The young man’s gaze lingered on Li Yeli.
Not briefly.
Not politely.
But with clear interest.
“Mr. Li… you’ve been hiding quite the surprise,” he said with a light chuckle, though his eyes never left her.
Aecon Li smiled, clearly pleased.
“She just returned not long ago,” he replied.
“Naturally, I wanted to introduce her properly.”
Li Yeli almost sneered openly at his lie.
The young man nodded slowly.
“I see.”
His gaze shifted-just slightly-meeting Li Yeli’s eyes.
“Miss Li,” he said, his voice smooth, “would you care for a drink?”
For a moment-
Silence.
Li Yeli looked at him.
Her expression was calm.
Detached.
As if she were looking at something…
insignificant.
“I don’t drink,” she said flatly.
The refusal was immediate.
Clean.
Without hesitation.
The young man paused, clearly not expecting that.
Then-
He smiled again.
Unbothered.
“Then perhaps a walk?” he suggested.
“It can get quite suffocating in here.”
Aecon Li’s eyes flickered.
There it was.
Opportunity.
Before Li Yeli could respond-
“Mr. Theodore seems quite interested,” Aecon Li said smoothly, a hint of encouragement in his tone.
His gaze shifted briefly to Li Yeli.
A warning hidden beneath politeness.
Li Yeli didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
“Well i don’t know him, So i’m not interested,” she said.
The air stilled.
Aecon Li’s smile froze for a fraction of a second.
Theodore laughed.
“Fine, Miss Li…let’s do a small introduction.”
“My name is Theodore Lanchester.”
Theodore’s wealth wasn’t something that could be measured in numbers alone-it was influence.
Entire industries moved at his word.
Powerful families avoided crossing him.
Even the elite treated his presence with quiet caution.
Money, for him, was no longer a goal.
It was a tool.
And he had more than enough of it to control anything he set his eyes on.
“I’m still not interested.”
Li Yeli rejected him once again.
Theodore raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Not many people rejected him.
“How straightforward,” he said, amused rather than offended.
His eyes sharpened slightly.
“I like that.”
“I really appologize, Mr. Theodore. She can be like that sometimes, she often says what she doesn’t mean.”
Li Yeli said nothing.
Across the hall, whispers began to rise.
Eyes turned.
The scene had started to draw attention.
And then-
The atmosphere shifted.
Conversations slowed.
A subtle tension spread through the room-like an invisible force pressing down on everyone present.
One by one-
People turned.
Toward the entrance.
At the doors of Yunjing Tower-
Someone had arrived.
The guards straightened instantly.
Staff lowered their heads.
Even the music seemed to fade into the background.
He walked in.
Unhurried.
Effortless.
Power didn’t need to announce itself.
It was simply…
there.
His presence alone shifted the balance of the room.
From lively-
To controlled.
Aecon Li noticed immediately.
His expression changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
“…He’s here,” someone whispered.
More whispers followed.
Quieter.
Tense.
Almost cautious.
Theodore’s relaxed posture stiffened.
For the first time since approaching Li Yeli-
His attention shifted.
Li Yeli didn’t turn immediately.
But she felt it.
That presence.
Heavy.
Cold.
Watching.
Slowly-
She lifted her gaze.
And met his eyes.
Across the room.
For a brief moment-
Everything else disappeared.
The noise.
The people.
The lights.
Dark.
Unreadable.
Dangerous.
Something about it-
Felt familiar.
The man, Yu Yang, was dressed in a crisp white suit, perfectly fitting as if specifically tailored for him.
The color of his suit made him stand out in the entire hall, his face was cold, his chiseled features were hypnotic, not to talk of the aura emitting from him, it was just…too inexplainable.
He was one of God’s most perfect creations.
Handsome.
Handsome.
Very handsome.
Yu Yang mightily strode to the stage and his loyal secretary Linda passed him the microphone, then walked away leaving him to be the center of attention.
Yu Yang carefully looked at everyone in the hall.
Slowly.
And meticulously.
His eyes swept across everyone in the room– till it finally stopped on Li Yeli.
Only then, did he begin to speak.
“Thank you all for coming.”
His cello-like deep voice came from the stage.
Li Yeli didn’t notice that the young man was staring at her the whole time.
As he finished with his speech, he greeted a few people and disappeared out of sight.
While on the other hand, Aecon Li continued to introduced Li Yeli to some other few Influential business men, who all seem to the best potential candidates he was looking for, and fortunately for him they all seemed to be interested in her, some of them were even the first to take the initiative to introduce themselves to her.
But unfortunately, mother luck wasn’t on Aecon Li’s side today, because
Li Yeli didn’t even take a glance at them no matter how he tried.
Li Yeli reminded herself, marriage is her only escape.
As she was deep in her thoughts, a man appeared beside her.
Jin Suye.
He was cold.
Calculated.
“Miss Li?” He called out.
What now?
Li Yeli quietly stared at him.
“Li Yeli…” he called out her name again.
“Your name, it’s quite interesting…what’s the story behind it?” Jin Suye asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t name myself.” Li Yeli said coldly.
Jin Suye was speechless, “Uhm!” he cleared his throat and let out a soft laugh.
Nobody ever dared to speak to him like this.
This little woman was quite interesting.
“You grew up abroad?”
“Exactly what he said.”
Jin Suye nodded.
“Where in abroad?”
“Behind a door. In a dark room.”
Jin Suye narrowed his eyes.
This girl was rather weird.
Odd.
Eccentric.
But he still liked her, she was so pretty and unique, he could tell at first glance that her beauty was natural, unlike those plastic-faced girls out there.
He stared at her for a while; he was really captivated by her beauty.
“I’m planning on chasing you.”
What a straight forward guy.