The Empire Club was one of the most exclusive clubs in the capital of the Donghua Empire.
Money alone wasn't enough to gain entry.
One also needed sufficient status, along with recommendations from existing members.
Inside, it was common to see internationally renowned celebrities, stunning beauties, business tycoons capable of shaking entire industries with a single decision, and influential figures from every walk of life.
Yet, these "important people," who commanded immense influence outside, occupied only the lowest rung within the club.
They were little more than decorations.
The true clientele of the Empire Club were the heirs of prestigious clans and aristocratic families—individuals born with extraordinary status, whose families practically controlled the highest levels of the Empire.
As for those so-called "important people" who struggled to squeeze their way inside...
Their only goal was to curry favor with these young masters and ladies, hoping to find themselves a powerful patron.
Within the Empire Club...
The game of power was constantly being played.
At this moment, however, a somewhat haggard yet breathtakingly beautiful woman stood alone in the banquet hall.
Everyone around her instinctively kept their distance.
One pair of eyes after another landed on Leng Ruobing.
Some sneered.
Some mocked.
Others wore complicated expressions.
Her face was pale, and exhaustion and anxiety filled her eyes.
Dressed in a simple white gown, she resembled a delicate snow lotus blooming atop an icy mountain peak.
As though a single gust of wind could send her tumbling down.
Compared to before, she had grown noticeably thinner.
It was obvious that the past few days had been unimaginably difficult for this fated heroine.
Her father had fallen into a coma.
Her mother had disappeared.
The Leng Family had completely collapsed.
Over the past several days, she had begged everyone she could think of for help.
Yet even her father's closest friends, the families that had once enjoyed good relations with the Lengs, and even her own friends avoided her like the plague.
None dared become involved.
The once-renowned Ice Beauty—one of Yanjing's Four Great Beauties—had become nothing more than a laughingstock.
Fortunately...
Rumors claimed that she had already become Chen Shao's woman.
That single rumor frightened away countless men who had coveted her beauty, afraid of provoking a disaster.
Otherwise...
A woman who had lost her family's influence, protection, and power while still possessing peerless beauty...
Her fate would have been obvious.
One night, she might simply disappear without a trace...
Only to awaken inside some hidden room, reduced to another man's plaything.
Leng Ruobing understood that reality better than anyone.
During these past few days, several men had looked at her with unmistakably lustful eyes...
Only for those looks to vanish almost immediately.
None dared risk offending Chen Beiyuan.
Even Leng Ruobing herself had never expected...
That the rumors linking her to Chen Beiyuan would become the very reason she had been able to preserve her innocence.
But...
That was all.
"Is there really... no hope left?"
Her pale face was filled with confusion as she stood there silently.
She failed to notice that, not far away...
Someone had been watching her the entire time.
"Ruobing..."
Standing on the second floor in a perfectly tailored suit was Lin Xiao.
Looking down at the woman who seemed abandoned by the entire world, pain flashed across his eyes.
Although she had inexplicably slapped him before, leaving him feeling resentful...
He knew it had all been Chen Beiyuan's doing.
That bastard had deliberately manipulated the situation and caused her to misunderstand him.
Deep inside...
He still loved her.
Back when he had worked tirelessly to earn admission into Donghua Academy...
The very first time he saw Leng Ruobing...
He had sworn to himself...
That he would marry no one but her.
The infatuation of youth—
Or rather...
Young love—
Was always unforgettable.
"Ruobing..."
"Don't worry."
"I'll never look down on you."
"I'll make up for everything I failed to do before."
Back then, he had neither power nor influence.
He could only watch helplessly as the woman he loved was humiliated.
But things were different now.
He had gained the backing of the mighty Donghua Lin Family.
The Leng Family's crisis was no longer an impossible problem.
As long as he resolved it...
Leng Ruobing would surely give herself to him willingly.
The thought alone filled Lin Xiao's heart with excitement.
He straightened his collar.
Then confidently walked toward the banquet hall.
He intended to appear before her as a savior—
To become the ray of light illuminating the darkness surrounding this lost woman.
He could already imagine the commotion that would erupt once he publicly declared the Donghua Lin Family's protection over the Leng Family.
He would become the center of everyone's attention.
Today...
It was finally his time to show off.
Boom!
Just as Lin Xiao stepped into the banquet hall—
A sudden wave of commotion erupted ahead.
The influential guests who had been chatting frowned in annoyance.
Almost instinctively...
Every gaze shifted toward the dignified figure who had just entered the Empire Club's banquet hall, causing the disturbance.
Even Leng Ruobing, who had been staring at the floor moments earlier, looked up blankly at that familiar figure.
Instantly—
The entire hall fell silent.
It was as though someone had pressed the pause button on the world.
The imposing figure remained completely unaffected.
Instead...
He behaved as though this reaction were only natural.
As if his very presence was destined to become the center of attention.
"That's..."
"That's..."
"Young Master Chen?!"
"Young Master Chen actually came to the Empire Club?!"
"Young Master Chen?"
"The mysterious heir of the Donghua Chen Family?!"
"He's never attended any formal banquets before! He almost never appears in public!"
"That's a true heavyweight!"
"The young master of the Donghua Chen Family!"
"The designated next heir!"
"A future Rank-Eight Battle Emperor!"
"One of the Empire's highest-ranking second-generation elites!"
"..."
Ignoring the waves of astonished exclamations echoing through the hall...
Chen Beiyuan calmly walked toward a corner of the room.
He casually sat down on a sofa and crossed his legs.
His gaze swept across the crowd.
The pressure he exuded was overwhelming—
Like a king inspecting both his kingdom and his subjects.
The instant he took his seat...
Leng Ruobing watched in stunned silence as the "important figures" who had previously treated her with cold arrogance rushed toward Chen Beiyuan like eager lapdogs greeting their master.
Several daughters of prestigious families even approached with flushed cheeks and dreamy expressions.
"Young Master Chen, I'm Huang Qianqiu, ranked twenty-eighth on the Donghua Rich List. I own several international trading companies..."
"Young Master Chen! I'm Yun Xiao of the Yun Family! Years ago, when I accompanied my father to the Chen residence, we had the honor of meeting once..."
"Young Master Chen! I'm Kui Shaoqiu of the Kui Family! My father currently serves under Patriarch Chen..."
"Young Master Chen... my name is Bai Jie..."
"..."
Lin Xiao's smile froze.
His eyes locked onto the heavily surrounded Chen Beiyuan.
His entire body trembled with anger.
Damn it!
I haven't even had the chance to make my entrance yet!
And you beat me to it?!