**Jianghai City, Seven-Star Sailboat Hotel, Top-floor Banquet Hall.**
Crystal chandeliers cascaded like a glittering river of stars from the vaulted ceiling, their light spilling over tables draped in top-grade silk. The air was rich with the scent of tulips flown in from France and the delicate fragrance of premium champagne.
Tonight, the hall gathered more than half of Jianghai's—even the entire Jiangnan region's—elites and dignitaries. Tycoons, rising political stars, media magnates… an elegant crowd clinking glasses, every smile concealing vast capital and connections.
This engagement banquet was grand enough to dominate the front pages of all Jianghai's financial newspapers tomorrow.
The protagonists were the Lin family, one of Jianghai's influential clans, whose Lin Corporation was a commercial behemoth worth tens of billions.
And the heroine of the banquet was the eldest daughter of the Lin family, the current CEO of Lin Corporation, renowned as the "Ice Queen of the Business World"—Lin Wanxin.
"Have you heard? The Lin family's son-in-law is going to be officially introduced today."
"More than just heard—look at Chairman Lin's beaming face. He's clearly thrilled about this marriage."
"But I heard Lin Wanxin herself is completely against it. A woman so driven—how could she accept such an outdated arranged marriage?"
"Shh, keep it down. This engagement was arranged by Old Master Lin before he passed, said to be for the descendant of a life-and-death friend who once did the Lin family an enormous favor. Chairman Lin wouldn't dare go back on it."
Whispers swept through the guests like undercurrents beneath the luxurious surface.
Everyone was curious about this mysterious "groom-to-be," even harboring a certain schadenfreude-filled anticipation. They all wanted to see just who could possibly pluck Lin Wanxin, this thorny flower atop a lofty peak.
In a corner, a man sat quietly, utterly out of place in the banquet hall's atmosphere.
He wore a slightly worn black suit, ordinary in cut, even showing faint signs of wear at the cuffs. No expensive watch or cufflinks adorned him—he simply held a glass of water, his eyes calmly sweeping across the room.
He was Su Yang.
The other protagonist of this engagement banquet.
The gazes directed at him mingled scrutiny, curiosity, and undisguised scorn.
"That man… is the Lin family's intended son-in-law?"
"Impossible. Look at his outfit—does it even add up to five hundred yuan? Where did Chairman Lin dig up this poor relation?"
"I heard he's a soldier, just retired from the army. Tsk, a grunt wanting to marry Lin Wanxin in one step? A toad lusting after swan meat."
Su Yang heard every sharp remark clearly, yet his expression remained unchanged.
His heart was utterly still.
To these so-called elites, "war" meant games of numbers on financial reports, verbal duels across negotiation tables. But in Su Yang's world, war meant real gunpowder smoke, scorching shell casings, and the warm blood of comrades falling beside him.
A flicker of self-mockery crossed his mind.
"Codename 'Cold Edge'—in the shadow world, that name could keep heads of nuclear-armed nations awake at night. Back here, I'm just a mocked 'grunt'?"
He gently swirled the water in his glass, watching the ripples.
Fulfilling the marriage contract was his only reason for returning. It was the dying wish of the old man, his acknowledgment of a heavy debt of gratitude. Once this was done, he would be free from this mundane world, able to live as he wished.
As for this never-met fiancée and the so-called dramas of wealthy families, he had never cared.
"Distinguished guests, friends, good evening!"
Suddenly, from the banquet hall's main stage, a spirited old man in traditional Tang suit picked up the microphone. He was Lin Zhenguo, Chairman of Lin Corporation, father of Lin Wanxin.
The hall fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on the stage.
Lin Zhenguo smiled broadly, his voice resonant.
"Tonight is a day of great joy for me, Lin! More importantly, it is the moment our Lin family fulfills a promise and carries out the final wish of my late father!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping the crowd before finally settling on Su Yang's table, his eyes holding a touch of paternal warmth and expectation.
"I'm sure everyone is curious about what kind of outstanding young man has captured my daughter Wanxin's heart. Now, let us welcome my future son-in-law—Su Yang—to the stage!"
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, over a hundred pairs of eyes, like spotlights, locked onto Su Yang in the corner.
Mockery, scorn, disdain, and the glee of spectators reached their peak at that moment.
Su Yang set down his water glass and stood.
Not a trace of discomfort showed. His steps were steady, unhurried, as he walked toward the stage. His upright posture carried the particular firmness and straightness of a soldier, as if no pressure could make him bend.
Yet, just as he was about to step onto the platform—
A cold, clear voice, filled with undisguised aversion and finality, rang through the hall.
"Wait!"
Everyone turned. Lin Wanxin, who had been standing beside Lin Zhenguo like an ice sculpture, finally moved.
She wore a custom-made silver evening gown that hugged her perfect figure. Her makeup was exquisite, her features stunning, but her beautiful phoenix eyes were frozen with a thick layer of frost, enough to chill any warmth directed her way.
Lin Wanxin didn't look at Su Yang, nor at any guest below.
Her gaze was fixed intently on her father, Lin Zhenguo.
"Dad, this farce ends here."
Her voice was quiet, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
Lin Zhenguo's face darkened instantly. He lowered his voice to a furious whisper only the two could hear. "Wanxin! What nonsense is this? All of Jianghai is watching! You'll disgrace the Lin family!"
"Disgrace?" Lin Wanxin let out a cold laugh, one filled with sorrow and sarcasm. "To save the Lin family's face, I should sacrifice my lifelong happiness? For a verbal promise from twenty years ago, I should marry someone I don't know and could never love?"
Her thoughts churned violently.
I, Lin Wanxin, took over the nearly bankrupt Lin Corporation at twenty-two. In five years, I brought it to where it is today. I sleep only four hours a day. I've read more documents than books. I fought for every project I secured. I built my own commercial empire with my youth and sweat. Why should my life be bound by a ridiculous marriage contract?
With that, her gaze finally shifted to Su Yang below the stage.
It was a look of lofty scrutiny, as if assessing a worthless object.
"A brute who only knows fighting and killing?" Her voice rose sharply, dripping with disdain. "Dad, look at him! Look at him—from head to toe, what about him is worthy of me, Lin Wanxin? Worthy of our Lin family? His education? His wealth? Or can he help Lin Corporation ring the bell on Wall Street?"
"In this era, fists are the most useless thing! Real power is capital, wisdom, connections! What can he give me? Besides endless shame and trouble for the Lin family—nothing!"
With that, she snatched the exquisitely crafted rosewood box from the host's hands and, before everyone, flung it open.
Inside lay a yellowed marriage contract, written in brush ink.
A testament to the past between two families.
"No!" Lin Zhenguo's face paled. He reached to grab it, but Lin Wanxin sidestepped him.
In the deathly silence of the hall, Lin Wanxin raised the marriage contract.
She looked down at Su Yang, enunciating each word clearly, her voice carrying to every corner of the banquet hall.
"I, Lin Wanxin, declare today before all of Jianghai's elite—"
"I do not consent to this engagement!"
"I, Lin Wanxin, would rather die than marry a brute like you, who knows nothing but violence!"
The moment her words fell—
*Riiip—*
A crisp tearing sound echoed.
That contract, bearing the history of two families, was torn apart in Lin Wanxin's resolute hands—first in two, then four, finally scattering into countless drifting fragments, like shattered butterflies in winter, slowly fluttering down from the high stage.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
The hall fell into absolute silence.
Everyone was stunned by Lin Wanxin's earth-shattering act.
Lin Zhenguo trembled with rage, pointing at Lin Wanxin, his lips quivering, unable to utter a word. He felt a dizzy darkness, nearly fainting on the spot.
The Lin family's dignity, in that moment, was torn to shreds.
After a brief silence, suppressed murmurs erupted from the crowd.
"Heavens! She actually tore it!"
"She's mad. Lin Wanxin is truly mad! This is a public slap to Chairman Lin's face!"
"What a show! Look at that man Su Yang—his face must be green. He's the biggest joke in all Jianghai now!"
All eyes returned to Su Yang. This time, the scorn and mockery turned into sympathy and schadenfreude.
They awaited Su Yang's reaction.
Would he fly into a rage? Be shamed into anger? Or flee in humiliated panic?
Yet they were all disappointed.
Su Yang's face remained composed.
As if the radiant, decisive woman on stage hadn't torn a marriage contract concerning him, but a meaningless scrap of paper.
He even found it somewhat amusing inwardly.
*This girl has quite a temper. Putting on such a show—is she trying to prove her independence and strength? Pity, the strength she speaks of seems fragile and vulnerable in my eyes.*
Su Yang's gaze calmly followed the falling paper fragments.
He saw the resolve and pride in Lin Wanxin's eyes.
He saw the shock and humiliation on Lin Zhenguo's face.
And he saw the gleeful expressions of the guests below.
All of it, in his eyes, was like a pre-arranged play.
Slowly, he took a step.
He walked onto the stage, ignoring the nearly exploding Lin Zhenguo beside him, and ignoring Lin Wanxin's icy, guarded stare.
He bent down and picked up the largest fragment from the floor.
On it was a boldly inked character: "Su."
His grandfather's surname.
He gently rubbed the character with his fingers, a trace of unnoticed nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
Then he released it, letting the fragment drift back to the floor.
He looked up, his eyes meeting Lin Wanxin's for the first time, their gazes crossing in the air.
What kind of eyes were these?
Deep, calm, undisturbed as an ancient well.
As if they had witnessed eons and weathered all worldly changes.
Lin Wanxin's heart jolted violently.
She had expected to see anger, humiliation, or insecurity.
But she saw none of that.
In those eyes, she couldn't even see her own reflection.
She felt that everything she took pride in—her beauty, her wealth, her power—seemed meaningless before this man.
It unsettled her inexplicably.
Just then, Su Yang spoke.
His voice was calm, not loud, yet clear to every ear.
"Good."
Only two words.
Then he turned to the livid Lin Zhenguo and gave a slight nod.
"Chairman Lin, twenty years ago, the Su family did the Lin family a favor. Today, with Miss Lin publicly tearing the marriage contract, that debt of gratitude is settled."
"From now on, our families owe each other nothing."
Having said that, he didn't look at anyone else. He turned and walked with steady steps toward the banquet hall's entrance.
His back remained straight, solitary, proud.
Not a hint of embarrassment.
Not a trace of reluctance.
As if he had only come to walk through a scene, to watch a play that had nothing to do with him.
The entire banquet hall was stunned into silence.
Lin Wanxin was also stunned.
She had imagined countless reactions from Su Yang—but never this one.
He shouldn't be like this!
He shouldn't accept it so calmly, even with an air of granting a favor, declaring "we owe nothing"!
As if it weren't him who had been rejected, but her!
This feeling planted the first seed of frustration and confusion in Lin Wanxin's heart.
She watched that receding figure until he pushed open the doors and disappeared completely from everyone's sight.
An engagement banquet that should have rocked the city had, in a way no one anticipated, turned into a complete farce.
And the name Su Yang, that night, became the greatest laughingstock in Jianghai's high society.
Yet, no one knew.
As Su Yang stepped out of the hotel, bathed in the city's neon lights—
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
A voice filled with utmost respect came from the other end. "My King… you've returned?"
The corner of Su Yang's mouth curved into a meaningful smile.
"I'm back."
"Look into Lin Corporation for me, and that woman named Lin Wanxin."
"I want all her information."
"Within three minutes."