[Location: Xu Corporation HQ — Boardroom | Time: 10:45 AM | Weather: Cloudy]
The boardroom was silent when Xu Yichen entered. His presence didn't just command attention—it consumed the air, made it heavy. He wore a matte black suit that absorbed the room's light, tailored to cut along the sharp lines of his body. His gaze, sharper still, swept across the familiar faces seated around the glossy mahogany table.
None of them expected him.
None of them welcomed him.
"Mr. Xu," said Director Gao, his voice laced with nervous surprise, "we weren't informed—"
"This wasn't a courtesy visit." Yichen cut in, walking to the head of the table. "It's a transition."
Du Haoran, sitting comfortably near the end, didn't move.
"You've been absent five years, Yichen. The board voted unanimously to place me in charge."
Yichen placed a thin folder on the table. Inside: signatures, seals, and a clause no one had expected to resurface.
Yuan Fei, standing silently beside him, handed copies to each director. Her professional calm never wavered.
"As per the original ownership structure," Yichen said, "my shares, held in legal trust, remain intact. The voting rights were never truly transferred."
Murmurs broke out. Director Liu adjusted his glasses with trembling hands. "We didn't know..."
"You didn't ask."
Du Haoran's smile was slight, but arrogant. "The company has grown in my hands. Investors trust me. We've expanded into three new sectors."
"At what cost?" Yichen asked coldly. "Bribes? Inflated reporting? Two skeleton acquisitions already under audit?"
A flicker of discomfort passed over Du Haoran's face.
"Your opinion is outdated," he said. "You left."
"I was forced to," Yichen replied. "Don't rewrite history."
He turned to the board.
"Effective immediately, I'm reinstating as CEO. Legal counsel has verified my position."
Director Gao looked stunned. "This… changes things."
Yichen didn't wait for agreement. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a new agenda.
"Tomorrow, we dissolve all departments established in the last two fiscal years under Haoran's direction. Yuan Fei will circulate personnel notices. All questionable accounts will be reviewed."
Du Haoran rose. "You won't last here. These men supported me."
"No," Yichen said. "They tolerated you. There's a difference."
Du Haoran's chair scraped back sharply as he stormed out. No one stopped him.
[Location: Chen Family Villa | Time: 12:00 PM]
Chen Yao stared at her laptop screen, the headline blaring:
"Xu Yichen Returns as CEO: Xu Corporation Announces Sudden Leadership Shift."
Her fingers froze over the keys. She zoomed in on the accompanying image—Yichen, standing in front of the building she once visited every week, his expression unreadable, his posture perfect.
So… he's not just back. He's reclaiming everything.
She closed the laptop slowly, a knot forming in her chest.
Even that company… he was supposed to build it with me.
Her mother entered, brows raised. "You're still here?"
"He's back in charge of Xu Corporation," Chen Yao murmured.
Her mother paused. "Then sign the papers before he does something that shames you in public."
Chen Yao didn't respond.
[Location: Xu Corporation HQ — Yichen's Office | Time: 2:15 PM]
Yichen stood at the window, sipping black coffee. Behind him, the door opened.
"Sir, your schedule for the afternoon is clear. However…" Yuan Fei placed a thick envelope on his desk. "These arrived through a courier from the Chen residence."
He turned, eyes narrowing at the envelope.
"Divorce papers?"
"Unsigned. With a note."
He opened the envelope slowly. No signatures. No red stamp. Just a single note in crisp handwriting.
'If you still have the nerve to end this in silence, then don't expect mine.'
He stared at it for a long time. Then tore the note in two.
"She still thinks this is about her pride."
"Sir?" Yuan Fei asked.
He didn't reply.
Yuan Fei hesitated. "Also, the press wants a statement about your sudden return."
"They'll get one. But not yet."
She nodded. "And… your meeting with the legal consultant regarding the Chen-Yu trust inheritance case?"
"Delay it. Until after tomorrow's shareholders' conference."
"Understood."
After she left, he walked to his private bar, poured a drink, and opened a drawer. Inside: two rings.
One gold. One silver. One returned. One never given.
He looked at them for a moment before closing the drawer.
[Location: Unknown Forest Path — Flashback | Time: Five Years Ago]
Rain had fallen harder that night. The trees had swayed with it, their branches creaking like bones. A younger Xu Yichen ran down the dirt path, soaked, breathless, clothes torn at the sleeves.
He stopped near the old shrine, chest heaving.
"Lingxi!" he called out. "Lingxi, where are you?!"
There was no reply. Just the sound of rain, and the crackle of something burning in the distance.
He found her there, curled beneath the willow tree. Her wrist was bleeding, her eyes wide with shock.
He wrapped his jacket around her without a word, held her close. She didn't cry, just trembled against his chest.
"You're safe now," he whispered. "I'll protect you. Always."
She didn't believe him then. Maybe she never did.
[Location: Present — Qin Lingxi's Apartment | Time: 3:00 PM]
Lingxi sat cross-legged on her bed, the forest drawing still open on her lap. She'd been staring at it for over an hour.
The wind rattled the windows. Her phone lay beside her. No new messages.
Not from him.
"You always find your way back to the fight," she whispered.
"But never to me."
[End of Chapter 3]