Su Yiling woke up at seven, though she'd barely slept. The audio recordings from Song Wei's USB drive had kept her up past two in the morning, Li Ran's cold voice still echoing in her head.
She splashed cold water on her face and headed downstairs.
The house smelled like breakfast. Auntie Chen had prepared congee with century eggs, steamed buns, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Her father sat reading the financial section, occasionally making small sounds of approval or disapproval. Her mother was arranging fresh orchids in a porcelain vase.
"Morning," Su Yiling said, sliding into her seat.
Her mother glanced up. "Your delivery came earlier. I put the bags in your room."
"Thanks."
Jihan wandered in wearing rumpled pajamas, his hair sticking up at odd angles. "Is there coffee?"
"On the counter," Auntie Chen replied. "And good morning to you too, young master."
"Sorry. Good morning." He poured himself a large cup and collapsed into the chair across from Su Yiling. "What time do we need to leave tonight?"
"Six-thirty," their father said without looking up from his newspaper.
"That's early."
"Traffic on Saturday evenings."
Su Yiling ate her congee slowly, half-listening to her family's conversation. Her mother mentioned running into an old friend at the mall. Jihan complained about a research paper that wasn't cooperating. Her father commented on some developments in the tech sector.
Normal. Comfortable.
After breakfast, she went back upstairs and opened the garment bags. The navy dress looked good hanging in her closet. The shoes sat neatly in their box. The jewelry was arranged on her vanity.
She had the whole day ahead of her.
Su Yiling pulled out her laptop and continued reviewing the files from Song Wei's USB drive. There were dozens of audio recordings, each one carefully labeled with dates and brief descriptions. She made notes as she listened, building a timeline of Li Ran's systematic intimidation.
Around noon, her phone buzzed.
Lin Xiaoli: *Are you free to study this afternoon? I'm stuck on that physics problem again.*
Su Yiling: *Can't today. Family thing tonight.*
Lin Xiaoli: *Okay! Good luck with whatever it is.*
She set her phone aside and kept working. By two o'clock, she had reviewed all the audio files and started on the scanned documents - contracts, receipts, medical records that Song Wei had carefully preserved.
"Yiling?" Her mother knocked lightly. "Are you planning to eat lunch?"
Su Yiling saved her work and minimized the window. "I'll come down."
Lunch was simple: porridge, kimchi, and some fresh fruit. Her family ate together, the conversation easy and unhurried. No one mentioned the dinner party.
At five o'clock, Su Yiling finally started getting ready.
The shower was hot and relaxing. She took her time with the skincare routine, then dried her hair until it fell smooth and straight past her shoulders. Makeup went on with steady hands - foundation, light blush, neutral eyeshadow, mascara.
The dress slipped on easily. The fabric felt expensive against her skin, the cut flattering without being showy. The heels added height without being uncomfortable. The pearl necklace and earrings finished the look.
Su Yiling studied her reflection. She looked older. Professional. Like someone who attended business dinners regularly.
A soft knock at her door.
"Come in."
Her mother entered, already dressed in her burgundy gown. She looked Su Yiling over once, nodded.
"Good choice on the navy."
"You picked it."
"You agreed to it." Her mother adjusted her own earring. "Your father's ready whenever you are."
Su Yiling grabbed her clutch - phone, lipstick, some cash - and followed her mother downstairs.
Her father and Jihan were waiting in the foyer. Her father looked sharp in his dark suit, and Jihan had actually managed to look presentable in a charcoal blazer.
"Excited about tonight?" Jihan asked, appearing in the doorway.
"It should be interesting."
"Father of the year over there has already given me the 'be on your best behavior' speech twice." Jihan grinned. "As if I don't know how to conduct myself at a business dinner."
Their father looked up from his newspaper. "I said nothing of the sort. I simply mentioned that tonight would be a good opportunity to observe how different business families operate."
"See? Three times now."
"Everyone ready?" her father asked.
They headed out to the car.
The drive took twenty minutes. Uncle Wang navigated the Saturday evening traffic with classical music playing in the car. Her mother checked her phone occasionally. Jihan stared out the window.
The Meridian Hotel rose ahead of them, its glass facade reflecting the setting sun. The circular driveway was busy with arriving guests and uniformed valets.
They pulled up to the entrance. A valet opened the doors.
"Good evening. Welcome to the Meridian."
Su Yiling stepped out onto the pavement, adjusting her dress as she straightened. The evening air was cool, and she could hear music and conversation drifting from inside the hotel.
They walked through the lobby together. The marble floors gleamed under crystal chandeliers, and elegant flower arrangements sat on polished tables. Other guests moved through the space in small groups, all dressed for the evening.
"Second floor," her father said, glancing at the event directory.
They took the wide staircase up, joining the steady stream of people heading toward the Grand Ballroom. Su Yiling recognized a few faces - business associates, friends of friends, people she'd seen at various social events over the years.
Ahead of them, she spotted the Lin family. Lin Qi walked with his wife, their children following behind. Su Yiling's eyes skipped over them without pausing.
At the ballroom entrance, two attendants in black suits checked invitation cards.
"Name?"
"Su Zihang."
The attendant scanned his list and nodded. "Welcome. Please enjoy the evening."
The doors opened.
The Grand Ballroom stretched before them - high ceilings with elaborate molding, floor-to-ceiling windows showing the city lights, round tables arranged around a central space. A small orchestra played soft music in one corner. Servers moved through the crowd with trays of wine and champagne.
At least fifty people were already inside, scattered in small conversation groups.
"Quite a turnout," Jihan murmured.
Su Yiling's eyes scanned the room, taking in the various families. Some she recognized, others were unfamiliar. Business types in expensive suits, wives in elegant dresses, a few younger people around her own age.
"There's the Lui family," her mother said quietly, nodding toward a group near the windows.
"And the Zhangs," her father added.
They moved into the room together, and a server approached immediately with a tray of drinks.
"Champagne? Wine? We also have sparkling water and juice."
Su Yiling took a glass of sparkling water. Her parents each accepted champagne. Jihan grabbed wine.
The room hummed with polite conversation and the clink of glassware. People laughed, exchanged business cards, and made small talk about the weather and recent market trends.
Su Yiling sipped her water and let her gaze drift across the faces.
Somewhere in this room was Gu Yisheng.
She wondered which one he was.