Cheng Anya's heart pounded—an uneasy feeling creeping in.
The Ye, Yang, Tang, and Lin families ruled the four corners of City A, each controlling a powerful domain. These four major families had long adhered to an unspoken agreement: stay out of each other's way.
Even if their names shook the city and echoed far beyond, there wasn't always direct contact between them.
Like Ye Chen and Yang Zekun. Though their rivalry had raged for the past two years, this was the first time they were formally shaking hands—an official introduction.
Yang Zekun, General Manager of Yaohua Group, was the very definition of a refined gentleman—elegant, composed, and charming. He was the ideal dream man for the city's elite women.
Though he and Ye Chen were opposites in style, they were equals in ability, ambition, and charisma. A perfect match in power.
There was even a saying among the upper class:
"Ladies want to marry Yang Zekun—and have their own affairs with Third Young Master Ye."
"Rumor has it," Ye Chen said with a faint smile, "that you've already got the Northern Steel infrastructure bid in the bag. S Group conceded without a fight."
"You flatter me," Yang Zekun replied smoothly. "You had your eye on that prime plot in Clearwater Bay, so you backed off Northern Steel. I was just lucky to pick up the slack. I should be the one thanking you for going easy."
"You're too modest, Young Master Yang."
"And you're too polite."
…
The two men exchanged pleasantries with perfect smiles, brushing aside what had been a brutal three-month war in City A—one that had shaken the stock market, bankrupted numerous companies, and all over just two major projects.
Successful men had a particular charm—they could hide their truest thoughts behind the most polished and graceful of smiles.
Like Yang Zekun.
Like Ye Chen.
These two projects had been contested from the start, with S Group and Yaohua pouring in staggering sums, undermining each other at every turn. They manipulated the stock market, disrupted pricing across the board, and plunged the business world into chaos—all just to outdo one another, and profit from the ruins.
Even Cheng Anya, who'd only caught the tail end of it all, could feel the intensity of that ruthless battlefield.
And in the end, it all disappeared in a single, easy smile between two powerful men.
That, perhaps, was what it meant to be truly strong.