The first rays of Shanghai's dawn barely touched the mirrored facade of Marvel Industries' towering headquarters. Inside, the building hummed softly—lights blinking in conference rooms, elevators gliding silently between floors, and the occasional drone zipping past the windows delivering morning mail and packages.
Li Tian Marvel stepped through the revolving doors, his black leather shoes clicking against the polished marble floor. The echoes of last night's charity gala still clung to his mind—a chaotic blur of forced smiles, flashing cameras, and veiled threats. His head throbbed faintly, but he ignored it, pushing toward the elevator bank.
He reached for the button just as the doors slid open on the 33rd floor. The elevator was already half full, but it was the woman who stepped inside that stopped him cold.
Jin Mei Xue.
She looked calm, composed, professional—the kind of cool precision that could cut through steel. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her tailored navy suit was impeccable. She glanced up briefly, her eyes narrowing for a split second before settling into polite neutrality.
"Morning," Tian said, attempting casualness but failing to mask the sharp edge in his voice.
Jin Mei didn't answer. She pressed the button for the 46th floor without a word, positioning herself at the far end of the elevator. The silence stretched, thick and awkward.
Finally, Tian broke it. "Didn't expect to see you here this early."
She looked at him then—really looked—eyes scanning his disheveled red hair and the faint dark circles under his eyes. "Some of us actually work."
A dry smile tugged at Tian's lips. "Right. Work."
The elevator hummed upward. For a moment, neither spoke. The tension was palpable, an invisible thread tugging them both back to a time neither dared to fully revisit.
"So," Tian said, voice low, "still running the numbers for Marvel? Still the brainiac analyst?"
Jin Mei's eyes glittered with a mixture of amusement and challenge. "And you're still the reckless prince crashing parties and making enemies."
Their words were polite, but beneath the surface was a history as fierce as the city skyline.
FLASHBACK
They were children then, barely ten years old, in a schoolyard that seemed a world away from gleaming skyscrapers. Tian had the wild mane of red hair and a cocky grin that didn't quite fit his tender years. Jin Mei was a sharp-eyed girl with a knack for strategy and an unyielding competitive streak.
They had clashed over everything—test scores, sports games, even who got to sit at the head of the lunch table. Their rivalry was legendary, a constant game of one-upmanship that neither wanted to lose.
Tian remembered the time Jin Mei outsmarted him in the math competition, a humiliating defeat that stung for weeks. And Jin Mei recalled the soccer match where Tian had scored the winning goal just as she was about to take the lead.
Back then, their battles were simple. Now, they were far more complicated.
Back in the elevator, Jin Mei leaned against the mirrored wall, arms crossed. "You haven't changed much," she said finally. "Still playing by your own rules."
"And you?" Tian countered. "Looks like you've learned a few new ones."
She smiled—a quick, tight curve of her lips. "You think this is just a game? It's not. This place… it's a battlefield. And the stakes aren't just trophies or pride."
Tian's gaze hardened. "I'm well aware. Which is why I need to know—why did you take this job? Why work for Marvel?"
Jin Mei hesitated, eyes flicking away. "It's complicated. But let's just say, I'm here because I want to see the truth."
"The truth?" Tian echoed, intrigued despite himself.
"About Marvel. About the people who run it. About what's really going on behind the scenes."
Her words hung in the air like a challenge.
Tian laughed softly. "Sounds like you don't trust anyone."
"Not a single soul," Jin Mei said flatly. "Including you."
The elevator dinged, opening onto the 46th floor—home to Marvel's executive analytics department. As the doors slid open, Jin Mei turned to him.
"Watch your back, Tian," she said quietly. "Not everyone here plays fair."
With that, she stepped out and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Tian alone with the rising weight of their shared history—and the dangerous new game that awaited them both.
Tian stood in the hallway for a long moment, letting the warning sink in. Jin Mei Xue had always been one step ahead, and for the first time in a long time, he felt the thrill of a worthy opponent.
He thought back to the years they had spent apart. After their childhood rivalry had burned out, their paths diverged dramatically—he, the wild heir living in Monaco's glittering playgrounds; she, the relentless analyst climbing the ranks quietly in Shanghai.
Now, the universe had brought them back together—two pieces of the same puzzle, forced to navigate a corporate war neither fully understood.
Tian smoothed his suit jacket, mentally preparing for the battles ahead. If Jin Mei was right, the real war was just beginning.