Chapter 7: A Cold CEO's Unexpected Gesture
Meilin Xue sat in the backseat of the sleek black Bentley as the city lights of Huajin blurred past her window like a river of glittering stars. The neon buzz of the nightlife reflected in her eyes, but her mind was far from the glamorous skyline. Her fingers subconsciously rubbed against her palm—the glowing mark of the Celestial Marriage System pulsing faintly beneath the skin.
She had not yet activated the system again. Not since it had given her the first quest: "Find the one whose heart resists fate, and begin the bond of trust."
She already knew who it meant.
Li Yanzhou.
The mysterious, aloof CEO of Yanzhou Enterprises. A man with influence that reached into the shadows as much as the light. The one who had pulled her out of the banquet hall after her confrontation with Lin Haoxuan—and the one who had stared at her as if he already knew she wasn't the naive Meilin of before.
She glanced at him now.
He sat beside her, composed and silent, dressed in a tailored charcoal-gray suit, his dark eyes staring straight ahead. The city lights etched sharp lines against his sculpted features, and yet something about him remained unreadable, like a closed book in a forgotten language.
"You didn't have to interfere back there," Meilin finally said, breaking the silence.
Li Yanzhou didn't turn. "You were being humiliated in public."
"I could handle it."
"I noticed," he said, voice devoid of sarcasm yet filled with something else—amusement, perhaps.
Meilin's lips twitched. "Then why intervene?"
He turned then, slowly, his eyes meeting hers. "Because I hate watching powerful women be treated like pawns."
Meilin stiffened. The words felt like they cut too close. As if he truly knew what had happened to her in her past life.
"You don't even know me," she said cautiously.
"I know ambition. I know silence. I know pain when I see it in someone's eyes."
She looked away. "That's poetic."
"It's reality."
Silence again. But this time, it wasn't awkward. It felt like the pause between breaths—tense but alive.
The car finally slowed to a stop.
Meilin glanced out. They weren't at her apartment. Instead, they were in front of an elegant private lounge, its entrance glowing with warm golden light and guarded by two sharply dressed men in suits.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"A neutral place. I figured you wouldn't want to go straight home after that stunt Lin Haoxuan pulled."
Her heart twisted at the mention of that name. Lin Haoxuan—her childhood sweetheart, her former husband in her past life, the one who had used her and sacrificed her. He was no longer just a betrayal; he was her warning.
"I don't drink," Meilin said as she stepped out anyway.
"I don't make people do what they don't want to," Li Yanzhou said simply.
They entered the lounge, not the kind filled with music and noise, but one styled like an elite retreat—marble floors, velvet drapes, and a view of the city through glass walls. A private booth was already waiting, the staff bowing respectfully as they were led in.
Once seated, Meilin finally asked the question she had been chewing on since the banquet.
"Why did you really help me, Li Yanzhou?"
He sipped from a glass of warm water. "Because you interest me."
She blinked. "Interest you? Like a business project?"
"No. Like a woman who's just torn apart the script written for her."
Her breath caught.
He leaned forward slightly. "Meilin Xue, you're not who you used to be. Everyone can see it. But only a few will understand why. I don't know what you've gone through, but I do know power when I see it—and I don't mean the kind that comes from money."
Was it possible… that he could sense the System?
She clenched her fist beneath the table. The glow on her palm was warm again, almost approving.
System Notification:
Bond Potential Recognized: +10 Trust with Li Yanzhou.
She looked at him sharply. "You don't believe in fate?"
"I believe in rewriting it."
For a moment, Meilin smiled. A real one. The kind she hadn't worn in a long time.
That night, Li Yanzhou didn't press her for details, didn't pry or push. He simply listened as she talked—carefully, selectively—about her past achievements, her studies abroad, her family legacy, and how she'd been preparing to take over a division of the Xue Group before things… fell apart.
She left out the betrayal. The ritual. The death. That part was hers alone—for now.
When he dropped her off later, she stood by the gate of her apartment building as the Bentley idled at the curb.
"Li Yanzhou," she said as he opened her door.
"Yes?"
"I'm not a damsel in distress."
"I didn't think you were."
"And I don't need saving."
"Good. Because I don't save people," he said. "I partner with them."
Meilin stared.
He added, "If you ever need a partner to dismantle the past… I'm offering."
And then he was gone, the car blending back into the veins of the city.
Meilin stood under the moonlight, the words lingering in her mind. She touched her palm again, and this time, the Celestial Marriage System shimmered.
New Quest Unlocked:
"Establish a foundation of mutual trust with Li Yanzhou. Reward: Skill: Emotional Insight (Level 1)."
She laughed under her breath.
So that was it.
The System didn't want blind love. It wanted sincerity. Growth. Connection.
Very well, she thought. Let's play this game… my way this time.