555: Chapter 55 is even more painful than killing them.

Shen Yan appeared on time.

He wasn't wearing a suit, just a simple black shirt with the sleeves rolled up casually to his elbows, revealing firm forearms.

He pulled out the chair opposite He Wanqing and sat down.

There were no unnecessary pleasantries.

He pushed a document in front of He Wanqing.

"Take a look."

"The terms are exactly as I said yesterday, word for word."

He Wanqing took a deep breath, picked up the document, and read it page by page with extreme care.

The moment she signed her name, she felt as if she were signing a contract to sell her soul.

But she did not hesitate.

"It's signed."

She pushed the document back.

Shen Yan took a look, then tucked it into his briefcase.

He called a waiter and ordered another cup of black coffee.

"Now, we can discuss the details of the plan."

His voice was very soft, yet it made He Wanqing's heart skip a beat.

Revenge.

Coming from his mouth, the word carried no emotion, as if he were discussing today's weather.

He Wanqing's breathing involuntarily quickened.

"I... what should I do?"

Shen Yan picked up the coffee and took a sip.

"You don't have to do anything."

"No, to be precise, all you need to do is cooperate."

"Cooperate with us and put on a good show."

He placed an A4 sheet of paper on the table.

On the paper, there was only one title.

"Project Phoenix."

"This is the code name for our entire plan."

Shen Yan's finger pointed below the title.

"The plan is divided into five steps."

He Wanqing's gaze closely followed his finger.

"Step one: Lead the snake out of its hole."

Shen Yan's voice was steady and clear.

"I've already had someone arrange a meeting with Lu Ming of Dongsheng Group."

"Under the pretext of discussing the acquisition of the mess that is 'Victoria Jewelry'."

He Wanqing's expression changed instantly.

"What? Acquisition?"

"Didn't you say..."

Shen Yan raised his hand, interrupting her.

"What have Lu Ming and Wu Dong been plotting to get?"

He Wanqing was stunned.

"It's... it's Grandfather's manuscripts, the Victoria brand."

"No, what they want is to completely destroy the He Family, then take the name 'Victoria' for themselves and whitewash it as their own."

Shen Yan's gaze was like a sharp scalpel, dissecting human greed.

"An eager seller and a greedy buyer."

"Tell me, will Lu Ming be tempted?"

He Wanqing understood.

This was bait.

Bait to make Lu Ming think Shen Yan was an outsider who didn't know the industry and wanted to take advantage of a bargain.

"He will."

He Wanqing said through gritted teeth.

"Lu Ming is arrogant and greedy."

"Very good."

Shen Yan's finger slid to the second line.

"Step two: Shedding the golden cicada's shell."

"While you are dealing with Lu Ming superficially, we will immediately register a new offshore company in the Cayman Islands, which I'll call 'Nirvana Jewelry'."

"This company will legally take over all assets and debts of Victoria Jewelry through a third-party debt transfer."

"At the same time, we will release a global statement signed by you."

Shen Yan looked at her, word by word.

"The content of the statement is simple: You, He Wanqing, as the sole heir of Victoria Jewelry, will permanently abandon the brand, and 'Nirvana Jewelry' will inherit Elder Mr. He's design concepts and the copyrights to all unpublished manuscripts."

He Wanqing's body began to tremble slightly.

Abandoning "Victoria".

These four words were like an awl piercing her heart.

That was her grandfather's life's work.

"Why abandon it?"

Her voice carried an almost imperceptible sob.

"Because the name 'Victoria' has already been tainted by Lu Ming and Wu Dong."

Shen Yan's tone was completely flat.

"A brand plagued by counterfeits and scandals cannot be saved."

"Rather than struggling in the mud, it's better to set it ablaze and rebuild a new palace on the scorched earth."

"Nirvana Jewelry."

He Wanqing murmured the name.

Rebirth from the ashes.

She suddenly felt that this name suited her current self better than Victoria.

"When Lu Ming thinks he's about to swallow the choice morsel that is 'Victoria', he'll find he's only holding an empty shell and a rotten reputation."

"While we have already completed the transfer with the He Family's true treasures."

He Wanqing's eyes lit up.

She could almost see Lu Ming's stunned, angry, and distorted face when he discovered the truth after signing the contract.

A morbid sense of pleasure rose from the depths of her heart.

"Step three."

Shen Yan's finger continued downward.

"A single spark can start a prairie fire."

"After Nirvana Jewelry is established, the first thing we'll do is release our first season of new products."

"The designs will be chosen from your three volumes of manuscripts."

"But not used directly; instead, you will perform secondary creations based on the original design drafts."

"We want everyone to see that the design soul of the He Family isn't dead. It has returned."

He Wanqing's heart began to race.

Design.

This was what she loved most, and also what pained her most.

She hadn't picked up a paintbrush in a long time.

"And then?"

"Then, we wait."

The corners of Shen Yan's mouth curled into a cold arc.

"Wait for Wu Dong and Lu Ming to jump out and accuse us of plagiarism."

"They definitely will."

"Because they have a large number of 'works' in their hands that are imitations based on your grandfather's manuscripts."

"They will use those fakes as evidence to bite back at us."

He Wanqing held her breath.

She realized this was the most likely thing to happen.

"Then... what do we do?"

"That's step four."

Shen Yan's finger tapped heavily on the paper.

"Taking the firewood from under the cauldron."

"When their clamor is loudest and public opinion has reached its peak."

"We will hold a global live-streamed press conference."

"At the press conference, you will personally come forward and make the original manuscripts of the three volumes public."

"We will invite the world's top handwriting experts, paper aging experts, and authoritative scholars in the history of jewelry design to conduct on-site appraisals."

"We want people all over the world to see with their own eyes how Lu Ming's and Wu Dong's lies are torn to shreds, page by page."

"We want every fake sold by Dongsheng Group to become a slap across their own faces."

He Wanqing's mind buzzed.

She could already see that press conference in her mind.

Under the spotlight, holding her grandfather's manuscripts, those slandered and imitated lines would bloom with the brilliance they were meant to have before the whole world.

And Lu Ming and Wu Dong, under the gaze of billions, would become a pair of lowly thieves and shameless liars.

Their business empire would instantly collapse because of this live stream.

This would be even more painful for them than being killed.