His Treasure

Separate paths

The campus of **Beijing Imperial Arts University** was alive with the energy of new students. Zhi Rho adjusted the strap of her bag, her fingers brushing against the acceptance letter she had worked so hard for.

*"Finally,"* she whispered to herself.

*"Freedom."*

Her family had wanted her to study business, to take her place in the corporate empire. But art had always been her escape-her rebellion.

As she walked through the grand arches of the university, she felt a thrill of independence. No more stifling boardrooms, no more forced smiles at high-society events.

**"Hey! You're in the wrong line!"**

Zhi Rho turned to see a girl with bright pink streaks in her hair waving at her.

*"What?"*

*"Fine Arts registration is over there,

"* the girl said, grinning.

*"Unless you're secretly a Business major slumming it with us creative types?"*

Zhi Rho laughed. *"Definitely not."* She extended a hand. *"Zhi Rho."*

*"Xia Ling,"* the girl said, shaking it.

*"Welcome to the land of starving artists and pretentious professors. "*

Zhi Rho smirked. *"Sounds perfect."*

As they stood in line, Xia Ling nudged her. *"So, what's your story? Rich girl running away from Daddy's empire?"*

Zhi Rho's smile faltered for a fraction of a second. *"Something like that."*

Xia Ling whistled. *"Rebellion. I like it."*

Little did Zhi Rho know, her rebellion was about to collide with forces far beyond her control.

Meanwhile, in **Tokyo**

, Yang Chen

sat in a sleek black car, his sharp gaze scanning the city skyline through tinted windows.

His assistant, **Kai** , handed him a

tablet. *"The Kishida Group is waiting. They're expecting your offer by noon."*

Yang Chen didn't respond immediately. Instead, his mind flickered to an unwelcome distraction

-**Zhi Rho's defiant eyes** the last time he'd seen her.

*"Sir?"* Kai prompted.

*"Proceed as planned,"* Yang Chen said, his voice devoid of emotion.

But as the car pulled into the

**Kishida Tower**

*, his phone buzzed.

A message from his head of security:

**"Miss Zhi has enrolled at Beijing

Imperial Arts. No further surveillance requested."**

Yang Chen's jaw tightened. He hadn't ordered surveillance. Someone in his company was overstepping.

*"Kai,"* he said coldly. *"Find out who's tracking Zhi Rho. Terminate their access."*

Kai blinked. *"You don't want updates on her?"*

A pause. Then, Yang Chen's icy reply: (

*"I don't care where she goes.

** Lie.**

Back at the university, Zhi Rho stood in front of her first **Advanced Painting** class. The professor, a renowned artist with a sharp tongue, eyed her critically.

*"Zhi Rho,"* he said, reading her name off the list. *"Any relation to the Zhi conglomerate?"*

The class went silent.

Zhi Rho lifted her chin. *"Yes. But I'm here for art, not business."*

The professor smirked. *"We'll see.

Talent isn't inherited."*

A few students snickered.

Xia Ling muttered, *"Damn, harsh."*

But Zhi Rho just smiled sweetly.

*"Good thing I didn't inherit my family's lack of creativity then."*

The professor's eyebrows shot up.

Then, to everyone's surprise, he chuckled. *"Alright, Miss Zhi. Prove it."*

As the class began, Zhi Rho lost herself in the strokes of her brush, her determination burning brighter than ever.

Late that night, in his Tokyo penthouse, Yang Chen stared out at the city lights, a glass of whiskey in hand.

His phone buzzed again. Another message-this time from **Wei Jie**:

**"Heard your little wildcat is causing a stir at Imperial Arts. Professor Lan actually praised her work. Guess she's not just a pretty face."**

Yang Chen's grip on his glass tightened.

He shouldn't care.

He **didn't** care.

Yet, against his will, his mind replayed the way Zhi Rho had looked at him that night -**defiant, fearless, utterly intoxicating.**

With a curse, he downed his drink and slammed the glass onto the table. +

*"Kai,"* he barked.

His assistant appeared instantly.

*"Sir?"*

*"Move the Kishida meeting up.

We're returning to Beijing tomorrow."*

Kai hesitated. *"But the negotiations

_"*

*"Now.'

"*

The command left no room for argument.

The next morning, Zhi Rho sat in the campus café, sketching idly in her notebook. Xia Ling plopped down across from her, grinning.

*"So, rumor has it you're the talk of the art department."*

Zhi Rho rolled her eyes. *"Because of my last name."*

*"Nah,"* Xia Ling said. *"Because you shut Professor Lan up. That's legendary."*

That evening, as Zhi Rho exited the studio, a black town car idled at the curb. Her pulse spiked-until the window rolled down to reveal **Zhi Lay** , her second brother, grinning

behind sunglasses.

*"Miss me, little storm?"*

She yanked open the door. *"What are you *doing* here? If Yun finds out

YOU-"*

*"Relax."* He tossed her a bubble tea.

*"I'm here for the underground car races. But also..."* His smile faded.

*"Someone's digging into our family records. Corporate espionage stuff."* @

The straw pierced the tea lid with a sharp *pop* *"And?"*

*"And the digital trail leads to Tokyo."*

Her blood turned to ice.

**Yang Chen's territory.**

In Tokyo's private izakaya, Yang Chen drank alone. Across from him, **Wei Jie** swirled his sake.

*"Heard your ex-fiancée's gallery is exhibiting next month. Sending flowers?"*

Yang Chen's knuckles whitened around his glass. *"Business is business."*

*"Sure."* Wei Jie leaned in. *"Just like it's *business* that you had Kai scrub all Zhi Rho's surveillance feeds?"*

A beat. Then -

*"She's irrelevant."*

Wei Jie laughed. *"Keep telling yourself that, Ice King."*

As the night deepened, Yang Chen's phone lit up with a security alert:

/ **Firewall breach attempt: Zhi

Corp servers. **

His thumb hovered over Kai's contact

-then stopped.

**Let the Zhi family burn.**