Zurich, Switzerland.

Crown Bank Headquarters.

Managing Partner Office.

"Click."

The metal lighter's top flipped open, a ghostly blue flame flickering to life.

Anne Kate lowered her head slightly, using the flame to light a slender lady's cigarette.

She leaned back into the wide leather chair, her long and sturdy legs crossing and casually resting on the edge of the solid wood desk.

Watching the smoke rise and dissipate in the air, her expression revealed an extreme sense of intoxication and languor.

"A superyacht... heh, although I'm also looking forward to that crazy party, now is not the time yet, my dear Jane."

The corner of Anne's mouth lifted, tracing a wild and beautiful curve.

Setting aside those fantasies of lust and games, she turned her gaze back to the several documents on the desk.

On the left was a hierarchical nesting chart of an offshore trust from the Cayman Islands.

In the middle was a shadow path analysis of settlement funds for a South American lithium mine.

On the right was a set of SPV company codes and control chains used to circumvent scrutiny.

Each document had been desensitized, with no extra identifiers, only numbers and logical structures.

This was the financial labyrinth she had spent years digging out, bit by bit, under Tang Song's will.

And [Crown Bank] was the core formation eye of this labyrinth.

Her fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the paper.

Anne withdrew her legs, sat up straight, her expression rapidly shifting from loose to cool and focused.

She had to speed up.

She had to tighten this net completely, finish everything she wanted to do, before facing any substantial constraints, before those old guys in the family could fully figure out her hand.

It had to be said, this feeling of walking on the edge of rules, personally holding the power of life and death, was truly intoxicatingly wonderful.

Even a hundred times more wonderful than being pushed to climax in bed.

At some unknown moment.

"Ring ring ring—"

On the desk, a phone began to vibrate.

[Howard·Kate].

A cold glint flashed in Anne's ice-blue eyes.

She didn't answer immediately, instead calmly watching the phone vibrate and slide across the smooth desktop.

Only when the phone was about to fall off the edge did she pick it up nonchalantly, swiping to answer.

She conveniently pressed the speakerphone button.

"Anne." A shrewd and steady male voice came from the receiver.

"Hi, Uncle Howard." Anne casually fiddled with the lighter's lid, click-clacking. "You're contacting me suddenly, is there some important arrangement?"

"There is indeed, and quite important."

Howard's tone was noticeably more restrained and polite than usual.

Such phrasing had almost never appeared in his calls to a junior in the past.

"Oh? Please go ahead."

"The family council meeting next month is scheduled for the 15th." Howard paused for two seconds, as if weighing his words. "The council members unanimously believe you should be invited to attend. It mainly concerns the European asset restructuring and the evaluation of the emerging technology business line... We'd like to hear your views."

Anne's movements paused slightly.

She put down the lighter, her tone still light and unhurried. "Invite me to attend? Of course, Uncle. However, I have a small request."

"Go ahead."

"I'm not used to sitting on the sidelines listening. I want to sit at that long table."

On the other end of the phone, Howard's breath hitched.

"Anne, this doesn't conform to family convention..."

"Convention?" Anne chuckled lightly, directly interrupting him. "Uncle Howard, you need to understand. With the resources I control now, if I were to sit there as a 'peripheral junior' listening to opinions, that would be the real breach of convention."

These words were arrogant to the extreme.

As a junior of the family, before this, she had never been qualified to attend a family council meeting.

In the eyes of those conservative and arrogant elders, she was merely a young heir candidate temporarily propped up by external capital, her weight completely insufficient to sit at the table.

And that long table she named represented the core decision-making power of the family council.

Even her father, Clare Kate, only barely obtained the right to attend after taking over partial trust control.

Those who could firmly sit at the long table were almost all power brokers of the father's or even grandfather's generation.

If it were a year ago, Anne would never dare make such a demand.

Because "Tang Jin" was Tang Jin, and "Kate" was Kate.

Conservative Anglo-Saxon financial magnates never allowed external capital to directly intervene in the family power structure.

Once she overstepped, her inheritance rights would be stripped away without mercy.

But now, the situation had changed.

She controlled [Crown Bank].

This trump card essentially didn't change the asset scale.

It changed the bargaining logic of the power structure.

The Kate family today was far from as stable as it appeared on the surface.

It was still vast, but visibly declining.

Especially as the family inheritance entered the third generation, it had already split into several independent power blocks: the banking system, the trust system, energy and commodities, and traditional industrial capital.

And these blocks were facing the frenzied erosion and infiltration of external nouveau riche capital, while internally facing the fatal crisis of liquidity shortage.

And Anne, she not only had the backing of the behemoth [Tang Jin], but now also directly controlled a "major financial artery" completely independent of the Kate family's existing financial system.

This was a bargaining chip sufficient to help the Kate family escape the liquidity crisis, even reshape the family's territory.

Howard Kate remained silent for a long time.

"I will convey your request to the council."

"Wise choice, Uncle Howard." Anne leaned back into her chair with satisfaction, the corner of her mouth curving into a victorious smile. "Then, see you on the 15th. Have a good day."

"Beep—"

Without waiting for the other party's response, she directly hung up the phone.

The office returned to silence.

Anne stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the elites rushing past on Bahnhofstrasse.

"The game is finally about to reach its climax."

She placed her hand against the cold glass, an uncontrollable fervor churning in her ice-blue eyes.

"Once I officially enter the family council, once I start using [Crown Bank]'s liquidity to devour and control the core assets of the entire Kate consortium... then..."

Ambition spread like a wildly growing poisonous vine, uncontrollably spreading in her heart.

Even giving rise to a secret, rebellious thrill of wanting to "devour her master".

If one day, she became strong enough to stand in an equal position to him, what expression would he have?

Would he be surprised? Appreciative? Or would he...

Just thinking about it sent that shiver from her spine all the way to the top of her head.

Right at that moment.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

The encrypted phone on the other side of the desk vibrated, interrupting her reverie.

Anne instinctively turned her head, glancing at the screen.

[Song]

She shuddered violently.

The ambition and rebelliousness that had just been wildly expanding vanished instantly, as if doused with a bucket of ice water.

She didn't even realize her steps toward the desk were somewhat flustered.

She answered the call.

"Hello, dear Song. Did you miss me?" Her voice was still languid, carrying a trace of charm.

"Anne." Tang Song's calm, deep voice came from the other end. "You've done a good job guiding Jane. I'm satisfied."

"Heh, she's a very smart girl with a lot of potential. Most importantly, she's very obedient." Anne tried hard to keep her voice steady. "Then... do I get a reward, dear?"

Tang Song ignored her probing, his tone still unperturbed. "I heard from her that you invited her to Switzerland?"

"Mmm... Well, I just wanted to check her homework. And by the way, expose her to some more interesting things. After all, she is the agent you personally selected. I have to make sure she's sharp enough."

"Good. [Crown Bank] will officially enter the Asia-Pacific market, especially the Huaxia region, after the Spring Festival. And the preferred strategic partner will inevitably be [Tang Jin]."

"Yes, that's what we planned long ago." Anne suppressed a strange feeling in her heart, responding cautiously.

"Mmm." Tang Song's tone remained calm. "Next, I hope the cooperation starts with Jane. Regarding the core property assets under the family office's name, and those private valuables, they will all enter custody cooperation with [Crown Bank] in the future. When she arrives in Zurich, take her to familiarize herself with the vault's structure and handover procedures in advance."

Anne's heart gave a violent jump, her breath stopping briefly.

She instantly realized his deeper meaning.

But strangely, after a brief moment of fear, her body actually began to tremble with excitement.

That feeling of being absolutely controlled, completely seen through, firmly held in the palm of his hand.

Made her tremble more than any power.

And it stimulated her even more.

She extended her red tongue, licking her slightly dry lips.

"As you wish. I will completely follow your arrangements."

Tang Song on the other end "mm-ed" in acknowledgment and hung up the phone.

The dial tone echoed in the spacious, luxurious office.

After a long while.

Anne suddenly let out a soft laugh.

She suddenly thought of something very thrilling.

If... if she pretended to be disobedient in the upcoming cooperation?

If she deliberately left some loopholes, making him think she had thoughts of betrayal.

What would he do?

Would he be furious because of her?

Would he use the cruelest, most violent means to continue conquering her?

"Hiss..."

Cold sweat mixed with an indescribable heat instantly soaked her clothes.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

10:30 AM.

Xuanji Optical World Global Headquarters Building.

"Ding—"

The elevator slid open on the 36th floor.

Ouyang Xianyue stepped out of the car with calm strides, wearing black stiletto heels.

"Good morning, Chairwoman!"

"Good morning, Ms. Ouyang!"

"Chairwoman!"

In the corridor, employees carrying files or holding coffee cups stopped one after another, bowing slightly in greeting.

Ouyang Xianyue wore a perfectly appropriate smile, nodding slightly without stopping.

This was the core office area and advanced conference center of [Xuanji Optical World].

Open-plan workstations, enclosed decision-making meeting rooms, and strategic discussion areas were precisely divided, with clean and efficient traffic flow.

The large floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of Shencheng Bay's seascape. The entire wall's Möbius strip logo shimmered with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

When she reached the inner A-1 strategic meeting room, Ouyang Xianyue's steps paused slightly.

The semi-transparent frosted glass was half-open, allowing a vague glimpse of the internal projection screen and figures seated around it.

The meeting was still in progress.

She raised her hand to straighten her collar, then gently knocked on the door.

Pushed it open and entered.

The voices inside the meeting room faltered slightly.

Her gaze first landed on the position slightly to the right at the head of the long table.

Tang Song had one hand resting on the table, the other toying with a laser pointer, exuding a natural ease and relaxation amidst the serious business setting.

The collar of his shirt was slightly open, revealing a hint of solid collarbone, making him look exceptionally handsome.

On the huge projection screen behind him was a clear product advancement Gantt chart:

[XG-1 Mass Production Node / Supply Chain Ramp-up / System Stability Testing / January 12th Launch Event Review].

As she appeared, the reporting voice inside the door gradually stopped.

"Chairwoman!"

Greetings rose one after another, orderly and not noisy.

Tang Song also stopped twirling the laser pointer, turning in the main seat to look at her.

"Good morning, Ms. Ouyang."

His voice was clear, magnetic, his tone gentle, carrying just the right amount of respect.

Ouyang Xianyue's smile remained dignified and proper.

Her gaze swept over the product leads and supply chain team present.

"Sorry to interrupt. I just came by to handle some work and thought I'd check on the project progress."

After speaking, her gaze naturally returned to Tang Song.

"President Tang, are you settling in smoothly here?"

"Very smoothly." Tang Song nodded. "These past couple of days have mainly been about familiarizing myself with the advancement pace of each business unit and the key leads, while also sorting out the mass production and ecosystem integration rhythm post XG-1 launch. The short-term goal is to first stabilize the product and system, then gradually open developer interfaces in the mid-term."

"Very good."

She briefly chatted with a few of the business line leads, asking about their progress, her attitude as poised and proper as ever.

After a moment, she withdrew her gaze.

"Please continue. I won't disturb you further."

After saying this, she gave Tang Song a slight nod and turned to leave.

The sound of high heels tapping the floor, once, twice.

As steady as when she arrived.

Leaving the meeting room, crossing the corridor, taking the elevator to the top-floor chairwoman's office.

Ouyang Xianyue leaned back in her chair, her gaze falling on the sparkling sea surface outside the window.

The smile on her face gradually faded.

Ever since that crazy night at the hillside villa when they parted, Tang Song's attitude towards her had always been like this.

Polite, gentle, respectful.

Impeccable.

Yet it was precisely this "just right" sense of distance that made it even harder to approach than coldness.

Before his birthday, she gave him the jade pendant she had worn for over thirty years.

But he didn't seem to grasp her hidden, almost desperate affection.

Neither distant.

Nor close.

Nor did he actively create opportunities for them to be alone.

What was he really thinking?

Ouyang Xianyue's breathing gradually became somewhat heavy.

Jin Meixiao, Su Yu, Liu Qingning, Wen Ruan...

The year-end was approaching.

With Jin Meixiao's personality, she would definitely keep her word and appear at his family gatherings.

This made an uncontrollable sense of deep urgency and crisis grow in Ouyang Xianyue's heart.

The problem was, her own identity made it impossible for her to naturally intervene like others could.

She was a widow.

In certain traditional and social contexts, she was inherently more constrained than Jin Meixiao.

Ouyang Xianyue slowly closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair, letting out a soft sigh.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the [Xianyue's Blessing] pendant on her chest.

After a good while.

"Knock knock knock—"

A knock sounded at the door.

Ouyang Xianyue instantly collected all her emotions.

"Come in."

Secretary Chen pushed the door open, holding a file folder.

"Ms. Ouyang, there are a few documents requiring your review and signature."

Ouyang Xianyue took the file, opened it, a slight flicker in her eyes.

These documents seemed unrelated on the surface: there was a shareholding structure change application for a new energy supporting enterprise, financing renewal evaluations for two affiliated investment platforms, and a suggestion for adjusting the credit line for upstream supply chains.

But as long as you followed the equity penetration chart layer by layer, you'd discover the connections.

These seemingly scattered companies and projects, their ultimate actual control paths, vaguely all pointed to the same vast existing capital network.

Namely, her in-laws' family, the Lin Family Industrial Group, which she currently controlled on their behalf.

After these years of "silent, pervasive" maneuvering, this group had already been infiltrated and hollowed out layer by layer through various hidden means.

But ultimately, the final few steps were still missing, requiring a complete structural separation.

Some things always had to be stripped away.

Some potential hidden dangers and backlash risks had to be nipped in the bud sooner or later.

From the moment she made up her mind, she had already prepared herself psychologically.

Ouyang Xianyue picked up the pen expressionlessly, the tip flowing smoothly across the paper as she signed her name.

The handwriting had innate strength and character, revealing a decisive, commanding aura that seemed to penetrate the paper.

After signing, she handed the documents to Chen Jing.

Once alone in the office again, Ouyang Xianyue took a deep breath, her gaze lowered.

That thought that had been haunting her for a long time surfaced in her mind again.

Going out to sea, on a private yacht.

In that enclosed space far from land and noise, perhaps it was the best opportunity to break all deadlocks.

She could also take the chance to confess to him.

Confess her emotional experiences, her plans for the future, everything about her.

But two practical problems lay before her.

One was the lack of a sufficiently reasonable, plausible motive.

As the chairwoman of Tang Yi, her flying to Europe specifically to accompany Tang Song to inspect a private yacht.

Even using "inspecting security equipment risks" as an excuse seemed too stiff, too deliberate.

Moreover, Tang Song had just taken over [Xuanji Optical World], with a new product launch imminent. He simply couldn't spare large chunks of time to go abroad.

She still needed to find a way to create a legitimate, justifiable opportunity.

Second, even if they really boarded the yacht, she couldn't be the only woman.

That would be too purposeful, too blatant.

Not only would it be improper, it would also invite a lot of unnecessary speculation.

Also, if only the two of them were alone, it would lack transition, buffer.

It would be best... to bring one more person.

Or rather, a perfect "shield."

A legitimate girlfriend of Tang Song's.

Using this as cover would make it seem like a relaxing vacation, without interfering with her plans.

At the same time, this woman had to be easily influenced, preferably a bit foolish, simple, and with as few connections to other power factions as possible.

Who to choose?

Ouyang Xianyue's eyes flickered, her fingertips tapping lightly twice on the rosewood desk.

Gradually, a figure surfaced in her mind.

...

Yancheng, Yuhua Commercial Building, Ordinary Folks Cultural Media.

"Achoo— Achoo—"

Xu Qing sneezed two loud sneezes, her twin ponytails shaking three times along with it.

She pulled out a tissue, rubbed her slightly sore, reddened nose, and muttered softly:

"Which jealous guy is envying this young lady's beauty and talent behind my back again?"

"Ding dong—"

A WeChat message popped up.

[Scheming Yuyan: "Just finished the meeting, so tired~ But Qingqing, your boyfriend is so handsome, really nice to look at. And also very delicious (#drooling)"]

Xu Qing stared at the screen, stunned for a second.

The next second, her entire face became burning hot.

"Ahhhhhhh! Damn Scheming Yuyan! Damn Little Song!"

"You actually used me as part of your play!"

"It's just too much! Too shameless!"

She typed furiously, emojis flying out like machine gun fire, wishing she could drag her best friend out through the screen and beat her up.

But the faster her fingers moved, the more uncontrollably the images in her mind surged out.

God knows what scene she actually saw when that video call connected!

Her best friend lying on the desk, with Tang Song standing right behind her...

And that wasn't even the most outrageous part!

What was even more outrageous were Shen Yuyan's words, things like "Qingqing I miss you so much," "how about giving me a kiss"...

What kind of wild, inappropriate talk was that?!

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Xu Qing covered her face, twisting into a pretzel in her chair, her twin ponytails swinging back and forth.

After a while.

She grabbed her water cup and gulped down half a cup of cold water, barely suppressing her wildly beating heart.

Patting her burning cheeks, she turned her gaze back to the computer screen in front of her.

It's worth mentioning that the web novel she was currently serializing—

"Entered the Wrong Room, Then Picked Up a Domineering CEO."

After more than a year of updates, it was about to be finished.

This was the fourth novel she had written, and the one with the best performance and highest earnings.

More importantly, throughout the entire long creative process, she had smuggled in a massive amount of personal fantasy.

She had wildly substituted and twisted real-life characters, writing all the things she didn't dare do or say in reality into the book.

Writing it felt incredibly thrilling.

Now, when it was really time to type "The End," she actually felt a bit empty and reluctant inside.

Right now, she was stuck on the final climax part of the entire book.

The perfect ending where the male lead, Tang Song, proposes to the female lead, Xu Yanqing.

Xu Qing propped her chin, staring blankly at the screen.

What setting should she have for his romantic proposal?

The seaside? Too common.

A castle? Too cliché.

A hot air balloon? Seems a bit outdated...

And the wedding gift, it had to be explosive, impressive, the kind that makes readers exclaim "holy crap!" after reading.

Ding!

A light bulb went off in her head.

She suddenly remembered what Xiao Jing had said before:

"Tang Song has a newly delivered superyacht in Monaco. It's 136 meters long, with an IMAX private theater, a two-story infinity pool..."

Xu Qing's eyes instantly lit up.

Right! A yacht!

A top-tier private yacht, that's even more money-burning than a private jet!

Hmm, this setting is definitely explosive enough!

The male lead proposes to her on a private yacht that belongs only to them, under the sunset glow.

The deck covered with air-freighted Bulgarian roses, surrounded by endless blue sea, dolphins leaping by the ship's side...

Then, he takes out the thick ownership certificate, gifting this superyacht worth hundreds of millions of dollars to her as a wedding present, officially naming it the [Yanqing].

Extreme romance, extreme wealth!

"Wahahahaha! Perfect! That's me for you!"

The more she thought about it, the more she felt this idea was flying high on awesomeness. A blazing creative fire ignited in Xu Qing's eyes.

She felt inspiration gushing out like a bursting dam, completely unstoppable!

"Clickety-clack—"

The crisp sound of keyboard typing echoed in the office.

The corners of her mouth lifted wildly, her whole being immersed in the romantic fantasy of the "[Yanqing]."

"Ring ring ring—"

The phone ringtone abruptly sounded, interrupting her internal climax.

Xu Qing frowned, her gaze sweeping to the phone screen.

It was an unfamiliar Shen City number.

She hesitated for a moment, but still answered.

After all, she was a big shot now. What if it was a collaboration invitation?

She had to maintain her prestige.

Xu Qing cleared her throat, sat up straight, and answered the phone.

"Hello, who is this?"

She deliberately lowered her voice, slowed her speech, trying to grasp a deep, capable tone unique to a career woman.

The receiver was quiet for a moment.

Then, an extremely textured, mature woman's voice came through. "May I ask, is this Miss Xu Qing?"

That voice was steady, elegant, and carried an indescribable sense of pressure.

Xu Qing's heart gave a "thump."

Instinctively, she toned down her previous posture, her voice unconsciously weakening a bit. "It's me. You are...?"

"I am Ouyang Xianyue."

Xu Qing's hand holding the phone froze in mid-air.

Her brain short-circuited briefly.

Ou, Ouyang Xianyue?!

Which Ouyang Xianyue?!