The Grand Ballroom of the Xiao Estate was a sea of shimmering silk, expensive cologne, and hushed, nervous anticipation. Every power player in the capital was present—ministers, tech moguls, and the remnants of the old aristocracy—all gathered to witness the official arrival of the "Southern Princess."
At the center of the room, Si Weixuan, who had managed to secure a temporary release under the "supervision" of her remaining relatives, stood with a trembling glass of champagne. Her eyes were sunken, darting around for a way to salvage her dignity. She still couldn't believe the "village girl" from the countryside was the blood of the man who owned half the continent's banks.
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight cut through the darkness, focusing on the top of the grand marble staircase.
Xiao Jinglin appeared first. He looked every bit the financial titan, his presence commanding an immediate, breathless silence. But he didn't walk to the podium. Instead, he turned and extended his hand toward the shadow behind him.
Shen Xi stepped into the light.
She wore a custom-designed gown of midnight-blue silk, embroidered with silver threads that mimicked the neural pathways of the brain—a subtle nod to her mother's genius. Around her neck sat a single, flawless amber teardrop. Her eyes, sharp and lethal, scanned the crowd with the coldness of a queen.
Beside her, Mu Feichi stepped forward in his olive-green dress uniform, his hand resting possessively on the small of her back. The image of the Northern District's Sword and the Southern District's Shield standing together was enough to make the guests realize the political landscape had changed forever.
"Tonight," Xiao Jinglin's voice boomed, amplified by the silent room, "I am not here as a businessman. I am here as a father. For twenty years, a light was stolen from me and hidden in the dark. Tonight, that light returns home. I officially introduce my daughter, the sole heiress to the Xiao Empire: Xiao Xi."
The room erupted. It wasn't just applause; it was the sound of a thousand people recalculating their loyalties.
As Shen Xi descended the stairs, Si Weixuan stumbled forward, her voice a shrill break in the celebration. "It's a lie! Uncle, you're being tricked! She's a biological anomaly—the Shen family files said she was a failed experiment!"
Shen Xi stopped three steps above her, looking down with icy disdain. "The only failure here, Weixuan, was the Si family's belief that they could control a bloodline they didn't understand. My mother, Yun Zi, ensured that the Xiao traits would only activate under the right conditions. You spent twenty years looking for a weapon, and you missed the person standing right in front of you."
In the middle of the toast, the massive doors at the far end of the ballroom opened once more. A man in a simple, grey suit walked in. He didn't look like a soldier or a billionaire; he looked like a schoolteacher. But as he approached, even Mu Feichi's posture stiffened, and Xiao Jinglin's eyes narrowed into slits.
"The High Council sends its congratulations," the man said, his voice smooth and devoid of emotion. He held out a small, black envelope. "The Young Marshal's recovery is... unexpected. And the discovery of a new Xiao heiress is quite a variable. The Elders would like to invite the three of you to the capital's Forbidden Zone for a 'consultation'."
The "High Council"—the shadowy group of five individuals who supposedly sat above the North and South, pulling the strings of the nation's deepest conspiracies.
Mu Feichi stepped in front of Shen Xi, his eyes turning a dangerous shade of violet-grey. "The High Council has no jurisdiction over my physician or my Master's daughter. Tell them if they want a consultation, they can come to Mount Jing. I'll have the artillery ready to greet them."
The man in grey smiled thinly. "Artillery cannot stop what is already in the blood, Marshal. Miss Xiao... or should I say, Subject 007? Your mother left a message for you in the Forbidden Zone. I suggest you don't keep her waiting."
He turned and vanished into the crowd before the guards could intercept him.
Shen Xi felt a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. She looked at the black envelope. The "Grand Reveal" was over, but a much more dangerous game had just begun.