The Empires Shadow
456 Words
Episode 10 – “The Empire’s Shadow”
The morning sunlight barely reached Li Xue’s office. She hadn’t slept properly in three nights. Emails stacked like towers, contracts sprawled across the desk, phone buzzing endlessly. Her assistant, exhausted too, whispered, “Ms. Li… maybe take a short break?”
Li Xue waved her off without looking up. “No time. Meetings. Calls. Decisions. Everything waits for no one.”
Her pen slipped mid-signature. She caught herself—but only barely. A wave of dizziness hit her chest.
Not now… I can’t…
Her vision blurred. Papers fell around her like snow. She gritted her teeth and sat back, heart pounding, hands trembling.
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Her phone rang insistently. It was her mother.
“Xue… we arranged for you to meet someone. Please, just an hour. For me?”
Li Xue pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t have time.”
Another wave of dizziness hit. She swayed slightly, clutching the edge of the desk.
At that moment, the door opened. A young man stepped in—tall, calm, and with a warmth that cut through the sterile office.
“Miss Li Xue?” His voice was steady but kind. “I’m… the boy your parents wanted you to meet.”
Li Xue looked up, startled, her exhaustion mingling with irritation. “I don’t have the time to see anyone,” she said, her voice flat, rehearsed.
He smiled, undeterred. “I’ll make it simple. Just ten minutes. If you don’t like me, I leave. No fuss, no follow-up.”
Something in his calmness… it was different. Not demanding, not fawning, not awed by her empire. Just… steady.
Before she could answer, her body finally betrayed her. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the couch, papers tumbling around her.
The young man was at her side instantly. “Miss Li! Are you alright?”
Li Xue’s eyes fluttered open, barely able to lift her head. This… is what they mean by cost…
Hui Ying’s voice echoed in her memory: “Xue, you’re killing yourself!”
But she was too proud to admit weakness. She sat up shakily, trying to straighten her suit, brushing off concern.
“I… I’m fine,” she whispered. But even she knew it was a lie.
The young man studied her for a moment, unshaken. “If this is how you run your empire… I can only imagine what it cost you to get here. You need someone who respects that… and maybe reminds you there’s more to life than work.”
Li Xue blinked, startled by his words. She didn’t respond. She didn’t have the energy. But something stirred—a faint, unfamiliar tug at the edges of her icy heart.
- Writer
