Chapter 31: The Art of Making an Entrance

Liu Shuyin: If You Want to Find a Man, Follow the Power

Liu Shuyin didn't operate on chance.

Luck was for people who didn't know how to play the game.

She needed to find Zhang Wei. Which meant she needed to figure out where a man like him would be, at this exact moment.

The logical answer would have been his home.

But Shuyin knew better.

Wei wasn't the type to sit in the dark, drinking alone and brooding. He wasn't the type to go straight to bed when there were still loose ends. And he sure as hell wasn't the type to waste time on something he couldn't control.

So where would a man obsessed with understanding the unknown be right now?

His lab.

A private, state-of-the-art research facility, shielded from prying eyes and casual visitors.

Not an official part of Zhang Industries, but something personally built and controlled by Wei himself. A place where he could pick apart the curse like a surgeon with a scalpel.

She had never been there, but that didn't matter.

A Woman Who Knows How to Get What She Wants

Liu Shuyin had never been denied entry to a place she wanted to go.

And tonight wouldn't be an exception.

A phone call to an old contact.

A subtle namedrop at the right dinner party.

A quiet transaction that involved no money—just an owed favor.

And just like that, she had Wei's lab address.

Now all she had to do was show up.

Dressed to Be Remembered

Shuyin wasn't careless about her appearance.

Power was perception.

Presence was strategy.

And tonight? She was going to make sure Wei had no choice but to pay attention.

She had changed out of her earlier outfit and slipped into something impossible to ignore.

A sleek, figure-hugging dress in deep wine red. Long sleeves, high neckline—elegant, but ruthless. A thigh-high slit that allowed just enough movement—and just enough distraction. Her black heels sharp enough to puncture a man's ego. A single diamond earring that caught the light when she turned her head.

She wasn't just showing up. She was making an entrance.

And Zhang Wei was going to remember it.

...

Wei: The Last Thing He Expected

The hum of the monitors had settled into a dull, rhythmic pulse.

The lab had emptied out except for Wei, Dr. Yao, and Feng.

Feng stretched, already halfway out the door. "I'll check back tomorrow—unless, of course, we get another sudden existential crisis before then."

Wei ignored him, scrolling through the final data logs for the night.

They were close to understanding the shifts. But 'close' wasn't good enough.

The numbers had changed. The pattern had changed. Which meant the game had changed.

He had no intention of leaving yet.

Then—

A notification flashed across his monitor.

"Guest requesting entry."

His brow furrowed. No one should be arriving at this hour.

Feng turned back, glancing over his shoulder. "Expecting someone?"

Wei checked the security feed.

And there, standing at the entrance like she had every right to be there, was—

Liu Shuyin.

...

Shuyin: The Power of a Grand Entrance

She didn't knock. A woman like her never had to.

Wei watched through the monitor as she stood there, one hand resting lightly on her hip, waiting.

Unbothered. Unapologetic.

As if she hadn't just tracked him down in the middle of the night. As if she hadn't just walked straight into the lion's den, knowing damn well the lion might bite.

Feng let out a low whistle. "Wow. She looks expensive."

Wei shot him a look.

Feng smirked. "What? I'm just saying, she didn't come here to blend in."

No. She hadn't.

She had come here to make a point.

Wei exhaled through his nose. Then, finally, he pressed the entry command.

"Let her in."

...

The First Move is Hers

Shuyin stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the polished floors.

The lab was clinical, precise—just like the man who ran it.

Her gaze swept over the space, taking in the machines, the monitors, the carefully controlled chaos.

Then, finally, she looked at him.

Zhang Wei, standing by the central console, arms crossed, waiting. No words of welcome. No acknowledgment beyond a slow, unreadable glance. The unreadable stare of a man who refused to be surprised—even when he was.

Shuyin smiled.

"Busy night?"

Wei didn't answer immediately.

Then, in a tone that was neither amused nor annoyed, just purely assessing:

"I don't recall inviting you."

Shuyin tilted her head slightly. "And yet, here I am."

Silence.

Tension hummed between them—not the sharp edge of hostility, but the weight of two people who were used to controlling the room, and suddenly found themselves in the same one.

...

A Question of Timing

Finally, Wei exhaled, gaze sharp.

"What do you want, Shuyin?"

Careful. Calculated. Straight to the point.

Shuyin's smile didn't waver.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

She stepped closer, the soft scent of her perfume curling into the air between them—subtle, but impossible to ignore.

"Zhang factories," she murmured. "Liang factories. Collapses in both. Strange energy fluctuations. Medical forensics teams involved."

She met his gaze, her voice lower now, almost amused.

"I know what you're looking for, Wei."

A beat.

Then, with the kind of casual audacity that had made men underestimate her for years:

"And I want in."