Jason didn't sleep.
He'd tried — he really had. He shut off the lights, stretched out on the ridiculous king-size bed the estate had prepared for him, and closed his eyes.
But his mind kept replaying the day.
The elders' faces when his name hit first place.
Jessy's disbelief.
Jane's silent stare.
Britney's calm, calculating interest.
Alex's jaw clenching so tight a vein had popped along his temple.
Jason wasn't arrogant enough to celebrate, but he wasn't naïve either.
He'd walked into the Yun Family Evaluation as the least favored child and walked out as the one person no one could ignore.
That kind of shift didn't create applause.
It created enemies.
Jason exhaled and rolled onto his back.
The ceiling was painted with constellations. He remembered staring at these same stars as a kid — back when he lived in a haze of privilege, ignorance, and useless rebellion. Back when nobody expected anything from him.
Funny how things change.
A faint sound drifted through the wall beside him.
A muffled voice.
A man's voice.
Jason frowned and turned his head.
Alex's room was connected to his.
He didn't want to listen, but when someone is speaking that loudly, the choice disappears.
"…I don't care what excuses you give!" Alex hissed, voice low but sharp. "I was supposed to lead the presentation. I was supposed to secure the Phoenix project. Now he—he—"
Jason blinked slowly.
So Alex was finally slipping.
Another voice, softer, feminine, answered.
Madam Michelson's tone was calm, nearly soothing, but calculated enough to chill a room.
"Yes, Jason received it first. But that doesn't mean he'll keep it. A project of this scale tests backbone, not talent."
Alex's breathing was audible through the wall.
Shaky. Angry.
"He embarrassed me," Alex whispered. "In front of everyone."
"No," Michelson corrected. "You embarrassed yourself by reacting to him."
Silence.
Then—
"Listen carefully," she continued, her voice calm, controlled, almost affectionate. "This is an opportunity. Jason Yun has just stepped into the spotlight. And people who step into the spotlight are easier to trip."
Jason stopped breathing.
"If he falters," she said softly, "if the Phoenix Infrastructure suffers even a minor error, the elders will panic. They will turn to the one person who has been stable, reliable, diligent—"
"Me…" Alex breathed.
"You," she confirmed. "And once you 'save' the project, your position in the Yun family will be unshakable. Then? Then you'll have secured the perfect place to approach the Son family with a legitimate proposal."
Jason closed his eyes.
Son Liying…
So that was the angle.
Michelson's voice dropped lower. "Stay calm, Alex. Let him shine. People with sudden light burn out just as quickly."
Jason's hand tightened around the sheets.
The call ended a moment later. A soft thud followed — Alex punching something in frustration, probably a pillow or the desk.
Jason lay still for a long time.
He wasn't angry.
Not blindsided.
Not even surprised.
He'd expected resistance.
He just didn't expect it this quickly.
The ceiling constellations blurred slightly as he exhaled.
"Burn out, huh?" he whispered.
He didn't smile.
He didn't scoff.
He simply sat up and swung his legs off the bed.
He had work to do.
The next morning came quietly.
Breakfast was served in the east dining hall — a long wooden table that could seat thirty, though only the young generation and a few elders were present today.
Jason arrived last, not out of arrogance but because he needed a few extra minutes to sort through the pieces of last night's overheard call.
As he walked in, conversations slowed.
Britney looked up from her tea first, giving him a polite nod — not friendly, not hostile, simply acknowledging a rival she now had to take seriously.
Jane avoided his gaze, stirring her oatmeal with calm precision that masked her lingering storm from the night before.
Jessy… Jessy didn't look at him at all.
Which told him more than any glare could.
Alex held a fork so tight it might snap.
Jason sat down across from him, deliberately choosing the seat the elders had left open for him — an implicit sign of his new standing.
Elder Yun Tian cleared his throat. "Jason. We were discussing the plans for tomorrow's presentations. Will you be prepared?"
Jason nodded. "I will."
Alex's eyebrow twitched.
Jessy muttered something under her breath, but Jane shot her a Look, and Jessy fell silent.
Britney spoke next, her voice calm. "Are you planning to reveal anything about the Phoenix project tomorrow?"
A small ripple passed through the table.
Jason looked up.
"I'll reveal what's necessary," he said simply.
Britney held his gaze for a moment.
Then gave a small, respecting nod.
Jane and Jessy exchanged a glance — for different reasons.
The elders continued discussing scheduling, expectations, guest arrivals, logistics.
Jason listened, but his mind drifted.
The Phoenix Infrastructure Project was massive — infrastructure, energy optimization, cross-family economics, even political implications. He'd read the file before bed. He knew exactly why the Son elders had chosen it:
Its difficulty wasn't in the work.
Its difficulty was in how many people wanted it to fail.
He wasn't naive enough to think they wanted him to succeed.
He was the outsider fiancé candidate.
An unknown variable.
And Michelson was manipulating the arc behind the scenes.
Jason's phone buzzed.
He lowered his gaze to the screen.
A new message from an encrypted number:
"We will be sending additional documents later today. Please confirm a secure drop-off point."
Jason typed back under the table:
"Understood. Use the same channel as before."
The Phoenix Project was already moving.
And so was he.
Breakfast ended with the usual polite farewells and stiff smiles. The elders dispersed first. Then Brittney. Then Jane. Jessy left last, stiff and silent, her posture brittle.
Only Alex lingered, standing near the window with his hands in his pockets, pretending not to wait for Jason.
Jason approached him anyway.
"You did well yesterday," Jason said calmly.
Alex didn't look at him. "Don't patronize me."
"I'm not."
Alex turned then, eyes burning with resentment, humiliation, and something deeper — fear.
"You think this means something?" he whispered sharply. "You think one evaluation changes who belongs in this family?"
Jason tilted his head. "Does it bother you that much?"
Alex's jaw clenched.
Jason didn't smile, didn't taunt. "You don't have to see me as an enemy."
Alex's voice shook. "But you are one."
Jason held his gaze, steady and unbothered.
"I'm not here to replace you," he said. "I'm here to break what the Yun family thinks is impossible."
Alex blinked, thrown off for a moment.
But before he could respond, Jason added quietly:
"And if you stand in my way… then yeah. You'll lose."
The silence that followed was thin and dangerous.
Jason didn't wait for a reply.
He left the dining hall, phone in hand, mind already shifting toward the next step.
Behind him, Alex stood frozen in place — the reflection of a man realizing that his worst fear wasn't that Jason had risen.
It was that Jason wasn't coming down.
Later that afternoon, Jason returned to his room and sat at his desk.
Minutes passed in silence.
Then his phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
Untraceable routing.
A single message:
"The Phoenix Project has more enemies than you think. We'll talk soon."
Jason leaned back in his chair.
The game was already starting.
And he wasn't playing catch-up anymore.
He was the reason the board was shifting.