The room was silent.
Leng Qingxue and the boy before her stood at a slight distance, their gazes locked.
It had been years, yet nothing had changed between them.
The boy—no, the young man—was Gu Zeyan. The heir of the Gu family. The childhood sweetheart who had, despite the years apart, never once let his gaze stray from her.
His dark obsidian eyes, cold to the world yet holding an unmistakable warmth for her, never wavered as he stepped forward.
"Xiao Xue," he said, his voice deep and steady.
The way he said it—like a quiet claim—made her brothers tense.
Leng Qiuhan's silver-blue gaze turned sharp. "Gu Zeyan."
A faint smirk tugged at Zeyan's lips. "Qiuhan."
Neither looked away, a silent clash of dominance passing between them.
The rest of the Leng brothers stood nearby, their presence looming. Leng Zhaoyan's cold stare was unreadable, while Haoyu merely raised a brow, intrigued but silent. Leng Yichen's usual playful aura was absent, and Jiuhan, though the youngest, watched Zeyan with an unsettling stillness.
It was a silent warning.
Yet Zeyan wasn't fazed.
His attention never strayed from Qingxue.
She remained composed, her expression unreadable as she studied him. "You've changed."
Zeyan tilted his head slightly. "So have you."
Jiang Yuixen's voice interrupted the moment, smooth yet sharp. "It has been some time, Zeyan. You've grown well."
He finally looked away from Qingxue to nod politely. "Madam Leng, Uncle Leng."
Leng Zhen merely hummed in acknowledgment, his sharp gaze assessing the young man before him. "You've done well managing your family's business while your father was away. The Gu family remains untouchable under your leadership."
Zeyan accepted the words with a quiet confidence. "I was taught well."
Jiang Yuixen smiled faintly, but there was an edge to it. "And yet, despite your responsibilities, you found time to come here personally."
The unspoken words were clear: You came for Qingxue.
Zeyan didn't deny it. Instead, his dark eyes flickered back to the girl who had remained silent throughout the exchange. "Is that surprising?"
Before Jiang Yuixen could respond, a new voice cut through the air.
"Ah, Young Master Gu."
The slow, calculated tone belonged to none other than Leng Ruolan.
She entered with a practiced grace, wearing a soft, almost demure smile.
Her eyes, however, burned with something else entirely as they flickered between Qingxue and Zeyan.
"Imagine my surprise when I heard you'd be visiting."
Zeyan barely spared her a glance. "It wasn't meant to be surprising."
Ruolan's smile twitched ever so slightly.
But she recovered quickly, her voice light as she stepped closer. "It's been years, hasn't it? You've grown even more distinguished."
She moved as if she belonged next to him. As if her presence was natural.
Yet the moment she reached for Zeyan's arm, he stepped back.
The rejection was swift. Effortless.
He didn't even spare her another look.
Instead, he turned back to Qingxue.
Ruolan's hands curled slightly, but she kept her smile.
Qiuhan, who had remained quiet, finally spoke. "If this reunion is over, we should proceed with the real reason for today's meeting."
Zeyan's smirk was subtle but knowing. "Of course."
But even as they moved to sit, Qingxue knew it wouldn't be so simple.
Because Ruolan's storm had only just begun.