Chapter 38 Unspoken Alliances

The night stretched on, filled with quiet murmurs and measured glances. Power flowed through the room like an invisible current, shifting with every conversation, every subtle movement.

Qingxue remained seated, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of her empty glass, her expression as unreadable as ever. Qiuhan leaned back, exuding an effortless air of disinterest, but his silver-blue eyes flickered with sharp calculation.

Li Shen, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself far too much.

"Ruolan's getting bolder," he remarked lazily, swirling the dark liquid in his own glass. "You should be careful, Qingxue. A girl like that doesn't know when to stop."

Qingxue barely spared him a glance. "She's already lost."

Li Shen's lips curled into a slow smirk. "And yet, she's still playing."

"She doesn't have a choice," Qiuhan said flatly, his gaze flickering toward where Ruolan had disappeared. "Not after what happened six years ago."

The memory hung between them.

Ruolan had been reckless back then, making her move far too early. The consequences had been swift, unforgiving. Her family had barely managed to hold onto their standing, and she had been forced into silence for years.

But she hadn't been idle.

She had spent those years gathering power in the shadows, weaving a network of influence through those desperate or foolish enough to be swayed by her charm.

And now, she was testing the waters again.

Qingxue exhaled softly, the faintest ghost of amusement playing at the corner of her lips. "She still doesn't understand."

Li Shen raised a brow. "Oh? And what is it she doesn't understand?"

"That the moment she tries to challenge me," Qingxue murmured, finally meeting his gaze, "she's already lost."

Her tone was calm, almost indifferent, but there was a quiet finality to her words.

Li Shen studied her for a long moment before laughing. "Cold as ever, Xiao Xue."

She didn't respond. She didn't need to.

Across the room, Ruolan was watching them, her nails digging into the silk of her dress.

She knew she had miscalculated tonight.

But that didn't matter.

Because she had one thing Qingxue didn't.

An ally lurking in the dark, waiting for the right moment to strike.

And when the time came—when Qingxue least expected it—she would make sure the Leng twins finally fell.