The office of Li Yan was as cold and sharp as the man himself—black marble, steel, and quiet power humming beneath the surface.
He sat behind his desk, long fingers drumming lightly against the armrest. The screen in front of him displayed surveillance footage—pausing on every frame of Xiao Xiao, her expressions calm, eyes focused, and lips pressed into that same enigmatic smile she now wore so well.
"This isn't the girl who threw wine at my chest three years ago," he said quietly.
Zhou Wei, his loyal assistant, stood at attention. "She's changed completely. Efficient. Strategic. Cold."
"And aware." Li Yan's gaze sharpened. "She knows she's being watched. She leads the snakes in her house, not the other way around."
Zhou hesitated, then placed a folder on the table. "She visited her mother's ancestral home last week. Spent three hours inside alone. When she came out, she donated to an orphan fund under a different name."
Li Yan raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
Zhou nodded. "Also, she rejected Feng Ju publicly. And humiliated Madam Lin at a boutique event yesterday—replaced the featured gown with her own design and won over the sponsors. She's not just playing defense anymore, sir. She's going on the offensive."
Li Yan leaned back, expression unreadable. "And what's her next move?"
Zhou smirked faintly. "She's attending the Feng Family Foundation Banquet this weekend. It's a major charity event. Big names. Press. Old money. Her first public appearance as the true daughter of the Feng family."
Li Yan's gaze darkened with intrigue. "Let's attend as well."
Zhou blinked. "You want to show up? Personally?"
Li Yan's tone was smooth, low, and lethal. "I want to see… how the little phoenix rises in front of her enemies."
Far across the city, in the Lin family drawing room, Madam Lin was doing the exact opposite—plotting Xiao Xiao's fall.
"This banquet," she whispered to Feng Qian, "will be her undoing."
Feng Qian's lips curled into a perfect smile. "Let's see how perfect she still looks when the entire city sees what she's been hiding."