The next morning, sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the Zhao mansion.
Zhao Yuexin stood before her desk, flipping through a thick leather-bound notebook. Her handwriting filled the pages—tidy, precise, and calculated. Each line carried names, dates, and outcomes from her past life.
Some were people who had wronged her. Those names, she underlined in red.
Others were people who had once been overlooked, trampled by powerful families. Those, she circled in blue.
"Enemies destroyed me before," she whispered, tapping the notebook with her finger. "But allies… I had none. Not this time."
Her lips curved in determination.
She paused at one name: Han Shixian.
In her past life, he had been a brilliant designer...sharp, creative, and daring. But his designs had been stolen by others, and eventually, he had been blacklisted and ruined.
This time, she would find him first.
The café in the city center was modest, tucked away from the glittering skyscrapers. Inside, the scent of roasted coffee mingled with quiet conversation.
Han Shixian sat alone at a corner table, a sketchbook open before him. His clothes were plain, his hair slightly messy, and his eyes carried the dullness of someone used to being ignored.
Yuexin approached with measured steps, her heels clicking softly on the polished floor. She wore a simple ivory blouse and a pencil skirt, elegant yet unassuming.
"Mr. Han?" she asked.
He looked up, startled. "Yes? Do I… know you?"
"Not yet." Yuexin smiled faintly, sliding into the seat across from him. "But I know your work. You're wasted here, sketching in the shadows. Your designs deserve to be seen on the grand stage."
Han Shixian blinked. "You must be mistaken. No one even bothers with my drafts anymore. The Zhao family already chose other designers for their projects."
Yuexin leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming. "That's exactly why I came to you. Because I'm not like them."
He hesitated, studying her. Something in her tone—steady, confident, yet respectful—made him pause.
"And why," he asked slowly, "should I believe you?"
"Because," she said softly, "I know what it feels like to be dismissed, overlooked, treated as nothing. I won't repeat that mistake."
Her sincerity cut through his cynicism like sunlight breaking clouds.
But before Han Shixian could respond, the café's air shifted.
The door opened, and with it came a wave of quiet recognition. Customers turned, whispers rising.
A man entered, tall and striking in a tailored black suit. His presence was magnetic, the kind that bent the atmosphere to his will.
Lu Shen.
Yuexin's spine straightened instinctively. Fate, it seemed, had a twisted sense of humor.
He spotted her instantly. For a moment, his dark eyes lingered, and a faint curve touched his lips before he approached.
"Well, what a coincidence," he drawled, his voice smooth as velvet. "Miss Zhao, we meet again."
Han Shixian nearly dropped his sketchbook. Lu Shen? Here?
Yuexin, however, didn't flinch. She met Lu Shen's gaze with polite calm. "Young Master Lu. I didn't expect you here."
"Neither did I." His eyes flicked to Han Shixian, then back to her. "Business meeting?"
"Something like that," Yuexin replied.
Most women would have scrambled to seize this chance, fluttering around him for attention. But Yuexin remained composed, her tone neither cold nor fawning.
It intrigued him.
"Interesting," Lu Shen murmured, sliding into the seat beside her without invitation. "Do you mind if I listen in?"
Han Shixian stiffened, overwhelmed by the sudden presence of a man who could topple empires with a word.
But Yuexin only smiled faintly. "If Young Master Lu wishes to, who am I to refuse?"
Her calmness was a blade hidden in silk, and Lu Shen recognized it.
The conversation continued, though the air now brimmed with quiet tension.
Yuexin outlined her vision to Han Shixian: a bold new project, one that would not only showcase his designs but prove her ability to lead independently of the Zhao family.
Han Shixian's hands trembled slightly as he listened. "No one's ever spoken to me like this before…"
"That's because no one saw your worth," Yuexin said softly. "But I do."
He stared at her, searching her face for insincerity....and found none. Slowly, he nodded. "Alright. I'll trust you."
A new ally, gained.
Lu Shen leaned back in his chair, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Miss Zhao," he said lazily, "you certainly have a way with words. Turning discarded stones into treasures… are you sure you weren't meant to be a merchant instead of a socialite?"
Yuexin's gaze met his, sharp yet polite. "A stone remains a stone only until the right hands polish it. I don't waste what others fail to recognize."
His chuckle was low, genuine. "Careful. If you keep talking like that, I might mistake you for a business rival."
Yuexin lifted her teacup gracefully. "If that happens, then I'll count it as a compliment."
Their eyes locked for a heartbeat—hers unwavering, his amused and probing.
It was the second time they had crossed paths. And both knew it would not be the last.
That night, as Yuexin returned home, she allowed herself a small smile.
One ally secured. One dangerous man intrigued.
Step by step, the empire that had once crushed her was beginning to shift beneath her feet.
And this time, she vowed, she would be the one standing at the top.
TO BE CONTINUED