Location: Scarlet Pavilion – Moon Terrace (1:17 AM)
The banquet was over.
The laughter had dulled, the wine glasses cleared, and the silvered elites had melted back into their black cars and blacker agendas.
But Lin Feng remained.
He stood alone on the open-air terrace of the Scarlet Pavilion, the city sprawling below him like a game board he already half-owned.
Behind him, the terrace doors slid open with a soft click.
Xu Shanyue stepped out, barefoot, the long sleeves of her silk robe dragging slightly over the marble floor. No guards. No audience. No mask.
Just her.
And him.
"You stayed," she said quietly.
Lin didn't turn.
"I was waiting to see if the dragon would come down from her tower."
She stepped beside him.
"And?"
"Looks more like a tired fox tonight."
A corner of her mouth curved. Barely.
"Careful. That kind of talk might get you invited again."
He glanced sideways.
"You say that like it's a threat."
"It is."
