The soft clatter of chopsticks and the scent of freshly steamed dumplings filled the living room as Elara, Mae, and her uncle gathered around the dinner table. The atmosphere was warm and unhurried, a rare kind of peace in their whirlwind lives. Elara had set the table while her mother finished preparing the dishes, and now they all sat cozily, laughing at a small joke Mae had made.
Her uncle, Jianyu, leaned back in his chair, chopsticks in hand. "I still can't believe it. You own a perfume brand now. You two look like you stepped out of a luxury magazine spread."
Mae chuckled softly, her eyes glowing with warmth. "All thanks to this young woman here. I would never have imagined this life."
Elara gave a small smile, her expression composed as always, but her heart warmed at their genuine appreciation.
"Honestly," Jianyu continued, "I'm proud. And grateful. I was in a pretty dark place before I got here. You both pulled me out."
"You're family," Elara said simply. "That's what we do."
---
**Meanwhile, in Zhonghai City—Headquarters of the Longwei Financial Consortium**
Inside a skyscraper that pierced the clouds, the temperature in the meeting room could have frozen fire.
Lu Zeyan, CEO of the Longwei Consortium, sat at the head of a vast obsidian conference table. His suit was sharp, his gaze sharper. The room was filled with top executives, all tense, all silent.
"We've been tracking an operative who goes by the alias 'ShadowBelle'," one of the cyber division heads reported. "She's been completing high-difficulty assignments through the Hacker's Alliance. But for the past two weeks, there's been no activity."
Lu Zeyan's fingers tapped once against the table. "Reasons?"
"No breach, no death flags. She's likely alive, just... dormant."
He narrowed his eyes. "Dormant operatives are either preparing for a large move or have shifted allegiances. Find out which."
"Yes, sir."
A knock came at the door. His secretary stepped in with a tray of reports and tea. As she approached, Lu Zeyan's expression shifted subtly. His brows furrowed. "What's that scent?"
The secretary paused, blinking. "Scent, sir?"
He tilted his head slightly. "You're wearing perfume. It's new. Soft notes of plum blossom and spring water... but there's an underlying trace of white sandalwood and Baizhi. Unique."
The secretary flushed slightly. "Ah! My sister bought it recently. She insisted I try it. Said it was from a new boutique—Scentra, I think."
Lu Zeyan went silent, not because he believed in coincidence—he never did—but because curiosity stirred in his calculated mind. That kind of olfactory blend wasn't common, and certainly not mass-produced. It was distinctive.
"Find out everything about that store. Who owns it. Where the ingredients are sourced. And who the perfumer is."
"Yes, sir."
Back in Elara's home, Jianyu sat beside her, his eyes lighting up as they stared at the monitor. The interface of their game prototype was sleek, minimalist, and surprisingly elegant for something still in development.
"You call this a *basic* framework?" Jianyu said with a laugh. "This is three years ahead of the industry. We could blow up the indie market."
Elara leaned forward. "It still needs testing. But we're close."
They had named the game **X\_Heroes**—a tactical RPG with advanced AI, customizable skill trees, and branching narratives. Unlike the generic templates flooding the market, this one allowed characters to evolve in real time, forming alliances and grudges based on actual player choices.
"I've set up a secure server environment for it," Elara said. "We'll launch it at home first. No budget for fancy cloud hosting yet."
Jianyu nodded. "And marketing?"
Elara smirked. "I've got that covered."
She opened her laptop and began deploying a soft marketing campaign through niche gamer forums and early access networks. By the time they were done, she had scheduled live beta invitations to streamers and reviewers from three different regions.
"It's up," she announced. "Let's see how the world reacts."
Jianyu exhaled slowly, a spark of hope in his gaze. "You're... something else, Elara."
"I've got plans," she replied. "And this is just the beginning."
---
In Zhonghai, Lu Zeyan received the report the next morning.
"Owner and founder: Elara Ma. Small boutique, explosive product reviews. But her digital footprint is... suspiciously light."
Lu Zeyan leaned back in his chair his brows furrowed
His lips curled into a cold smile.
Scentra interesting