Evening – The Centennial Financial Gala
The ballroom glittered.
Crystal chandeliers spilled light across designer gowns, champagne towers, and socialites hungry for attention. This was the battlefield of whispers, and Shen Yue walked into it dressed like victory.
She wore a black silk evening gown that hugged her frame, the slit high, the neckline precise. Her diamond earrings glinted like frost, and her expression?
Untouchable.
Cameras turned instantly.
"Isn't that…?""Lu Yichen's fiancée?""She's stunning. I thought she was ruined?"
Shen Yue didn't need to speak. Her entrance did the work.
At the top of the stairs, she paused — and Lu Yichen was already waiting, black suit tailored to perfection, a rare flicker of emotion in his eyes.
He offered his arm. "You're late."
"I like to be noticed," she said coolly, linking with him.
[System: Lu Yichen Regret Score – 39%Emotion: Jealousy, pride, denial]
They descended into the noise together, cameras flashing, socialites gasping.
But the real spark wasn't the cameras.
It was the woman waiting near the champagne tower.
Tang Zhi.
The socialite who used to cling to Lu Yichen like perfume. The one who whispered rumors about Shen Yue after her family fell.
Tonight, she wore red, red lips, red heels, red venom.
"Well, if it isn't the fallen phoenix," Tang Zhi purred. "Or should I say, the pet project of Lu Yichen's PR team?"
Gasps fluttered from nearby tables.
Shen Yue smiled.
"Tang Zhi. Still trying to sound clever with words someone else fed you?"
The woman's smile froze.
"You must've crawled far to climb back up," Tang Zhi sneered. "How long did it take to get Lu Yichen back in your bed?"
Shen Yue's voice dropped to a chilling calm. "You're mistaking me for someone who needs men to climb."
She reached for a glass of champagne and raised it with grace.
"Don't worry. I remember what it was like to be irrelevant, too."
[System: Public Reputation +20%Social Status Shift: 'CEO's Equal'Lu Yichen Regret Score – 44%Tang Zhi Humiliation Index – 71%]
Lu Yichen said nothing, but he watched her like a man waking from a long, stupid dream.
"Who is she?"
Later That Night – Balcony
"You didn't have to go that far," he said behind her.
Shen Yue sipped her champagne, eyes on the stars.
"You think that was far?" she said softly. "That was me being polite."
He stepped closer. "You were always this sharp?"
"I was always this silent."
She turned to face him.
"Now I've learned to speak in headlines."