Radiant
Lu Sheng stepped out from the soft halo of light by the doorway. She wore a sleek one-piece that traced the length of her slim figure; her long hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. Everything about her looked poised and efficient. Her features—exotic and finely cut, like rose petals—were even more striking than in the photos.
Two bodyguards followed close behind as she strode to the center of the stage.
Yan Xia watched, momentarily stunned, while a ripple of chatter rose around her.
“So that’s Lu Sheng. No wonder Third Master Lu kept her hidden away—she’s gorgeous. She outshines all the actresses here tonight.”
“Look at her body, look at that face. It’s not fair.”
“Whoever wins her will be inheriting half of Third Master Lu’s fortune, probably.”
Yan Xia turned her head to look at Lu Sheng. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Peng Zixu’s expression shift from surprise to something like animal eagerness.
Men like him were visual creatures—if he liked what he saw, he moved in. Over the years he’d chased actresses and rich girls the same way: no intentions beyond a good time. To him, women were garments; if something better appeared, he’d switch.
There were plenty of pretty faces and heiresses at tonight’s charity gala, each with her own style. But no one drew this kind of open, electric attention at first sight—Lu Sheng was in a league of her own.
Her air was free and unbound. She moved like a breeze that had nothing to prove, nothing to clutch at—calm because she had nothing to hide and nothing she needed to keep.
Guilt pricked Yan Xia like a bright ache. She had used Lu Sheng’s name before, had done unsavory things under that borrowed identity. Now, seeing the real woman in front of her, she felt small and exposed.
She forced a steady breath and watched as Lu Sheng finished her speech on stage with casual grace. Perhaps from being abroad and not tending to sun care, her skin looked a touch darker than in photos, but it did nothing to dull her radiance.
“You hot?” Lu Qianzhou’s voice came from behind her.
Yan Xia turned. She realized she had been wiping sweat from her palm with a tissue—her hand damp—and Lu Qianzhou had been watching the motion. She straightened. “No.” Then she averted her gaze; Lu Sheng was a comet on the stage.
A message from Shangguan Yao lit her phone: Long Tao had arrived at the gala as promised. Grab the chance, it said.
She blacked out the screen and began scanning the crowd for Long Tao. He was low-key, deliberately ordinary—careful, cautious. She searched the rows several times before spotting him tucked into a corner in the back seats.
Last time, Lu Qianzhou’s interruption had derailed her plans. This time she would make the most of every moment. Lu Sheng’s presence might even give her the opening she needed.
Lu Sheng finished and stepped down from the stage, and she didn’t come over to speak to Lu Qianzhou. A single look and a smile were all it took for him to understand.
“Stay put. Don’t go wandering off. I’ll be right back,” he told Yan Xia with a quick word, then rose and followed Lu Sheng out.
Relief unknotted something in Yan Xia. She turned to find Long Tao—only to realize he was watching her. Their eyes met: his curious, hers guarded, a conversation suspended between them.
Peng followed her glance but saw only the door through which Lu Qianzhou had left.
“Finally seeing the childhood friend of President Lu,” Peng said out of nowhere. “I heard Third Master Lu once tried to set up Lu Sheng and Lu Qianzhou—if the two families joined, it’d be a perfect alliance. They’re not blood-related; who knows? Stranger things have happened.”
Yan Xia lowered her eyes. “What do you mean by that, Mr. Peng?”
Peng leaned forward, pressing close enough to make the point without crossing any line. “I’m saying: President Lu is exceptional, yes, but Ms. Cheng shouldn’t be obsessing over one tree. Look around—there could be surprises closer to home.” His implication hung in the air as a deliberate tease.
Yan Xia ignored him. Long Tao stood and left, unable even to spare a parting word. She hurried after him.
He walked out into the hotel garden and headed toward the rooms on the far side. She followed him straight to one of the guest suites.
She thumbed a quick voice note to Shangguan Yao: I found Long Tao. I’m going to speak to him alone. I have the necklace. Keep your earpiece on and stay in contact—tell me if anything changes.
Through the fountain in the garden she saw Lu Sheng and Lu Qianzhou leaning over the water, talking. They hadn’t seen her. The two of them embraced as if they’d been apart for years; Lu Sheng held him with a bright, expansive smile, and Lu Qianzhou patted her back once, a brotherly gesture that looked utterly natural.
Lu Sheng turned and glanced in Yan Xia’s direction for a beat. She only saw a turned back, and lost herself again in the joy of reunion.
“You’re getting better-looking,” Lu Qianzhou teased.
Lu Sheng laughed, then grew slightly serious. “You really are good at hiding things. No one had any idea you’d be here tonight.”
She hesitated, worry flickering across her face as she studied him. “I was worried about you. When you came to see me last time, your mood was…off. Father said the girl is back. Have you managed to win her back?”
She didn’t know everything about Lu Qianzhou’s life—there were things he and their father never told her—so she only understood part of it. She wasn’t bothered by the fact that someone had once used her identity. She felt safe because she trusted that her brother and her father would never hurt her.
Lu Qianzhou gave a careful, half-smile. “Soon.”
“So not yet.” Lu Sheng’s eyes shone. “That girl who was sitting next to you earlier—was she the one?”
He looked a fraction surprised. Lu Sheng smiled and explained without pushing.
“I know you too well. You letting a woman sit beside you at an event like that is out of character. Besides, you forget: when someone likes another, they can’t help but let it show through their eyes. Look at hers…”
She didn’t need to say more. He understood.
“She seemed lovely and accomplished. Your standards are high—you don’t pick just anyone.”
Something clicked in Lu Qianzhou, and for once he echoed her with a rare openness. “Good taste.”
Lu Sheng let out a soft laugh that dissolved into a more serious expression. “So, has the misunderstanding between you two been cleared up?”
She was puzzled by the idea that a misunderstanding could separate two people who clearly cared about one another.
Lu Qianzhou’s voice dropped. “I want to see if I can reach my goal without telling her.”