The Legend of Cinderella's Counterattack

"Damn it!" Lawrence Lu slammed his fist against the wall, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. The diary had been stolen, and the clue was broken. My heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, and a suffocating feeling overwhelmed me. Who was that shadowy figure? Why had he taken my mother's diary? Did he also know the Nangong family's secrets?

"Lolo, don't worry, we will definitely find the diary." Lawrence Lu held me in his arms, his breath with a familiar warmth, which slightly calmed my panic.

"But, the diary records..." Before I could finish my words, I was interrupted by a sudden earthquake.

The room we were in shook violently, and the chandelier above our heads was about to fall. Before I could react, Lawrence Lu grabbed me and ran towards the corner of the room.

"Rumble--"

With a deafening roar, the wall behind us collapsed, revealing a dark hole. Lu Yuxuan and I looked at each other, and we saw surprise and a hint of uncontrollable excitement in each other's eyes.

"It seems that there are secrets here that we don't know about." Lawrence Lu held my hand tightly, with a hint of desire for adventure in his tone.

I nodded, my fear replaced by curiosity. We cautiously approached the cave entrance, and in the dim light, we could vaguely see a stone staircase leading down.

Lawrence Lu walked in front. He picked up a piece of gravel from the ground and threw it deep into the stone steps. The gravel rolled all the way down, making a crisp sound of impact, but no sound of it landing was heard.

“It seems that this road is very deep.” Lawrence Lu turned around and said to me, his eyes flashing with excitement.

We walked down the stone steps for about a quarter of an hour before finally reaching the end. Suddenly, the view opened up and a spacious underground chamber appeared before us.

In the center of the secret room sat a massive bronze treasure chest, intricately carved with patterns, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura. Next to it lay a magnificent suit of clothing. Crafted from gold thread and a variety of gemstones, it shone with brilliance and was a breathtaking sight.

I couldn't help but walk forward and gently touch the dress. The moment my fingers touched the dress, a powerful force surged into my body like an electric current, and countless images flashed through my mind, those images were strange and familiar, as if they came from the distant past.

I suddenly understood something. This outfit might be the key to unlocking the Nangong family's secrets! The images that emerged in my mind made me step back repeatedly. Lu Yuxuan quickly supported me and asked worriedly, "Lolo, what's wrong with you?" I shook my head and pointed at the gorgeous outfit, my voice trembling with excitement: "I seem to have seen something..."

Lu Yuxuan followed my gaze, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He walked forward and examined the suit carefully. Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, he reached into the interlayer of the clothes and pulled out an old book.

"What is this?" I asked curiously.

Lawrence Lu flipped open the book, his brows furrowed slightly, “This seems to be a… martial arts secret book?”

A martial arts secret manual? I opened my eyes wide in surprise. Could this be the kind of martial arts secret manual that often appears in novels, which can turn a person into a peerless master overnight?

Lu Yuxuan was obviously attracted by this idea. He began to carefully read the secret book. As he read, I felt that the air around him seemed to begin to flow, and an invisible aura condensed around him.

I watched all this in amazement. Could it be... this is the legendary internal force?

For the next few days, we were all immersed in this wonderful atmosphere. I tried on the gorgeous costume and found that it was more than just a piece of clothing, but more like a magical weapon imbued with powerful energy. Wearing it, I felt full of power, and my mind was filled with many wonderful ideas about clothing design and production.

Lu Yuxuan was obsessed with the martial arts secret book. He seemed to have a very high talent for martial arts. In just a few days, he had mastered some of the moves in the secret book. His skills became more agile, his eyes became sharper, and his whole body exuded a powerful aura.

As our strength grew by leaps and bounds, news about the mysterious shadow also began to emerge. An old friend of Lu Yuxuan's used his connections and finally found some clues.

"That shadowy figure is the former steward of the Nangong family. Twenty years ago, he was discovered stealing family treasures and was expelled from the family. He has disappeared ever since." Lu Yuxuan's old friend said, "Over the years, he has been working in secret, trying to find the Nangong family's treasure. It seems that he has been eyeing you for a long time."

"The Nangong family's treasure?" I asked doubtfully, "What treasure is it?"

Lawrence Lu’s old friend shook his head: “No one knows what the treasure is, but we only know that the treasure is related to a huge secret of the Nangong family.”

My heart sank. Could it be that the secret of this treasure was recorded in my mother's diary? Had the shadowy figure stolen the diary in order to find the treasure?

“Lolo, don’t worry, we will definitely find him and take back the diary.” Lawrence Lu held my hand and said with a firm look in his eyes.

I nodded, a surge of courage I'd never felt before. We were no longer the Cinderella and the defenseless rich boy we once were. We now had the strength and the resolve to protect each other. We would overcome all difficulties and uncover the truth!

I took a deep breath and suppressed the surging emotions in my heart. Lawrence Lu's words were like a reassurance, gradually calming my originally flustered thoughts. Yes, we can't just sit there and wait for death, we must take the initiative!

"What are you going to do?" I looked up at him, my eyes full of determination.

Lawrence Lu’s mouth curled up with a confident arc: “Since he wants the treasure, then we will create an opportunity for him to lure the snake out of its hole.”

We spent the entire day making plans, going over every detail. Lu Yuxuan decided to use the upcoming international fashion week to spread the word that I would be releasing a new collection themed "Treasure" at the fashion week.

"But where can we find the so-called 'treasure'?" I was a little worried.

Lawrence Lu smiled mysteriously: "Who said we have to use real treasure? What we want to create is a 'game' that is so real that it can be mistaken for a real one!"

I immediately understood what he meant. We were not really going to find the Nangong family's treasure, but to use this fashion week to lure out that dark shadow.

Fashion Week is here as planned, and the entire fashion world is focused on it. To coincide with this event, I've specially designed a series of gorgeous and dazzling garments, each inspired by the ancient book and imbued with a mysterious oriental feel.

Lawrence Lu had also shed his usual gentle and refined image, donning a well-tailored black suit. He looked even more stern, his brows radiating a powerful aura. Standing next to him, I could almost feel the powerful aura emanating from him, which gradually calmed my previously uneasy heart.

"Are you ready?" Before going on stage, Lawrence Lu looked down at me, with a determined light flashing in his deep eyes.

I nodded vigorously and put my hand into his palm: "Yes, let's do it together!"

The lights came on, the music started, and I walked confidently onto the runway. Under the spotlight, my dress seemed to come alive, shimmering with color and beauty. The audience erupted in gasps and thunderous applause.

I knew that at this moment, everyone's eyes were on me, including that shadowy figure lurking in the darkness. A determined smile curled my lips, and I pushed the show to its climax as planned... This show, a source of my entire life's work, held all our hopes. I incorporated inspiration from ancient texts into my designs, and each piece seemed to tell a story of ancient legend. The audience's exclamations and the media's flash cameras only fueled this spectacular spectacle.

"Lolo, you're amazing!" Backstage, my bestie and fashion buddy Lisa gave me a big hug. "This show will definitely become an unsurpassed classic in the fashion world!"

"Yes, Lolo, you are a natural born designer!" Another designer friend also praised.

I smiled and responded to everyone's praise, but my heart was always tense. I knew that the purpose of this show was not only to achieve success, but more importantly to draw out the dark figure hiding in the darkness.

Lu Yuxuan had been secretly observing the surroundings. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk, and no clues could escape his eyes. I knew he was waiting, waiting for the dark shadow to reveal a flaw.

Just then, I noticed something unusual happening in the audience. A man in a black trench coat and a peaked cap caught my eye. His head was bowed, the brim of his cap pulled low, making it hard to see his features. But the chilling aura emanating from him sent shivers down my spine.

"Yuxuan, look at that man..." I lowered my voice and pointed at the suspicious man.

Lawrence Lu followed my gaze, his pupils shrank slightly, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth: “Finally appeared!”

Before we could react, the man suddenly stood up, opened his windbreaker, pulled out a pistol from his waist, and pointed it at me on the T-stage!

"boom!"

A gunshot pierced the originally noisy show, and the crowd suddenly fell into chaos, with screams and cries coming one after another.

My mind went blank and before I could react what was happening, I felt a powerful force knocking me to the ground.

"Lolo, are you okay?" Lawrence Lu's voice sounded in my ears, with a hint of anxiety and worry.

I looked up and saw Lawrence Lu protecting me under his body. His arm was grazed by a bullet and blood stained his white shirt red, but he didn't care and just held me tightly.

"I'm fine..." I shook my head, but my heart was beating violently and I was very scared.

"Want to escape?" Lu Yuxuan looked coldly at the man who fired the gun, with a murderous look in his eyes.

The man obviously didn’t expect Lawrence Lu’s reaction to be so quick. He was stunned for a moment, then turned around and tried to escape.

However, Lawrence Lu had already laid a tight net, and his friends showed up one after another, surrounding the man.

A fierce battle was about to break out. I was protected by Lawrence Lu behind me and could only watch him fight with that man.

The man was agile and his moves were ruthless, but Lu Yuxuan was no ordinary man either. He responded calmly and defeated his enemy with every move. For a while, it was difficult to tell who was better.

My heart was in my throat. What would be the outcome of this battle? Could we escape unscathed?