The day began like any other.
Soft morning light spilled across the penthouse floor, tea brewed in the background, and Yaoyue sat at the dining table with her laptop open, tapping away at an email draft. Zeyan moved through the kitchen behind her, flipping through a slim file of reports he'd taken home the night before.
She glanced up, catching the familiar crease between his brows.
"You're doing the thing again," she said.
"What thing?"
"The 'I'm reading something that will ruin someone's week' face."
He didn't answer right away, which only confirmed it.
She shut her laptop halfway. "Want to talk about it?"
He slid the folder across the table.
She opened it. Read for a minute. Then frowned. "This… is a takeover proposal?"
Zeyan nodded. "Not a hostile one. But definitely ambitious."
"Who's making it?"
He pulled out a card and handed it to her.
A black matte business card. Embossed. No logo, just a name.
Lian Kai.
Yaoyue's brow furrowed. "Why does this name sound familiar?"
"Because he used to run overseas development at Shenglu Group."
She blinked. "Wait… that Lian Kai?"
"Yes."
"I thought he disappeared."
"He did. For three years."
"And now he wants to partner with Jinlin?"
Zeyan nodded once. "He resurfaced last month with a new firm — privately funded, aggressively structured, and looking for expansion. His team wants access to Jinlin's tech pipeline in exchange for heavy investment into R&D."
Yaoyue scanned the summary again, lips pursed. "It's risky."
"That's why I haven't responded yet."
"But you're considering it."
Zeyan didn't answer.
Because he was.
---
The official meeting was scheduled three days later. Private. Offsite. Neutral ground.
A discreet rooftop lounge inside a boutique hotel, known more for its exclusivity than its visibility.
Zeyan arrived first. Yaoyue, now frequently sitting in on strategic negotiations as part of Jinlin's advisory group, followed a few minutes later with Thalia, who immediately positioned herself like a quiet wall of professionalism.
And then, precisely at noon, Lian Kai arrived.
He was younger than Yaoyue expected. Late thirties, maybe. Sharp suit, loose tie, expensive but understated watch. Handsome in the way people only noticed *after* he started speaking.
His confidence didn't swagger, it glided.
He greeted Zeyan like an old friend, extended a polite nod to Thalia, and then… paused slightly before looking at Yaoyue.
"Ms. Lin," he said smoothly. "Pleasure to meet the woman at the center of so many headlines."
Yaoyue smiled, cool and unshaken. "Only the interesting ones, I hope."
He gave a low, amused laugh. "Those are the only ones worth reading."
She didn't smile back.
---
The meeting lasted just over an hour.
Lian's pitch was as sharp as expected. Global expansion, joint tech ventures, pooled talent. On paper, it was a powerhouse strategy.
But something about the way he talked, the way he lingered when speaking to Yaoyue, the subtle challenges hidden in his phrasing, made her uneasy.
He wasn't just there to propose a deal.
He was testing the room.
And testing her.
---
After he left, Zeyan sat back, fingers steepled thoughtfully.
"He's smart," he said.
"He's dangerous," Yaoyue replied.
Thalia crossed her arms. "He's both."
Yaoyue turned to Zeyan. "You're thinking about working with him, aren't you?"
"I'm thinking," he said carefully, "about what kind of future Jinlin needs to stay competitive."
"And if it's the kind of future we can build without trusting the wrong people?"
Zeyan didn't flinch. "That's what I need to find out."
She nodded slowly. "Then let me help you find out."
He looked at her.
"Are you sure?"
She met his gaze, steady and serious.
"You've let me into your world. I'm not about to step out when the stakes get higher."
---
That night, as they lay in bed, Yaoyue stared at the ceiling, thinking.
She could still hear Lian Kai's voice, smooth, practiced, calm. The kind of man who always knew more than he let on. The kind who played games long before anyone else realized there was a game.
She didn't trust him.
But she also knew opportunity when she saw it.
Zeyan needed someone beside him who wasn't dazzled by risk or blinded by ambition. Someone who could see around corners.
And she was starting to realize…
That person might be her.