The banquet hall buzzed with low murmurs and clinking glasses, a grand stage of opulence where alliances were forged and empires whispered into being. Yet Liang Chen noticed none of it. His gaze was locked on a figure standing quietly at the far edge of the room, her presence understated but inexplicably captivating.
Xia Yan's attire was simple—a sleek black dress that neither drew attention nor diminished her elegance. Her posture was relaxed, her expression calm, but what struck Liang Chen most was her aura—or rather, the absence of one. She seemed to blend seamlessly into her surroundings, like a phantom moving among the living. If he hadn't been deliberately searching for her, she might as well have been invisible.
But invisible to others didn't mean invisible to him.
"Uncle," Liang Han's small voice broke his thoughts, and the boy wiggled in his arms. "Let me down."
Liang Chen frowned. "What for?"
Before he could answer, the boy squirmed with surprising energy, twisting until Liang Chen had no choice but to loosen his hold. In a flash, Liang Han slipped free and darted toward the woman standing across the room.
"HanHan!" Liang Chen's sharp voice followed, but the boy ignored him entirely, throwing himself at Xia Yan with reckless abandon.
Xia Yan caught him with the ease of someone used to handling sudden surprises. The small boy clung to her, looking up with wide, shining eyes.
"Mama!" Liang Han exclaimed, his tone gleeful as if he had just uncovered a profound truth.
Xia Yan blinked, then a glint of amusement sparked in her gaze. She raised an elegant brow at the child in her arms. "Mama?"
Liang Chen's jaw tightened, his face darkening like a storm cloud as he strode toward them. His tone was low and warning. "Liang Han."
But the boy was unbothered, his little arms still wrapped around Xia Yan. He grinned up at her. "Yes! Mama. You're as pretty as Mama."
For a moment, silence stretched between the trio. Then, understanding flickered in Xia Yan's sharp eyes. She smiled faintly, ruffling Liang Han's hair before setting him down gently. "Well, aren't you charming?" she said dryly, her voice laced with mock indulgence.
Liang Han clung to her legs, his defiance of his uncle's authority clear.
"Miss Xia." Liang Chen's voice broke through the air, smooth and deliberate as his gaze locked onto her.
Xia Yan turned, her brows lifting slightly in surprise. Then her lips curved into a smirk, the kind that suggested she was already annoyed by his presence but too amused to show it outright. "Why is it you again?. Too Persistent, aren't we?"
Liang Chen's brows twitched, though his expression remained composed. "Giving up is simply not in my book."
Xia Yan tilted her head, studying him as if he were a mildly interesting puzzle. "I wasn't aware we were playing a game," she said lightly. "But let me guess—you've come to irritate me for the third time?"
His lips curved into the faintest trace of a smile, though his eyes remained unreadable. "I find you intriguing, that's all."
"'Intriguing?" Xia Yan echoed, her tone dripping with mockery. She glanced briefly at the boy clinging to her legs. "More like baffled because someone can't take rejection."
Liang Chen's smirk deepened, though his gaze sharpened ever so slightly. "Rejection? Is that what you think this is? Baffled, perhaps—but not for the reasons you assume."
Xia Yan crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she leaned ever so slightly toward him, a picture of both defiance and curiosity. "Oh? Then enlighten me. What are the reasons, Mr. Persistent?"
Liang Chen's gaze flicked briefly to Liang Han, who was still firmly attached to her legs, before returning to her. His voice dropped, cool and deliberate. "Most people spend their lives vying for attention, trying to make themselves seen. Yet you—" He gestured to her, his meaning clear. "You move like a ghost. No sound, no presence, almost as if you're trying to disappear. And still, I notice you. That's what's intriguing."
Xia Yan blinked, caught off guard for just a second before recovering with a dry laugh. "You have a knack for overthinking, don't you? Maybe I'm just not interested in playing the game everyone else is obsessed with."
"Or maybe," Liang Chen said, stepping closer, his voice a quiet challenge, "you're playing a different game entirely. One no one else here even knows exists."
Xia Yan's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, but her eyes stayed locked on his, guarded but sharp. "You're starting to sound suspiciously like a man who reads too much into things."
"Perhaps." Liang Chen shrugged, his expression maddeningly composed. "Or maybe I'm just the only one paying attention."
Xia Yan exhaled, a short laugh escaping her. "Careful, Mr. Persistent. Too much attention might end up being your downfall."
Liang Chen's gaze didn't waver. "I'll take my chances."
Xia Yan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, don't worry. You're very clear. You just also happen to be incredibly annoying."
Before Liang Chen could respond, Liang Han grinned up at Xia Yan. "Big sister, Uncle was looking for you!" No longer wanting to be ignored by the big sister he liked.
Xia Yan blinked, her gaze shifting between Liang Han's eager face and his uncle's unreadable one. "Looking for me?" she repeated. Her eyes narrowing slightly as a plausible explanation passed through her mind, deciding it's best to change the topic, she asked, "And who exactly are you supposed to be, anyway? You walk around like you own the place, and everyone here looks like they're about to grovel at your feet. Should I be bowing too?"
Liang Chen's lips quirked, the ghost of a smirk playing on his face. "I'm not in the habit of expecting people to bow. Though, if you'd like to—"
"Spare me," Xia Yan cut him off with a sharp look. "I've had enough of your self-importance for one evening."
Liang Chen's eyes gleamed, though his tone remained casual. "Is that what you think of me?"
"I don't need to think," Xia Yan replied with a sly smile. "You make it obvious. But here's the thing: I don't care who you are or what empire you're trying to impress me with. I'm not interested."
There was a flicker of something in Liang Chen's gaze—amusement? Annoyance? It was impossible to tell. "You seem awfully confident for someone who doesn't know who they're talking to."
"I don't need to know," she replied, her voice cool but edged with humor. "Men like you are all the same. Loud, flashy, and completely convinced the world revolves around you."
Liang Chen tilted his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You're observant," he said, his voice quieter now, almost as if he were testing her reaction.
"Why, is it something only you're capable of?" Xia Yan replied, her gaze flicking briefly toward Zheng Wen, who was watching their interaction from across the room with an almost comical mixture of awe and fear. "It doesn't take much to figure out that you're someone important. Everyone here is either staring at you or trying not to look like they're staring at you."
Liang Chen chuckled softly, a sound so rare it surprised even him. "Impressive. You've deduced quite a bit without knowing anything at all."
Xia Yan narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could respond, the whispers around the banquet hall grew louder.
Meanwhile, the other guests in the hall had taken notice of the scene. Liang Chen rarely mingled, let alone engaged with anyone beyond perfunctory greetings. Yet here he was, not only speaking to a woman but appearing genuinely invested in the conversation.
"Who is she?" a sharply dressed woman whispered to her companion, her jeweled earrings catching the light as she craned her neck to get a better look.
"I don't recognize her," the companion replied, frowning. "She doesn't look like anyone important."
A few tables over, the buzz of speculation grew louder.
"Wait," one of the older socialites suddenly said, her eyes narrowing as recognition dawned. "Isn't that Xia Yan? The sickly daughter of the Xia family?"
"The Xia family?" another woman scoffed. "You mean the girl who's been bedridden for years? What's she doing here?"
"Well, she doesn't look sick now," someone else murmured, eyeing Xia Yan with a mixture of envy and suspicion.
The realization only fueled the whispers.
"She's nothing special," one of the younger women said, her tone dripping with disdain. "Just a frail little thing who probably got lucky. If she can catch Liang Chen's attention, anyone can."
Hearing this, several of the mothers in the room exchanged meaningful glances.
"This is our chance," one of them said quietly, urging her daughter forward. "Go, introduce yourself. Liang Chen isn't someone to waste time on someone like her. If she can do it, you can."
….
Xia Yan's sharp gaze flicked to the approaching women, her lips curving into a faint smirk. "Looks like you've got an audience."
Liang Chen followed her gaze, his expression cooling instantly as he took in the women vying for his attention. "They're not why I'm here."
"Really?" Xia Yan asked, her tone as dry as ever. "Could've fooled me. You seem to enjoy being the center of attention."
"I only care about the attention of one person," Liang Chen said smoothly, his eyes locking onto hers.
Xia Yan stared at him for a moment, her smirk fading slightly as she tried to decipher his meaning. Then she shook her head, laughing softly. "You really don't give up, do you?"
"Not when it matters," Liang Chen replied evenly.
"And who decides if it matters?"
"I do," he said, his voice steady and unyielding.
Xia Yan's smirk returned, but her eyes gleamed with wary amusement. "You're persistent, I'll give you that."
But the lightness in her voice was fleeting. In the blink of an eye, her carefree demeanor disappeared , replaced by a cold, piercing intensity that seemed to suck the warmth out of the air. Her gaze turned razor-sharp, and for a moment, it felt as though the room itself held its breath.
Liang Chen's composure faltered ever so slightly as an almost imperceptible chill ran down his spine. He'd faced boardroom battles, political adversaries, and power struggles that would crush lesser men, yet the icy pressure emanating from Xia Yan was unlike anything he'd ever encountered. A bead of sweat gathered at the back of his neck before he could stop it.
"But," she continued, her voice now a low, threatening murmur that cut through the air like a blade, "that doesn't mean I appreciate your attention. I avoid the spotlight for a reason, and you… you bring it in tons. So let me give you a piece of advice—your first and last."
Her gaze narrowed, the weight of her words pressing down on him. "Stay away from me."
As suddenly as it came, the suffocating aura vanished. The room seemed to exhale as Xia Yan's playful, devil-may-care attitude slid seamlessly back into place. She arched a brow, as though nothing had happened, leaving Liang Chen standing there, momentarily disoriented by the drastic shift.
Yet, as he steadied himself, a spark of intrigue flared in his chest. Most people would have backed away, cowed by the sheer force of her presence. Not him. If anything, her icy warning only fanned the flames of his fascination.
For all her effort to push him away, Xia Yan had unwittingly become the puzzle Liang Chen was now determined to solve.