Shanghai, 2025—a neon-veiled colossus pulsing with chaotic life, where ancient dragons slumbered beneath glass spires. Jarring from mythic ashes, the world teetered on instability's razor-edge: LED billboards the size of city blocks blazed live apocalypse, Reporter's voice a siren's wail over frenzied markets, troop parades, and plummeting stock pyres.
"The year 2025 spirals into unprecedented global maelstrom," she intoned, headlines flashing like doomsday scrolls: "- US-China Tech War Escalates—microchips chained, AI dreams stifled; factories idle, coders jobless.
- Taiwan Tensions Boil—military shadows loom, regional alerts redlined.
- South China Sea Ignites—shipping lanes choke, trade veins severed.
- Economic Avalanche Crushes Markets—bankruptcies devour tycoons, yuan craters; Beijing's grip frays amid riots."
"Mainland markets are in freefall as geopolitical fractures widen into chasms."
These weren't just headlines; they were the reason the ports were silent and the factories were dark. Below the screen, the reality was grimmer: lines at the banks grew longer, and the "shattering" of the economy was visible in the empty storefronts of the once-glittering Bund.
The modern world was a porcelain vase perched on the edge of a marble table. It was beautiful, expensive, and one tremor away from shattering.
The Global Summit: Grand Ballroom
Inside the Grand Ballroom of the Peace Hotel, the air smelled of vintage Bordeaux and expensive perfume. Here, the world's collapse was merely a topic of conversation, a statistic to be debated by men and women in five-thousand-dollar suits.
Crystal chandeliers dripped opulence over a global summit—titans of industry, CEOs and ambassadors swirling wine like blood oaths, murmurs weaving high-stakes webs.
The room was a sea of murmurs until the doors swung open.
Le Mei entered like sovereignty incarnate—crimson silk flowing as arterial fire, pantherine grace claiming the room, her radiant smile a blade parting crowds like a queen granting audience. she claimed the space.Her smile was warm, radiant, and utterly impenetrable. Behind her, moving like a shadow cast by a flame, was Jiang Min. Her assistant wore a severe black dress and a face that seemed carved from cold basalt.
Whispers ignited: "Her? The prodigy empress—empires toppled at her whim, and she's barely touched dawn's dew."
"Who is that?" a Foreign Ambassador whispered, his glass hovering mid-air. "She just commanded the gravity in the room."
Han, the CEO of Orion Global Venture, sipped his wine, his eyes tracking Le Mei with a predatory glint. "That is Le Mei. The architect of Mei's Empire."
As if on cue, a mental scroll of her power played out in the minds of the guests."Han's voice was a low purr as he detailed the sprawling citadel of steel... of Mei's Empire: Smart Logistics & Global Shipping. Telecom & Cyber Fortresses. Media, VR Realms & Cultural Dominion. Pharma-Biotech Alchemies. Clean Energy Titans. High-Tech Defense Arsenal.
Han drawled, "CEO of the behemoth itself—one woman's war machine eclipsing nations. Her reach was the nervous system of the nation."
"She is magnificent. the Ambassador sighed. ",Too potent, too poised, But her shadow... that assistant... I wouldn't dare approach, Like facing Hellfire."
Finally, payback—tariffs handed me her throne on a platter, Han thought, lip curling arrogant. Han's lip curled into an arrogant smirk. "Power is a fleeting thing, Ambassador. Especially after the recent tariffs. Her logistics wings have been clipped. Potent? Here, she's prey. She's here to beg for air, even if she's smiling while she suffocates And don't buy the halo—she's venom in silk."
Han set his glass down with a sharp clack and intercepted her.
"Mei!" he called out, his voice dripping with condescension.
"Hello, former market leader," Han crowed, arrogance a crown, "greetings from the current throne."
Nearby, a group of investors leaned in close, their eyes darting between Mei and Han.
"Look at them," a Swiss Banker murmured to his companion. "The vultures are circling. Orion has been trying to dismantle Mei's Empire for a decade, but this is the first time Han has actually had the upper hand. The Shanghai Merger five years ago nearly ruined him—now he's looking for blood."
"He won't just take her market share," the companion replied, swirling her wine. "He wants her legacy. This isn't just business anymore; it's a blood feud disguised as a gala."
A flicker—gone in heartbeat. "Hello, Han," she purred, radiant. Han stiffened, his chest puffing out. "I see you've been reading the reports. My team seized the alternative supply chains while you were busy… managing your damage."
Le Mei didn't flinch. Instead, she stepped closer, her eyes turning into shards of amber glass. "A brilliant move, truly .Genius—snatching shares from geopolitical wreckage. positioning Orion as the go-to scavenger amid the chaos. Keep soaring."
His grin fractured, eyes narrowing serpents. "Well-informed as ever, witch."
Then, with a casual, patronizing flick of her wrist, she tapped his shoulder twice—the way one might pat a child or a clever pet.
Han's face flushed a deep, ugly crimson.The arrogance, he screamed internally, she still thinks she is above me. "Don't treat me like a dog, Mei."
The smile remained, but the warmth was gone, replaced by a predatory glint that made the Ambassador shiver. "I like dogs, Han. I find I have a particular talent for taming them. Even the wild ones."
She turned and glided past him, her scent of sandalwood and ozone lingering in the air.
Enraged and humiliated, Han lunged forward, blocking Jiang Min's path and grabbing her arm with a bruising grip. "Warn your Mistress," he hissed, his face inches from hers, "to stay away from wild dogs before she gets bitten."
Min's expression didn't change. It didn't even register as human. In a blur of motion, she caught Han's wrist with her free hand and twisted. The sound of tendons straining was audible over the ballroom's music. Han gasped, his knees buckling as a muffled grunt of agony escaped his lips.
Min leaned in, her voice a dangerously calm whisper against his ear.
"We have been the market leaders for decades, Han. You have been the leader for five minutes. Enjoy your fifteen seconds of fame while you still have hands to clap with."
She released him with a flick. Han stumbled back, clutching his throbbing wrist, his arrogance replaced by a cold, searing fury. He watched them walk away—the lady in red and her shadow in black—Han's eyes widened—too late, he'd challenged not a rival, but a storm incarnate."