The private dining room of the Golden Phoenix Hotel glittered with quiet luxury.
Gold-leaf chandeliers. Hand-carved furniture. A long polished mahogany table set with crystal glasses and plates rimmed in silver.
A dinner meant to symbolize unity.
Instead, it felt like a standoff.
Wei Wanwan sat with a practiced smile that didn't reach her eyes, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She hadn't spoken more than a sentence since sitting down, and her gaze kept flicking toward the door.
Her expression said it all: She better not be pretty. She better not act superior. She better not breathe too loud.
Across from her, Wei Mingliang was glued to his phone, laughing at something on a game app. He didn't even look up when the waiter served the appetizers.
Yulia Dragina, as flawless as her filtered magazine covers, scrolled endlessly through her phone, completely detached from the tension in the room. Her designer dress shimmered like moonlight, and her nails matched the icy hue of her eyes—perfect, sharp, uninterested.
Only Wei Zhenhai, the man who had brought all of this chaos into one room, was trying.
"Wanwan," he said gently, "I heard you were working with a cosmetics company now. That's wonderful. I remember how much your mother used to love skincare."
Wanwan forced a polite smile. "Yes, Mother still loves it. I'm just helping her manage some products."
Zhenhai nodded, then turned to his son. "Mingliang—what about your internship? Still going well?"
Mingliang grunted, eyes on the screen. "Yeah. Fine."
Zhenhai sighed internally, then shifted his attention to his wife.
"Yulia, darling. How are your girls doing? Have they started working yet?"
Yulia lifted her gaze briefly from her phone, lips curving into a vague smile.
"They're...doing things," she said airily. "Ruyin is busy shopping, painting, whatever she feels like. Ruxi.... Works all the time, disappears for days. I haven't seen her since last month."
Wei Wanwan raised an eyebrow. "You don't know where your own daughter is?"
Yulia gave a light laugh. "Sweetheart, at their age, if you try to follow them around, you'll lose your mind."
Wei Zhenhai chuckled weakly, but no one joined him.
Just then, the butler entered and whispered something into his ear.
Zhenhai looked relieved. "Ruyin's almost here."
Wanwan muttered under her breath, "Finally."
Yulia smirked. "You'll like her. She's...memorable."
The room fell back into silence as they waited.
And outside the hotel, a certain red-haired hurricane was just stepping out of her car, heels clicking against the marble pavement, twirling her coat over one shoulder like she owned the city.
The Golden Phoenix Hotel was used to glamorous arrivals.
But no one quite shimmered the way Shen Ruyin did when she walked in—late, unapologetic, and absolutely radiant.
Her red curls tumbled like fire over her fur-collared coat. Diamond studs glinted at her ears. Her heels struck the marble floor with a rhythm of royalty. She tossed her keys to the valet without a glance and breezed through the golden lobby like it was her personal runway.
Then, she turned a corner.
And slammed straight into someone.
Hard.
"Ah—!" she gasped, stumbling back.
A tall man steadied himself with sharp reflexes, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at her.
Shen Ruyin blinked, momentarily dazed—not from the collision, but from him.
He was... breathtaking.
Black hair, slicked back but slightly tousled at the edges. Eyes like obsidian, cold and unreadable. His cheekbones were sharp enough to cut through marble, and he wore a suit that clung to his form like it was tailored by the gods.
Wait, she thought. Why does a man like this exist in real life?
"Watch where you're going," he snapped, voice smooth but laced with annoyance.
She just stood there, staring.
Then, as if her soul left her body and returned with poor manners, she let out a low, appreciative whistle.
"Well, damn," she muttered. "Who carved you?"
The man blinked.
Once.
Then frowned.
Deeply.
He took a small step back, as if trying to physically remove her from his aura, and gave her a sharp look of disapproval.
"You're in the way."
She grinned, leaning closer. "Oh, am I? Should I apologize... or should you give me your number first?"
He looked at her as if she'd just crawled out of a chaotic dream and sighed.
Then, without another word, he pushed her aside with a gentle but firm hand and walked off—leaving her stunned, scandalized, and more intrigued than she had been in weeks.
She turned to watch him go, her mouth slightly open. "Rude... and beautiful?"
Whoever he was, he just made it to the top of her curiosity list.
Adjusting her coat and flipping her hair, Shen Ruyin strutted toward the private dining room, a devilish smile playing on her lips.
"Well," she whispered to herself, "maybe this dinner won't be boring after all."