Chapter One: The woman in Black

Rain fell over Shanghai like silver needles piercing the sleeping city.

From the thirty-seventh floor of the Imperial Aurora Hotel, the world below looked distant and unreal. Headlights blurred into ribbons of gold beneath the heavy rain while thunder murmured quietly somewhere beyond the dark clouds.

Inside the grand ballroom, however, nothing felt cold.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like floating stars. Expensive perfume lingered in the air. The sound of soft violins mixed with low laughter and the clinking of champagne glasses as billionaires, politicians, celebrities, and heirs moved through the hall with carefully practiced smiles.

Everything glittered.

Everything lied.

Lu Zhen stood near the balcony doors with one hand in the pocket of his tailored black suit, looking entirely uninterested in the charity banquet happening around him.

Women glanced at him constantly.

Some openly.

Some discreetly.

He ignored all of them.

At twenty-eight, the CEO of Anderson Technology had already become one of the youngest billionaires in Asia. Financial magazines called him ruthless. Social media called him beautiful. Businessmen called him dangerous.

Lu Zhen personally did not care what anyone called him.

As long as they stayed out of his way.

“You’re scaring people again.”

His friend and assistant, Chen Wei, appeared beside him holding two glasses of champagne.

Lu Zhen did not look away from the rain outside. “Then they should stop staring.”

Chen Wei sighed before handing him a glass anyway. “You’ve been here for twenty minutes and already rejected three women.”

“Four.”

Chen Wei blinked. “There was a fourth?”

“The blonde near the staircase.” Lu Zhen took a slow sip of champagne. “She looked at me like she was planning our children’s names.”

Chen Wei laughed loudly enough to attract attention from nearby guests. “You’re impossible.”

“No,” Lu Zhen said calmly. “Just uninterested.”

That was the truth.

He had never understood the obsession people had with temporary attraction. Wealth made people greedy. Beauty made people foolish. Most relationships around him lasted only long enough for headlines and photographs.

He hated superficial things.

Which was ironic considering the entire world believed him to be exactly that.

A handsome billionaire with a cold heart.

If only they knew.

Lu Zhen’s gaze wandered lazily across the ballroom before stopping suddenly.

Near the farthest window stood a woman dressed entirely in black.

Not the attention-seeking kind of black.

No glitter.

No diamonds.

No dramatic dress designed to attract cameras.

Just elegance.

Quiet elegance.

The silky fabric of her dress fell smoothly against her figure like midnight water, long sleeves covering pale skin while dark hair rested softly over one shoulder. One delicate silver necklace sat around her neck, simple enough to be overlooked by most people.

But not by him.

She stood alone despite the crowded room.

And unlike everyone else there, she did not seem interested in being seen.

Her eyes remained fixed on the rain beyond the glass.

Still.

Silent.

Detached.

Lu Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly.

Something about her felt strange.

Not unfamiliar.

Just… different.

As though she existed outside the noise of the ballroom entirely.

“Who is that?” he asked suddenly.

Chen Wei followed his line of sight before immediately lowering his voice. “No idea.”

“That’s rare.”

“I’m serious.” Chen Wei looked genuinely confused. “She arrived alone fifteen minutes ago. No introductions. No press coverage. But the organizers personally escorted her inside.”

Lu Zhen’s curiosity deepened.

That almost never happened.

People with power loved attention.

This woman looked like she wanted to disappear.

Several men attempted approaching her throughout the evening.

Each walked away less than a minute later.

One even looked embarrassed.

A faint smirk touched Lu Zhen’s lips.

Interesting.

“She rejected Zhao Ming?” Chen Wei whispered dramatically. “That man has never heard the word no in his entire life.”

Lu Zhen watched as the woman accepted a glass of water from a passing waiter instead of champagne.

Even the way she held the glass was calm.

Controlled.

Like someone who spent most of their life hiding emotions beneath perfect discipline.

Then suddenly—

She turned slightly.

And their eyes met.

The world around Lu Zhen seemed to pause for half a second.

Her eyes were beautiful.

Not because of their color.

Not because of shape.

But because they carried something heavy inside them.

A sadness so deep it looked permanent.

Yet terrifyingly sharp at the same time.

She did not look away immediately like most women did when he stared at them.

She simply looked at him quietly.

As if assessing him.

As if she could already see every flaw hidden beneath his expensive suit and unreadable expression.

Lu Zhen felt something unfamiliar settle uneasily in his chest.

The feeling irritated him instantly.

Then she looked away first.

And somehow that bothered him even more.

“Now you’re staring,” Chen Wei teased beside him.

Lu Zhen ignored him.

Without fully realizing it, he placed his champagne glass onto a nearby tray before walking across the ballroom.

The closer he got to her, the quieter everything around him became.

People subtly moved aside for him.

But she remained exactly where she was.

Still watching the rain.

Up close, she looked even more beautiful.

Not in the loud artificial way magazine models looked beautiful.

No.

Her beauty felt soft.

Untouchable.

Like moonlight reflected on dark water.

Lu Zhen stopped beside her.

For a few seconds, neither spoke.

The silence strangely did not feel awkward.

“You don’t seem to enjoy parties,” he finally said.

Her gaze remained outside the window. “I could say the same about you, Mr. Lu.”

Her voice surprised him.

Soft.

Low.

Smooth enough to calm storms.

And she knew who he was.

Of course she did.

Most people in the business world did.

“And yet you came anyway,” Lu Zhen replied.

A faint pause followed.

Then finally, she turned toward him fully.

Up close, her face was breathtaking.

But there was something exhausting about her eyes.

Like someone who had not rested properly in years.

“Some invitations are difficult to refuse,” she said quietly.

Lu Zhen studied her carefully. “And who exactly are you?”

For the first time, emotion flickered faintly across her face.

Not nervousness.

Not excitement.

Something closer to amusement.

“You approached me without knowing my name?”

“I approached you because everyone else seemed afraid to.”

That earned him the smallest smile imaginable.

It disappeared almost instantly.

But Lu Zhen still noticed it.

“I’m not very interesting, Mr. Lu.”

“I doubt that.”

Another silence settled between them while thunder rumbled softly outside.

Then suddenly, flashes of cameras exploded near the ballroom entrance as reporters rushed toward a newly arrived celebrity.

The loud sound echoed sharply across the room.

And the woman beside him froze.

It happened so quickly most people would not have noticed.

But Lu Zhen did.

Her fingers tightened around the glass.

Her breathing changed slightly.

For the briefest moment, fear crossed her eyes.

Real fear.

Not social discomfort.

Not anxiety.

Fear.

Then just as quickly, it vanished behind calm indifference again.

But Lu Zhen had already seen it.

Who are you?

Before he could speak again, one of the hotel staff hurried toward her respectfully.

“Miss Jiang,” the woman said softly. “Chairman Li is asking for you.”

Miss Jiang.

The name settled heavily inside Lu Zhen’s mind.

Jiang.

As in King’s Corporation?

The mysterious corporation that dominated industries across continents while keeping its leadership hidden from the public eye?

His eyes darkened slightly.

The woman gave a small nod before stepping away.

But after only two steps, she paused.

Then glanced back at him over her shoulder.

“Enjoy the party, Mr. Lu.”

Her voice carried no flirtation.

No invitation.

Nothing except quiet politeness.

Yet Lu Zhen watched her walk away like a man hypnotized.

The black fabric of her dress disappeared slowly into the golden crowd until he could no longer see her.

For reasons he could not explain, the ballroom suddenly felt emptier.

Chen Wei appeared beside him again moments later looking shocked.

“Don’t tell me that was who I think it was.”

Lu Zhen’s eyes remained fixed on the crowd.

“Who?”

Chen Wei lowered his voice dramatically.

“Jiang Meilin.”

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