Chapter 69: The Gala

By 6:30 PM, I’m in the car.

Liang Feng is driving, Qiao Jun in the passenger seat, both of them alert in that way they always are when we’re going somewhere public.

The venue is across the city, some historic building that’s been converted into an event space, and the drive feels simultaneously too long and too short.

I watch the city pass by outside the tinted windows, the sun starting to set, the sky turning colors that would be beautiful if I had the mental space to appreciate them.

The car slows as we approach the venue and I can see it now, all lit up against the darkening sky, people in formal wear moving through the entrance, the kind of elegant crowd that makes this feel very real very suddenly.

Cameras flash near the entrance.

Reporters.

Of course there are reporters.

This isn’t just a charity gala, it’s a social event where everyone who matters will be watching who arrives with whom, what they’re wearing, who they talk to.

We pull up to the red carpet and I take a breath.

This is happening.

Right now.

Liang Feng opens my door and I step out, adjusting my jacket automatically, the evening air cool against my skin.

The cameras flash immediately.

Bright bursts of light that make me blink, voices calling out questions I don’t bother trying to parse.

"Young Master Wuchen!"

"This way please!"

"Is CEO Wuchen attending tonight?"

I keep my expression neutral, pleasant, the way Grandmother taught me.

Don’t react to the questions, don’t give them anything they can twist, just smile and walk.

I move toward the entrance with Liang Feng and Qiao Jun flanking me at a respectful distance, and the security at the doors straightens immediately when they see me approaching.

"Young Master Wuchen," one of them greets, bowing slightly. "Welcome."

The doors swing open without me having to slow my stride.

No checking invitations, no questions, just immediate deference that still feels strange even after months of this.

I nod acknowledgement and step inside.

The venue is beautiful.

Mrs. Zhou wasn’t exaggerating.

High ceilings with crown molding that probably costs more than most people’s houses, chandeliers that look like they belong in museums catching the light and scattering it across polished marble floors. The space is large but not cavernous, designed to feel intimate despite easily holding two hundred people, with floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall showing the city lights starting to come alive outside.

Elegant arrangements of flowers sit on tall stands throughout the room, white and gold, understated but clearly expensive. Round tables are positioned around the perimeter, leaving the center open for mingling, and there’s a small stage at the far end that’s probably for speeches or performances later.

Everyone here looks like they were born wearing formal wear.

Tailored suits, elegant gowns, jewelry that catches the light with every movement, the kind of casual wealth that doesn’t need to announce itself because everyone already knows.

I scan the room with deliberate calm, taking in the layout, the faces, the dynamics.

There.

Mrs. Zhou, near the center, talking to a woman I don’t recognize, both of them holding champagne glasses and laughing at something.

And there.

Mr. Kim and Mr. Wei, together as always, standing with a small group by one of the windows.

I don’t see Xue Lian yet.

Good.

I can navigate the room on my own terms before having to deal with whatever game he’s planning to play tonight.

I’m about to move toward Mrs. Zhou when I see her.

Feifei.

Standing near the far wall by one of the flower arrangements, glass in hand, talking to someone in a dark suit.

She looks good.

Her hair is styled differently than I’ve ever seen it, elegant and sophisticated, pulled back to show her face clearly. She’s wearing a dress that’s professional but striking, dark green that brings out her skin tone, the cut modern and sharp.

She looks like someone who’s completely in control of her life, like someone who’s moved on and built something better.

My chest tightens watching her, but not with fear.

Just... recognition.

She survived what happened.

Thrived, even.

And now we’re both here, in the same room, about to navigate whatever comes next.

She glances up and our eyes meet across the room.

Everything else falls away for a second.

Her expression shifts, the smile disappearing, replaced by something harder.

Recognition, then something colder settling in.

Not anger exactly.

Just... distance.

My heart picks up speed but I don’t look away, I don’t break eye contact.

This is happening whether I’m ready or not.

Feifei says something to the person beside her without looking away from me, and they nod, stepping aside.

Leaving her alone by the flower arrangement, still watching me.

The distance between us feels significant, but not impossible.

Just space that needs to be crossed.

I start walking.

Not rushing, not hesitating, just moving with purpose across the room toward where she’s standing.

People notice.

Of course they notice.

Conversations pause as I pass, heads turning to track my movement, everyone immediately understanding what they’re witnessing.

The Wuchen omega approaching the Li daughter.

The first public interaction since the scandal.

I don’t care.

Let them watch.

Let them gossip.

This needs to happen, and I’m not going to hide from it.

I’m halfway across the room when someone steps into my path.

"Young Master Wuchen!"

A woman I vaguely recognize from somewhere, maybe the wedding, her smile too bright and eager in a way that immediately signals she’s trying too hard.

"I’ve been hoping to catch you," she says, reaching out like she’s going to touch my arm. "I’m Mrs. Wu, we met briefly at your wedding? I just wanted to say how wonderful it is to see you here tonight, and that outfit is absolutely stunning, is that from the new collection? You must tell me where..."

"Thank you," I say, already looking past her toward where Feifei is standing.

But she’s not alone anymore.

Someone else has approached her, pulling her attention away, and her posture shifts slightly, closing off.

The moment is gone.

"—and I was just telling my husband that the Wuchen family has such impeccable taste, and clearly that extends to—"

"Runze!"

Mrs. Zhou appears, her timing perfect as always, and she gives Mrs. Wu a polite smile that somehow conveys *I’m stealing him now*.

"I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I simply must introduce Runze to the Wangs, they’ve been asking about him all evening."

Mrs. Wu looks slightly deflated but steps aside with practiced grace.

"Of course, of course. Lovely to see you, Young Master Wuchen."

I nod politely and let Mrs. Zhou guide me away.

"Thank you," I murmur.

"She’s harmless but exhausting," Mrs. Zhou says quietly. "Now come, the Wangs are actually quite lovely, you’ll like them."

I glance back toward where Feifei was standing. She’s fully engaged in conversation now, her back partially turned.

The window closed.

Forcing it now would only make things more awkward.

Mrs. Zhou introduces me to the Wangs, an older couple who smile warmly and ask thoughtful questions about how I’m settling into the Wuchen family.

I answer smoothly.

Yes, everything is going well.

Yes, Grandmother has been very welcoming.

Yes, the estate is beautiful.

The responses flow easily, practiced enough that I don’t have to think about them.

More people join the conversation, and I nod at the appropriate moments, make the right comments, play the role perfectly.

But my attention keeps drifting across the room.

To where Feifei is standing with her own group, looking composed and professional and completely unreachable.

"Runze."

The voice comes from behind me, low and familiar.

I turn.

Xue Lian is standing there, champagne glass in hand, smiling that soft smile he always wears.

"Xue Lian," I reply, my voice flat.

"You look lovely tonight." His eyes track over my outfit deliberately. "That color suits you."

I could say thank you, could play along with whatever polite fiction he’s trying to establish.

But honestly, I don’t have the energy for his games right now, not with Feifei standing across the room, not with everything else I’m trying to manage.

"How thoughtful of you to notice," I say, the words perfectly polite but carrying just enough edge that anyone paying attention would catch it.

His smile doesn’t falter but something flickers in his eyes.

The group around us has gone quiet, attention shifting to watch this interaction, and I’m aware of Mrs. Zhou beside me, carefully neutral.

"I was hoping we’d have a chance to talk," Xue Lian continues, as if I hadn’t just dismissed his compliment. "It’s been too long since we’ve had a proper conversation."

"Has it?" I keep my tone light, conversational, like I’m genuinely considering the question. "I hadn’t noticed."

There’s a beat of silence.

Someone in the group barely suppresses a cough that might be a laugh.

Xue Lian’s smile tightens just slightly. "Yes. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot." He tilts his head. "I’d like to remedy that if possible."

I’m about to tell him exactly where he can put his remedies when movement catches my eye.

Feifei.

Walking toward us.

Not casual, not wandering, but with clear purpose, her expression determined in a way that makes my stomach flip.

She’s crossing the room directly toward where I’m standing, and everyone is noticing now, conversations dying down as people track her movement.

The energy in the room shifts completely.

She stops a few feet away, close enough that I can see her face clearly.

Her expression isn’t controlled or composed or any of the carefully constructed masks people wear at these things.

It’s just... her.

Looking at me like she’s trying to figure something out.

"Runze," she says.

Her voice is steady and professional.

"Feifei."

Mine comes out just as calm.

The silence around us is thick with anticipation.

Everyone watching.

Everyone waiting.

"Can we talk?" she asks.

It’s phrased as a question but sounds like a statement.

"Yes," I say immediately.

"Alone," she adds.

I nod.

She turns and starts walking toward the windows, toward a quieter corner away from the main crowd.

I follow.

Leaving Xue Lian and Mrs. Zhou and the Wangs and everyone else who’s definitely going to be talking about this later.

But I don’t care about any of that right now.

This is what I came here for.

Whatever happens next, I’m ready to face it.