CHAPTER ONE

The steady hum of rain against the car window was the only sound in the backseat of the sleek black Maybach as it wound through the upscale streets of Beijing. Liang Zeyan sat motionless, his sharp, chiseled features carved in a mask of control, his eyes fixed on the city lights that blurred past. His fingers tapped once against the leather seat, a subtle sign of impatience.

Six months. That was all the time he had left before everything he had built collapsed.

The Liang Conglomerate—the empire his grandfather had founded, the empire his father had expanded, and the empire he had transformed into the nation's largest business giant—stood on the brink of disaster. And no one knew.

Not his rivals, not the board of directors, not even the journalists who circled him like vultures, waiting in grace anticipation for the moment his reign would falter.

His mistake had been made years ago, a reckless gamble masked as a brilliant investment. Now, the debts coiled around his neck like an unshakable noose, and if he didn't find a way to stabilize his financial losses soon, the empire would crumble.

He exhaled sharply.

The Feng family's proposal was his best chance. Though Feng Lian was an arrogant, self-serving businessman, he had influence enough to tip the balance in Zeyan's favor. The meeting tonight was a formality, but one that would determine the future of his company.

"CEO Liang," his driver, an older man named Guo, spoke from the front seat. "We're five minutes away."

Zeyan gave a slight nod, straightening his cuffs as the car pulled onto the private drive of the Feng estate. The mansion loomed ahead, a cold, imposing structure drenched in gold light. He had no patience for pleasantries, but for the sake of business, he would tolerate whatever insufferable company awaited him inside.

Inside the mansion, Feng Mian sat curled in the corner of the dimly lit study, the glow from her tablet screen reflecting in her deep, intelligent eyes.

Numbers swam across the screen—market fluctuations, stock projections, business forecasts—pieces of information that others spent weeks analyzing but that she could decipher in minutes.

Her fingers tapped idly against the screen. A company in the energy sector would crash in precisely twenty-four days. A hidden merger in the tech industry would send another company soaring. A strategic shift in investments could turn millions into billions overnight.

She could see it all.

And yet, she was useless. At least, that's what her father had told her.

"You should have never been born," he had sneered at her just last week, his voice dripping with contempt. "I wasted years trying to make you something valuable. But you're nothing, Mian. A burden, a mistake."

He had always hated her and it felt like the death of her mother after childbirth made it all the worse. From the moment she was diagnosed with autism, he had decided she was defective, unworthy of carrying the Feng name. It hadn't mattered that she had taught herself to read before she was three. That she had mastered entire financial systems by the time she was ten. That her mind worked in ways others couldn't even comprehend.

All he saw was a daughter who did not fit into the mold he had carved.

A daughter he could discard.

Her gaze flickered toward the locked cabinet in the corner of the room. It held her notebooks, filled with predictions, patterns, and financial strategies that, if implemented, could turn any company into an untouchable force.

Not that anyone would ever see them.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the hall. A business meeting was happening tonight, one that her father had been anticipating for weeks. She had overheard snippets of conversation—Liang Zeyan, the youngest self-made billionaire in the country, was coming.

She knew of him, of course. She knew of all of them. She had studied him, traced his business moves, mapped the hidden cracks in his empire.

She knew he was in trouble.

But what she did not know was that tonight, he was stepping into a trap, and she was the bait.

Zeyan sipped his tea, his sharp gaze masking his disinterest as Feng Lian droned on about potential partnerships. The dining hall was grand, a display of excessive wealth, but he had little patience for luxury flaunted without purpose.

"Your company's expansion into the Southeast Asian market is commendable," Feng Lian said, smiling like a merchant about to close a deal. "But a venture of that scale requires stability. I'm sure you understand why a partnership with the Feng family is ideal."

Zeyan set his cup down with a quiet clink. "I understand you want something in return."

Feng Lian's smile didn't falter. "Of course. Business is about mutual benefit."

Before he could respond, an unsettling shift in the atmosphere caught his attention.

He glanced up.

The butler approached, leaning to whisper something into Feng Lian's ear. The older man's expression remained composed, but Zeyan noticed the way his fingers twitched against the tablecloth.

"Ah," Feng Lian said, turning back with a smooth laugh. "CEO Liang, I apologize, but it seems one of my daughters had an unfortunate accident upstairs. Would you mind waiting a moment?"

Zeyan arched a brow. He didn't particularly care about whatever trivial incident had occurred, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Of course."

Excusing himself, he stepped out into the hall, deciding to use the opportunity to clear his mind.

It was then that he noticed something odd.

The house staff were unusually tense. Murmured whispers passed between them as they exchanged glances.

And then he heard it.

A soft, barely audible sound—like muffled sobs—coming from the room at the end of the corridor.

Zeyan's instincts prickled. Something was off.

He moved toward the door, pushing it open without a second thought.

And what he saw made his blood turn to ice.

A girl—no, a woman—was curled on the floor, her delicate frame trembling. Her silk dress was barely clinging to her shoulders, as if it had been deliberately loosened.

And the moment she lifted her tear-streaked face, he recognized her.

Feng Mian.

The useless daughter of the Feng family.

The realization struck him an instant before the door slammed open behind him, and Feng Lian's voice rang out, loud and full of mock outrage.

"CEO Liang!" he gasped. "What—what is the meaning of this?!"