As the evening wore on, Yuexin moved gracefully through the hall, speaking with heirs and socialites, weaving words like silk. Each conversation left others intrigued, some admiring, others envious.
But no matter where she went, she could feel it...that steady gaze following her, weighing her, as though peeling back each layer she revealed.
Lu Shen did not approach again. He didn't need to. His silence was more commanding than a dozen conversations. And Yuexin knew… she had caught his attention.
In her past life, she had been too insignificant for him to notice. In this life, she would make sure not only that he noticed—but that the entire world would bow when she walked past.
By the time the banquet ended, Zhao Rourou's smile had nearly shattered from strain. Su Wei remained brooding, unsettled by the transformation he could not comprehend. And the guests… they left with one name on their lips, whispered like a rising storm.
"Zhao Yuexin."
The banquet finally ended, but its echoes had only begun.
Guests left in clusters, their laughter and whispers spilling out into the night air. Luxury cars glided down the Zhao estate's driveway, but not a single one departed without one name lingering on their tongues.
"Zhao Yuexin."
The forgotten daughter, the invisible shadow, had returned like fire itself—and none could look away.
---
Inside the mansion, Zhao Rourou's composure snapped the moment the last guest left. She hurled her empty wine glass across the room. It shattered against the marble floor, the sound sharp and violent.
"Did you see them?" she hissed at Su Wei, her chest heaving. "Every single one of them looked at her! On my birthday! They were supposed to admire me, not that… that pretender!"
Su Wei's brows furrowed. His pride still smarted from Yuexin's cold dismissal. He had always assumed she would remain meek, quietly orbiting around him. But tonight, she had looked at him as if he were nothing.
"She's not the same," he muttered, pacing. "Something's changed in her."
Rourou grabbed his arm, her nails digging into his sleeve. "Then find out what it is! I don't care how—dig up her secrets, expose her, ruin her if you must. She cannot be allowed to outshine me!"
Su Wei hesitated. For the first time, a flicker of doubt entered his mind. Can I even control her anymore?
Meanwhile, in her own wing of the mansion, Zhao Yuexin sat before her mirror once more. The crimson gown still clung to her figure, but now her eyes glowed with quiet triumph.
She remembered this night in her past life all too well. Back then, she had worn an ugly, plain dress, obedient to Lin Yumei's orders. Guests had laughed at her, Su Wei had ignored her, and Rourou had shone like a star. Yuexin had stood in the corner, invisible, humiliated.
But this time—oh, this time—she had turned humiliation into applause.
She leaned back in her chair, whispering to her reflection. "This is just the beginning. One banquet, and already they're unsettled. Just wait until I show them what I'm truly capable of."
Her lips curved into a cold smile. She could almost taste the future...the revenge, the victories, the power.
Far away, in a sleek black car leaving the Zhao estate, Lu Shen sat in silence. The city lights flickered across his face, sharp angles carved by shadows.
His assistant, seated in the passenger seat, finally spoke. "Young Master, about tonight… should I investigate Miss Zhao Yuexin?"
Lu Shen swirled the untouched wine in his glass, his gaze fixed out the window. The image of a woman in crimson, fearless and radiant, lingered in his mind.
"Investigate quietly," he said at last, his voice low. "I want to know everything."
The assistant bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
For a moment, silence returned. Then, almost too softly to hear, Lu Shen's lips curved.
"Interesting woman."
The Zhao estate lay in uneasy quiet that night. One cousin simmered in jealousy, one fiancé brooded in confusion, and one young woman lay awake in her chamber, eyes gleaming in the dark.
The ripples of the banquet were spreading. And Zhao Yuexin knew—this was the first stone cast into the waters. Soon, the waves would come crashing down on those who once betrayed her.
TO BE CONTINUED