Cursed by Ancient Love, Redeemed by Modern Hearts

Xinyi: Another Incident, Another Storm to Contain

Liang Xinyi stepped out of the car, heels clicking against the polished floor of her apartment's lobby. She had barely taken two steps toward the elevator when her phone buzzed.

Mei.

Xinyi exhaled, already sensing the weight of bad news pressing against her chest. She answered immediately.

"Another one," Mei's voice was calm, but Xinyi knew her well enough to catch the underlying tension. "A woman collapsed in the Shanxi branch factory an hour ago. Manager Luo and HR are already on-site."

Xinyi's fingers tightened around her phone.

"Cause?"

"Same as before," Mei said. "No known health issues. No warnings. Just… fell. Unconscious. No fever, no signs of infection."

Damn it.

"And Zhao Rui?" Xinyi asked, stepping into the elevator.

"She's already heading to the hospital," Mei replied. "She'll interview the worker as soon as possible."

Xinyi's mind raced. If this was a random factory accident, it wouldn't be a concern. But twice, in different factories? Both cases unexplained?

This wasn't random.

She had too many fires to put out at once—the signing, the cooperation, the board politics. And now this.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Morning meeting. You, me, and Zhao Rui. I want everything laid out—timelines, medical reports, testimonies."

"Yes, Ms. Liang."

Xinyi hesitated. This wasn't just about damage control anymore—this felt bigger.

"We might need to reach out to the elders," she muttered. "If there's anything in the family records…"

Mei stilled. Xinyi could hear her measured breath on the other end.

"That serious?" Mei asked.

Xinyi wasn't sure how to answer.

"We'll see," she said finally.

For now, she needed to make sure this didn't leak into the public.

"Get the PR chief on the line," she ordered. "I want this handled before it spirals."

"Yes, ma'am."

The elevator doors slid open, and Xinyi stepped into the quiet of her penthouse.

But her mind wasn't quiet at all.

...

Wei: Patterns in the Chaos

Zhang Wei rolled his shoulders, letting the tension bleed out of his muscles as he lowered the barbell onto the rack.

His home gym was dimly lit, the only sound in the room the steady rhythm of his breath. He reached for a towel, wiping the sweat from his brow before picking up his water bottle.

He preferred control.

But when control wasn't possible, he'd settle for boring predictability.

Reps, sets, progress measured over time. Strength built in precise increments. Effort led to results.

It wasn't exciting, but at least it made sense.

Unlike this.

Wei took a slow sip of water, checking his phone. Nothing urgent from his assistant. No breaking news. No sudden escalation of the curse.

Not yet.

And that was the problem.

There was no way to predict when it would strike next.

Not unless he found the pattern first.

Because that was the real threat. Not the collapses themselves—but the unknown.

And if he let himself believe it was random, then he'd already lost.

Wei exhaled slowly, setting his bottle down. He'd analyze everything in the morning.

For now?

He trained, waited, and watched.

Because sooner or later, the next collapse would happen.

And when it did—he would be ready.