The night stretched long, and the city lights outside the towering glass windows blurred into streaks of gold and crimson. The air in the private lounge was heavy with wine and smoke, though Nathaniel Fu himself had yet to light a cigarette. His sharp gaze, though calm on the surface, carried an undercurrent of restlessness.
Zane Song handed Nathaniel a cigarette. Just as he was about to take it, Nathaniel's fingers paused at the sudden question.
"Have you seen her?"
Nathaniel didn't answer, but Zane quickly stepped in with a faint smile. "Yes, I have."
"You've seen her too, haven't you, Mr. Song?" Fan Jun asked eagerly. "She's one of those angelic creatures—someone you fall for at first sight. She looks just like… just like…"
Everyone leaned forward, curious. "Mr. Fan, like who? What does she look like?"
Fan Jun's eyes softened. "She looks like love itself."
The crowd burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Our infamous Young Master Fan actually knows what love looks like!"
"It seems this little fairy must be truly extraordinary, Young Master Fan. Do you at least know her name? None of us have ever met such a celestial beauty before. We really want to see her for ourselves."
Fan Jun's expression carried a rare trace of regret. "I didn't catch her name. By the time I turned around, she was gone."
Yara Lu immediately spoke up, teasing, "Young Master Fan, that's not right. Isn't your girlfriend Ning Xiner? And now you're ready to abandon her for a nameless little fairy? How heartbroken must Xiner be?"
With Miss Lu taking the lead, the others chimed in.
"That's right, Mr. Fan. Maybe this so-called fairy was just trying to lure you in. You shouldn't be so easily fooled."
Fan Jun swirled his glass of wine, his voice low but firm. "Then she doesn't need to lure me. I'm already caught."
Yara Lu sighed, clearly seeing him as hopeless. She leaned casually against Nathaniel's arm, her tone half-mocking, half-sweet. "Nathaniel, I think Mr. Fan has been completely bewitched by that so-called fairy. Honestly, there are so many 'fairies' these days—they're just pretenders. They put on an innocent act, but behind closed doors, who knows how many tricks they play?"
Amid the noise, Nathaniel placed the cigarette between his lips. He was about to light it, but when Yara's words reached his ears, he slowly set it down again.
Leaning back lazily against the sofa, his tall figure exuded an effortless authority. He said nothing.
Zane curled his lips into a smirk. "Miss Lu, my second brother is already exhausted. He's taking time out of his busy schedule just to accompany you. Don't pester him with pointless chatter."
Yara turned to study Nathaniel more closely. The corners of his sharp eyes were tinged red with fatigue, his features all the more austere and commanding. Her voice softened instinctively.
"Nathaniel… have you been sleeping poorly lately?"
Indeed, he hadn't. His insomnia had worsened, and with the endless demands of work these past few days, exhaustion clung to him.
Already leaning in his embrace, Yara gently raised her hand to massage his temple.
Nathaniel caught the scent of her perfume, bright and flamboyant, perfectly matching her bold personality.
When people are tired, their senses sharpen in peculiar ways. The fragrance made his brows furrow.
"What perfume are you wearing?" he asked flatly.
"CC's Miss Hua Yang. Doesn't it smell wonderful?" Yara's tone brimmed with pride—it was her favorite fragrance.
Nathaniel's expression didn't waver. "It smells nice… but I don't like it."
Yara froze, momentarily stunned. Only then did she realize how much the man before her had changed.
Once, he had been the young man who indulged her every whim, who liked everything she liked. But now, he was no longer that boy. He had become the powerful business magnate she needed to win over.
And he had just told her, plainly, that he disliked her favorite perfume—the one others mockingly called "Old Lady's Scent."
Biting her lip, she asked softly, "Then… what kind of fragrance do you like?"
Nathaniel thought for a moment. "Something lighter. More ethereal."
The room was too noisy for Yara to catch his words clearly. She leaned in, about to ask again, when Nathaniel's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
It was Elder Jiang calling.
The lively chatter died down instantly. Everyone knew this wasn't just any call. Elder Jiang—the legendary president of Tsinghua University and Nathaniel Fu's respected alma mater—was someone even the wealthiest dared not treat lightly.
Nathaniel rose calmly to his feet and answered the call, his deep voice steady against the sudden hush that fell over the room.
What Elder Jiang said next would not only disrupt the night's easy laughter but also set off a new wave in Nathaniel's already unsettled heart.