Chapter 9: The Return of Duskstar's Queen, Positioning in the Halls of Power

Inside the conference room of Duskstar MùXing Atelier, the flow of the air itself felt entirely different from before.

The morning meeting proceeded as usual, sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling across the thick stack of files at the head of the long table. An Yilin sat at the head of the table, the collar of her pure white blouse lending her a cool, composed air; those eyes, hollow for an entire year in the dark, now reflected the world before her with total clarity.

"All right. Let's start here."

An Yilin closed the file in her hands. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, penetrating force that silenced the conference room in an instant. "I want all of you to bring things back to where they were before I left. No — better than that."

Gu Yanxi's lips curved into the faintest arc as her fingers flew across the controls, switching the projection. "Then let's start with the headline project — the Fu family."

The large screen lit up, displaying a highly confidential collaboration briefing.

The Fu family, at the very core of national political power, had an eldest son about to be married. This wedding banquet was not merely a union of powerful families — it was set to be the highest-level social gathering at the peak of state power, with dignitaries and top conglomerate representatives from various countries all on the guest list.

"This project originally started as routine brand exposure," Gu Yanxi summarized the situation succinctly, "but the Chief's wife has set one condition — she wants to see you personally return before she's willing to hand over full design authority to Duskstar."

Xia Xingcheng couldn't help but smile, her tone carrying a note of quiet pride. "Madam said she only trusts you. The designs these past few years clearly haven't let the brand's market position slip — if anything, the reputation's only gotten better. But Madam specifically named you, wanting the 'soul' of the brand to return."

An Yilin studied the several draft proposals for the Fu family's gowns on the screen. Though exquisitely made, they seemed somewhat too conventional, lacking any real edge.

She picked up a pen and quickly sketched several lines full of tension across a blank page of the draft.

"Scrap all of these."

An Yilin looked up, her gaze blazing, her tone unhurried yet carrying the thrill of someone returning to the battlefield. "Remember, this isn't simply a wedding. This is a public ceremony representing the nation's face — an elegant version of a power play."

The conference room fell utterly silent, everyone holding their breath to listen.

"We're not designing gowns. We're designing—" An Yilin tapped her fingers lightly on the table, the sound crisp and clear, "—the aesthetic of a regime, and the trust that makes the Chief's wife willing to personally vouch for us."

"So, the direction for the bride's main gowns?" Xia Xingcheng reacted immediately, the fire of a workaholic burning in her eyes.

"Three sets." An Yilin set the tone. "The entrance must be 'stunning.' The ceremony must be 'solemn.' The reception must be 'approachable.' Every single one has to hold up under the international media's high-definition cameras, and more than that, has to make it obvious at a glance — this isn't something any other brand could pull off. Only Duskstar."

Gu Yanxi jotted this down calmly in her notebook. "Media exposure, international rights, secondary usage licensing — I'll personally hash out the details with the Fu family's PR team. But Yilin, they need confirmation — that you're not just coming back for a single day, but will personally attach your name and personally see this through, so the outside world knows Duskstar has truly stood back up."

That statement was the true test.

An Yilin lowered her eyes, looking at the gold-embossed [MùXing Atelier] logo on the cover of her notebook. This past year, she had disappeared, and it was this group of people in front of her who had fought with everything they had to hold this fortress together.

Now, it was time for her to take up the banner again.

She lifted her head abruptly, her gaze sweeping over every familiar, expectant face, her tone firm as iron:

"Have them prepare the contract."

"From design, to fittings, to the launch — I'll be present for all of it. When we announce this publicly, put my name at the very front."

She rose to her feet, that aura befitting a queen quietly spreading through the room:

"Let everyone in this industry know — An Yilin is back."

Xia Xingcheng couldn't help but let out a low cheer: "Now that's our queen!"

Lin Zhixia had already opened her laptop and begun drafting, her eyes bright with excitement: "PR will coordinate the buildup — first we'll leak word of a 'mysterious top-tier client,' and once the Fu family gives their official endorsement, we'll simultaneously release the major news that 'the founder has returned to personally take the helm.'"

"This isn't a publicity stunt," Gu Yanxi added. "This is a declaration — that the soul of this brand never died, and it's only gotten stronger."

An Yilin took a deep breath, and at the top of a fresh page, wrote in clean, decisive strokes:

[Fu Family Eldest Son's Wedding Project — Director: An Yilin]

"We divide up the work starting this afternoon. Xingcheng, come with me to look at the venue. Yanxi, contact Madam's liaison. Jingran, prepare the couple's measurement data — I want the most precise fit possible."

She paused for a moment, her gaze drifting to the deep blue sky outside the window, a cold glint of vengeance and rebirth flickering in her eyes:

"And one more thing — make the press section bigger."

She turned back to face her team, her voice level, without a trace of impurity in it, yet ringing out clearly through the conference room:

"I think it's not just the Fu family who should see this. Those people, too — the ones who, after that blood-soaked wedding all those years ago, sat waiting to watch me fall — they should know as well. I never fell."

The conference room rang out with a chorus of firm acknowledgment.

In that moment, the soul of Duskstar had, at last, fully returned to its place.