Ye Xia returned to her life in China, the offer from Yun Ming hanging in the air. She didn't give him an answer immediately. She needed time to think, to weigh the risks and rewards.
For the first time since her rebirth, there was a lull in the storm. Liang Rui and Lin Wanwan were gone, their lives in ruins. Gavin Strickland was a non-entity. Yun Zhong was licking his wounds. The immediate threats had been neutralized.
She used this period of calm to focus on herself. She intensified her physical training, transforming her body into a strong, capable instrument. She deepened her financial knowledge, moving from basic analysis to advanced quantitative trading strategies. She even allowed herself small pleasures—visiting art galleries, learning to play the piano—funded by the system's endless largesse.
She also continued her cryptic text exchanges with Mo. They never discussed business or strategy. They spoke of philosophy, of history, of the weight of power. It was a strange, intellectual courtship between two people who had never had a normal conversation.
One evening, she stood on the balcony of her new penthouse apartment, looking out at the city lights. She had come so far from the bullied, murdered wife. She was now a force of nature, a self-made titan with a mysterious past and a formidable future.
The system's voice echoed in her mind.
[Ding! Host has achieved a period of stable growth and strategic advantage. System stability increased. Daily quota and conversion rate optimized.]
It was a notification of consolidation. The system itself was recognizing that she was no longer in survival mode. She was in control.
Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Mo.
[There is a meteor shower tonight. The view from the mountains is supposed to be exceptional. A rare moment of natural, uncalculated beauty.]
It was an invitation. Not to a business meeting or a war room, but to look at the stars.
Ye Xia looked up at the smoggy city sky. She couldn't see any stars. But for the first time, she felt a desire to.
She typed a reply.
[Send me the coordinates.]
The game of revenge and power was far from over. But a new game, more complex and unpredictable, was just beginning.