"Hello?"
Chen Yong answered lazily, still lying on his sofa, draped in a silk robe and a mineral clay face mask.
"Bro, listen to this," said Zhao Min on the other end of the line. "Bai Xue is going to the Zhenbao Foundation auction tonight. Confirmed. Invitation only."
The young master sat up straight. His wine glass trembled in his hand.
"Are you sure?"
"My cousin is part of the staff. He saw her on the VIP list. Top-tier crowd, you know? So, what are you gonna do?"
Chen Yong didn't reply. He ripped off the mask clumsily and smiled to himself.
"I'm going to make her notice me. This time, she won't ignore me."
He hung up. Then, with sudden energy, he started firing off orders to his assistant by message: midnight blue suit, watches, cologne. Everything new. Everything expensive.
Li Wei, leaning against the wall, watched with crossed arms.
"Who's that?"
"Bai Xue," Chen Yong said, as if speaking a sacred name. "Perfect woman. Smart. Elegant... cold as ice. I'm going to impress her."
Li Wei frowned.
"Cold? And rich?"
"Way richer than you, old man. Comes from a family of intellectuals. She doesn't care about money. Only respects authenticity."
"Then she doesn't respect you."
It wasn't an insult. It was a fact. Chen Yong didn't deny it.
"That's why I have to change her impression. With art. With presence. With something unique."
Li Wei didn't know Bai Xue. But the obsessive gleam in Chen Yong's eyes, the slight tremble in his fingers, and that anxiety masked as affection… were enough.
That woman, he thought, will bring trouble.
Not because she's malicious.But because of what she awakens in a rich boy starving for admiration.
The limousine stopped at the front entrance of the Imperial Zhenbao Hall. Golden lights, crimson carpet, and a row of assistants dressed like the whole world was watching.
Chen Yong stepped out first, flawless in his midnight blue suit, perfectly styled hair, and a smile that held more anxiety than confidence.
"Let's go," he ordered.
Li Wei followed... reluctantly.
The fitted black suit squeezed his shoulders. The white shirt was stiff, and his polished shoes squeaked with every step. No tactical jacket. No gray wraps. He felt exposed. Uncomfortable. Vulnerable.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered.
"You'd embarrass me if you showed up dressed like a brothel bouncer," Chen Yong snapped, not even looking at him. "We're stepping into the center of refined taste, Li Wei. Not the club."
"I can still break bones wearing a tie," Li Wei growled.
"I don't doubt that. But here, things break with words and glances. Tonight, I need someone who doesn't smell like fists."
Li Wei scoffed but kept walking behind the young master, scanning the faces at the entrance: businessmen, collectors, heirs of old families. All greeting each other with soft smiles and sharp eyes.
A receptionist asked for their invitations. Chen Yong handed his over with theatrical flair.
"Chen Yong, from the Chen clan. And this is my… security assistant," he added in a lowered voice.
Li Wei felt the urge to punch something, but he held back. This wasn't the place. Not yet.
They entered the hall. High ceilings, glass displays, statues under soft spotlights. The air was filled with expensive incense and bottled expectations.
"Where is she?" Chen Yong asked, scanning the crowd.
"The girl?"
"Don't call her 'the girl.' Her name is Bai Xue. And no... she hasn't arrived yet."
Li Wei walked beside him in silence. A dull ache rose in his left shoulder. The lights, the people, the suits… all of it felt like a grotesque disguise.