Greeting
888 Words
The banquet hall fell into silence.
All eyes locked onto one figure.
Su Mengning.
Unlike Su Qingying’s striking beauty,
She radiated a quiet, celestial purity.
Like the first light of dawn, untouched and pristine.
Draped in a silver-white gown,
Her skin glowed like polished jade,
And under the warm light—
She seemed almost ethereal.
For a moment—
Time stood still.
The governor, the officials, the aristocrats—
Even the rival socialites—
Fell into a stunned silence.
Su Mingshuo’s brows tensed.
He had overlooked something.
His youngest daughter—
Knew nothing of these social games.
She had never interacted with men of this caliber.
Would she—
Offend Shen Chen?
Su Qingying’s Amusement
Su Qingying’s nails lightly tapped against her palm.
A surge of mocking delight bubbled inside her.
"Oh, my dear little sister…"
"You still think men will grovel at your feet?"
"You’re about to make the biggest mistake of your life."
She could already picture it—
Su Mengning standing awkwardly silent,
While Shen Chen’s expression cooled into indifference.
It would be glorious.
The shame, the embarrassment—
And finally, the realization that Su Mengning’s charm meant nothing here.
The Socialites’ Expectations
Across the hall, aristocratic daughters exchanged knowing glances.
Jealousy burned in their eyes.
"Su Mengning… You think you’re special, don’t you?"
"You think the world revolves around your face?"
"We’ve waited for this moment…"
"The moment you fall."
Because no matter how beautiful she was—
This was Shen Chen.
The heir to the Shen Family.
The unrivaled prince of the Empire.
A man who dictated the fates of nations and cities.
If Su Mengning dared to act cold,
If she thought she could play hard to get—
She would be publicly humiliated.
The moment stretched—
All waiting for the disaster to unfold.
A Memory From the Apocalypse
But at that moment—
Su Mengning stared into Shen Chen’s eyes.
And suddenly—
She was no longer in the banquet hall.
She was back in the apocalypse.
She saw him again.
For the first time since the world burned.
When her family fell…
When she wandered the wasteland,
When she hid in a lawless, forsaken city…
And then, they came.
A Fifth-Tier Monstrosity—
A One-Eyed Fiend.
A nightmare beyond human reckoning.
It descended upon the city,
And in a single motion,
Tore through the so-called Lord of Darkness,
An overlord feared for his merciless reign.
The city fell into chaos.
People screamed, begged, fled for their lives.
Su Mengning closed her eyes,
Bracing for death.
But then—
Light pierced the darkness.
She looked up—
And saw him.
Shen Chen.
Standing in the sky,
Bathed in radiant white light,
Like a mythic god of war.
His presence alone—
Sent the monster into a trembling frenzy.
In mere seconds,
The beast was slain.
Its blackened crystal core lifted into Shen Chen’s hand.
And then, without a word,
He vanished into the horizon.
Never once—
Did he look at them.
Never once—
Did he acknowledge the thousands he saved.
Yet the survivors wept in joy.
"It’s the Eternal God-King!"
"Shen Chen, ruler of Free City!"
"He came! He saved us!"
"Praise the Eternal God-King!"
"We are saved! We are saved!"
The cheers thundered.
Yet Su Mengning felt nothing.
Only an aching void in her chest.
That day—
She had realized her mistake.
"I should have never let him go."
"I should have never given up my place."
"I should have stayed at his side."
"I… I should have belonged to him."
Every night since then,
She had drowned in regret and self-loathing.
Until she died, nameless and forgotten.
But now—
She had been given another chance.
A Single Moment
All of this flashed through her mind in mere seconds.
When she came back to the present,
She blinked, her vision misty with unshed tears.
The hall was still waiting.
Everyone was watching her.
Her father, her sister, the officials, the aristocrats—
And Shen Chen himself.
The Unexpected Response
Then—
She smiled.
A smile so pure, so breathtaking,
That every young man in the room forgot to breathe.
She stepped forward.
Her crystal-clear eyes met Shen Chen’s gaze directly.
"Shen Chen Shaoye…"
Her voice was soft, yet carried a quiet strength.
"My name is Su Mengning."
She lowered her gaze slightly—
Not in submission,
But in genuine reverence.
"I am honored… truly honored… to meet you here."
The banquet hall froze.
Not a single sneer.
Not a single mockery.
Even Su Qingying felt a slight tremor in her chest.
This was not the naive, clueless girl she remembered.
This was someone different.
And Shen Chen?
He simply watched her,
Expression unreadable.
Then, ever so slightly—
His lips curved upward.
And he spoke just one word.
"Likewise."
- Writer
