The restaurant sat on the top floor of a private club overlooking the river, its glass walls reflecting a city that never apologized for being expensive.
Lin Ze arrived ten minutes early.
Not because he was nervous—but because he was learning.
The elevator ride up had been silent, the kind of silence reserved for people who didn't need music to fill the space. When the doors opened, a hostess greeted him by name without asking for confirmation.
That alone told him something important.
Su Yanli had already rewritten his position in this city.
"Your guest will arrive shortly, Mr. Lin," the hostess said, guiding him to a table positioned deliberately near the window.
Not hidden.
Not central.
Visible, but controlled.
Lin Ze sat down and scanned the room.
Businessmen. Investors. Couples whose conversations were quieter than their watches. This wasn't a place where people raised their voices—or their cards. Everyone here assumed they belonged.
So would he.
His phone vibrated once.
: "You are exactly where I want you." — S.Y.
Lin Ze exhaled slowly and set the phone face down.
He didn't reply.
That, too, was a lesson.
Three minutes later, the room shifted.
Not loudly. Not obviously.
But attention bent.
Su Yanli walked in.
She wore a fitted black dress—simple in cut, expensive in restraint. No jewelry beyond a slim bracelet, no unnecessary movement. She didn't scan the room.
She already owned it.
Conversations softened. Heads turned. Someone stood up too fast and corrected themselves.
Lin Ze rose as she approached.
"Sit," Su Yanli said quietly. "You're not my subordinate in public."
That line alone drew eyes.
She sat across from him, crossing one leg slowly, deliberately. Her gaze flicked to the window reflection—where several people were already watching them without pretending not to.
"Good," she said. "They noticed."
Lin Ze leaned back slightly. "You planned this."
"I plan everything," Su Yanli replied. "You let the photo spread. That was correct."
Lin Ze's brow tightened. "It was bait."
"Yes," she said calmly. "And now we're setting the hook."
The waiter arrived, poured wine without asking, and retreated as if he knew better than to interrupt.
Su Yanli lifted her glass but didn't drink.
"You met Lin Meiqi," she said.
Not a question.
"Yes," Lin Ze replied.
"She's fast," Su Yanli continued. "And loud. She trades visibility for influence."
Lin Ze held her gaze. "And you trade influence for control."
A pause.
Then—approval.
"Good," Su Yanli said. "You're listening."
She finally took a sip of wine, eyes never leaving his.
"Let me be clear," she said softly. "She can take photos. She can talk. She can flirt with the city."
Her tone sharpened.
"But you don't belong to the city."
Lin Ze didn't respond immediately.
Around them, a man at the next table pretended not to listen too closely.
"You said this was a test," Lin Ze said. "Am I passing?"
Su Yanli smiled faintly.
"You're surviving," she said. "Passing comes later."
Before Lin Ze could respond, movement caught his eye near the entrance.
Lin Meiqi.
She walked in like she owned the room—or wanted people to believe she did. Casual outfit, confident steps, phone already in hand. Her eyes locked onto Lin Ze instantly.
Then flicked to Su Yanli.
Recognition hit.
Interest sharpened into calculation.
Lin Meiqi approached their table without asking permission.
"Well," she said brightly, "I knew tonight would be interesting."
Su Yanli didn't look at her.
She looked at Lin Ze.
"Your guest?" Su Yanli asked, voice calm.
"No," Lin Ze replied.
Lin Meiqi laughed. "Cold."
She turned to Su Yanli, extending her hand.
"Lin Meiqi," she said. "Media. Pleasure to meet you."
Su Yanli finally glanced at her hand.
Didn't take it.
"The pleasure is mine," Su Yanli said, tone polite enough to be lethal. "You took something that doesn't belong to you."
Lin Meiqi's smile didn't falter. "Public space. Public moment."
Su Yanli tilted her head slightly.
"Public men," she said, "don't arrive in private vehicles."
Silence.
Lin Meiqi's eyes narrowed just a fraction.
Then she laughed again, softer this time.
"So that's how it is," she said. "You're the investor."
"I'm the reminder," Su Yanli replied.
She finally looked at Lin Ze again.
"Come with me," Su Yanli said, standing. "We're finished here."
Lin Ze stood.
Lin Meiqi's gaze snapped back to him.
"You're leaving?" she asked. "Just like that?"
Lin Ze met her eyes.
"Yes."
Something flickered there.
Challenge.
Interest.
Possession.
Su Yanli placed a hand lightly on Lin Ze's arm—not gripping, not pulling.
Claiming.
"Good choice," she said quietly.
As they walked away, Lin Meiqi didn't follow.
She didn't need to.
Her phone was already out.
Across the city, notifications bloomed.
The car ride was silent.
Not uncomfortable.
Deliberate.
Su Yanli didn't speak until the vehicle crossed the bridge, city lights stretching across the river like a warning.
"You understand now," she said.
"That visibility is a weapon," Lin Ze replied.
"And women?" she asked.
Lin Ze paused. "Are variables."
Su Yanli smiled.
"No," she corrected gently. "They are fronts."
The car slowed near his new residence—a high-rise that didn't advertise luxury because it assumed recognition.
Su Yanli turned toward him.
"Tonight," she said, "you learned something important."
"What?" Lin Ze asked.
She leaned closer, voice low.
"That interest is not affection," she said. "And attention is never free."
Her fingers brushed his wrist—brief, intentional.
"And that once you are seen," she continued, "you will be chosen."
Lin Ze held her gaze. "By you?"
Su Yanli didn't answer immediately.
Then she opened the door.
"By everyone," she said. "Including me."
She stepped out first, heels clicking softly against stone.
Before closing the door, she turned back.
"One more thing," she added. "If Lin Meiqi contacts you tonight…"
Lin Ze waited.
"…don't refuse her," Su Yanli said. "But don't give her what she wants either."
The door closed.
The car pulled away.
Lin Ze stood alone for a moment, city air cool against his skin.
His phone vibrated.
A new message.
Unknown contact.
: "You walked away." : "That makes me curious." — L.M.
Lin Ze looked up at the building above him.
Lights.
Eyes.
Possibilities.
He typed a single reply.
: "Curiosity has a cost."
The typing indicator appeared instantly.
Somewhere else in the city, two women were making plans.
And Lin Ze realized something quietly, deeply unsettling.
This wasn't about money anymore.
This was about territory.