Volume One, Chapter Six: He Had a Dream

[Engagement Fails! Lou Shao Cancels the Betrothal]
[Earth-Shattering Upheaval! Lou Shao Turns Against the Engagement on the Eve of the Ceremony]
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A string of trending headlines, each marked with a fiery red "explosive" label.
One could almost guess the content without clicking.
Sang Wan unlocked her phone and tapped in.
The news cover showed a breathtakingly beautiful yet empty banquet hall.
The Imperial Capital Grand Hotel had been reserved long in advance; luxury cars from around the world filled the grounds and three levels of underground parking, as if for an auto exhibition.
Yet every guest was stopped in the first-floor lobby.
The scene was utter chaos.
Today was the engagement party for Lou Ye and Miss Six of the Shao family from Hong Kong.
One was the crown prince of the capital’s elite.
The other, granddaughter of the gambling king.
From the moment news broke six months ago that the Lou and Shao families would unite through marriage, this engagement was the event of the century, drawing unprecedented attention.
Every other day, reports from the engagement site would appear among the trending topics.
Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine champagne roses airlifted from Paris.
An engagement gown crafted by Milan’s top designer.
And a proposal ring set with a 19.99-carat diamond as dazzling as a dove’s egg.
All was ready.
Everything waited for today.
No one expected the engagement to be canceled without warning.
Even the media seemed caught off guard.
Shots from every angle showed the same shock and incomprehension.
Upstairs in the presidential suite of the Imperial Capital Grand Hotel, the atmosphere was heavy.
The bedroom door was closed, muting any sounds within.
In the living room, three men—one old, one middle-aged, one young—stood at an impasse.
Lou Ye, the youngest, lounged carelessly in a single armchair, his posture the most unrestrained.
Yet at a glance, the eye was drawn first to him; the aura he exuded was impossible to ignore.
At the head of the sofa sat Old Master Lou in a brown Tang jacket, glaring angrily at Lou Ye. “Is marriage a child’s game? This marriage, you agreed to it from the beginning. If you had objections, you could have said so earlier, and things might have turned out differently. Now you’ve let it come to this—how can you face the Shao family, or Miss Shao?”
Lou Ye rubbed the bruise at the corner of his mouth.
That was Shao Wanying’s elder brother, Shao Xingzhou, who had punched him in a fit of rage after Lou Ye called off the engagement.

He knew he had handled this badly.
And he accepted responsibility.
“Grandfather, I’ve already apologized to Uncle Shao… This is my fault. I’ll offer two percent of my shares in Lou Corporation as compensation to Miss Shao, as a token of my regret.”
“As for the media, let them put all the blame on me. Say that… I, Lou Ye, am reckless and incorrigible, unworthy of Miss Shao.”
“Uncle Shao has already agreed. Grandfather, please calm down!”
At these words, both Old Master Lou and Shao Xingzhou stared at Lou Ye in surprise.
Old Master Lou couldn’t make sense of it.
Everything was fine just yesterday.
He had told Lou Ye that after the engagement, he should treat Miss Shao well, and once feelings developed, marriage could be discussed.
By then, Lou Corporation and all the Lou family’s assets in his hands would be safely entrusted to Lou Ye.
Lou Ye had agreed.
Yet overnight, without the slightest warning or even a word to him, he had called off the engagement?
And the Shao family had agreed???
Shao Xingzhou was so shocked he nearly jumped up.
If not for his father, Shao Zheng’an, being just steps away in the adjacent bedroom, he would have suspected Lou Ye was lying.
How could his father possibly consent?
In Hong Kong’s circles, everyone said it was better to cross the King of Hell than to offend Second Master Shao.
In both business and the underworld, Shao Zheng’an had countless ways to ruin or destroy anyone who offended the Shao family.
To be jilted on the day of the engagement—and with his favorite daughter, no less—if it were anyone else, Shao Zheng’an would have drawn his gun on the spot.
But Lou Ye had managed to persuade him so easily?
And he actually agreed, letting Lou Ye go just like that?
How was this possible?
Staring at Lou Ye’s handsome, arrogant face, Shao Xingzhou grew increasingly incensed, wishing he could pounce again and thrash him soundly.
But seeing the bruise at Lou Ye’s mouth, Shao Xingzhou held back.
In terms of family and connections, the Lou and Shao families were evenly matched.
But in Lou Ye’s generation, several outstanding heirs had emerged, and the family’s momentum was strong.
The Shao family, by contrast, was beset by internal conflict, with the aging patriarch and many children from multiple wives vying for position.
Looking just at the next few years, the Lou family already outpaced the Shaos.
That he’d even landed a punch was already Lou Ye giving face to Shao Wanying and the Shao family.
“I’ve long heard the capital’s crown prince is arrogant and lawless. Today, I see it for myself… Lou Ye, you’d best pray you don’t cross my path again!”
With that harsh warning, Shao Xingzhou rose, face dark as thunder, and went into the bedroom.

Within, the silence was suffocating.
By the dressing table, Shao Wanying sat in an ivory designer gown, her eyes rimmed red yet stubbornly refusing to shed tears.
Clutching a powder compact in her palm, she’d broken two carefully manicured fingers in her agitation.
Beside her, Madam Shao gently stroked her daughter’s back, cursing bitterly, “So what if the Lou family has power in the capital? The Shao family is no less! Lou Ye is clearly out to disgrace us—if I…”
“Enough!”
From the sofa by the full-length window, Shao Zheng’an, brow furrowed, stood and walked to the glass.
Four or five hours had passed, and the lobby downstairs was still crowded with reporters hungry for a scoop.
Seeing the sky darkening, Shao Zheng’an said in a low voice, “Lou Ye has arranged a helicopter to take us back to Hong Kong. From now on, no one is to mention this matter again!”
“Zheng’an!”
“Dad!”
“Father!”
Three voices protested in unison. Shao Zheng’an glanced at his shocked wife and children, his gaze finally settling on Shao Wanying. “Wanying, two percent of Lou Corporation’s shares is enough for you to stand above your siblings in the Shao family. This is better than marrying Lou Ye, don’t you agree?”
The Shao family was a century-old house in Hong Kong, with deep roots.
But the elderly patriarch had yet to name an heir.
With four wives and many children, even Shao Zheng’an didn’t know how much he would inherit after his father’s passing—let alone what his children would receive.
Marrying into the Lou family had been a step up for him.
In the end, the marriage didn’t go through, but the two percent of Lou Corporation’s shares that Lou Ye offered was his greatest leverage.
“Wanying, I’ve competed with your uncle for most of my life. Of this generation, Grandfather values your elder brother and your brother most. With Lou Ye as your strongest ally, the future of the Shao family is far from certain. What do you think?”
Shao Wanying’s expression softened.
If she thrived, so would her father’s branch of the family. After Grandfather was gone, the odds of the Shao family falling to her father and brother increased greatly.
To remain the Sixth Miss of the Shao family, or to become its future matriarch—the answer was clear.
“Father, I understand.”
Shao Wanying nodded, then gazed at her reflection in the mirror, a flash of stubbornness in her eyes. “I just want to know—why didn’t he break it off sooner or later, but chose today of all days…”
Everyone in Hong Kong’s circles knew she was to be the young mistress of the Lou family.
Even if Lou Ye shouldered the disgrace in the end, she would not escape unscathed.
She knew she was second to none in looks and ability, and could not fathom why Lou Ye would humiliate her so.
“He said he had a dream last night…”
A trace of embarrassment flitted across Shao Zheng’an’s face.