After returning to the car, Lu Nian’an appeared unusually calm.
After a brief silence, she did not start the car immediately.
There was no going back after tonight.
Retaliation from Incheon Group was practically guaranteed.
If things spiraled badly enough, she could easily end up taking the blame.
She didn’t waste time.
She called her lawyer first—the banquet recording, a victim statement, anything that might be useful later if things turned into a legal dispute.
Then she called her security team and ordered every message, call log, and file locked down before anyone could touch them.
Only then did she call her secretary.
“Yo, sis, calling again already?”
The voice on the other end sounded deliberately relaxed, though a trace of nervousness still slipped through.
“Gotta say, what you pulled tonight was really something.”
Lu Nian’an ignored the small talk.
“Back up all surveillance footage from tonight first. Then organize every piece of related evidence.”
She paused briefly before adding,
“And notify the butler while you’re at it. It’s time for him to change employers.”
The other end went silent for a second.
“Sis… but this time the Lu Group is probably going to face long-term pressure from Incheon Group.” His tone became visibly anxious. “If this keeps going, we’ll lose our suppliers. The entire company could go under.”
Lu Nian’an’s voice remained steady.
“Post a statement through my official account.”
“Tell the shareholders I’ll start buying the moment the stock drops.”
“Seventy percent of market value.”
“Sis, you’re—”
“It’s time to take the Lu Group private.”
She spoke lightly.
It sounded less like a decision and more like something she had accepted long ago.
“Haven’t you always wanted to become CEO? Too many shareholders only limit what you can do, don’t they?”
“Then let’s gamble one more time.”
Her voice lowered slightly, though it remained calm.
“You trusted me during the financial crisis.”
“And you know how that turned out.”
“So this time—trust me again, Lu Zhiyuan.”
Several seconds of silence followed.
“…Sis, I trust you.”
Then the call ended.
Lu Nian’an lowered her phone and started the engine.
The car slowly drove away from the estate, swallowed by the night.
Throughout the drive, her expression remained heavy.
She wasn’t worried about the future of the Lu Group itself.
Rather, something deeper had settled heavily inside her chest.
Like the final fragment of expectation she had carried for years had finally collapsed tonight, quietly loosening and breaking apart.
But she was not left with nothing.
She turned slightly and glanced at Xia Jiuwei beside her.
For the first time that night, she felt a quiet sense of peace.
—At the very least, she would not lose her.
Click.
The doors of the luxury apartment opened, and the two finally returned home.
The long day finally came to a temporary end.
“I’m going to shower first,” Lu Nian’an said lightly.
“Don’t. Change first.”
Xia Jiuwei immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the dressing room, as naturally as if there had never been another option.
Before Lu Nian’an could react, her tailored suit had already been peeled away.
In its place was a soft winter sweater.
“…”
“Um… can you help me?”
Xia Jiuwei lowered her head slightly. Loose strands of hair fell across her forehead, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.
“Mm.”
Lu Nian’an’s movements were gentle as she helped her into the sweater and coat.
Not long after, both of them had changed into thick winter clothing.
Xia Jiuwei fastened the final button on Lu Nian’an’s coat, then took her hand.
The next second, space distorted slightly.
Their figures vanished from the dressing room.
When they opened their eyes again, they were standing in snow.
The night sky stretched endlessly overhead, stars scattered across a deep blue-black horizon.
The area was nearly deserted, with only sparse pine trees standing quietly among the snow.
“Ah… it’s so beautiful.”
Xia Jiuwei looked up at the sky and breathed out softly.
“Don’t you think so?”
She turned toward Lu Nian’an.
“…It really is.”
Her tone remained calm as always.
Thump.
A snowball struck Lu Nian’an squarely on the head without warning.
She froze for a moment as snow slid down through her hair.
“Haha…”
Xia Jiuwei laughed uncontrollably nearby.
Lu Nian’an frowned faintly but didn’t respond immediately.
The next second—
Puff.
A snowball hit Xia Jiuwei directly.
“Ow.”
She pretended to cry out in pain, though her smile only widened.
Immediately she bent down, scooped up a huge pile of snow, and threw it back.
Snowflakes scattered endlessly between them.
Like release.
Like a new beginning.
After who knew how long, Xia Jiuwei finally ran out of energy and tackled Lu Nian’an straight into the snow.
The two of them lay there breathing lightly, chests rising and falling.
Xia Jiuwei rolled onto her side beside her, both of them staring up at the sky together.
Then—
a faint light suddenly appeared across the horizon.
Soon after, ribbons of green and blue unfurled slowly across the night like flowing silk.
The aurora appeared.
“So beautiful,” Lu Nian’an whispered.
“Right?”
Xia Jiuwei smiled softly.
“When I helped that lost wanderer before, I casually left behind a marker here. Do you like it?”
Lu Nian’an was silent for a while.
“…Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. That’s what I’m here for.”
Xia Jiuwei lightly bumped her forehead against Lu Nian’an’s shoulder.
“Your father might never have really cared for you properly, but I’ll keep you in my heart.”
Her tone still carried teasing playfulness, but the sincerity beneath it was unmistakable.
Lu Nian’an did not refute her.
That single sentence slowly dissolved the final remnants of disappointment lingering inside her.
“Actually, tonight’s banquet wasn’t completely worthless.”
Xia Jiuwei pulled out the silver ring from her pocket and lightly spun it between her fingers.
“It looks okay. Just kind of plain.”
She tilted her head, as though plotting some harmless mischief.
The next second, she tapped the ring lightly.
A strand of energy wrapped around it.
The silver gradually darkened into a deep black, like crystallized night sky, reflecting fragments of light beneath the aurora.
“Mm. That looks better.”
She laughed lightly, sounding completely casual.
Then suddenly, she dropped onto one knee with exaggerated theatrical flair.
“Miss Lu Nian’an—”
“Will you marry me?”
Her tone was playful, unable to hide the laughter underneath.
Clearly a joke.
Lu Nian’an looked at her.
She didn’t immediately tease her back.
Nor did she avoid it.
She simply watched quietly for a few seconds.
Then she extended her left hand.
“I will.”
The answer came far too quickly to sound like a joke.
Xia Jiuwei froze for a second before laughing helplessly.
But she still lowered her head and slid the ring onto her finger.
This time, her movements were slower.
Steadier than the joke before it.
The two looked at each other for a moment.
Then both burst into laughter at the same time.
There were no further questions.
No formal promises.
They simply sat side by side again in the snow, watching the aurora drift slowly across the sky as though nothing unusual had happened.
Yet the ring remained on her finger.
“Mia.”
“Mm?”
“Do you think I’m… weak?”
Lu Nian’an’s voice lowered slightly.
“I was the one who brought you to the banquet, but in the end, I lost control first.”
Xia Jiuwei thought for a moment, then smiled.
“No.”
“The more someone matters to you, the harder it hits. That’s normal.”
Her tone was light, but not careless.
“I don’t really understand what it feels like when expectations collapse.”
“But if my grandpa disappeared one day, I’d probably be devastated too. Maybe a thousand times worse than you.”
She said it lightly, almost jokingly.
Yet Lu Nian’an listened seriously.
“So yeah. This is normal.”
Xia Jiuwei looked at her.
“And besides—I’ll always stay by your side.”
Silence settled briefly between them.
The snowfield, the stars, the aurora—
everything felt distant.
And safe.
Suddenly, Xia Jiuwei’s expression shifted slightly.
“Looks like the Under-Reality has new customers.”
A hint of excitement appeared in her smile.
“Nia, go together?”
Lu Nian’an did not hesitate for even a second.
She took Xia Jiuwei’s hand.
Their fingers intertwined.