter what, I won't hand it over. To me, the formula is far more valuable than my reputation or a few years in prison. Besides, I trust President Ye won't treat me unfairly. And... I might not even be convicted of this false charge."

Pang Jun shook his head indifferently. "If you hadn't asked for the formula, I might have felt guilty. But once you did, I no longer feel remorse. Even if it wasn't this, there'd be another trap down the line. I was bound to fall into it sooner or later, wasn't I?"

"I never set any trap for you. You're the one who took advantage of me when I was drunk and brought me to your home for something so vile. You offered to make it up to me, and I named my terms. Now you're refusing the conditions you set? Fine—let the police handle it!" Lin Mengxi's voice was cold and sharp.

With that, she strode into the police station.

But she didn't hang up the call.

Inside the station's lobby, Lin Mengxi's voice trembled slightly.

"Officer, I want to report a crime. Last night, Pang Jun, the vice president of Yiren Ruxue, took advantage of me while I was drunk and assaulted me."

Yiren Ruxue, Pang Jun's Office

As Lin Mengxi spoke those words, Pang Jun exhaled deeply and hung up the phone.

He was ready for the storm ahead.

But when he looked at Ye Chen, he noticed the shock written all over his face.

If the voice on the phone had sounded familiar before, the way she reported the crime revealed everything.

"Lin Mengxi!!"

That was Lin Mengxi's voice?

"What's her name?" Ye Chen's voice trembled as he stared at Pang Jun.

"Old Ye, what is it?" Pang Jun asked, confused by Ye Chen's expression.

"The woman who set you up—is her name Lin Mengxi?" Ye Chen demanded.

Pang Jun froze in disbelief.

"Ye... Ye, do you know her? Did she trap you too?"

Ye Chen's face darkened as he clenched his fists.

"It's her?"

For the first time, Ye Chen, who rarely showed his emotions, couldn't contain his fury.

With a shout, he kicked over the coffee table in front of him.

Pang Jun was completely bewildered.

Could it be that Ye Chen had also fallen victim to Lin Mengxi's scheme?

Swallowing nervously, Pang Jun stammered, "O-Old Ye?"

"She's after me! I'd bet that most of the dirt on my past came from her! This blackmail attempt is part of her revenge against me. I underestimated her... I really did." Ye Chen stood up from the couch, fire blazing in his eyes as he cursed.

He had suspected former classmates like Xu Cheng or others jealous of his success.

But he had overlooked Lin Mengxi.

He had only known her as someone with a deceptively kind and intellectual exterior but never imagined her thirst for revenge ran this deep.

Was it because he ignored her advances? Because he deleted her contact?

Was that enough to spark this level of retaliation?

"Old Ye, you... you know her?" Pang Jun asked, dumbfounded.

"She was my high school classmate... and I... I even foolishly tried to pursue her back then," Ye Chen admitted.

But his deep gaze hardened.

He knew one thing—women like Lin Mengxi didn't stop once they started down the path of revenge.

Unless... unless she was stopped completely.

"What? She was your high school classmate? You even pursued her? But why would she...?" Pang Jun's mind reeled.

If Ye Chen had been with her and dumped her heartlessly, revenge might make sense.

But clearly, that wasn't the case.

Ye Chen's next words answered his confusion.

"This all started a few months ago... at the Shanshuijian sales office."