The Li family's charity gala was nothing short of a royal affair.
The venue, a luxurious grand ballroom lit with cascading crystal chandeliers, buzzed with the glitter of the capital's elite. High society floated in like butterflies, men in tailored suits, women in dazzling gowns, and voices dripping with feigned politeness and carefully constructed power games.
I arrived fashionably late.
The moment I stepped in, the noise around me seemed to dim. Heads turned. Conversations paused.
The Xiao heiress had returned.
Draped in a black velvet gown, with silver embellishments that caught the light like stars, I walked with slow confidence, my gaze steady, even though my heart was beating like a frightened rabbit.
Butler Bu followed discreetly at a distance, keeping watch like a loyal shadow.
I scanned the crowd, eyes sharp, searching. I didn't have to look for long.
Because he found me first.
Standing at the top of the curved marble staircase, Li Ziyang descended slowly, dressed in a midnight blue suit, his presence commanding, magnetic, and dangerous.
And his eyes...
They locked on mine as if they had been searching for me in every lifetime.
The moment our gazes met, I felt it, a flicker of recognition.
Not the kind you give a stranger you've seen before.
No.
It was the kind of look that screamed: I know you. I remember you. And you don't belong here.
He reached me within seconds, his voice calm but curious. "Xiao Xinya."
I tilted my head, offering a serene smile. "Li Ziyang. It's been a while."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "You've changed."
I took a sip of champagne, calm on the outside, but inside, I was trying not to scream. He noticed. He noticed something's different.
"Well," I said lightly, "people change."
"But not their eyes," he replied, stepping closer. "And yours… they used to be hollow. Now they're full of fire."
That shut me up.
He was watching me carefully. Intently. Too intently.
I tried to deflect. "And you? Still the same cold, calculating heir everyone warns about?"
He smirked. "Not always. Depends who I'm talking to."
Before I could respond, a voice called from behind him.
"Brother Ziyang, come meet my father!"
A young woman clung to his arm with forced intimacy, batting her lashes. Probably a socialite trying to tie herself to the Li legacy.
He didn't even flinch.
"I'm busy," he said, eyes still on me.
The girl pouted, embarrassed, and left with a huff.
I let out a soft laugh. "Still rejecting women like swatting flies?"
He leaned closer, and for the first time, his voice softened.
"You're not a fly, Xinya."
My breath hitched.
Was he flirting? Or… remembering?
I couldn't tell.
But before I could ask, someone else interrupted.
"Miss Xiao! What a surprise to see you here."
I turned to see a middle-aged man, CEO of a media conglomerate. The sudden attention drew others in, and before long, I was surrounded by people smiling too wide, asking too much, probing too deep.
I glanced at Li Ziyang again. He was gone.
Later that evening, I found him on the rooftop terrace, alone, gazing at the moon.
"I thought you'd left," I said, approaching.
"I don't leave unfinished puzzles," he replied without turning.
I raised a brow. "So I'm a puzzle now?"
He finally looked at me. "You were always an enigma. Even when we were younger."
I stepped closer. "What happened between us back then?"
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned to face me completely.
"You changed after that accident. It was like you forgot everything, even me."
My heart stopped.
Accident.
That was it. The gap in the memories I had received from Xiao Xinya, the blank space.
He stepped even closer now, close enough that I could feel his warmth. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I thought I lost you. But now... I'm not sure who you are."
I froze.
He knew.
He didn't know exactly, but he sensed it.
I forced a smile. "I'm still me. Just… remembering who I really am."
"Is that so?" he said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "Then why does it feel like you're someone else entirely?"
I didn't reply.
I couldn't.
Because in that moment, I wasn't sure if I was Xiao Xinya… or the girl who once loved reading novels and fell asleep dreaming of another world.