Saturday – 6:12 AM, Li Residence – Master Bedroom
Zhenyu stood by the window, shirtless, muscles outlined in the dim light as the early morning mist rolled off the skyline. His hands were clasped behind his back, eyes locked on the reflection of Yinyin, still sleeping in their vast bed of silk sheets.
The world thought he was a kept man.
A pampered, handsome house husband.
Only she knew the truth — and even then, not all of it.
Last night's kiss had been passionate.
But it had also been a test.
And she failed.
She was too afraid to ask what she really wanted to know.
That fear kept her under his hand.
Zhenyu smiled faintly.
Control wasn't about force. It was about desire. Theirs and yours.
8:05 AM – East Finance District – Yan Meilin's Apartment
The knock on the door was soft, timed, precise.
Meilin, still in her gray silk robe, unlocked it cautiously. No one stood in the hallway — just a small package on the mat.
She picked it up.
No return address. Plain brown paper.
Inside: a black USB drive, taped to a note written in shaky block letters.
"You don't know who he really is. Look deeper — Project Chrysalis wasn't the beginning. It was the reset."
Her pulse kicked up.
She closed the blinds, booted her air-gapped laptop, and inserted the drive.
Video files.
Financial sheets.
One folder titled "VELVET: INITIATION".
Another: "SHEN FAMILY: DOCUMENTED THREATS".
And a final, encrypted one titled "TRUE ZHENYU".
10:40 AM – Private Office, Shen Group – Level 32
Shen Jinhai slammed the file shut.
"What is this?" he barked. "Why are we purchasing back equity from Baihua Logistics at ten times market price?!"
Ruohan stood stiffly beside the long conference table.
"…the board approved it under emergency acquisition authority. The executive clause—"
"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot!"
Jinhai turned to Tang Guozhi, who'd been quietly waiting with arms crossed.
"You said this 'Project Chrysalis' thing was shut down. Buried."
Tang's lips curled. "It was. But only on paper. Someone revived it — and weaponized it."
"Who?"
Tang simply slid a photo forward across the desk.
Zhenyu, at a private auction, whispering into a foreign diplomat's ear.
It wasn't proof.
But it was enough.
11:15 AM – Shen Group Parking Garage
Ruohan lit a cigarette behind his car. He hadn't smoked in five years.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
"You're loyal to the wrong king, Ruohan."
He looked around quickly. "Who is this?"
"He's using you. You'll be next when you become inconvenient. Ask Yinyin what she found in his old study drawer."
Then the line went dead.
Ruohan stood there, frozen, smoke curling from his fingers.
2:10 PM – Rooftop Garden, Li Residence
Yinyin opened the drawer in Zhenyu's study again.
Nothing but files, photos, odd trinkets from past trips.
Except—one envelope had no stamp. No name.
Inside: a single photo.
A much younger Zhenyu, maybe fifteen, sitting beside a girl who looked terrified. He was smiling.
On the back, written in neat script:
"You said she was your first. I don't believe you."
Yinyin's fingers trembled.
She dropped it as if burned.
Flashback – 1 Year Ago, Wedding Night – Private Villa in Kyoto
Yinyin lay in his arms, body still flush from their first time.
She looked up, half-laughing. "You're dangerous, you know that?"
He kissed her gently. "To whom?"
She hesitated.
"Everyone. Including me."
He didn't answer.
Then she added quietly, "Promise me you'll never lie to me, Zhenyu."
A pause. Then he smiled.
"I've never lied. I just don't tell people things they wouldn't survive knowing."
Present – 5:35 PM, Yan Meilin's Apartment
She watched the encrypted video finally load.
A flickering, hidden camera feed from a basement meeting room — years ago.
Zhenyu was younger, in a charcoal suit, smiling like a snake.
"We control the narrative. We buy out the fear. No one suspects the ghost behind the mirror."
A voice asked, "What if someone finds out?"
Zhenyu laughed.
"They won't. Because by the time they do… they'll be the ones we own."
Meilin sat back slowly.
"I've got you now," she whispered.