Xu Xinya walked down the hallway. Her light pink dress fluttered as she speedily and aimlessly hurtled through the path. A never-ending stream of tears ran along her face. It was late at night and the light from the moon fell on her and illuminated her simple silk dress of light pink color. The scenery created such a bewitching contrast in the darkness of night and made her look like some ravishing angel.

In the dominating silence of the night, her phone rang and made her stop in her track. She took out her phone and glanced at the name of the caller.

Her mother.

She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. Getting a hold over her swarming emotions, she mustered the courage to pick up her call.

"Hello, Mom", she said in an unwavering, firm tune that didn't hold a hint of sadness in it.

"How is my sweetheart?", that sweet, heart-warming tone of her mother voice came from other line making Xu Xinya overcome with acute nostalgia.

Xu Xinya took a deep breath to get rid of the constriction in her throat that was slowly suffocating her.

"I'm alright Mom. How's your health?"

"I'm better", her mother said reluctantly. Then she quietly and unsurely said, "Xu Xinya? Were you crying...?"

Xu Xinya bit her lip to stop a sob from escaping her lips. She didn't want her mother to worry-who was already recuperating from a life-threatening disease in the hospital.

"No mother"

"Then why your voice sounds so cheerless?", her mother asked. No matter what, her mother has always been able to look through her a transparent glass.

But this time she couldn't tell the reasons behind her sadness then no matter how much she wanted to run into her mother's embrace and cry out her pain.

"It's nothing mom. I had been drinking at the party and now I'm a little tipsy"

Her excuse perfectly mitigated her mother's worry and she sighed in relief.

"Don't drink too much Xinya", her mother reprimanded in her sweet motherly tune, "Its not good for health"

"Yes mother"

Xu XInya smiled briefly.

"What about the money?", her mother hopeless voice asked, "Could you arrange it?"

Silence followed by Xu Xinya side as she contemplated how to come up with a good lie.

"It's alright Xinya if you couldn't arrange it. I'm not going to survive anyway..."

"Mom", Xu Xinya cut her mid-speech, "Money is arranged"

"What?", her mother asked a little incredulous, "How-how?"

"That's not important Mom. I've arranged for the money. Now rest assured. You will have your surgery soon"

In her mother condition, she shouldn't take any stress or else it would worsen her condition. And the will power to survive was required the most to fight that disease. The purpose of Xu Xinya lie was solely to give her mother hope. She didn't want her mother to accept her fate in front of those adverse circumstances.

"Sweetheart, are you telling the truth?"

"Yes mom", Xu Xinya said in a firm tone.

As Xu Xinya ended the call, she heard a clapping sound resonating through the hallway. Her long eye-lashed lifted up to reveal those clear, limpid and glistening eyes. In front of her was the man who was the reason behind her current predicament. Dressed in a black formal attire of the party, Li Shuren was coolly leaning against the wall with a cigar between his fingers. He had been listening to Xu Xinya the whole time.

"I must say you are good at lying", he said in a profound, stabbing tone. He straightened and looked directly at Xu Xinya. Ridicule and contempt evident in his dark, brown orbs. "Why don't you tell your mother that you couldn't get anything at all despite begging almost everyone"

Xu Xinya could feel her determination wavering in front of that formidable man. He had caught her up in her weakest point. Now that she was weak and already crying, she didn't know that if she was left with any resolve and courage to face her worst enemy without breaking.

"It was you. Wasn't it?", she said in a hoarse, croaky tone as she wiped away her tears through the back of her hand. Her eyes shone with determination and resolve.

She couldn't cry in front of this man. Wasn't it what that man wanted? To see her, writhing and crying. To break her completely. To shred her dignity into pieces. To make her beg him.

But Xu Xinya was not going to yield to him easily.

"Isn't it obvious?", Li Shuren cruel and indifferent words landed in Xu Xinya ears."Do you think that any of those ignoble bastards would dare to defy me?"

A burst of cold laughter followed by him after his merciless words.

Xu Xinya stood there, frozen at her spot. Alone in that dark night with that man. A swish of wind came and swayed her long chocolate brown hair. She hugged her light pink dress tightly, her clear, limpid eyes held immense desolation as she looked at that man with hopelessness.

He was right.

Doors had been closing down on her. She had arranged a social gathering tonight to collect some funds for her mother surgery. Close family friends and aboard family members were invited. Not all of them showed up due to the fear of Mo Liang. The remaining few that showed up, declined to help her.

Who knew that he would show up at some neighboring gathering to the Hall she reserved? First, a few of her relatives might have wanted to help her but after acknowledging his presence, they decided it was better to stay safe and refused to help.

Xu Xinya could not blame them because if placing herself in their foot, she would have done the same thing. This man, Mo Liang, literally controlled everything. If any of those families was to defy him, they would be subjected to his wrath and would be blacklisted from major markets soon. That would mark the end of their business and ruin of their family.

"Mo Liang, you haven't won yet. I'll never bew in front of you.", Xu Xinya said in her unwavering tone that held her characteristic bravery.

An amused glint flashed across Mo Liang as he fixed his eyes on her gorgeous face.

"Then we'll have to just wait and see who wins in the end."