Shen Linyi jolted awake, her breath ragged while her heart hammered against her chest.
She looked at her abdomen. No blood, no knife, no tears, no mocking laughter.
Instead, her fingers were curled around a pen, and were about to sign important papers.
She looked across, and saw Zhou Yuanfeng's urging gaze.
Her pupils contracted. This was the same scene. The office, the papers, Zhou Yuanfeng sitting across from her. Her stomach twisted.
She remembered it all—the taunts, the mocking laughter, and the betrayal.
'Didn't I die?' She questioned herself.
The pen slipped slightly from her hands. She hadn't died. No... she died, but she was back. Reborn. Back to the moment everything was taken away from her.
Her chest burned with insurmountable fury. Her so-called fiancé. Her best friend. Those two betrayed her, and they... they killed her mercilessly after taking everything from her.
But it won't happen again. She won't let them have the last laugh.
The pen pressed, not against the papers but the table. With a perfect smile, she raised her head, meeting Zhou Yuanfeng's urgent gaze.
"Yuanfeng," she started, her voice just barely above a whisper . "I changed my mind."
Panic flashed through Zhou Yuanfeng's eyes. He looked at the girl who had been eager to sign the papers over to him—only to change her mind.
"Linyi, why did you change your mind?" He tentatively asked.
Shen Linyi leaned back on the chair, a smell tugging at the corner of her lips. She sat as the boss lady that she was. "I just realized a few things."
Confusion appeared on his face as he looked at Shen Linyi. "What things?" He probed.
Shen Linyi grinned and rose to her feet. "You will find out soon enough. Alright, I'm tired. I'll be going home now."
Without waiting for his reply, she walked out of the office leaving behind a furious Zhou Yuanfeng.
"Darn it!" He cursed angrily, ruffling his hair in the process. "Why did she change her mind? The Shen group was about to be mine!" He yelled.
Of course, Shen Linyi was not aware of this episode. Even if she did, she wouldn't be too bothered.
As she entered the car, she let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. Shen Linyi sat in the car, her hands trembling on her lap.
She was alive. Alive, and given a second chance.
Her lips curled into a cold smile. 'This time, I won't let them win.' She thought to herself.
The car pulled into the busy street, snapping her out of her thoughts. She leaned back, closing her eyes, only for the sharp screech of tires to jolt her forward. Fortunately, she was putting on a seatbelt or she would have suffered a severe injury.
BAM!
Her driver cursed, slamming on the brakes. "Miss Shen, we—we collided with another car!"
Her brows knitted as she opened the car, not stepping out of it. A sleek, black Rolls-Royce stood across from then, its front slightly dented. Several bodyguards in black rushed forward instantly.
Shen Linyi stepped out of the car, her irritation barely concealed.
"Do you people not know how to drive?" She snapped.
And then she saw him.
The man who emerged from the Rolls-Royce was tall. He was easily over six feet —with a lean yet powerful build that filled out his tailored black suit perfectly.
The subtle gleam of platinum cufflinks and the polished leather shoes screamed, but it was clear this man didn't need trinkets to announce his status.
His presence alone was enough. It was cold, overbearing, and screamed danger.
It was the kind of aura that made the air tighten around him, as though the world itself bent to his command. People subconsciously bent to his will due to his presence.
His gaze was sharp, obsidian dark, and carried the detached cruelty of someone who stood too high above to ever be touched. One look, and it felt as if he could see straight through flesh, straight through bone, into the heart you try so much to hide.
Shen Linyi's irritation caught in her throat. For the briefest moment, her heart rate pulsed.
The man's eyes lingered on he. His gaze assessed her, as if weighing her value in a single glance.
"You are Shen Linyi?" he finally asked.
His voice was low, rich, and steady, like velvet stretched over steel. It was not a question. It was more of a confirmation. A declaration.
Her heart skipped a bit, staring at the unfamiliar man standing in front of her. "Yes. And you are?"
"Gu Liansheng," he answered simply. That name alone made her driver pale. They had dented his car.
Gu Liansheng... the most feared tycoon in the country. The man no one dared to offend.
Shen Linyi's heart pulsed. What were the odds that she would meet this feared man? And today of all days.
While Shen Linyi's mind raced, thinking of how to apologize, he spoke up.
"I heard about the Shen's group. You are about to lose everything." His gaze sharpened as he stared at her.
Her breath hitched. He had already touched a sore spot. "That is none of your business." She snapped, hiding her panic behind a calm mask.
For a moment, silence hung between them. Then, Gu Liansheng moved. One step, then another. Each stride was deliberate, drawing him closer until his shadow fell over her.
His presence was suffocating, yet intoxicating—like standing too close to a fire.
His voice dropped lower, yet it was firm.
"Marry me."