** Beneath the Heart of Ice**

chapter : first site

**Title: Beneath the Heart of Ice**

"Did you really just give her your last piece of bread?"
"Of course! It's not like I was going to eat it."
"Right, and what's a starving college student supposed to do? You're not a charity, Li Yan."
"Maybe I should be!"
"That's not how the world works."
"Then maybe the world should change!"
"Ah, idealism at its finest," Xu Wei chuckled, shaking his head. "You're going to get yourself in trouble one day."
"I'm already in trouble," Li Yan sighed, leaning back against the cool metal of the construction site railing. "Classes are killing me, and my family..." She paused, biting her lip. "They expect me to be perfect. To be someone I'm not."
"Don't let them get to you. You're doing amazing stuff!" Xu Wei encouraged. "Saving that old lady from-what did you call him? A scammer?"
"Yeah! I thought he was trying to rob her or something," Li Yan said, her voice rising in indignation. "I mean, who just stands there while someone is trying to take advantage of someone else?"
"Turns out he was just some big-shot CEO," Xu Wei said, his eyes glinting with amusement. "What's his name? Lu Zhen?"
"Exactly! And he looked like he'd crawled out of some corporate dungeon. The guy was all sharp suits and cold stares."
"Sounds like a real-life villain," Xu Wei laughed.
"He was," Li Yan said, crossing her arms. "I don't care how rich he is; he was rude! Just standing there, watching as I defended his grandmother."
"Wait, backtrack. His grandmother?"
"Yeah! I found out later," she admitted, rolling her eyes. "Can you believe it? I was ready to fight him off, and he was just watching."
"Maybe he was intrigued?" Xu Wei smirked.
"Or maybe he was bored. I don't know! But he didn't seem like a guy who cared about anything but his own world."
"Which is pretty typical for a CEO, if you ask me," Xu Wei replied, sipping his coffee. "But you? You care too much. It's going to bite you one day."
"Maybe," Li Yan said, her voice dropping. "But I can't just ignore it. I can't just let people suffer."
Xu Wei raised an eyebrow. "And what's that going to get you? An expulsion notice? A heart full of burdens?"
"Maybe it'll get me something worth fighting for," she shot back, her eyes flashing.
"Like what?" Xu Wei challenged, leaning forward.
"Like a chance to prove I'm not the burden they think I am," Li Yan said fiercely. "I want to make something of myself. I want to-"
"Hey, hey! You're yelling," Xu Wei interrupted, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "You're going to get yourself in trouble."
"Trouble seems to find me no matter what," she muttered, her shoulders sagging. "Especially with college. I'm worried about my grades. If I get kicked out..."
"Okay, okay. Let's not think about that. You'll figure it out," Xu Wei said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I hope so," she whispered.
"I'm serious! You've got this. Just don't go picking fights with rich CEOs in the meantime," Xu Wei said, a teasing smile creeping onto his lips.
"I'll try," she said, unable to suppress a grin.
"Speaking of rich guys, there's Lu Zhen again," Xu Wei said, nodding toward the street.
Li Yan turned, her eyes widening as she spotted Lu Zhen, flanked by two suited men. He walked with the kind of confidence that made heads turn, the crisp sound of his shoes echoing on the pavement.
"Ugh, why is he always in my line of sight?" she groaned.
"Maybe he's drawn to your fiery spirit," Xu Wei teased.
"More like drawn to my annoyance," she muttered. "He needs to stay away from me."
"Good luck with that," Xu Wei said, chuckling. "You're a bit of a magnet for trouble."
"Tell me about it," she said, watching as Lu Zhen's gaze swept over the crowd, seemingly searching for something-or someone.
"Maybe he's searching for a new target," Xu Wei joked.
"Not funny," she replied, crossing her arms.
"Relax! You're not on his radar-at least not yet," Xu Wei said.
"Let's hope it stays that way," Li Yan murmured, stealing one last glance at Lu Zhen before turning her attention back to the construction site.

"Li Yan!"
She turned to see her supervisor waving her over. "We need you on the site! There's a delivery coming in."
"I'm on it!" she called back, her heart racing as she pushed away her thoughts of Lu Zhen.
"Just remember-no more bread for old ladies!" Xu Wei shouted, laughter bubbling in his voice.
"Very funny!" Li Yan shot back, shaking her head as she headed toward the site.
As she worked, the sounds of machinery filled the air-clanging, whirring, and the distant shouts of her coworkers. "Hey, Li Yan!" one of them called. "Did you hear about the Zhen deal? The company is going public!"
"Yeah, I heard!" she replied, focusing on her task. "They're going to need a lot of help for that."
"Word is, Lu Zhen is looking for interns to help with the launch," said another worker, his eyes glinting with excitement.
"Interns?" Li Yan paused, looking up.
"Yeah! If you're good enough, you could get in!"
"Do you really think they'd take someone like me?" she asked, uncertainty flooding her.
"Why not? You're passionate. Just be yourself!"
"Right," she muttered, feeling a flicker of hope. "Just be myself."