The limousine pulled to a slow halt at the entrance of the Celestial Crown Hotel, its obsidian doors flanked by marble lion statues and gold-trimmed red carpet. Paparazzi had already begun crowding the entrance, their lenses trained on the line of luxury vehicles spilling out powerful CEOs, celebrities, and aristocrats.
Feng Yuxi sat inside the sleek Maybach, her fingers calmly adjusting the diamond earring that dangled from her right ear. A single strand of her midnight-black hair curled behind it — elegant, sharp, flawless.
Tonight wasn't just a gala.
It was the battlefield.
"Miss Feng, we're ready," the driver announced, his voice trembling ever so slightly under her cool presence.
She gave a small nod, then turned to her assistant, Bai Lin, seated across from her.
"Have the invitations been distributed?"
"Yes. Including to Gu Tianyu and Han Xinyao, as instructed." Bai Lin's lips curved in satisfaction. "They won't expect you."
Yuxi's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of her former fiancé and her traitorous cousin — the woman who had once pushed her off a cliff, the woman who was now parading herself around as the future young madam of the Gu family.
Let them enjoy their last few moments of delusion.
She stepped out of the car.
Instantly, the crowd erupted.
Flashes burst like fireworks across the night as she descended the carpet in a floor-length, scarlet gown. The dress shimmered like firelight, fitting her perfectly — seductive, elegant, commanding. Her shoulders were bare, the smooth lines of her collarbone gleaming under the lights, and a thin, intricate phoenix tattoo curled up from the nape of her neck to just below her jawline.
A symbol.
A warning.
The media rushed closer, whispering.
"Who is she?!"
"That's not on the guest list..."
"Wait — she's walking in with the Li Corporation insignia!"
Indeed, the only man who could bring an unknown woman to such a prestigious event was Li Zeyan.
From the far end of the carpet, he stepped into the light — tall, powerful, dressed in a charcoal tuxedo with an obsidian tie and silver phoenix cufflinks.
The crowd stilled as if time paused.
The tyrant of Li Corporation was known for never showing up at public events unless it was a hostile takeover. Yet here he was, eyes trained only on the woman before him.
She reached his side.
Zeyan extended his arm wordlessly, and Yuxi slid hers through it like a queen.
His voice was low, barely audible to the cameras but crisp in her ear. "You're stealing the stage already."
She smiled faintly, without looking at him. "That was the plan."
They entered.
Inside, the hotel ballroom was bathed in a wash of chandeliers and soft orchestral music. Waiters in black moved gracefully with trays of vintage wine. The most powerful elites of the city mingled, their voices polite but eyes calculating.
Yuxi's entrance sent a ripple through the room.
But it wasn't until Gu Tianyu turned — champagne glass in hand, his arm draped around Han Xinyao's waist — that the tension in the air twisted into something electric.
His face paled.
Xinyao nearly dropped her clutch.
Yuxi met their eyes, her expression calm, untouched by time or scars. For the first time in years, she saw the man who had abandoned her without question, and the woman who had destroyed her.
She leaned closer to Zeyan, her voice low.
"Shall we begin the game?"
Scene Shift: Public Reveal Begins
Later, as the award presentation began, the host announced a surprise special segment — a tribute to rising stars who had contributed exceptional value to the entertainment industry in their debut year.
"And the mysterious new actress who stunned audiences with her dual-role thriller 'Crimson Echo'... please welcome to the stage, Miss Xian Yuxi!"
Gasps rang out.
Xian Yuxi.
The alias Yuxi had used in her acting comeback.
Cameras swiveled. Guests stood. Even executives from Golden Eye Media clapped — none realizing this new face was once the disgraced daughter of the Feng family.
Yuxi stepped up to the podium with grace, but just as she accepted the award, a voice rang out from the back.
"She doesn't belong here!"
It was Han Xinyao.
Eyes turned.
"Xian Yuxi is a fraud! She stole roles meant for me! And she seduced the CEO of Li Corporation using underhanded methods!" Xinyao screeched.
Gasps echoed around the room.
Gu Tianyu tried to hush her, but it was too late. The cameras were recording. The media was salivating.
Yuxi's eyes narrowed — not with panic, but with purpose.
She turned to face the crowd, her lips curving into a glacial smile.
"Do I know you?" she asked sweetly.
Xinyao faltered. "Y-You—!"
"Oh," Yuxi said slowly, as if remembering. "You're the woman who tried to push me off a cliff years ago, right?"
Silence.
Frozen.
Yuxi turned back to the audience. "I had no plans to say anything tonight, but since Miss Han has taken it upon herself to bring up ancient history…"
She held up a tablet — and suddenly, a projector clicked on behind her.
Footage played.
A video from years ago — grainy, but unmistakable. A cliff. A struggle. Han Xinyao screaming, "You were never meant to be the heiress!"
Yuxi's body going over the edge.
The audience was stunned. Some gasped. Others stepped back. Xinyao turned white as chalk.
Gu Tianyu stumbled.
Li Zeyan stepped forward, cold fury in his eyes. "You dared harm what's mine?"
Security approached Han Xinyao, and the organizers whispered frantically about legal charges.
Yuxi remained calm.
She turned to the audience. "I am Xian Yuxi. And I am not here for revenge... but to take back what was stolen."
Thunderous applause.
And somewhere in the shadows, a man in silver watched through a spy lens, whispering into his mic:
"Phase One: Complete. The Phoenix has entered the flames."