Lu Yichen's Penthouse – 2:43 AM
The gala was long over.
But Lu Yichen couldn't sleep.
Not with the image of herShen Yue in black silk, her smile sharp, her voice like ice sliding under the skin.
He'd seen women posture before.Pretend power.Fake elegance.
But she didn't fake it.She embodied it.
He poured a glass of scotch but didn't drink. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed staring at the document he'd found in an old company safe.
A copy of the original Shen Corp equity deal.
Her father had left 33% of the shares under a protective clause in her name.
Back then, he'd ignored it.
"She won't even know it exists," his mother had said.
"It's not like she'll fight back," Bai Lin had said.
And he had believed them.
He'd believed her silence meant weakness.
That her loyalty was a leash he could tug until she broke.
But now?
She walked beside him like an equal.
And when Tang Zhi insulted her, Shen Yue hadn't looked to him for protection. She handled it flawlessly, without even flinching.
[FLASHBACK – Two Years Ago]
A rainstorm.A boardroom.Shen Yue, soaked, standing in front of him, eyes wide with hurt.
"Lu Yichen, my father trusted you," she whispered. "Why would you take our company?"
His jaw clenched. "It's business, Shen Yue."
"You looked me in the eyes and told me you'd protect us."
"I did what I had to. Grow up."
And she had.
He just didn't realize he was the one who stayed childish.
[System Trigger: Emotional Regression — Lu Yichen]Regret Score: 51%Host Status: "You are now influencing the target's past perception."Warning: World memory reassembly is unstable.]
Lu Yichen stood, staring out at the city skyline.
"She used to look at me like I was her world," he whispered to no one. "Now she looks at me like she already replaced it."
He didn't know what hurt more:
That he was no longer her center
Or that she looked so much better without him.