The ballroom sparkled like a world of its own, filled with dazzling chandeliers and the soft murmur of the city’s elite. The Lu Group Fashion Gala was the event of the season, a stage where the powerful gathered, where billion-dollar deals were sealed over champagne and whispers.

Shen Xinglan stood near the corner, fingers brushing against the silk fabric of her dress, feeling the faint tremble in her hands. She hated these events. The spotlight, the attention, the silent expectation that everyone here knew exactly what they were doing—except for her."I shouldn’t be here."

Her mind was already racing with a hundred worst-case scenarios. Had she dressed appropriately? Was she standing in the wrong place? Did people look at her and wonder why someone like her was beside a man like him?

She lifted her gaze, searching for the only person who made these gatherings bearable.

And there he was.

Lu Jinyuan.

Even in a room filled with power, he stood out effortlessly. Black tailored suit, cold unreadable expression, eyes sharp like he had already figured out everyone's secrets. His presence commanded attention, yet he never had to raise his voice.

People gravitated toward him—business executives, designers, models—all desperate to be in his favor.

And yet, somehow, in the middle of it all…

His gaze look toward her.

She froze.

It was just a second, but his eyes softened—so subtly that no one else would notice.

Then, he moved.

Within moments, he was standing before her. Tall, composed, powerful. But with her, his voice was low, smooth, comforting.

“Why are you hiding?”

She hesitated. “I just… I don’t suitable for me here.”

Jinyuan let out a short breath, his fingers brushing against her wrist. “Xinglan.” His tone was both stern and gentle. “You suitable wherever I am.”

Her chest tightened. It wasn’t fair how easily he said things like that.

It still felt surreal sometimes—being his girlfriend.

They weren’t supposed to end up together. She had been nothing more than a quiet, unnoticed strategist working under Lu Group’s luxury branding team. He had been the unreachable CEO, the man who had everything.

Yet, for some reason, he had noticed her.

It had all started a year ago.

She had worked for Lu Group for over a year, spending most of her time buried in data, analyzing consumer trends, and designing marketing strategies that no one even realized were her ideas. Xinglan was just a quiet brand strategist in Lu Group’s luxury division, working tirelessly behind the scenes.

And Lu Jinyuan, the popular and cold CEO, was someone she never expected to cross paths with.

But in business meetings, when senior executives debated for hours over a problem. The presentation had gone wrong, a crucial client deal was on the verge of collapse, and she had taken the blame even though it wasn’t her fault. She had stayed late in the office, fixing the reports, fingers trembling on the keyboard.

Xinglán wasn’t the kind of woman who stood out. She was always in the background, always hesitant to take credit.

But Jinyuan had noticed her after that and found something wrong with that incident.

One night, he had found her still at her desk, long after everyone else had gone home. She had been working overtime to fix a proposal—fixing a mistake someone else had made, one she wasn’t even responsible for.

She hadn’t noticed him standing there.

“Why are you doing this?”

She had looked up, startled. “CEO Lu…” I—It was my responsibility.”

She blinked in confusion.

“They’re taking advantage of you,” he had told her, voice firm.” You have a sharp mind,”.” If you keep fixing other people’s mistakes, they’ll never see you.”

She had looked away, fidgeting. “I don’t need to be seen.”

“If you never trust yourself. You don’t realize your own value.” he told her before going.

For the first time, someone had seen through her.

After that, things started changing.

He began noticing her more. Noticing the way she overthought everything, the way she hesitated to speak in meetings even when she was the most knowledgeable person in the room. He's always calling her into meetings and asking for her opinions that she never thought of the mattered he asked.

He noticed that she worked harder than anyone else, but never asked for recognition.

And she had fallen first.

She had fallen the moment he had shielded her from the corporate wolves, when he had looked at her not as an invisible background worker but as someone important.

Every time she hid in the background, he brought her forward.

Every time she doubted herself, he made her trust her own thoughts.

But what she hadn’t known was—he had fallen first, too.

Because Lu Jinyuan, the cold and untouchable CEO, had noticed her long after that night.

And one night, when she had nervously tried to reject his offer to drive her home, he had simply given her his jacket and told her, “You’re mine, Shen Xinglan. So let me take care of you.”

That was the first time he had ever been drawn to a woman like that.

He had seen her during meetings, quiet, observant, overthinking every little thing. He had noticed how she never pushed for credit, even when her ideas were the best in the room. How she flinched at confrontation, but had a mind sharper than most executives in the company.

So, he had decided to pull her into his world himself.

And he also wanted to protect her.

So, without her realizing it, he had slowly pulled her into his world. Because he saw something rare in her, that brilliance she refused to believe in.

But within a month, when he had taken her hand in his outside a business event, shielding her from the overwhelming press.

That was the beginning.

And now, months later, here she was—his girlfriend, standing beside him in a world that still felt too overwhelming.

Back to the present....

Before she could dwell on her thoughts further, a voice cut through the air.

“CEO Lu, I heard your company might not be the industry leader much longer.”

A tall man with a confident smirk approached, a glass of wine in hand. Cheng Weichu. A name she had heard before—a major investor, but one who played on both sides.

Xinglan stiffened.

Jinyuan, however, remained calm.

“Whoever told you that is either a fool or my enemy,” he replied smoothly. “Either way, they’re irrelevant.”

Cheng Weichu chuckled. “Careful, Jinyuan. Even empires crumble.”

Xinglan’s heart pounded. She had overheard rumors earlier tonight—whispers of a rival company planning something against Lu Group. But she thinks was just overthinking about it ?

What if she was heard wrong?

Before she wanted to speak, Jinyuan turned to her. His hand pressed lightly against her back, a silent reassurance.

“Come,” he said softly. “You shouldn’t be around people like him.”

And just like that, he shielded her from the storm.

But deep inside, Xinglan knew—this storm was only just beginning.

Xinglan felt the tension in the air long before Jinyuan led her out of the ballroom. His hand rested lightly on her back—firm, protective, but also telling.

Something was wrong.

He had barely reacted to Cheng Weichu’s taunt, but she knew Jinyuan better than most. That flicker of sharpness in his eyes? That tiny pause before he spoke?

He was already calculating his next move.

As they entered a quieter corridor, away from the noise of the gala, she finally spoke.

“Jinyuan… was what he said true?”

He didn’t stop walking. Didn’t even look at her.

“It doesn’t concern you.”

Her heart sank at those words.

 She was just his girlfriend.

And yet…

She wanted to know.

She wanted to understand the world he fought in. The battles he never spoke about. The things he kept from her to protect her.

But before she could push further, he suddenly turned to face her.

“Don’t overthink it, Xinglan.” His voice softened as his fingers brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

Her heart clenched.

"That’s not what I’m worried about."

But she didn’t say it.

Because if there was one thing she knew about Lu Jinyuan—once he decided to keep something from her, nothing could make him say more.

The soft hum of the city at night, Shen Xinglan sat in Lu Jinyuan’s car, her fingers tapping lightly against her lap. The sleek black vehicle moved smoothly through the city streets, but she wasn’t paying attention to the passing lights.

Her mind was too full.

Too many thoughts. Too many questions.

And she was done staying silent.

Even without looking at him, she felt the weight of his silence.

And that make her feel little scared with the awkward atmosphere. Because he cold and with scary face while thinking, calculating of something.

“I heard something earlier,” she admitted. “At the gala. Some people were talking about Renhua making a move.”

Her stomach twisted. “I thought I was just overthinking it. I didn’t want to bother you with something that might not be real—”

“Xinglan.”

The air in the car changed instantly.

“The designs weren’t just leaked,” Jinyuan finally spoke, his voice low. “They were altered before they were released.”

Xinglan’s breath caught. “What?”

He turned onto a quieter road, the city noise fading. “Someone inside the company didn’t just hand over information. They changed the designs before they leaked them—so now, Renhua’s products look like the originals, and ours look like the copies.”

She turned slightly, her gaze settling on the man beside her.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Jinyuan didn’t react immediately. His fingers remained steady on the wheel, his face impassive, unreadable.

He said, “Be more specific.”

She clenched her hands. “The leak. The sabotage. I know it’s more than just a business problem.”

He gave a small smirk, but there was no amusement in his eyes. “And what makes you think that?”

She took a deep breath and held his gaze. “Because you’re acting differently. You’re not just angry—you’re being careful.”

A beat of silence.

Then, Jinyuan sighed,“So, you’ve been observing me.”

Because you said it to me that “It doesn’t concern to me.”

His lips twitched slightly, as if he found her sudden confidence amusing. But his next words were serious. “No, I think you should be careful about where your curiosity leads you.”

Her heart skipped.

A warning. A gentle one, but still a warning.

She looked down at her hands, forcing herself to stay composed. “This concerns me too.”

He arched a brow. “Does it?”

She tightened her grip on the seat. “I work at Lu Group too. I should know what’s going on.”

A small pause. Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled. “And here I thought you were the timid type.”

Xinglan inhaled sharply, then met his gaze head-on. “Maybe I was.”

Jinyuan’s smirk deepened, as if she had finally done something that truly interested him.

But before he could respond, she said, “Tell me everything.”

He turned his attention back to the road. “What if I say no?”

She straightened her back. “Then I’ll find out myself.”

Jinyuan exhaled a slow breath. “Reckless.”

Xinglan swallowed. “Determined.”

His grip on the wheel tightened slightly. “And what if you don’t like what you find?”

She hesitated. Then, quietly, she said, “I’d rather know than be kept in the dark.”

For the first time that night, something in his expression softened.

Then, without another word, he reached into the console and pulled out a thin folder. He handed it to her. “Read it, then.”

She hesitated before flipping it open.

Inside was a list of names, profiles, and transactions. At the bottom, one name was circled.

Her heart stopped a second .

Shen Yulin.

Her cousin.

The boy who had once been her closest family when her older brother left to study abroad.

The boy who had taught her to ride a bike, who had wiped her tears when their aunt scolded her.

And the boy who, years later, betrayed her in a way she could never forget.

The car was silent except for the hum of the engine. Jinyuan was watching her, his expression unreadable.

“He’s been working with Renhua Group,” he said, his tone controlled. “Meeting with their executives. Feeding them information.”

Xinglan swallowed hard. She couldn’t say she was surprised.

Because Shen Yulin had always known how to smile while twisting the knife.

Even when he had turned distant after her brother left, even when his kindness faded into cold indifference, she had never thought he would betray her like this.

And then, a darker thought hit her.

Her stomach twisted, and her voice came out quieter than she intended. “How long?”

Jinyuan finally looked at her. His gaze was piercing, but she didn’t look away. “It's been a long time.”

She clenched her jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Something in his expression shifted. His usual cool detachment wavered, and for the first time, she saw something hesitant in his eyes.

“Because I wanted to see what you would do.”

Her breath hitched. “You tested me?”

“I needed to know if you were strong enough to handle this.” His voice was calm, but there was something unreadable beneath it. “If you weren’t, I would’ve kept you in the dark. But you just proved me wrong, Shen Xinglan.”

“No,” she cut in, surprising even herself. “You don’t get to decide how I handle this.”

For the first time, Jinyuan looked at her with something close to approval. A slow, knowing smirk touched his lips.

“Xinglan—”.  “Then prove it.”