Three months had passed since that life-altering conversation with Grandpa Tang, and Tang Ning could still feel the tremors it left behind. She sat alone in her room, the city skyline gleaming outside her floor-to-ceiling windows. The soft hum of distant traffic filled the air, punctuated by the occasional siren. It was late—too late for most people to be awake—but her mind refused to settle.
Tang Ning stared at her reflection in the glass, the dim glow from the desk lamp catching the sharp edge of her jawline. She had changed, and not just on the outside. Ever since she learned about her family's secret legacy, the weight of her grandmother's unspoken power, and the hidden enemies lurking in the shadows, something inside her had shifted. **I can't afford to be naïve anymore.** Her past life as a business mogul had equipped her with a rare insight, and now, it was time to lay the foundation for her empire in this life.
Her fingers lightly drummed the surface of the dark mahogany desk. A blank notepad sat in front of her, the potential of it both thrilling and daunting. Tang Ning reached for a pen and hovered it over the page. **Where to begin?**
She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The air was cool and crisp, tinged with the faint scent of jasmine from the bouquet her Grandfather had sent her earlier in the day. It reminded her of late nights back in her past life, pacing through her office as she calculated her next move. The boardrooms, the takeovers, the high-stakes negotiations, sitting behind the scenes—those experiences had left an imprint on her soul, one she couldn't ignore. The hunger for success simmered beneath her calm surface, like a fire just waiting to be unleashed. **This time, it will be different. I won't let anyone take it from me.**
Her mind flickered to Grandpa's revelations about the Fedorovs—the Valentino family's rivals in the criminal world. The Fedorovs were the ones she had to keep an eye on now, especially with Marco Valentino's growing influence. The Fedorovs were vicious, old-world mafia with roots in Eastern Europe, expanding their reach into Asia through legitimate business fronts. She knew they were dangerous, perhaps even more so than the Valentinos. If she was going to build her empire, she needed to understand how they moved, who they dealt with, and where their vulnerabilities lay.
In her previous life, she had crossed paths with them once. **Never again.** Her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress at the memory, her eyes narrowing in the dim light. She needed information, and she needed it fast. The Fedorovs had a sprawling criminal empire—drugs, arms trafficking, and more insidious operations hidden beneath layers of legitimate business fronts. That was the trick, wasn't it? You could have the most brilliant company on paper, but if you knew where to look, you'd find the rot beneath.
She crossed the room to her desk, her small feet padding lightly on the floor. The world saw a five-year-old child, but Tang Ning saw the beginnings of an empire. **Her empire**. It would take time, careful planning, and patience, but she had all three. She climbed onto her chair and flipped open her laptop and began typing, the soft clicking of the keys filling the silence. A small list of names populated her screen—associates, businesses, subsidiaries tied to the Fedorov name. She leaned in, her eyes narrowing as she skimmed through reports and articles she'd carefully collected over the past few weeks.
**Vladimir Fedorov.** The name stood out to her. The patriarch of the family. Ruthless. Sharp. He controlled everything like a chess master, every move calculated, every ally expendable.She needed information about their operations here in China. Her old contacts from her past life were gone, but this world was a puzzle, and she had always been good at solving puzzles.But power came with weaknesses. Tang Ning knew that better than anyone. **Everyone has a crack in their armor. I just have to find his.**
An idea flickered in her mind. **The weakest link.** No empire was invincible. There was always a crack somewhere, a loose thread waiting to be pulled. **Vladimir's son, Anton Fedorov**—reckless, prone to excess, the kind of man who thought the world revolved around him because his father had built it that way. She could use that.
Still sitting on her chair, she reached out to get her notebook and flipped open the notebook, the one she'd started secretly. It was filled with childish scribbles on the surface, but beneath them were coded notes, strategies, and observations.
With quiet determination, she wrote the name in her notebook:
**Anton Fedorov**
**Weakness: Pride.**
Her business plan was forming, slowly but surely. **Investments. That's where she would start.** But not the flashy kind—the quiet, behind-the-scenes kind. She would begin by targeting small companies, firms on the verge of success or failure, where her influence could tip the scale. With a bit of luck and research, she'd have her foot in the door of industries that could give her long-term power.
Tang Ning picked up a crayon, absently drawing circles on the page as her mind continued its silent march. **Real estate**, **tech**, and **medical research**—those were industries with potential, but they were also fields the Fedorovs had their claws in. She would need to investigate each company carefully, find the gaps in the Fedorov influence, and slip into those spaces undetected.
The Fedorovs were pushing into tech, trying to secure influence in China's emerging industries, and Tang Ning saw her opening. If she could corner a niche market before them, she'd have leverage. But she needed more than just ideas—she needed a plan. A brilliant, impenetrable plan. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, pulling up charts, financial models, market forecasts. Her past life had taught her this—strategy wasn't just about being bold. It was about being prepared, knowing your enemy as intimately as you knew yourself.
A private intelligence and investment consultancy—that was the heart of her plan. A firm that could gather information, make strategic investments, and connect the dots between industries, much like she was doing with the Fedorovs now. The official business would be investments and consulting, advising wealthy clients and companies on how to expand and where to put their money. But beneath the surface, her firm would be collecting data, tracking movements, finding weaknesses in her competitors—and her enemies.
Her lips curved into a small smile. This was how she would lay her foundation. This was how she would quietly build her power. The Fedorovs wouldn't even see her coming.
Her pen scratched across the notepad now as she jotted down key points:
Step 1. ** Gathering funds**
-Using her past life skill as a hacker to go on missions to gather funds.
-selling valuables to gather start up funds
Step 2. **Tech Investments.**
- AI and data analytics firms. She had identified two startups with promising technology but insufficient funding. If she moved quickly, she could gain controlling shares and use them as a foothold against the Fedorovs.
Step 3. **Supply Chain Disruption.**
- She knew Fedorov's supply lines were vulnerable in key sectors—transport, energy, and high-end manufacturing. A strategic partnership with local providers would allow her to undercut their influence, silently tightening the noose without direct confrontation.
Step 4. **Gathering Allies.**
- She needed to secure partnerships with powerful families, business leaders who feared the Fedorovs but wouldn't act without a clear leader. Tang Ning would be that leader, but she had to be subtle. No one could know her true intentions yet.
Tang Ning's thoughts shifted briefly to Gu Yan. Gu Yan. She had promised to visit him during the holidays. The memory brought a bittersweet smile to her face, her chest tightening with something warm, something vulnerable. Gu Yan had been her rock in this life, she had made that promise—to stay close, to always visit when she could.
A soft knock at the door broke her thoughts. Tang Ning blinked, realizing how long she had been lost in her plans. The notepad in front of her was full now, covered in strategies and lists. **This is just the beginning**, she thought, closing the book and slipping it into the drawer of her desk.
"Come in," she called out, her voice steady despite the storm of thoughts swirling inside her.
One of her housekeepers entered with a quiet bow. "Miss Tang, your milk."
Tang Ning smiled politely as the tray was set down on the small table by the window. "Thank you, that'll be all."
As the door clicked shut behind her, Tang Ning rose and moved to the window. The steam from the tea curled into the air, filling the room with the earthy scent of jasmine. She picked up the delicate porcelain cup, holding it between her hands for a moment before taking a small sip.
She gazed out at the city, the lights flickering like a sea of stars. **This is my world now**, she thought, the weight of her ambitions settling into her bones. **And I'll carve my name into it, no matter what it takes.**
Tomorrow, she would start laying down the groundwork—reaching out to contacts, securing her first investments, and quietly investigating the Fedorovs' movements.