The instant the elevator doors slid open, Ryusuke's feet froze in place.
Passing through that heavy gilded revolving door, the cold air rushing toward him—mingled with the scent of expensive champagne and pricey perfume—instantly sealed off the rolling waves of heat outside into another world entirely.
"This..."
Murata Ryusuke's foot pressed down onto the thick, soft handwoven Persian carpet, and he felt as if he'd stepped right into the clouds—floating, weightless, without a shred of solid sensation.
The layout of the banquet hall was far larger than he'd anticipated.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay the panoramic skyline of Arc City, the height just enough to take in the entire cluster of buildings in the business district.
The interior décor was understated, yet every single detail silently proclaimed its price—the kind of price that wouldn't even bother displaying a tag.
But it wasn't the décor that had frozen Ryusuke in place.
It was the people.
"Dad?" Himeko poked her head out from behind him. "Why'd you stop walking?"
"That guy..." Ryusuke lowered his voice, his hand unconsciously clenching the cuff of his sleeve. "That one sitting by the window—isn't that Chairman Zhao of the Arc City Energy Group?"
"Huh?" Himeko followed his gaze. "I don't know him."
"And that woman next to him, that's President Wang of Starhall Media..." Ryusuke's gaze continued sliding to the right, his throat bobbing once. "And over there, that one wearing sunglasses—I handed him my business card at a forum last year, and he didn't so much as spare me a single glance..."
Elysia was already walking ahead in her high heels, turning back to wave at them. "Hurry up now, don't just stand at the door."
Su Yu walked beside Elysia, sweeping a glance over the crowd scattered throughout the hall.
Didn't recognize a single one.
Kiana followed half a meter to his right, her gaze sailing over the crowd to precisely lock onto the long table in the corner.
The table was piled high with food.
Her pupils dilated.
Ryusuke trailed behind, his two legs feeling a bit weak.
He secretly observed Su Yu and Kiana walking ahead—these two, from the moment they'd walked in until now, hadn't given those big shots even a single extra glance.
These two were simply far too composed.
Su Yu had both hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, his gaze sweeping casually across the faces of those tycoons important enough to grace the cover of Forbes, without the faintest trace of awe in his eyes—instead carrying a sort of... novelty, like watching monkeys at a zoo.
And that white-haired girl named Kiana was even more outrageous.
Those heterochromatic eyes of hers weren't looking at people at all; instead, like radar, they had firmly locked onto the dozen-meter-long luxury buffet table at the center of the banquet hall. He could even hear her swallow a mouthful of saliva exceptionally loudly.
"Daughter." He leaned in toward Himeko's ear again.
"What."
"I've figured it out."
"Figured what out?"
"Little Su and that junior sister of his—they couldn't possibly be Eden's personal bodyguards, could they?"
Himeko nearly choked on her own saliva.
"What did you say?"
"Think about it. What level of figure is Eden? Could the people around her be ordinary folk?" The more Ryusuke spoke, the more flawless his reasoning seemed. "You saw it yesterday too—Little Su stormed a gang's lair all by himself, and that Kiana caught bullets with her bare hands. Skills like that would make them top-tier at any security company!"
"Dad, calm down a little—"
"This also explains why they treat all these people like they're invisible!" Ryusuke gestured in the air. "Following Eden around every day, what grand scenes haven't they witnessed? In their eyes, these people are just extras!"
Himeko glanced at Su Yu up ahead, who was just then pulling out his phone to scroll through takeout reviews, then glanced at Kiana, who was staring blankly at the food table, spaced out.
She really wanted to say, "They just don't recognize anyone," but watching her dad's expression of sudden enlightenment, she abruptly felt that explaining would be more exhausting than not explaining.
The look in Ryusuke's eyes as he gazed at Su Yu could no longer be described as "looking at a son-in-law"—it was practically looking at a living, breathing, gold-rimmed guardian deity.
"Dau... daughter..."
Ryusuke lowered his voice, his tone carrying an irrepressible tremble and excitement as he grabbed hold of Himeko's sleeve.
"Yesterday I was still worried that Little Su's status wasn't worthy of you..." Ryusuke swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his gaze fixed dead-on at Su Yu's back. "Now... now I'm genuinely worried whether you, this girl, are even qualified enough to be worthy of Little Su!"
Himeko was just then holding a glass of red wine she'd taken from a waiter's tray, and upon hearing her old man's utterly unprincipled "throwing-herself-at-him" remark, she nearly spat out a mouthful of wine.
The corner of her mouth twitched violently; she simply didn't know what expression to put on.
Of course she knew that Su Yu was on familiar terms with that whole crowd of immortals from the Golden Courtyard, but this guy's usual conduct was just too much of a slacker, so much so that she'd always assumed he was just a marginal figure who went around fixing the big shots' sewers and running errands.
But this scene today—Eden had directly sent Elysia herself out to greet them, and the whole arrangement was as casual as inviting the neighbor's kid over for a stroll in the back garden.
Could this damn well be called an ordinary errand-running friend?!
Himeko took a deep breath and cast her gaze toward Elysia, who walked at the very front.
Miss Pink Elf was just then linking her arm through Su Yu's, weaving through the crowd.
Watching Elysia's intimate posture, practically pressed against Su Yu's body, a barely perceptible flicker of sourness passed through the depths of Himeko's eyes.
She quickened her pace, came to Su Yu's other side, and—using the pretext of helping straighten the back collar of his shirt—naturally closed the distance between them, gritting out a low murmur in a voice only the two of them could hear: "You little brat, your love life's quite booming, huh?"
Su Yu paid no heed to Himeko's veiled jab; his line of sight was scanning back and forth across the hall.
Honestly speaking, as a transmigrator who'd read countless web novels, Su Yu had originally set up a whole stage in his mind: being walked into a banquet hall arm-in-arm by a peerless beauty of Elysia's caliber, he was bound to draw the jealousy of some clueless, arrogant rich heir or third-rate villain.
Then the other party would come over to provoke him, and he'd nonchalantly pull off a little showing-off, completing a textbook-grade "Dragon King Returns" face-slapping plot.
But after waiting for quite a while, nothing happened at all.
The people around him chatted as they chatted, drank as they drank. Occasionally someone would nod in greeting toward Elysia, their gaze lingering on Su Yu for half a second before moving away—polite and restrained.
Made sense.
Anyone who could appear at Eden's private banquet was a shrewd old hand. If someone really threw a public tantrum like a third-rate villain, the grass on their grave would already be three meters tall.
"How boring." Su Yu silently sighed in his heart. "This batch of villains just won't do."
Soon, Elysia led the group to a semi-open lounge area in the deepest part of the banquet hall.
Eden was sitting on that wine-red velvet sofa.
Today she wore an exceedingly noble and elegant dark-gold evening gown, holding a glass of red wine as translucent as a ruby in her hand.
Hearing the footsteps, she lifted her head slightly, and a gentle smile bloomed across that breathtakingly beautiful face.
"Su Yu." Eden nodded toward him. "I didn't expect to run into you here today. I was actually planning to contact you after it was over."
Su Yu was taken aback. Contact him? Contact him about what?
Her gaze shifted away from Su Yu, looking in turn at the few people behind him.
"Kiana, hello. This should be our first time meeting, right?"
Kiana was just then staring blankly at the dessert tower on the long table behind Eden, only snapping back to attention when her name was called.
"Ah, hello, Sister Eden."
Looking at this composed, elegant woman, the scent of perfume that had clung to Su Yu's body when he'd come back that day inexplicably surfaced in her mind.
That was Eden's scent.
And that world-class superstar, the great figure she could often scroll past on her phone, was right there in front of her.
With a kind smile on her face.
Greeting her.
This inevitably made her feel a little nervous, but the moment she thought about how she was the one standing by Su Yu's side, her spine couldn't help but straighten up a few degrees.
To others, however, her demeanor clearly looked like the solemn behavior of an ordinary girl facing a top-tier superstar.
Eden's gaze fell upon Himeko: "Teacher Himeko, welcome."
Himeko nodded politely: "Sorry to intrude, Miss Eden."
Eden's gaze finally landed on Ryusuke, pausing for two seconds.
"And this is?"
"My dad," Himeko introduced succinctly. "Murata Ryusuke."
"Lady Eden!" Ryusuke took half a step forward, bending slightly at the waist, his voice considerably steadier than before. "I've long admired your renowned name. To be able to meet you here today is truly—"
"You're too kind."
Eden nodded, intercepting the latter half of his pleasantries midair.
Ryusuke's words jammed in his throat, and another layer of sweat broke out on his back.
He secretly observed the state of things as Eden and Su Yu spoke.
No stiffness of superior and subordinate.
No distance of client and financial backer.
Watching the equal, even somewhat casual and easygoing manner of conversation between Su Yu and Eden, the computer in his mind crashed once again.
Looking at this situation... how is this a boss and a bodyguard?! This is clearly an equal-footing, peer-level business partner!!
Ryusuke felt like his heart condition was about to flare up.
He was already frantically calculating in his head that even if he had to use a crowbar tonight when he got back, he'd pry open the safe at home, steal out the household registration book, and first thing tomorrow morning he'd haul Himeko and Su Yu off to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate.
A golden thigh of this caliber—if it got away, he'd regret it enough to go jump into the Arc River!
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Eden set down her wine glass.
"Ellie, may I trouble you to host Mr. Ryusuke and Teacher Himeko for me?" Eden looked toward Su Yu, a measure of seriousness added to her eyes. "Su Yu, come with me for a moment. There are some matters I'd like to discuss with you privately."
Su Yu raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Wait!"
Kiana, who'd been staring at the food table the whole time, suddenly turned her head, like a kitten guarding its food, watching Eden warily.
Although she knew Eden was the studio's financial backer, this woman was simply far too beautiful, and her whole being radiated a kind of mature charm that even Kiana felt inferior to.
Now she wanted to take Su Yu away alone—this instantly sent those sour, bubbling feelings welling up in Kiana's heart.
"What matters have to be discussed privately?" Kiana pursed her lips, muttering. "Can't you just say them right here?"
Watching Kiana's wary little expression, Eden couldn't help but cover her lips and laugh softly.
Elysia, meanwhile, directly picked up an enormous platter from the side, laden with all sorts of top-grade seafood and exquisite desserts, and handed it to Kiana like a magic trick.
"Aiya, let the grown-ups handle grown-up matters." Elysia winked at Kiana. "Kiana, would you like to try this Alaskan king crab? And this strawberry mousse—Eden specially hired a three-Michelin-star pastry chef to make it~"
The aroma of the delicacies instantly drilled into Kiana's nostrils.
She glanced at Su Yu being led toward the terrace by Eden, then glanced at the platter of king crab legs giving off that tempting sheen before her.
Almost without any hesitation, the Void Drifter's dignity instantly crumbled to dust in the face of fine food.
"Th-then I'll just eat a little something first. Just a little bit!" Kiana swallowed her saliva, grabbing the platter and digging in without the slightest reserve, devouring it heartily—the very matter of Su Yu being led away instantly flung beyond the highest heavens.
Watching Kiana's hopeless display, Himeko helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.
Kiana, oh Kiana, get your act together!
She turned her head, looking toward Elysia, who was smilingly watching Kiana, and asked tentatively: "Miss Elysia, what exactly is it that Eden wants with Su Yu... that she's making it all so secretive?"
"Mm... it's probably something related to the studio?" Elysia tapped her chin with her index finger, making a cute thinking expression.
Ryusuke's ears pricked up.
"Studio?" Ryusuke hurriedly leaned in, his tone carrying a measure of cautious probing. "Miss Elysia, this studio of Little Su's that you mention... it couldn't be in some out-of-the-way startup park, or some kind of basement, could it?"
In Ryusuke's ingrained understanding, a poor, shabby startup founder just getting off the ground like Su Yu would be doing well to even afford renting a basement.
Although this son-in-law of his was quite capable, he really didn't look like a man with money—no offense intended, but after all, he was seriously considering buying a stake in Su Yu's venture, fiercely investing a sum of his own private savings.
Elysia glanced at Ryusuke a little strangely.
"Out-of-the-way? Basement?" Elysia tilted her head, her pink eyes full of puzzlement. "There's no such thing. It's just that a few days ago, Eden booked out that whole floor of the miHoYo Entertainment Studio for Su Yu, on the top floor of the Arc City Tower right in the city center. The view's wonderful—you can look down over the whole of Arc City~"
Ryusuke's expression froze.
"Arc City... Tower?"
"That's right, the one right in the city center." Elysia tilted her head. "The renovations are so pretty. Last time I went—"
She was still talking.
Ryusuke could no longer hear her.
Arc City Tower.
The landmark building of Arc City.
The most expensive commercial real estate in the city center.
The top floor.
Fully funded by Eden.
"Clink."
The champagne glass Ryusuke held in his hand slipped without warning onto the carpet, letting out a muffled thud.
City center? The top floor of the Arc City Tower?! Booked out entirely on Eden's dime?!
Ryusuke felt his blood pressure rising in a straight vertical line.
He recalled how earlier today he'd wanted to take out his own pitiful little stash of private savings to invest and buy a stake in the studio of Su Yu, that "poor, shabby son-in-law"—he'd even fantasized about claiming a major share within it and lording over the whole operation.
In his mind, that lyric, "stumbling into Heaven's household," had at this moment transformed into a deafening symphonic bombardment.
See there.
Singing again.
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