The following Monday, Wen Lan walked into the sleek, modern offices of "Lan Wei Consulting" with a sense of purpose that felt like putting on a perfectly tailored suit of armor. The space, all clean lines and muted tones, hummed with a quiet energy that was a world away from the oppressive silence of the Mu family mansion.
Lin Wei, a sharp-eyed woman with a chic bob, looked up from her monitor and grinned. "Look who's back. The boardroom feels different with you in it, Lan. You closed the Henderson deal in two days. They were stunned."
"It was a straightforward deal. They were just used to being coddled," Wen Lan replied, placing her briefcase on her desk. Her office had a stunning city view, a deliberate choice. She would no longer be confined, looking out at a curated garden. She needed the vast, ambitious horizon.
"Spoken like the real you," Lin Wei said, her smile softening. "It's good to have you back." Her expression then turned slightly mischievous. "By the way, an invitation came for you. The annual Tech Innovation Gala, this Friday. Big names, potential clients, venture capitalists... and, inevitably, your ex."
Wen Lan didn't flinch. She picked up the heavy, embossed card. "Perfect."
"You're going?" Lin Wei's eyebrows shot up. "That's... bold. It's Mu Bai's natural habitat. He'll be holding court."
"Precisely," Wen Lan said, a slow, calculated smile gracing her lips. "It's time to show that court there's another power player in the city. And it's time he saw me in mine."
Meanwhile, across town, Mu Bai was in a foul mood. His entire week had been thrown off-kilter. The encounter at Wen Lan's apartment replayed in his mind like a broken record—her dismissal, her smile for the florist, her closed door. He had ordered his assistant to dig up everything on that "Zhou Yu." The report was infuriatingly bland: successful small business owner, well-liked in the community, no criminal record, single.
Single. The word irked him.
"Sir," his assistant's voice came through the intercom, "your tuxedo for the Tech Gala has been delivered. Shall I send it up?"
The Gala. Mu Bai usually treated these events as necessary, tedious obligations. But now, a new thought struck him. Wen Lan, with her newfound "career," would almost certainly be there. It was the most high-profile networking event of the season. A grim sense of anticipation cut through his irritation. He would see her on his turf. He would see her flounder, or better yet, see her realize how much she still needed his world.
"Send it up," he commanded. He would make sure his presence was felt.
Friday night arrived. The gala was held in the glittering ballroom of a five-star hotel, a sea of champagne flutes, designer gowns, and the low hum of deal-making. Mu Bai stood near the center of the room, holding a glass of whiskey, surrounded by a circle of sycophants and business rivals. He was the undisputed king of this mountain, his icy demeanor a magnet for those seeking favor or a challenge.
And then, she entered.
The murmur of the crowd seemed to dip for a fraction of a second. Wen Lan stood at the entrance, and she was a vision, but not the ethereal, soft one from his memory. This vision was forged from steel and silk. She wore a gown of deep emerald green that clung to her figure before cascading to the floor. It was elegant, severe, and utterly captivating. Her hair was swept up in an intricate but unfussy knot, revealing the elegant line of her neck. There was no trace of the timid woman who used to hover at his arm. She held herself with a regal confidence that commanded the room.
She wasn't alone. Lin Wei was by her side, and they were immediately approached by David Chen, the charismatic, notoriously hard-to-please CEO of a rival tech giant Mu Bai had been trying to woo for months.
Mu Bai's grip tightened on his glass. David Chen was laughing at something Wen Lan said, his body language open and engaged.
"Who is that with David Chen?" someone in Mu Bai's circle asked, intrigued.
"His new consultant, I hear," another answered. "Brilliant, they say. Used to be low-profile, but she's making waves now. Wen Lan, I believe her name is."
His new consultant. The words were like acid in Mu Bai's ears. She was the reason David Chen had been so evasive lately?
He watched, transfixed and furious, as Wen Lan navigated the conversation. She wasn't just smiling and nodding. She was speaking, gesturing with her glass, her arguments apparently so compelling that David Chen was listening intently. She was luminous, her intelligence a visible aura around her. This was her element, and she was thriving.
The carefully constructed image of her as a lost, helpless creature shattered completely. The real Wen Lan was not just competent; she was formidable. A dangerous, thrilling heat bloomed in his chest, a confusing mix of professional respect, personal pique, and something else he refused to name.
He couldn't stand it any longer. Excusing himself from his group with a terse nod, he cut a path directly through the crowd toward her.
"Wen Lan," he said, his voice cutting through her conversation with David Chen and Lin Wei.
She turned slowly, her expression one of polite, detached inquiry. "CEO Mu. What a surprise." Her tone suggested it was anything but.
David Chen looked between them, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Mu Bai. I see you know our rising star."
"We're acquainted," Mu Bai said tightly, his gaze locked on Wen Lan. "I didn't realize you were consulting for my competitors." The accusation was poorly veiled.
Wen Lan's smile was a razor's edge. "The business world is small, isn't it? One must pursue the most promising opportunities. And Lan Wei Consulting works with the best, not necessarily the biggest." The subtle jab at his company's sometimes bloated bureaucracy did not go unnoticed.
There was a challenge in her eyes. What are you going to do about it?
Mu Bai was at a loss. He couldn't cause a scene. He couldn't drag her away. All his usual tools of control were useless here. He was left with nothing but the raw, unsettling force of her presence.
"I hope you know what you're doing," he finally managed, the words sounding weak and paternalistic even to his own ears.
"Thank you for your concern," she replied, her voice sweetly poisonous. "I always do." She then turned back to David Chen, seamlessly resuming their conversation as if Mu Bai were nothing more than a minor interruption. "As I was saying, David, the data integrity issue can be mitigated by a layered encryption protocol…"
She had dismissed him. In front of one of the most powerful men in the industry, she had coolly and publicly dismissed him.
Mu Bai stood there for a moment, frozen in humiliation and a strange, burning fascination. He was still the king of the mountain, but she had just calmly planted her flag on his peak and declared it her own.
He turned and walked away, the taste of defeat and a thrilling, terrifying new awareness bitter on his tongue. The game had irrevocably changed. And for the first time, Mu Bai, the master of every deal, felt he was at a severe disadvantage.
The hunt was on, but he was no longer sure who was the hunter, and who was the prey.