Chapter 4: The Cold Magnate

The world of power was like a chessboard, and Li Xinyue was now a player reborn.

By late August, her reputation at HuaRen Investments had shifted. No longer seen as just an intern, whispers began circulating about her precision, her almost preternatural instincts, her ability to predict shifts in the market.

They called her "The Ice Analyst"—brilliant, composed, untouchable.

And she welcomed it.

After all, warmth had done nothing but get her betrayed.

Her phone buzzed early on a humid Friday morning.

[Unknown Number]: Are you free tonight? - M.C.

She stared at it for a moment, lips tightening.

Mo Chen.

They hadn't spoken in days, and he never texted first.

[Xinyue]: Depends. Business or personal?

[M.C.]: Business. For now.

The rooftop restaurant was tucked away above an art gallery in downtown Suzhou. Elegant. Private. Not the kind of place you stumbled into.

Mo Chen was already there, sitting at a corner table with a panoramic view of the city.

He stood as she approached—always the gentleman, even if he wore his detachment like armor.

"You're punctual," he said, gesturing for her to sit. "I'm always punctual," she replied.

A waiter poured wine silently.

"I've been watching you," Mo Chen said without preamble. "Your decisions at HuaRen. Your biotech play. Even the way you exposed Mr. He. Impressive."

She took a sip. "Should I be flattered or alarmed?"

"Both," he said, and she couldn't help the flicker of amusement that crossed her face.

He continued. "I want to offer you something. A partnership." "Based on what?"

"Mutual ambition. Mutual protection. Mutual distrust."

She arched a brow. "You're very direct."

"I don't believe in small talk." She leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming. "Neither do I."

This small talk made her wonder who Mo Chen really is.

Mo Chen wasn't like the others in her world. He didn't crave attention. He didn't network. And yet, doors opened for him.

People with real power—CEOs, old-money investors, high-ranking officials—seemed to know his name but never his story.

She had looked into him, of course.

No social media. No public company affiliation. But buried deep in a Hong Kong registry, she found something: Chen Holdings Ltd., a private trust with multi-billion-dollar real estate assets, all managed through shell firms.

Mo Chen wasn't just rich. He was dangerous rich.

But he didn't use it for show. That made him unpredictable.

And unpredictability was the one thing she couldn't afford to ignore.

"I'll make it simple," Mo Chen said, his tone soft but commanding bring her back from her thought. "I want to build a shadow fund. Private. Agile. No board. No oversight. You'll run it. I'll bankroll it."

Xinyue blinked. "You're serious."

"I don't do things halfway." "And what do you get?"

He leaned back, expression unreadable. "I get a weapon. A smart one. Sharp. With no loyalties except to the truth."

"And if I say no?"

He shrugged. "Then I invest in someone else. But I doubt they'll have your foresight."

She looked out at the city lights.

There was risk.

But this was the kind of power she had once only dreamed of.

Now, it was being offered to her.

On her terms.

"Fine," she said at last. "I'll do it."

He raised his glass. "To dangerous partnerships."

She clinked her glass against his. "To unpredictable allies."

By September, Li Xinyue was managing a small but growing fund through an unregistered platform coded by Mo Chen's private tech team. They invested in undervalued real estate, startup logistics platforms, and early blockchain infrastructure.

All perfectly legal. All completely invisible.

The money grew fast.

And with it, so did her influence.

Changes not only happened at her side but also at her enemies side. Qin Yichen returned to campus after a summer internship and immediately began showing off—new connections, luxury watch, a rumored job offer from an up-and-coming VC firm.

Xinyue smiled at him one day as they passed in the hall.

He paused. "Hey. You look… different." "You don't," she said coolly.

He chuckled awkwardly. "I heard you interned at HuaRen. That's impressive."

She tilted her head. "I heard you impressed someone else over there. A certain secretary in the partner's office?"

His expression faltered. She walked away before he could respond.

The balance had already begun to shift.

He just didn't know it yet.

*****

One evening, Mo Chen called.

"I want to show you something."

She met him at an old warehouse district, now partially converted into startup incubators.

Inside, he showed her a whiteboard filled with names and connections—a map of corruption. Politicians. CEOs. Shadow companies.

"This is the network that will try to kill you," he said.

She stared at it. "And how do you know?" "My family is part of it. Or was."

For the first time, he let her see the crack beneath his mask.

"My father was one of them. Until he disappeared."

Her breath caught. "Disappeared?"

"Shot himself. Or that's what they said."

She touched the board lightly. "So this isn't just business for you."

"No," he said. "It's war."

They stood in silence.

War. Revenge. Power.

They weren't just allies now. They were mirrors.

Back in her apartment, late at night, Xinyue stood by the window, staring at the city.

She wasn't the same girl who had once trusted blindly.

She wasn't the broken woman who had fallen from the rooftop. But she wasn't invincible either.

Mo Chen's presence unsettled her. He was too much like her.

And she didn't know yet if that made him a partner…

Or a threat.

Her phone buzzed.

[M.C.]: Next target: Shenzhen shipping stock. Big news leak coming in 48 hours. Move fast.

She smiled faintly.

[Xinyue]: Already ahead of you.

She closed her eyes. The game was accelerating.

And she wasn't just a piece on the board anymore.

She was becoming a queen.