Chapter 13: The Whispering Threat
The downtown boardroom was sleek, minimalist, and intimidating—a glass-and-steel fortress perched atop the city's financial district. Liang Yue entered with measured steps, heels clicking softly against the polished floor. Her eyes scanned the room quickly, noting the executives seated at the oval table, unfamiliar faces, expressions carved into polite skepticism.
Her first public negotiation. Her first test of influence. Her first chance to show that the woman who had been deceived, humiliated, and betrayed was now reborn, unshakable, and cunning.
"Good morning," she said, voice calm and clear, yet resonant enough to command attention. "Thank you for accommodating this meeting on short notice. I trust we're all here with the same objective: growth, opportunity, and mutual benefit."
A man in a charcoal suit, tall, sharp-featured, leaned back, his arms crossed. "Liang Yue, your reputation precedes you," he said, voice dripping polite skepticism. "But we hear many ambitious claims in the city. Convince us this isn't just another project overhyped for the media."
Liang Yue smiled faintly. "Ambition, yes. Hype, no. Let's review the figures."
She tapped a tablet, and projected numbers, graphs, and forecasts onto the screen. Every chart, every data point was meticulously prepared—she had spent nights studying market trends, reviewing historical performance, recalling the exact investments that had skyrocketed in her past life. Knowledge was power. And tonight, it would be her weapon.
A rival executive, a man named Shen Kai, shifted uncomfortably. "Interesting projections... but your growth assumptions rely on a supplier that recently faltered. Are you aware of that?"
Liang Yue's eyes flicked to him, expression neutral, yet every nerve in her body alert. "I am," she replied smoothly. "And I've already accounted for contingency measures. Diversified supply chains, alternative investors ready to step in, and contracts that safeguard against volatility."
A few murmurs ran around the table. She didn't flinch. Shen Kai tried to press further, leaning forward, voice sharpened. "And if the competitor enters aggressively? If the market shifts unexpectedly? These projections—"
"Remain valid," she interrupted, voice calm, precise. "Because unlike a reactive strategist, I forecast, adapt, and mitigate. I do not rely on hope. I rely on foresight."
The room fell into a charged silence. Few dared challenge her further, sensing the razor edge beneath her composed exterior.
A soft chime from her earpiece, subtle but deliberate, caught her attention. A text from a mutual acquaintance, meant to be discreet: Yulan has been seen meeting someone new—plotting. Watch closely.
Liang Yue's lips curved faintly. Not a surprise, but validation. Yulan had underestimated her again. She filed the note away, her mind calculating. Every step Yulan took now, every whisper, every attempt to influence others, could be countered before it ever reached her.
"Liang Yue?" Shen Kai said, snapping her back to the negotiation. "You're confident... perhaps overly so. Do you have experience managing such a project at scale? You are young—"
"Young, yes," she interrupted, voice smooth, but laced with steel. "But knowledge is ageless. Experience is not always in years—it is in lessons learned, foresight applied, and decisions executed with precision. Shall we proceed with the figures?"
Her calm dominance unsettled the room. Every person around the table realized, consciously or not, that this woman was not playing games. She was orchestrating outcomes, controlling perception, and asserting authority in every gesture, every word, every glance.
A sharp tap on the glass drew her attention. Shen Kai had leaned forward aggressively, trying to corner her with another challenge. "And what of liquidity? Your funding sources—are they stable, or dependent on volatile markets?"
Liang Yue's smile widened imperceptibly. "Stable. Each investment is supported by multiple streams, insured, and secured. You see, volatility does not concern me because I do not gamble—I plan."
A younger executive, quietly observing, leaned toward his colleague. "She's... terrifying," he murmured.
"Terrifying?" Liang Yue's eyes flicked in their direction, and her lips curved ever so slightly. "Call it informed confidence. Precision. Control."
Shen Kai bristled but found himself unable to refute her. She had dismantled every subtle attack, every attempt to pressure her with half-truths and misdirection.
Liang Yue allowed herself a subtle glance at her tablet, noting projections already reacting positively to her preliminary moves. Investors were beginning to notice her authority, her vision, her ability to anticipate market trends.
And then came the whisper.
From the far end of the hallway outside the boardroom, a muffled conversation reached her ears. She didn't need to strain. She had trained her senses; she had memorized the inflections and intentions of her enemies. Yulan's voice, high and affected, carried unmistakable urgency:
"...He'll follow instructions, don't worry. Liang Yue thinks she's untouchable, but we can create doubt. Subtle, but effective. Once she's destabilized, everything will fall into place."
Liang Yue's eyes narrowed. Her fingers drummed lightly against the tablet. A new accomplice—someone with influence, unseen until now, ready to intervene. And yet, she already knew how to counter.
She leaned back in her chair, serene. "Predictable," she murmured softly, more to herself than anyone else.
Shen Kai cleared his throat. "Miss Liang... are you—"
"Handling it," she said simply, cutting him off. "Let's focus on tangible results, shall we?"
The remainder of the meeting passed with precision. Every question, every attempt at doubt or intimidation, was neutralized. Her confidence, composure, and foresight made her appear untouchable, commanding not just respect, but cautious admiration.
After the formalities concluded, Liang Yue stood, gathering her documents. She allowed the faintest smirk to touch her lips as she passed near the glass wall overlooking the city. Every light below seemed to bow to her silent triumph.
Shen Kai followed her to the door, hesitant. "I... I didn't expect someone so... strategic. Calculated. You've handled everything flawlessly."
Liang Yue's gaze met his briefly. "Flawless is not the word I'd choose. Effective is." She paused. "And remember—success is never accidental. It is earned, planned, and executed with precision."
Once she stepped outside into the crisp evening air, Liang Yue pulled out her phone. A quick glance at her messages confirmed what she already suspected: Yulan was mobilizing, and her new accomplice had begun to move.
She allowed herself a private, quiet satisfaction. Let them try. They were still blind to one fact: Liang Yue was no longer naïve. She had the foresight of her past life, the intelligence to act decisively, and the ruthlessness to ensure their failure.
A soft voice from the shadowed side of the building startled her slightly.
"You're even more impressive than I imagined," Huo Tianrui said, stepping from the shadows, his presence magnetic, controlled.
Liang Yue looked up, meeting his gaze, calculating. "I suppose you've been watching."
"Observing," he corrected, his voice low but clear. "And I must say... your instincts are sharp, your strategy impeccable. Few can turn adversity into advantage with such subtlety."
She tilted her head, assessing him, considering every layer. "Then you understand. Every move, every whisper, every attempt to destabilize me... can be anticipated. My enemies are predictable. But you... are not."
Huo Tianrui's lips curved into the faintest smile. "Perhaps. But I am curious to see how far you'll go."
Liang Yue tucked her phone into her clutch. "Far enough to ensure they cannot harm me. Far enough to turn every scheme against them. And far enough to build the foundation I've always wanted."
He nodded slowly, recognition in his eyes. "A foundation worthy of a queen reborn."
The city lights stretched endlessly below them. Liang Yue inhaled sharply, the cool air filling her lungs with resolve. Yulan's whispers, Xu Liwei's arrogance, and the newcomer's schemes would not touch her—not now, not ever.
She would act strategically, decisively, and without mercy. And when they realized how far ahead she had always been, it would be too late.
The game was no longer subtle—it was hers. Every move calculated, every risk mitigated, every victory inevitable.
And Liang Yue, reborn, was ready to claim it all.