Chapter 41: The Opening Move
The Golden Chamber Hall wasn’t loud.
It didn’t need to be.
The quiet there was cultivated—intentional. The kind of silence that made you listen harder, not relax.
At the center table, three names—each carrying weight beyond their years—sat waiting as Lin Feng entered.
Liu Ziyan was the first to speak. Tall, impeccably dressed, and sharper than the silver cufflinks on his sleeves, he gave the air of a man who saw everything as a transaction. Born into a financial empire, he was already managing a venture fund rumored to back real tech startups under his father’s shadow. Arrogant, poised, and strategic to the bone.
"Simple game," he said, steepling his fingers. "One hundred thousand each. One week. Use it how you want—invest, build, influence. Winner gets more than bragging rights."
Beside him, dressed in white so crisp it looked untouched by air, sat Xu Qinglan—the granddaughter of a retired general and the heiress to a discreet but powerful medical research network. Her violet eyes gave nothing away. Soft-spoken, but unnerving. It was said she remembered everything—from who whispered what at charity balls to who blinked too long during negotiations.
"We’re not just judging," she said calmly. "We’re competitors."
Zhao Rouran, perched like a queen at court, offered a polite smile. Out of the three, she looked the most welcoming, but Lin Feng already knew better. Behind that graceful exterior was the daughter of an international diplomat and luxury consortium chairwoman. Her specialty wasn’t raw power—it was people. Connections, networks, leverage through charm.