CHAPTER 16
The city lights glowed like scattered stars against the dusk sky as Shi Yunxi stepped out of Starlight Entertainment's main building, her slender fingers adjusting the strap of her handbag while Lin Meixi followed closely behind her. The workday had been long—contracts to sign, schedules to arrange, photoshoots to approve—but Yunxi's expression remained calm, composed, untouched by exhaustion.
"Yunxi-jie, the director for Scarlet Moon Pavilion said the fitting for your costumes will be moved to tomorrow morning," Lin Meixi said as she tapped her tablet. "Also, Starlight's PR team wants you to approve your official introduction post before midnight."
"That's fine," Yunxi replied mildly. "Send the draft to my phone."
She walked toward the parking area, her steps light, graceful.
But just as she reached the edge of the pavement—
a low, sleek black luxury car rolled into the lot.
Even among expensive vehicles, this one stood out.
Cold. Dominating. Absolute.
Lin Meixi stiffened immediately.
"M-Miss Shi… isn't that car—"
Before she could finish, the car door opened.
And Mu Lingchen stepped out.
Tall, sharply defined, wearing a jet–black suit that emphasized his broad shoulders and long legs. His presence alone bent the atmosphere around him—stern, powerful, unapproachable.
The kind of man the world feared to offend.
His dark, unreadable eyes swept across the area, scanning with a quiet, chilling authority. Security guards straightened. Staff hurriedly bowed. Even pedestrians held their breath.
And then—
His gaze landed on her.
Shi Yunxi.
For a moment—just a heartbeat—his cold eyes paused. Something subtle flickered within them, like a distant recognition he couldn't fully grasp.
But he did not soften.
He did not change expression.
He merely watched her with the same calm dominance he used on the business world.
Yunxi blinked once, expression gentle but indifferent. She greeted him with the polite nod one would give a stranger of high status.
"President Mu."
Her voice was steady, composed.
Mu Lingchen didn't respond immediately. Instead, his gaze lowered slightly, briefly, to her lilac heels—then back to her face. An imperceptible frown formed, as if something about her presence tugged at a buried memory.
Lin Meixi felt her knees weaken.
This was Mu Lingchen—the man who dominated both the business headlines and the financial market. A man so feared that even CEOs bowed before him. Seeing her artiste speak to him with such calmness made her heart jump into her throat.
Finally, he spoke.
His voice was low, deep, cold enough to freeze the air.
"You work under Starlight."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
"Yes," Yunxi replied simply.
Mu Lingchen's eyes lingered on her face for a moment too long—long enough that even he felt something strange shift in his chest. A faint, unexplainable familiarity.
But he pushed it aside.
He didn't show emotions.
He never did.
"Starlight's chairman has requested a meeting," he said. "I came personally because I was nearby."
Nearby?
Lin Meixi almost choked.
Mu Lingchen's companies were across the city. He never came anywhere without a calculated reason.
Why was he here?
Before she could wonder more, a soft voice suddenly echoed from the other side of the car.
"Daddy…"
Mu Rui stepped out, holding a small snack bag in his hand.
The little boy's calm face looked almost identical to Mu Lingchen's—cold, noble, perfect features inherited without flaw. But his eyes…
Those soft peach-blossom eyes—
Were the same as Shi Yunxi's.
Yunxi froze.
Lin Meixi gasped softly.
Mu Rui's gaze drifted across the space—
and locked onto Yunxi.
His small fingers tightened instinctively.
His breath hitched.
And without meaning to—
His eyes softened.
"Pretty auntie…" he whispered.
Mu Lingchen looked down sharply.
"Mu Rui."
The boy straightened immediately but didn't look away from Yunxi. Something in him reached out, silently, like a child finding the warmth he'd been unknowingly searching for.
Yunxi felt her chest twist.
She didn't know him.
He didn't know her.
Yet a strange, aching familiarity spread through her heart.
Lin Meixi stared between them, breath caught.
The cold CEO.
The rising actress.
And the child that fate had tied between them without their knowledge.
Mu Lingchen broke the moment.
His voice quiet, deep.
"We're leaving."
He opened the car door, but Mu Rui lingered—glancing back at Yunxi again, his small lips pressing together.
Yunxi lowered herself slightly, meeting his eyes with a gentle smile that came naturally. Too naturally.
"Be careful on your way."
Mu Rui's ears turned pink.
Mu Lingchen watched this exchange with an unreadable expression.
For the first time in years, a ripple crossed his cold, still heart.
He didn't like it.
He didn't understand it.
He only turned away and said—
"Mu Rui. Now."
The boy climbed into the car reluctantly.
The door closed.
The engine ignited.
And as the car pulled away, Yunxi stood still beneath the streetlights, watching the dark vehicle disappear into the night—feeling something she couldn't name tighten inside her chest.
Something fate had started long before today.
Something that was beginning to wake.