The Grand Ballroom of the Jingdu Convention Center was a sea of crystal chandeliers and ego. The air was thick with the scent of lilies and the hushed murmurs of the nation's medical elite. Today was the International Neural Science Summit, and the Shen family sat in the front row, looking like royalty reclaimed.
Shen Ruo was the star of the hour. Dressed in a delicate white lace gown that made her look like a saint, she sat with a practiced, modest smile. In her hand was the script for her keynote speech—the stolen research that was supposed to cement her legacy.
"I just hope my poor sister is doing well," Shen Ruo whispered to a nearby reporter, her eyes brimming with fake tears. "I heard she's been... unwell since her return from the countryside. It breaks my heart."
Liang Xiujin patted her daughter's hand. "Don't worry about her, Ruo-er. The Young Marshal was likely just curious about her 'village medicine.' Once he realizes she's a fraud, he'll toss her back to the mud."
Suddenly, the massive gilded doors at the back of the hall swung open.
The chatter died instantly. It wasn't just the sound of the doors; it was the rhythmic, heavy thud of military boots on polished marble. A squad of eight soldiers in dress uniforms marched in, forming a silent, lethal corridor.
Then, she appeared.
Shen Xi stepped into the light, and a collective gasp rippled through the room. She wasn't the "beggar" the tabloids had described. She was wearing a custom-made gown of midnight-blue silk that seemed to hold the depth of the ocean. The back was cut low, revealing the elegant curve of her spine, and a high slit showed off her slender legs with every confident stride.
Around her neck was a choker of black diamonds—a gift from the Mu family vaults.
But it was her face that stopped hearts. Her makeup was sharp, her lips a deep, blood-red, and her eyes held a chilling, regal indifference that made the socialites feel like commoners.
Beside her, tall and imposing, walked Mu Feichi. He wore his formal black Commander's uniform, the medals on his chest catching the light. He didn't look at the cameras or the crowd; his hand was placed firmly on the small of Shen Xi's back—a gesture of absolute possession.
The Shen family froze. Shen Yuanfeng's glass of champagne nearly slipped from his hand.
"Marshal Mu!" the head of the Medical Board stammered, rushing forward to bow. "We didn't know you would be attending!"
"I'm just here as an escort," Mu Feichi's voice resonated through the silent hall, cold and smooth. "My physician wanted to hear the keynote speech. I'm told it's... groundbreaking."
He led Shen Xi to the center of the front row, right next to the Shen family. As she sat down, Shen Xi turned her head slightly toward Shen Ruo. The smile she gave her sister was the smile of a cat watching a mouse in a trap.
"Ready for your big moment, Ruo-er?" Shen Xi whispered.
Shen Ruo's face was ashen. She clutched her papers so hard they wrinkled. "You... you shouldn't be here."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Shen Xi replied, leaning back.
The lights dimmed, and the chairman invited Shen Ruo to the stage. She stumbled slightly as she walked up to the podium, the spotlight feeling less like glory and more like an interrogation lamp. As she began to read the first page of the "Neural Regeneration Project," Shen Xi's [Spectral Medical System] engaged.
In her mind's eye, a red warning light flashed over every sentence Shen Ruo spoke.
Error. Missing catalyst. Incompatible neural bypass. Fatal logic flaw.
Halfway through the presentation, just as Shen Ruo reached the "breakthrough" conclusion, Shen Xi stood up. The movement was so fluid and sudden that every eye in the room snapped to her.
"Stop," Shen Xi said. Her voice wasn't loud, but in the silent hall, it sounded like a gavel hitting a block.
"Shen Xi! Sit down!" Shen Yuanfeng hissed from his seat, his face purple.
Shen Xi ignored him and looked directly at the international panel of judges. "If anyone follows the procedure outlined in that paper, the patient won't be cured. Their central nervous system will undergo a total collapse within six hours. The 'genius' on stage has forgotten to include the stabilizer."
"You lie!" Shen Ruo screamed, her composure finally breaking. "I wrote this! I spent years on this!"
"Then tell me, Sister," Shen Xi said, walking slowly toward the stage, her heels clicking like a countdown. "If you wrote it, what is the stoichiometric ratio of the cobalt catalyst to the neural protein? And why did you skip the third phase of the clinical trial?"
The room went deathly silent. Shen Ruo opened her mouth, but only a dry, wheezing sound came out. She looked at the paper, then at the judges, her eyes darting in panic.
Mu Feichi sat in the front row, his legs crossed, watching the scene with a look of dark, satisfied pride. He leaned over to Qi Yuan and whispered, "Make sure the cameras get her good side. I want this recorded in high definition."