The sky over Shanghai darkened earlier than usual, clouds roiling in a bruised gray swirl, as if the heavens themselves mirrored the tension inside the towering QR headquarters. Rain struck the glass windows like a soft drumbeat, quiet but persistent.
Qin Yu didn't look up from the paperwork stacked before him, but the lines on his forehead deepened. His usually impeccable composure had a single crack now one formed during that brief, confusing encounter in the elevator.
A number with no ID, and a message that read:
"I'm not usually this forward, but you've been on my mind longer than I care to admit. I won't bother you, President Qin. Not unless you want me to."
- Y.R.
Qin Yu didn't reply. He didn't delete the message either.
Instead, he stared at it for two whole minutes before locking his screen and tossing the phone aside. Now, hours later, it still vibrated faintly in his thoughts, like a wire stretched too tight.
"President Qin," Shen Wenlang's voice pulled him back into the present. "The Kyoto investors are waiting in the conference room. We've already briefed them. All they want is your signature and confirmation of the expansion timeline."
Qin Yu stood, fixing the cufflinks on his dark navy suit. "And what's your opinion, Wenlang? Are they as efficient as they claim?"
The assistant hesitated for only a second. "Their numbers are good. But one of their partners has had questionable affiliations in the past. I'd advise caution."
Qin Yu's lips pressed into a line. "Then let's delay. If they grow impatient, we'll know who we're dealing with."
As Shen Wenlang nodded and stepped aside to lead him out, Qin Yu reached for his phone again. Not to check the message, not directly but the temptation hovered.
Across the city, in an underground estate built into a mountain ridge just outside Shanghai's inner circle, Yan Rui stood before a floor to ceiling digital map. Red dots blinked slowly over Spain, Marseille, and two active points in Cairo and Dubai.
"Report," he said quietly, arms behind his back.
Yan Shuo, his right hand and the only man in the organization who addressed him without fear, stepped forward. "The Spanish deal is secured. Their leader, Escarra, tried to back out. We sent a gift ... his brother's thumb. That got the conversation back on track."
A dark smile tugged at the corner of Yan Rui's lips. "Sometimes, tradition speaks louder than negotiation."
Yan Shuo continued, "We've moved the weapons shipment through Tangier. It'll arrive in Marseille within forty-eight hours. No flags, no signatures. Just like you ordered."
"And the girl?" Yan Rui asked, turning slightly.
"In safe hands," Yan Shuo said. "She's been relocated to a private estate in Mallorca. She won't be a problem."
Yan Rui nodded. "Good. And the brat who tried to wiretap my communications last night?"
Yan Shuo paused. "I killed him myself."
The room fell into silence, broken only by the subtle whirring of the digital map's interface.
Yan Rui turned away from the display and walked toward the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of scotch and leaned against the table, glass swirling in his hand.
"There's someone," he said suddenly, voice softer now. "Qin Yu."
Yan Shuo's brows twitched. "The CEO?"
"yes him."
"You know I've read his profile," Yan Shuo said. "
"You're interested in him?"
"I met him once. On a plane..... Steaming. Then again in an elevator the last time you were there. He recognized me." Yan Rui sipped his drink, gaze distant now. "But there's something about him. Cold. Sharp. Unmoved. He reminds me of a mirror that refuses to reflect unless you bleed on it."
Yan Shuo frowned faintly. "Should I...."
"No," Yan Rui said, cutting him off. "Not yet. I don't want to touch him through shadows. If he's going to be in my life, he'll come in directly."
Yan Shuo hesitated. "And if he becomes a liability?"
Yan Rui's gaze didn't waver. "Then I'll handle him myself."
Back in Qin Yu's office, the Kyoto meeting was over. The rain had turned into a storm, lightning splitting the sky in violent cracks as the city's skyline glistened beneath it.
Shen Wenlang entered with a wrapped file folder. "From the international office. They said it was urgent."
Qin Yu opened it, scanning the contents quickly. "A deal from Valhalla Corp? Interesting."
His phone buzzed again. This time, a voice message.
He shouldn't have opened it.
He did anyway.
"You looked at me like you were trying to solve a riddle with no clues. Don't worry, President Qin. I like puzzles."
Qin Yu's thumb hovered over the delete button.
And again, he didn't press it.