The Zhao family estate glowed like a palace under the evening lights.
Golden lanterns swayed softly in the breeze, and the courtyard was filled with laughter as the Lian and Zhao families dined together for the first time since the engagement.
Lian Yue sat beside Rian Zhao at the long table, calm and elegant in her ivory gown.
Across from her, Rian's parents watched approvingly, their eyes filled with pride.
The conversation was smooth — talk of business, alliances, and future prospects — until a commotion broke out at the gate.
A servant rushed in, whispering to Chairman Zhao. His brows furrowed.
"There's… someone insisting to see Miss Lian Yue," he said quietly.
Before Yue could respond, the door opened — and Wei Jun strode in, Lin Xinya clinging to his arm.
The cheerful hum of the dinner died instantly.
Rian Zhao's expression darkened like a gathering storm. "Who allowed them in?"
Wei Jun ignored him, his gaze fixed on Yue. "I had to come. I couldn't stay quiet anymore."
"Mr. Wei," Chairman Lian said sharply, "this isn't the place—"
But Wei Jun slammed a stack of folded papers on the table. "Before she fools you all completely, you should see this."
The room froze.
He opened one of the letters — aged, delicate paper, written in Yue's handwriting.
> 'I'll always love you, no matter what happens. You're the only one I want, Wei Jun.'
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Lin Xinya stepped forward, her eyes gleaming. "She wrote that to him last year. And now she's pretending to love someone else. Rian Zhao, you're being used."
Rian's jaw tightened. He glanced at Yue — her face was unreadable, calm, but her eyes glimmered like cold glass.
"Wei Jun," she said softly, "you've really lost your shame, haven't you?"
He sneered. "You think everyone's forgotten how you chased after me? How you begged—"
Before he could finish, Rian Zhao stood. The air seemed to shift with his movement — sharp, commanding, dangerous.
"That's enough," he said coldly. "You come into my family's home, uninvited, and try to humiliate my fiancée in front of her parents?"
Wei Jun laughed bitterly. "She's playing you, Zhao. She's still in love with me!"
Rian's eyes narrowed. "Then tell me—why is she standing beside me now? Why did she choose me instead of you?"
Wei Jun opened his mouth, but no sound came.
Rian stepped closer, his tone icy. "You think a letter from the past changes what she is now? Pathetic."
He turned to Yue. "Do you regret it?"
She met his gaze steadily. "No. Not one bit."
A faint smile curved on his lips — the smallest crack in his cold composure. "Then it's settled."
He picked up the letter and dropped it into a candle flame. The paper curled, turned black, and vanished into ash.
Gasps filled the room, but Rian's voice stayed calm.
"She's my fiancée. And if anyone dares question that again—"
He turned his eyes on Wei Jun and Lin Xinya — dark, deadly, unyielding.
> "—you'll be dealing with me."
Lin Xinya trembled under his gaze, her smug smile disappearing.
Wei Jun clenched his fists, humiliated, before storming out with Lin behind him.
---
After the tension faded, Rian's mother sighed softly. "What a scene."
Yue bowed slightly to both families. "I apologize for the disturbance."
Chairman Zhao shook his head. "Not your fault, Miss Lian. Some people can't let go of what's already lost."
Her father nodded in silent approval.
When the dinner ended and they stepped outside, the cool night air wrapped around them.
Rian walked beside her quietly, hands in his pockets. "You didn't flinch back there."
"I've been embarrassed before," Yue said lightly. "But never twice for the same mistake."
He gave a low chuckle — rare and genuine. "Good. Because next time, I might not let them walk away so easily."
She glanced up at him. "Next time?"
He smiled faintly. "People like them always try again."
For the first time, she smiled too — not cold, but real.
> And somewhere deep inside, she realized she wasn't fighting alone anymore.