Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 173; Making the first step (c)

Located at the corner of the executive floor, it commanded attention through sheer architectural presence.

Floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls offered panoramic views of the city sprawling below, the financial district’s gleaming towers to the east, the river’s silver ribbon to the south, and the industrial zones hazed with distance to the west.

The afternoon sun slanted through the glass, casting geometric patterns across polished marble floors.

The space was large, not quite as expansive as Lu Zeyan’s presidential suite, but substantial enough to make a statement about the importance of whoever occupied it.

The furniture was expensive in that understated way that screamed serious money: a massive desk of dark wood that looked like it had been carved from a single tree, leather chairs that probably cost more than most people’s monthly salaries, a conference table that could seat eight comfortably, and built-in shelving that lined one wall from floor to ceiling.

It had been cleaned recently but still carried the lingering ghost of its previous occupant—a faint smell of old coffee and expensive cologne, the slight indentation in the leather desk chair where someone had sat for years, a forgotten pen holder still bearing the initials "L.W."

"It’ll do," Shuyin said, walking in and immediately claiming the space with her presence.

The transformation was subtle but unmistakable.

The moment she crossed the threshold, the office stopped being a vacant room waiting for new occupancy and became hers, her territory, her power base, her command center, and a place where she would craft every strategy to bring down those who’d destroyed her. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Of course, except for Lu Yuze.

He was still her husband.

She instinctively gazed at the ring on her finger and unknowingly smiled, a softness crossing her features that hadn’t been there moments before.

At that precise moment, Lu Zeyan caught her.

His eyes tracked from her face to the ring, and something dark flickered across his expression, jealousy, confusion, possessiveness all tangled together.

"Shuyin, our engagement still stands," he said, his voice carrying an edge that suggested he was trying to convince himself as much as her. "We haven’t broken up, and on social media platforms, we are still the golden couple who could be getting back together. You can get rid of that ring, and I’ll find you a better one."

He stared at the band on her finger with an intensity that bordered on obsessive.

There was nothing objectively wrong with the ring, it was understated, almost plain compared to the ostentatious jewelry he would have chosen, but something about it made his skin crawl.

It looked cheap at first glance, yet somehow felt priceless in a way he couldn’t articulate.

Shuyin’s smile vanished as if it had never existed.

Cold fury settled over her features like frost creeping across glass, transforming her face into something beautiful and terrifying all at once.

"Our engagement?" She turned to face him fully, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that somehow carried more weight than any shout. "You threw me away like garbage even before I went to prison, Zeyan. You hid away and then watched them drag me away without saying a single word."

"I had no choice...."

"There’s always a choice!"

Her voice rose sharp enough to make Chen Xiao flinch instinctively, and Yuyan immediately pulled the child closer, her arms wrapping around him protectively.

"You made yours. I’ve made mine."

Lu Zeyan stepped deeper into the office, his jaw tightening as wounded pride warred with whatever remained of his feelings for her.

"I was protecting the company, protecting us...."

"Us?"

"From who?"

"You or me?"

Shuyin’s laugh was bitter and cutting, the sound of something that had once been soft turning sharp and weaponized. Through the original owner’s memories, she felt bad and sad for her. She didn’t deserve any of this!

"There is no us. There hasn’t been for a long time."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

Before she could say more, before she could step away, Lu Zeyan closed the distance between them in three quick strides.

His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around hers with desperate urgency as he tried to twist the ring off her finger.

"Then why are you still wearing a ring?" His voice cracked slightly, betraying emotions he probably didn’t want to show. "Who gave you this...."

The ring wouldn’t budge.

It sat on her finger as if it had always been there, as if it had grown from her very flesh, refusing to move even a millimeter despite his increasingly frantic attempts.

He tried again, harder this time, his grip tightening until it had to hurt, twisting with enough force that her skin should have torn.

Shuyin’s eyes went ice cold.

Something shifted in her expression, something ancient and predatory that looked out through human eyes and found the scene before it offensive.

SLAP!

The sound cracked through the office like a gunshot, sharp and unmistakable.

Lu Zeyan’s head snapped to the side, his cheek blooming red where her palm had connected with enough force to leave a perfect handprint.

For a moment, he just stood there, stunned, one hand still gripping hers, the other flying up to his face as if he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.

"How dare you...." he started to turn back, reaching for her again, his free hand rising as if he could somehow reestablish control through physical dominance.

SLAP!

The second hit landed even harder, this time on the other cheek, creating a matching red mark that would definitely bruise by evening.

Tank and Blade both moved forward instinctively, their bodies shifting into protective stances, but Ting Fei raised one hand in a subtle gesture that froze them mid-step.

This was Shuyin’s fight.

They were merely witnesses.

Lu Zeyan’s eyes blazed with shock and anger, his face now bearing matching handprints like some bizarre tribal marking.

"Shuyin, I’m trying to...."

SLAP!

The third slap was delivered with such force that Lu Zeyan actually stumbled back a step, his hand finally releasing hers as he brought both hands up to his face instinctively.