Bejing, China
Night had fallen long ago, but the towering Jiang Groups building still glowed against the ink-black sky. Most of the offices lay dark and silent, abandoned for the day – except one.
Inside a corner cabin on the top floor, harsh words sliced through the silence.
"Jiang Yichen, what the hell is your problem?!"
Liang Xiaoyu's voice trembled with rage as she slammed her palms on the glass table between them. Her chest heaved with each laboured breath, eyes blazing with a fury that burned away her exhaustion.
All day, she had been fighting board meetings, contract disputes, and employee strikes – but nothing drained her as much as facing this man.
Across from her sat Jiang Yichen, the CEO of Jiang groups, leaning back in his leather chair with infuriating calmness. The glow from the city lights reflected off his sharp features – a face that could make millions kneel.
But tonight, his sculpted face looked like that of a devil in disguise.
"I've already told you clearly," he said, his voice as smooth and deadly as ice. "The land belongs to me. Your Liang family is finished in Beijing."
His words only fueled her anger further. Her nails dug into her palms as she fought to keep her composure.
"That land is my father's last remaining project! You think you can just take it because you're Jiang Yichen?" she spat, hatred simmering in her eyes. "This isn't over. If it's a war you want, then fine – we'll fight until the end."
She remembered her father's trembling hands as he signed the last legal documents before his stroke, his eyes pleading with her to protect their company. She couldn't let Jiang Yichen destroy them.
The corner of his lips curled into a mocking smile, but his eyes remained devoid of warmth.
"So be it," he said quietly, his gaze locked on hers with unbreakable intensity. "We'll fight until the end."
A deafening silence fell between them. The ticking clock on the far wall became the only sound in the room.
She let out a shaky laugh, bitterness lacing her tone. "We'll see who wins, Jiang Yichen."
Without waiting for his reply, she turned sharply on her heel, her heels echoing across the marble floor as she stormed out of his office.
The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Jiang Yichen alone in the dimly lit cabin. For a long moment, he sat motionless, staring at the closed door.
Then, he leaned back, steepling his fingers beneath his chin, eyes dark with something unreadable.
Author's POV()
Jiang Yichen and Liang Xiaoyu were sworn enemies and fierce rivals. Jiang Yichen was the president of Jiang Groups, a corporate empire dominating Bejing's economy. Liang Xiaoyu managed her father's company, Liang Corporations.
Everyone knew their enmity ran deeper than mere business rivalry. Rumours whispered about a broken engagement in their youth, but none dared mention it to either of them.
A car sped down the highway. Inside it –
Liang Xiaoyu gripped the steering wheel tighter as her phone buzzed with an incoming call. She pressed the Bluetooth button, trying to calm her ragged breathing.
"Jia Jia, I'm on my way. I just left Jiang Groups… that bastard Jiang Yichen."
Her voice cracked on his name. She felt like ripping apart something with her bare hands.
"Anyway, I'll be there soon…"
"Beep-beep—"
A flash of headlights blinded her from the side. Before she could react,
Boom.
A deafening crash echoed on the street, glass shattering, metal screeching. The world spun in a blur of blood and darkness as Liang Xiaoyu's eyes fluttered shut.
At hospital .....
When she opened them again, she found herself lying in a hospital ward, a faint smell of antiseptic in the air.
Bright lights above made her squint. Her head throbbed with a dull pain, and her arm felt heavy with an IV drip attached.
She sat up slowly, dizziness washing over her as fragments of memory returned. Her throat felt dry, her mind foggy. Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang out in her mind:
> Affection system unlocked. You can now see everyone's affection value towards you.
Startled, she glanced around. The ward was empty except for the beeping monitors and a vase of half-wilted lilies by her bedside. Seeing no one, she whispered to herself,
"Was that… my imagination?"
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Was she hallucinating due to the painkillers?
Before she could process it, the ward door swung open, and a young man hurried inside.
"Xiaoyu, you're awake!"
When she looked at him properly, she froze. She couldn't believe what she was seeing – floating above his head was a number glowing faintly in blue. More than the number itself, what shocked her was its value.
She was so engrossed in staring at it that the man snapped his fingers in front of her face and asked teasingly,
"Baby, what are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" he said, touching his cheek self-consciously, worry lacing his tone despite his smile.
Xiaoyu blinked back to reality and shook her head lightly. "No, it's nothing."
This was her boyfriend, Chen Hao, who at that moment looked deeply worried for her. His eyes were slightly red as if he had been crying.
Xiaoyu's gaze flickered repeatedly between his face and the number above his head. She couldn't believe it. The affection value she saw was only (+5). For someone who always claimed he loved her deeply and was so upset about her accident, it shocked her to see such a low value.
Is this… his true affection for me? she thought, her heart sinking with a sense of betrayal she hadn't expected.
She was still lost in thought when the door opened again and a doctor entered the ward, holding a clipboard.
"How are you feeling now?" he asked gently.
When Xiaoyu looked at him, she gasped inwardly. Above his head floated (+30).
Because she didn't answer for a while, the doctor's affection value dropped to (+25). Startled by this, she quickly said softly,
"I… I feel much better now, doctor."
Instantly, the value changed again to (+30).
"You're alright," the doctor said with a reassuring smile. "No major injuries. You can be discharged tomorrow."
> So… these values change with good or bad vibes, she thought to herself, bewildered.
Before she could process it further, the door opened yet again and another young man walked in, his tall figure casting a shadow across the ward.
Chen Hao's face hardened when he saw him.
"Why are you here? Get out."
The man smirked coldly, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets as he walked closer to her bed.
"I just came to see how miserable Miss Liang looks in this state."
He turned his gaze towards Xiaoyu, but she was already staring at him, utterly shocked – or perhaps more shocked by the number floating above his head.
Her eyes widened, her heart thundering in her chest.