Chapter 39: Whispers in the Smoke and Shadows
The rooftop lights shimmered against the skyline as the elite circle began to break into smaller groups—some heading for the billiards table, others drifting toward the glass balcony to sip wine and exchange shallow flattery.
Lin Feng stood near the corner of the lounge, a glass of soda in hand, looking absurdly out of place amidst gold-label whiskey and overpriced cigars. But that, of course, was the point.
"You really didn’t touch the Macallan?" a voice asked with mock disbelief.
Zhao Rouran appeared beside him again, arms crossed, eyebrows arched. Her crimson evening dress caught the light, but her expression was more curious than glamorous.
"Not my style," Lin Feng said, eyes still scanning the room.
"Hmm," she murmured. "Neither is being here, I guess. Yet here you are."
[System: Ding! Host has successfully attracted the attention of a capital-grade tsundere. Proceed with caution—or popcorn.]
Rouran leaned against the railing beside him. "People are watching you, you know. Not just the small fry from campus forums. Some of these guys... their families own entire industries."
"And?" Lin Feng replied, sipping lazily. "I came for the free food."