As always, the dining room at Dragon Crest Manor looked very formal and grand. A huge, polished mahogany table stretched across the room, shining in the soft light of the crystal chandeliers. The sound of silverware clinking against fine porcelain and the smell of expertly cooked food filled the room. It might have looked like a quiet, dignified family life to someone who didn't know what was going on. But to Liang Chen, it felt more like a stage and every meal was a show.
It felt especially heavy tonight. Liang Chen sat up straight, with perfect posture and a carefully blank expression. He picked at his food, which was a tasty dish of braised abalone, but he wasn't thinking about how it tasted. His mind was a swirling mess of Horizon Tech's growing security problems, the never-ending online fights with CipherTruth, and the nagging feeling that someone in his own group was working against him. It felt like a high-stakes gamble to make every business decision and every personal connection.
His grandfather, Liang Zhong, was watching him from across the table with a look that, even though it was old, was still very sharp and penetrating. Liang Zhong was the head of the family and the man who had built Horizon Tech from the ground up. He was a giant whose will was unbreakable. He coughed softly, and in this quiet room, it made everyone pay attention right away.
"Liang Chen," his grandfather started, his voice calm and almost casual, but with an unmistakable air of authority. "Isn't your birthday coming up soon?" Twenty-five is an important age.
Liang Chen's fork stopped halfway to his plate. He knew what was going to happen. He had sensed this conversation coming like a storm cloud on the horizon. "Yes, Grandfather," he said, keeping his voice steady even though a cold knot was starting to form in his stomach. "It's next month."
Liang Zhong took a long sip of his tea, never taking his eyes off Liang Chen's face. "And with twenty-five, you have to take care of things. And a chance. The issue of your position. The business needs strong leaders and a bright future. He stopped and let the words hang in the air, heavy with unspoken hopes. "And of course, the condition I set. The wedding. To keep your job and that extra twenty percent."
The words were soft, but they hit hard. The state. The marriage. The 20%. It wasn't just about becoming president; it was also about making his power stronger and getting that important 20% share that would make him truly untouchable and make sure that Horizon Tech's future was safe under his vision. He would still be losing to his ambitious cousins and the endless power struggles within the company that drained his energy and kept him from really leading the company.
Liang Chen felt a lot of pressure, almost too much. It wasn't just what his grandfather said; it was the tension in the room that was making everyone else uncomfortable. He could feel the sharp, hungry eyes on him.
His mother, Wang Xiu, was sitting a few seats down, perfectly calm, and her eyes were already shining with a calculating gleam. He knew, with a heaviness in his shoulders, that this was her cue to leave. She would now work ten times harder. She would already be mentally going through the most eligible daughters in society, thinking about big, strategic alliances, planning fancy dinners and introductions. For Wang Xiu, this wasn't about love or happiness; it was about power, status, and making sure her son (and by extension, herself) was at the very top of society. He could almost hear the wheels turning in her head as she made plans to find him the "perfect" match, someone who would give him more political power than warmth. He was deeply, tiredly resigned to the thought of it.
Then there were his cousins. Liang Zixin, who was sitting closer to him, was pretending to be focused on his food, but Liang Chen could feel his cousin's sharp, sideways glances. Zixin, a director at a Horizon Tech subsidiary, was always looking for a way to get ahead and hoping Liang Chen would mess up. He wanted to be president so badly that he would jump at any sign of weakness or failure to meet the grandfather's condition. People around Zixin were so excited that they could almost hear the air humming with it. They wanted Liang Chen to fail.
Liang Zhe, who was currently living abroad, felt like a ghost at the table. Liang Chen knew that Zhe, the "most evil" of the cousins, was probably keeping an eye on everything that happened at Dragon Crest Manor. Zhe was smart, cold-blooded, and willing to do anything to get what he wanted. He wouldn't just watch; he would be making plans and pulling strings from a distance. He might even be hoping that this marriage condition would somehow backfire on Liang Chen. Liang Chen's life was always haunted by the thought of Zhe's hidden manipulations.
Liang Chen gave a polite nod that was only a little bit. "I get it, Grandfather." I'll make sure it gets taken care of. The words sounded empty, like a promise he didn't know how to keep. How could Liang Chen find a wife—an actual wife, not just a pawn in a business game—when he was already busy with fights and threats? Adding a forced, loveless marriage to his already too many problems felt like a cruel joke.
His throat felt dry as he swallowed. He looked around the table and saw the faces that were waiting and the eyes that were calculating. No way out. This wasn't just a suggestion; it was a command, a law. The stakes were very high; if he failed, he would not only lose the presidency, but his life's work, Horizon Tech, could end up in the hands of people who were less skilled and more ambitious.
He felt a deep sense of isolation wash over him. Who could he talk to about this? Wu Tianyu, his trusted secretary, was great at keeping track of his schedule and business, but this was too personal and too tied up with family. Xu Zemin, his loyal bodyguard, was there to keep him safe, not to help him with his feelings. Even his friends Zhang Ming and Kang Hao, who lived at Moonlit Gardens, didn't really understand the complicated power dynamics in his family.
He felt like he was stuck. He was caught between the never-ending demands of his grandfather, the sneaky plans of his mother, and the predatory goals of his cousins. The marriage condition wasn't just a hurdle to overcome; it was a major change that required a personal sacrifice for the good of the company. As the dinner conversation slowly changed to less serious topics, Liang Chen stayed lost in his thoughts. The weight of expectation was heavy and unyielding on him, a silent promise of a future he hadn't chosen for himself. He knew that things were going to get even harder, more complicated, and more dangerous in his world.