At first, when people learned about Liang Yan’s miserable past, sympathy poured in — “Feeling so bad for Liang Yan” even climbed the trending list. But when curious netizens clicked through, the most liked and shared comment under the trending topic was a single post: “OMG no wonder Liang Yan’s so good at carrying bricks hahahahaha.”
The little girl in the photo looked plain and scruffy, but her facial features were unmistakable — that was Liang Yan, a beauty in the making. And then the tone of the conversation completely shifted.
[WTF hahahahahaha no wonder she never wanted to post childhood pics lol]
[She trained weightlifting so young — no wonder she’s built like that now, I’m jealous. lemon.png]
[Oh my god, that is too cute!]
[Kid lifting weights so young is bad for development tho — still feel for Liang Yan.]
[Those two sunburned cheeks — I can’t, I’m dying laughing.]
[Guess her strength isn’t a rumor.]
[Who knew weightlifting could be so adorable.]
[From her features you can tell she’s never had surgery — high nose, sharp chin.]
Slowly, the “feeling-bad-for-Liang-Yan” tag faded, replaced by “Liang Yan — weightlifting fairy” trending instead.
Before seeing that childhood photo, no one would have linked the glamorous, fragile-looking star on screen with a weightlifter — the contrast hit everyone’s soft spot and the image was shared tens of thousands of times.
Liang Yan stared at the screen in stunned silence.
She’d been worried the picture would make her the butt of jokes — she had braced herself for ridicule — but she hadn’t expected reactions like this. Instead, her Weibo followers jumped by a hundred thousand overnight.
“If only I’d shown it earlier,” she thought, smiling at the comments. Then her phone rang. On the other end was Chen Xueyun, voice frayed with anger.
“Liang Yan! Don’t you dare pull tricks on me!”
The lightness in Liang Yan’s chest vanished. For a moment there was a flicker of sadness in her eyes, but she steadied herself, took a deep breath, and answered calmly, “I’m not playing tricks. Everything I said is the truth, isn’t it?”
“I’m setting up a press conference right now. I’ll sue you! You ungrateful wretch—you won’t support your mother and brother? I’ll ruin you, strip you of your name and your fortune!”
“Then go ahead and sue,” Liang Yan said, gripping the phone tight.
On the other end, Chen Xueyun fell silent — surprised by how calm and unafraid Liang Yan sounded. All that came through the receiver was her quick, ragged breathing.
Liang Yan stayed silent, about to hang up, when Chen Xueyun’s bitter voice rose again:
“You think you can get rid of me? Dream on! You came out of my belly — as long as I’m breathing, I’m your mother. Want to sever ties with me? Don’t even think about it!”
“No money? Fine. Just wait.”
She slammed the call shut.
Liang Yan stared at the call log, her nose stinging as she drew in a sharp breath.
A wry smile tugged at her lips.
Gudong City. Inside a hotel room, Lu Lincheng scrolled through Weibo, brows knitted tight.
Chen Xueyun’s tearful accusations against her own daughter had dominated the feeds all morning. By evening, Liang Yan’s release of recordings and documents had flipped public opinion on its head — now every trending comment was about how pitiful she was.
And now, topping the hot search, was Liang Yan’s childhood weightlifting photo.
Lu Lincheng zoomed in on the image.
Young Liang Yan had fuller cheeks, lips pressed tight, face flushed from strain.
His gaze lingered on her eyes — bright, unyielding, carrying a strength and defiance far beyond her years.
He closed his eyes, and suddenly he was back on that night. She’d looked just like this — cheeks flushed, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, arms wrapped around his neck as she clung to him like a piece of stubborn taffy. Her voice had trembled with desperation: “Help me, please… help me, won’t you?”
And later, when he’d been furious with her, she had sat there with her head bowed, twisting her fingers over and over.
“I’m sorry… I really thought…”
“From now on, just leave me alone. I promise I’ll stay quiet and never try to use your name for clout again.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“You can divorce me whenever you want — I’ll sign without hesitation.”
Lu Lincheng let out a long sigh.
Back then, when Liang Yan crossed out every item on the list of compensation he’d offered, so decisive and unflinching, he thought it was the pride and confidence that only came from a girl raised in a good family.
Turns out, he didn’t really know Liang Yan at all.
Jiang Mu went into full battle mode.
Given the threats Chen Xueyun had hurled during their last call, she was bound to make another move.
Worried she might hire someone to retaliate, Jiang Mu didn’t even let Liang Yan step outside. They lived off takeout for days.
At the same time, Jiang Mu drafted multiple press releases — one for every possible scenario — ready to be sent out to the major entertainment outlets the moment Chen Xueyun struck again.
There’s nothing scarier than someone who knows no shame. Liang Yan’s evidence had been airtight, yet if Chen Xueyun wanted to drag things out, it would still get ugly.
Liang Yan herself grew restless, waiting at home for two days until Chen Xueyun finally reappeared.
Same outlet as last time: “Orange Entertainment.”
“Here it comes… here it comes,” Jiang Mu muttered nervously, hands shaking as he clicked open the article.
Liang Yan leaned over, and the two of them read the statement together.
Their expressions grew more and more stunned, Jiang Mu’s jaw nearly hitting the floor.
Headline—
“Chen Xueyun: Officially Severing Ties with Liang Yan, No Further Entanglements.”
Jiang Mu stammered, “Wha—what? What the hell is going on? Did you talk to her?”
Liang Yan was just as shocked. “No! I thought it was you!”
For Chen Xueyun to suddenly back off completely—she had to be out of her mind.
Jiang Mu looked helplessly at the stack of prewritten press drafts. Which one was he even supposed to use now?
The two of them just stared at each other in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Weibo was buzzing:
[Congrats to Liang Yan for breaking free from that vampire!]
[Stay strong, Liang Yan — Wolf Fangs will always have your back!]
[No way Chen Xueyun gave up this easily. Something’s off.]
[Bet someone paid her off.]
[Poor Liang Yan, stuck with a mom like that.]
Liang Yan didn’t believe for a second that Chen Xueyun would willingly let go. She dialed her immediately.
“Who gave you the money?”
Chen Xueyun snapped, “Money? Ha! What money? And you’ve got the nerve to bring up money? What kind of act are you and your ex-husband putting on?”
The word ex-husband made Liang Yan freeze. Her expression darkened. “What do you mean by that?”
Chen Xueyun sneered. “Ask your ex-husband.”
Liang Yan’s whole body went rigid.
………
She scrolled through her call logs for a long time before finally finding a number from two days before she signed the divorce papers.
Biting her lip, after much hesitation, she dialed.
“Hello.”
The man’s voice was smooth, clear, like spring water.
Gathering her courage, Liang Yan pressed, “What did you say to Chen Xueyun? Why did she suddenly back off?”
Lu Lincheng replied, “She won’t bother you again.”
“You really think Chen Xueyun is the type to keep her word? You actually believe her?”
Lu Lincheng chuckled softly. “Of course I don’t. She can try again if she dares — but I doubt she has the guts anymore.”
“And she can’t afford the risk.”
Liang Yan’s breath caught. “Why not?”
Lu Lincheng said evenly, “I told her she was free to keep pestering you—unless… she wanted her son to rot in prison.”
Liang Yan knew he had the power to make that happen.
She forced herself to stay calm, unwilling to owe this man another debt. “What do you want? Just say it. I’ll pay you back.”
Lu Lincheng let out a faint sigh. “There’s no need.”
That only made Liang Yan angrier. “I won’t owe you anything. I said I’ll repay you, and I will!”
He hadn’t expected her to be so insistent. For a moment, his lips curved, and he chuckled quietly. “Your mother demanded eight million before she’d leave you alone. If you’re so desperate to repay me, why not give me eight million instead?”
“………………”
It wasn’t until after she hung up that the regret hit her.
Jiang Mu noticed how shaken she looked. “What’s wrong?”
Liang Yan looked like her whole world had collapsed.
“Here’s something exciting,” she muttered bitterly. “As of now, I’m in debt—”
“Eight million.”
***
Author has something to say: Lu Lincheng never actually gave Chen Xueyun eight million. He only stepped in because he couldn’t stand watching anymore. When he teased Liang Yan about repaying him with eight million, it was said with a smile.
And about the earlier scene:
“Lu Lincheng closed his eyes lightly, as if transported back to that night. She’d been the same then—cheeks flushed, eyes glistening with unshed tears, arms clinging tightly around his neck, her trembling voice choked with sobs: ‘Help me, please help me…’ Like a piece of stubborn taffy he couldn’t shake off. And then later, when his anger had been at its peak, she’d sat there with her head bowed, twisting her fingers over and over, whispering, ‘I’m sorry, I really thought…’”
If some readers insist on reducing Lu Lincheng’s marriage to Liang Yan to just physical desire, then so be it—I can understand the criticism.
But Liang Yan doesn’t remember why he was angry that time, or why she cried. Lu Lincheng does.
He may not be perfect. He may have made mistakes. But he wasn’t that heartless. When he married Liang Yan, he did so as a man willing to take responsibility.