Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 177; Making the first step (g)
The kind of assessment that came from years of keeping dangerous people alive in even more dangerous situations.
Lu Zeyan stood in the doorway, or rather, he’d returned to it after whatever quick conversation he’d had in the hallway with whoever had witnessed his inglorious exit.
He stood there without quite entering, as if crossing the threshold again would somehow make this situation more real, more irreversible, more completely beyond his control.
His expression was unreadable, some complex mixture of defeat, anger, wounded pride, and something that might have been grudging respect mixed with the kind of fear he probably didn’t want to acknowledge.
"The IT department will have your credentials ready within an hour," he said, his voice carefully neutral, professionally distant, as if they hadn’t just had a physical altercation that had ended with him on the floor. "Your administrative assistant..."
"Won’t be necessary," Shuyin interrupted smoothly, turning from the window to face him with the kind of grace that suggested the earlier violence had cost her nothing, had meant nothing, had been as natural as breathing. "I’ll manage my own schedule. Just make sure I have full calendar access to board meetings and executive sessions. I want to see everything, strategic planning, financial reviews, operational updates. All of it."
The demand was absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Lin Shuyin..." Lu Zeyan started, then stopped, clearly not sure how to finish the sentence.
What could he say?
Can’t you do this?
She already had.
This isn’t appropriate?
He’d agreed to it under duress, with the implicit threat hanging over him like a sword.
Will the board never accept you?
That was his problem to solve, not hers.
She turned to face him fully, and the afternoon sun caught her just right, her jade eyes reflecting light in that slightly wrong way that made them look more like precious stones than human organs.
For a moment she looked almost inhuman, too beautiful, too perfect, too dangerous to be entirely real.
The afternoon sun backlit her, creating an effect that was simultaneously angelic and predatory, like something out of mythology rather than a corporate office.
"You can go now," she said simply, her voice soft but carrying absolute finality. "I’m sure you have damage control to orchestrate. People to call. Explanations to fabricate. Stories to coordinate with whoever witnessed your exit. Don’t let me keep you."
The dismissal was complete, final, utterly without room for negotiation or appeal.
Lu Zeyan’s jaw clenched, a muscle jumping beneath the skin of his cheek, the one that didn’t bear her handprint.
His hands curled into fists at his sides, knuckles going white, then deliberately relaxed as he forced himself to breathe, to think, to not react in a way that would make this worse.
He wanted to argue, wanted to push back, wanted to reclaim some shred of authority in this situation that had spiraled so completely beyond his control.
But he had nothing left to fight with.
No leverage, no power, no cards to play.
Just the bitter knowledge that everything had changed, and he’d lost without even realizing there was a war being fought.
So he turned and left, closing the door behind him with careful control that suggested he was barely holding onto his composure.
And Lin Shuyin turned back to the windows, to the city sprawled below, to the empire she would reclaim piece by piece.
The game had just begun.
The moment he was gone, Shuyin’s professional mask cracked slightly, satisfaction bleeding through the composed exterior like light through fractures.
"Well," she said to her assembled group, a genuine smile touching her lips for the first time since entering the building, "that went better than expected."
"You terrified him," Blade observed with clear approval, moving from her position to lean against the conference table.
"Completely and thoroughly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so comprehensively outmaneuvered."
"He deserved it," Razor added, her voice carrying the sharp satisfaction of someone who’d witnessed justice served.
"After what he did to you, the betrayal, the prison time, all of it. He deserved every second of that humiliation."
Tank just nodded, her expression showing the kind of grim satisfaction that came from seeing power properly wielded.
She understood the importance of establishing dominance, of making sure your enemies knew exactly where they stood.
Shuyin moved to the desk, running her fingers over the polished surface with something approaching reverence.
This was more than just furniture.
It was a symbol, tangible proof that she’d clawed her way back from absolute powerlessness to a position of real authority. And this was all for the departed soul.
"Ting Fei," she said, her voice shifting back to business mode, "I need you to handle the Chen family acquisition paperwork. Make sure everything is filed correctly, all transfers documented, and ownership officially registered in my name. I want no room for legal challenges or claims of impropriety."
"Yes, Madam..."
"I also need you to legally make three forms for me, they are for share transfer... I will need them to fix things properly... Without shares, I would still have no voice in here...."
"Yes, Madam...."
She pulled the folder of documents from her bag, she’d been carrying them since leaving the Chen compound that morning, unwilling to let such important papers out of her immediate possession.
She handed them over with careful precision.
"Also," she continued, her voice taking on a sharper edge that suggested this was equally important, "contact all shareholders of the Chen family company. There’s going to be a meeting tomorrow. Mandatory attendance. Make it clear that this isn’t optional, anyone who doesn’t show up forfeits their right to contest the acquisition or raise objections later."
She paused, considering logistics.
"Location to be determined, but make it somewhere neutral. A hotel conference room, perhaps. Somewhere public enough that they’ll feel safe but private enough for frank discussion. The Riverside Hotel has good facilities, check their availability."
Ting Fei took the documents with a nod, his expression professionally attentive.
"Understood. I’ll begin immediately. Timeline for shareholder notifications?"
"Within the next two hours," Shuyin decided.
"I want them to have tonight to panic and prepare arguments, but not enough time to coordinate a unified opposition strategy. Keep them off-balance."
"Tactical," Ting Fei approved.
"I’ll handle it."
"Good."
Shuyin’s attention shifted to the children, her expression softening fractionally as she took in their uncertain faces, Yuyan trying to appear mature and composed, Chen Xiao still looking overwhelmed by the massive office and everything that had just transpired.
"Yuyan, Chen Xiao," she said gently, crouching down slightly to be closer to their eye level, "there’s a comfortable seating area over there by the windows. You can wait while I handle business."
She straightened and turned to Ting Fei, her voice shifting to practical problem-solving mode.
"Ting Fei, call down to the executive lounge. I need them to send up a selection of snacks, nothing too sugary, fruit, crackers, maybe some juice boxes. Also....." she paused, thinking, "...tablets. Two of them, child-appropriate, with games and educational apps already loaded. And storybooks if they have any in the building library."
"If not," she added, her tone making it clear this wasn’t optional, "send someone to the nearest bookstore. Picture books for Chen Xiao, something age-appropriate for Yuyan. Maybe some coloring supplies too. Crayons, colored pencils, paper."
Ting Fei nodded, already pulling out his phone. "I’ll have everything sent up within twenty minutes."
"Make it fifteen," Shuyin corrected. "They’ve been patient long enough."
She turned back to the children, her voice becoming gentle again.
"It might take a little while for everything to arrive, but I want you both to be comfortable. This is going to be your space, too, when you’re here with me. Yuyan, you’re in charge of making sure Chen Xiao is okay. If he needs anything, bathroom, water, if he gets tired, you tell Blade or Tank immediately. Understood?"
Yuyan nodded seriously, her silver-white hair catching the light as she straightened her shoulders, taking the responsibility with the gravity of someone much older.
"I understand, mommy. I’ll take good care of him."
"I know you will," Shuyin said softly, and there was genuine warmth in her voice now. She was certain that Yuyan was a responsible girl.
She walked with them to the seating area, a grouping of plush chairs and a low table positioned to take advantage of the panoramic view.
