The glass door of the conference room closed softly.
Assistant Lin adjusted his cuffs and exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The meeting had gone smoother than expected—no, smoother than any outsider would ever imagine. Mythfall had been accepted. Not questioned. Not delayed.
He turned and walked down the quiet corridor toward the CEO's office.
The inner office door was already open.
Tang Meilin stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, sunlight spilling across the polished marble floor. She had removed her coat and draped it over the back of the chair, sleeves of her white shirt rolled neatly to her wrists. Calm. Composed. Untouchable. with her puppy in her arms.
She didn't turn when he entered.
"It's done?" she asked, voice even.
"Yes, President Tang," Assistant Lin replied respectfully. "Xie Zihan and Xu Feng accepted all terms. Seventh floor assigned. Investment agreement will be finalized today."
Only then did she turn.
A faint smile appeared—not triumphant, not smug. Just satisfied.
"You handled it well," she said. "This is how Lin Capital should move—quietly, decisively."
Assistant Lin inclined his head. "It's what I should do, ma'am."
She nodded once. "I'll be unreachable for the rest of the day. If anything urgent comes up, contact me directly."
"Yes."
She picked up her coat and bag, her movements unhurried. As she walked past him, her heels made no sharp sound—only a muted rhythm, controlled, precise.
The elevator doors closed behind her.
—
Downstairs, the morning air was already warming.
The black sedan was waiting near the curb, engine humming softly. Tang Meilin stepped out of the building, the city reflected faintly in the car's tinted windows. Commander Yan opened the door for her.
She slid into the back seat.
For a moment, she didn't speak.
Her gaze drifted back toward the towering ARC Building—toward the upper floors where decisions were made, futures redirected.
And then—
Across the open plaza, she saw him.
Xie Zihan emerged from the building's side exit with Xu Feng. He had changed back into his casual clothes, shoulders relaxed now that the meeting was over, a quiet focus still lingering in his posture. He paused briefly, glancing up at the building as if confirming something for himself, then turned toward the street that led back to Capital University.
He passed right by the parked car.
So close.
Yet separated by tinted glass and silence.
He didn't look inside.
He didn't know.
Tang Meilin didn't move.
Her fingers curled slowly against her palm.
So this is how it is, she thought.Standing this close… and still worlds apart.
The car window reflected her own face back at her—calm, unreadable. No one would ever guess that just minutes ago, the man walking away had unknowingly stepped into a future she was already shaping for him.
"Commander Yan," she said softly.
"Yes, Miss Tang."
"Drive."
The car pulled away smoothly.
As the sedan merged into traffic, she glanced once more in the direction Xie Zihan had gone—then looked forward.
"Take me home,"
A rare softness entered her voice.
Behind them, ARC Building stood tall and silent.
Ahead of her, a brief pocket of peace awaited—family, warmth, and a momentary escape.
And somewhere in the city, Xie Zihan walked toward his campus, unaware that the woman he had pushed away was already sitting at the center of his turning fat