The taxi dropped Su Yiling off at the main gate of Phoenix Garden just as the evening sky was turning deep purple. The security guard nodded respectfully as she walked through, her school bag slung over one shoulder and her mind still processing the afternoon's events.
Song Wei had agreed to meet again, though it had taken nearly an hour of careful conversation before the older woman's defenses had begun to crack. Years of living in fear had made her cautious, but Su Yiling could see the anger burning beneath the surface, anger that had been suppressed for too long.
The house was brightly lit when she approached, warm light spilling from the windows onto the manicured garden. Through the large front windows, she could see movement in the living room. Her parents were home early.
Su Yiling used her key card and stepped into the foyer, immediately hearing familiar voices from the direction of the dining room.
"Yiling? Is that you?" Her mother's voice carried a note of relief.
"I'm home," Su Yiling called back, slipping off her shoes and padding toward the sound of conversation.
She found her family gathered around the dining table, though dinner appeared to be finished. Her parents sat across from each other, and her second brother Jihan was leaning back in his chair with a cup of tea, his expression thoughtful.
"There you are," Jihan said, rising to ruffle her hair in the familiar gesture. "Mom said you had permission to leave school early. Everything alright?"
"Fine. Just needed to take care of something." Su Yiling accepted his gentle fussing, allowing him to examine her face for signs of distress. In her previous life, she had found his protective instincts annoying. Now they felt like a warm embrace.
"You look tired," he observed, pulling out a chair for her. "Have you eaten?"
"I'm not hungry." Su Yiling settled into the chair, noting the way her parents exchanged glances. There was an underlying tension in the room that had nothing to do with her late arrival.
Her mother reached over to pour tea into Su Yiling's cup. "How was your day at school?"
"Uneventful." Su Yiling accepted the tea gratefully, using the moment to study her parents' faces. Her father looked preoccupied, the way he did when important business deals were in negotiation. Her mother seemed slightly anxious.
"Just uneventful?" Jihan raised an eyebrow. "Nothing interesting happened in class? Nothing Inspiring from your teachers?
Su Yiling almost smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. "The teachers are competent. My classmates are... typical high school students, so nothing they do is really interesting"
"That's diplomatic," her father said with a slight smile. But his attention seemed divided, as if part of his mind was elsewhere.
"Is something wrong?" Su Yiling asked directly.
Her parents exchanged another glance, and her mother set down her teacup with careful precision.
"Nothing wrong, exactly," her father said slowly. "Just some developments in the business world that we're discussing."
Jihan leaned forward slightly, his expression becoming more serious. "Someone from Beijing is expanding operations into our province. Big moves, the kind that could shift the entire economic landscape here."
Su Yiling felt her attention sharpen. In her previous life, she had been too focused on her personal dramas to pay attention to her family's business concerns. This time, she was determined to understand every aspect of the world she lived in.
"What kind of expansion?"
"Technology and finance," her father replied. "The kind of comprehensive investment that could transform the regional market. The Lin family has been courting them for months."
Her mother's expression tightened slightly at the mention of the Lin family. "They think their existing connections will give them an advantage."
"But they're not the only family being considered," Jihan added, his tone carefully neutral.
Su Yiling set down her teacup. "You're saying we might be in competition with the Lins for this partnership?"
"Among others," her father confirmed. "The Lui family is also in the running. Whoever secures this partnership will likely dominate the provincial economy for the next decade."
The implications were staggering. Su Yiling had grown up understanding that her family was wealthy and influential, but this sounded like something much larger. The kind of opportunity that could elevate them to an entirely different level of power and prestige.
"Who is it?" she asked. "The person from Beijing."
"Gu Yisheng," her mother replied, and something in her tone suggested the name carried significant weight. "He's young, brilliant, and reportedly ruthless in business. His family controls major technology and financial sectors in the capital, and is the head of the four family in capital."
Su Yiling recognise the name. Gu Yisheng. She had heard that name in her previous life, though she couldn't immediately place where or when. It lingered at the edge of her memory like a half-remembered dream.
"He's only twenty-five," Jihan continued, "but he's already revolutionized two major industries. The kind of person who changes the rules of the game instead of playing by existing ones."
"Sounds intimidating," Su Yiling said carefully.
"Intimidating, yes. But also an opportunity." Her father's expression grew more animated, the way it did when he discussed particularly challenging business propositions. "A partnership with the Gu family could secure our position for generations."
Her mother looked less enthusiastic. "It could also expose us to risks we've never had to consider. The Beijing business world operates differently from what we're used to here."
"Different how?" Su Yiling asked.
"More cutthroat," Jihan replied bluntly. "Less concerned with maintaining social harmony. If you can't keep up, you get devoured."
Su Yiling absorbed this information, her mind already working through the potential implications. In her previous life, the Su family had maintained their comfortable position without ever reaching for something this ambitious. She wondered what had changed, what factors had aligned differently this time around.
"When will you know if we're being seriously considered?" she asked.
"Soon," her father said. "We heard from a source that Gu Yisheng will be conducting personal meetings with each family over the next few weeks. It's not just about financial capability - he's evaluating everything. Leadership, vision, family dynamics, long-term stability, weakness and strength."
Family dynamics. Su Yiling felt this couldn't come at a better time.
"Has he set a date for our meeting?" she asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
"Not yet. We're waiting for his assistant to contact us with scheduling details." Her mother's fingers drummed nervously against the table. "I just hope we make a good impression."
Su Yiling looked around the table at her family - her parents with their mixture of excitement and anxiety, her brother with his protective concern for all of them. These were good people who had worked hard to build something meaningful. They deserved this opportunity.
And she would make sure that no one's petty schemes will destroy it for them.
"You will," she said firmly. "Our family has integrity and vision. Anyone with sense will see that."
Her father smiled at her confidence. "I appreciate your faith in us, sweetheart."
"It's not faith," Su Yiling replied. "It's fact."
Jihan reached over to squeeze her hand. "When did my little sister become so wise?"
Su Yiling met his eyes, seeing genuine affection and pride there. "I've been paying attention to the things that really matter."
Her phone buzzed with a text message. She glanced at it quickly and saw a number she didn't recognize: Thank you again for today. My mother wants to meet tomorrow evening if you're still interested, Song Qing
Su Yiling deleted the message and looked back at her family.
"I should get started on homework," she said, rising from the table. "It's going to be a busy few weeks."
Her parents nodded, already returning to their discussion of business strategies and partnership terms. But Jihan caught her arm as she passed his chair.
"Yiling," he said quietly. "If anything is bothering you, anything at all , you know you can talk to me, right?"
The concern in his voice made her chest tighten with emotion. In her previous life, she had pushed away this kind of caring attention, too proud and confused to accept help when it was offered.
"I know," she said, covering his hand with hers. "And I will, if I need to."
He searched her face for a moment, then nodded and released her arm.
Su Yiling climbed the stairs to her room, her mind already shifting between multiple priorities. Tomorrow she would meet with Song Wei again and begin to search for the missing actress. She would also need to start putting in places her plans.
And somewhere in the background of all of this, Gu Yisheng was evaluating her family's worthiness for a partnership that could change everything.
Su Yiling opened her laptop and began researching everything she could find about the mysterious businessman from Beijing. If he was going to judge her family, she wanted to understand exactly what kind of person they were dealing with.
The evening stretched ahead of her, full of plans to make and strategies to refine.