The incidents involving Zhou Shihong and Su Yan hung over Lin Yang like a heavy shroud, refusing to dissipate. The feeling of being watched at every moment, of having his every move controlled, and the knowledge that those around him might suffer unknown fates because of him, made it nearly impossible to breathe.
He became even more withdrawn, spending longer stretches of time inside the apartment. He even met Li Chenzhou’s nightly “harassment” with a mechanical, numbing compliance. He was like a frightened snail, recoiling into his shell, not daring to stretch out his antennae again.
However, the controller did not seem satisfied with this passive retreat.
That evening, Li Chenzhou brought neither soy sauce nor a property notice, but a gold-embossed envelope.
“Tomorrow night at seven, Landis Hotel. A gala following the business summit,” he said, placing the envelope on the entryway cabinet. His tone was as businesslike as ever, devoid of emotion. “Your attendance is required.”
Lin Yang’s heart sank.
It was time. What was meant to come had finally arrived.
He had attended business galas like this more than once in his past life. Nominally he was “Mrs. Li,” but in reality, he was nothing more than a beautiful vase by Li Chenzhou’s side—a tool used to display the “harmony and stability” of the Li family. It required wearing restrictive formal wear, maintaining a proper smile, and standing by Li Chenzhou’s side to accept compliments and scrutiny from all sides, whether sincere or hypocritical. Every single time had left him feeling exhausted and humiliated.
Especially now, having clearly realized his true situation, playing this hollow role felt like a blatant insult.
“…I don’t feel well,” Lin Yang said, lowering his eyelashes and using a dry voice to manufacture an excuse. “I might not be able to go.”
Li Chenzhou’s gaze landed on his pale face and lingered. It carried a piercing quality, as if it could see right through his clumsy disguise.
“Necessary social activity is part of fulfilling marital obligations and maintaining a public image,” he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unquestionable firmness. “You need to attend.”
Marital obligations? Public image?
Lin Yang almost laughed out loud. What kind of “marriage” did they actually have? And when had Li Chenzhou ever cared about how the public viewed the “Mrs. Li” image? He cared only for the interests of the Li Group and himself.
Lin Yang clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms as a strong sense of resistance surged in his chest. But was refusing even an option? The answer was obviously no. The fact that Li Chenzhou had come personally to inform him rather than sending Cheng Wei indicated that this was non-negotiable. His refusal would only appear ridiculous and futile.
He took a deep breath. When he looked up again, his face showed no emotion, only a near-numb calm.
“…Fine,” he heard himself agree in a low voice. “I will go.”
Li Chenzhou seemed slightly surprised by his compliance. A trace of unidentifiable emotion flickered through his deep eyes, but it quickly returned to its usual stillness.
“Good,” he responded, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yang’s simple loungewear. “The wardrobe and styling team will arrive tomorrow afternoon.”
With that, he turned and left without any lingering. After the door closed, Lin Yang leaned against it and slowly slid to the floor. The coldness of the ground seeped through his thin clothes, clearing his chaotic thoughts slightly.
Tomorrow night… the gala… Would it be a turning point? Or the start of an even deeper trap? He didn’t know. But he knew he couldn’t give up on any sliver of possibility.
The following afternoon, just as Li Chenzhou had said, a professional styling team arrived punctually at the apartment. Leading them was a sharp, fashionable middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Eva. They brought several sets of high-fashion formal wear and matching jewelry.
Eva had a keen eye. She didn’t slight Lin Yang because of his temporary silence; instead, she professionally selected an elegantly tailored deep blue velvet suit based on his temperament and the evening’s occasion. The color was steady yet noble, making his complexion appear even fairer. The slightly tapered waist outlined a slender silhouette, shedding some of his youthful innocence and replacing it with a sense of reserved charm.
Hair, makeup… Lin Yang let them handle him like a marionette, while his mind uncontrollably drifted back to similar scenes from his past life. Every “meticulous dressing” had been for the sake of acting as a foil to that man, and every time had filled him with awkwardness and rejection.
But this time, something was different. He looked at himself in the mirror exquisitely groomed, with almost no trace of his recent exhaustion and hid a desperate sense of resolve in his eyes.
At 6:30 PM, Li Chenzhou’s car stopped downstairs. Lin Yang took one last look in the mirror, took a deep breath, and opened the apartment door.
Li Chenzhou was standing in the hallway. He appeared to have just finished getting ready as well, wearing a custom-tailored black tuxedo. His bow tie was knotted perfectly, and he radiated a cold, powerful aura. Hearing the door, he turned around.
When his gaze landed on Lin Yang, for a very brief moment, Lin Yang thought he caught a flicker of something in his eyes like admiration, or an unidentifiable ripple. But the feeling vanished so quickly that Lin Yang assumed it was just an illusion caused by the lighting.
Li Chenzhou’s gaze stayed on him for two seconds before he naturally extended his arm a standard, gentlemanly gesture requesting him to take it.
Lin Yang looked at that well-defined arm, which contained an invisible strength, and his body stiffened. In his past life, every time he took that arm, it felt like being fitted with an invisible shackle. But now, he hesitated for only a second before reaching out and gently taking the arm.
The touch was warm, and the solid muscle beneath the expensive fabric made Lin Yang feel as if he were holding onto a cold branding iron. They walked down the stairs side-by-side, one stern and tall, the other exquisite and beautiful appearing, to all the world, like a perfect couple.
Butler Chen stood downstairs, a flicker of relief crossing his eyes as he respectfully opened the door for them. The extended Rolls-Royce glided silently into the night.
The interior was spacious, yet the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy. Li Chenzhou appeared to be handling emails on his phone, his profile sharp and cold, showing no intention of striking up a conversation. Lin Yang was glad for the quiet, turning his head to watch the brilliant lights of the city flash past, his mind racing with thoughts of how to use this opportunity to his advantage.
Inside the ballroom of the Landis Hotel, the lights were dazzling, and the air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the rustle of silk. When Li Chenzhou entered with Lin Yang on his arm, they instantly drew the attention of nearly everyone in the room.
Lin Yang could feel those gazes like searchlights sweeping over him, scrutinizing his clothes, his face, and the way he held Li Chenzhou’s arm searching for any clue about the true state of the Li family’s marriage. He instinctively straightened his back, maintaining a practiced, elegant, yet distant smile.
Li Chenzhou seemed to sense his sudden tension. The arm Lin Yang was holding tightened almost imperceptibly, providing a forced sense of support, as if silently reminding him: Cooperate. Play your part.
Soon, various guests began to swarm them, glasses in hand.
“President Li, Mrs. Li, good evening!” “What a handsome couple, truly a match made in heaven!” “Mrs. Li looks absolutely radiant tonight!”
The compliments were endless. Li Chenzhou navigated the crowd with ease, his attitude detached but polite. With just a few brief responses, he managed to dominate the direction of every conversation.
Beside him, Lin Yang’s “function” seemed to be limited to smiling, nodding, and offering a few trivial pleasantries whenever Li Chenzhou occasionally steered the topic toward him.
“My wife is quite passionate about charitable causes,” Li Chenzhou remarked smoothly when a lady complimented Lin Yang’s temperament, skillfully pivoting the conversation toward the Li Group’s latest public service project.
Lin Yang maintained a perfectly gentle smile, though his heart was icy. See? I don’t even need to have thoughts. I just need to be a beautiful symbol, filled into the script Li Chenzhou has written.
While maintaining his fake smile, he discreetly observed his surroundings. He recognized many faces from his past life—powerful figures who ruled the business world, all wearing mask-like smiles as they tested each other and exchanged interests. He also spotted several reporters, their cameras frequently focusing on them.
An opportunity… where is the opportunity? He tried to find a moment to slip away from Li Chenzhou’s sight, even if just to the restroom for a breath of air or to speak a few words to someone who didn’t seem so closely tied to the Li family.
But Li Chenzhou’s control was staggering. He seemed to perfectly block any overly prying eyes and sidestep topics that might embarrass Lin Yang. At the same time, he gave Lin Yang no room for independent action. His arm maintained a grip that looked casual but was impossible to break, keeping Lin Yang firmly fixed half a step by his side. It was like a meticulously choreographed dance where he was the absolute lead, and Lin Yang could only follow his steps, trapped within the dance floor he had marked out.
A wave of exhaustion and powerlessness hit Lin Yang again. He felt like a marionette on strings; all his struggles and hopes seemed ridiculous in the face of such total control.
Just as his spirits reached a new low, a waiter passed by with a tray of drinks. Li Chenzhou naturally took two glasses of champagne and handed one to Lin Yang. Lin Yang took it instinctively.
However, the moment his fingertips touched the glass, a fragmented image from his past life flashed through his mind—another gala just like this, someone constantly pressuring him to drink while Li Chenzhou watched coldly… followed by malicious laughter and hands pulling at him…
His face turned deathly pale. His hand shook, and the champagne in the glass sloshed violently, nearly spilling over.
“What is it?”
Li Chenzhou’s deep voice sounded in his ear, carrying a hint of a question. Lin Yang snapped back to reality and met Li Chenzhou’s deep gaze. There was a trace of scrutiny in those eyes.
“…It’s nothing.” He forced his breathing to steady and lowered his eyelashes to hide the panic, his voice barely audible. “I just… don’t really want to drink.”
He was prepared to be coldly dismissed or questioned. However, Li Chenzhou only looked at him in silence for two seconds. Then, he very naturally took the glass from Lin Yang’s hand and, along with his own, placed them back onto the tray of a passing waiter.
“Change this for a glass of juice,” he instructed the waiter, his tone flat.
The waiter nodded quickly and soon returned with a glass of orange juice. Li Chenzhou handed it to Lin Yang, their fingertips inevitably brushing again. This time, Lin Yang didn’t immediately pull away. He gripped the cool glass, looking at Li Chenzhou’s still-stern profile. The stagnant, icy water in his heart felt a tiny, yet incredibly chaotic, ripple.
Was he… just looking out for my feelings? Why?
Before he could make sense of it, a new, somewhat frivolous voice cut in.
“President Li, long time no see! And this must be Mrs. Li? You’re even more stunning in person than the rumors say!”
Lin Yang looked up to see a man in a flashy pink suit with shifty eyes approaching. His gaze traveled over Lin Yang with an undisguised, uncomfortable evaluative look.
Li Chenzhou shifted his weight by half a step, perfectly shielding Lin Yang behind him and cutting off that bold gaze. His eyes turned cold as ice the moment he looked at the newcomer.
“Manager Li,” he greeted curtly, his voice devoid of warmth. “I heard the Universal project has run into some trouble?”
The smile on Manager Li’s face froze. His eyes flickered with unease, and after stammering a few polite platitudes, he slunk away with a hollow excuse. Li Chenzhou didn’t even look at his retreating back, as if he had just swatted away a fly.
He turned back to Lin Yang, his gaze landing on Lin Yang’s still-pale face. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“Are you tired?” he asked. His voice seemed a fraction deeper and softer than usual, though it still lacked any obvious emotional rise. “You can go sit in the lounge area over there for a while.”
Lin Yang stared at him blankly, looking at the bottomless eyes beneath that hard silhouette. For the first time, he realized that he might never have truly understood this man at all.