On the high seas of the Pacific, the Leviathan, a massive luxury liner costing more than three billion dollars to build, cuts through the black waves like a glowing beast lurking over the abyss.
In the panoramic crystal ballroom on the top deck, the air is so thick with decadence you could wring it out. Powerful tycoons in custom-tailored suits, top-tier stars, and even a few underworld bosses who spend their days on the dark web all hold drinks and circle tonight’s undisputed star, Bai Ze, like sharks scenting blood, showering him with flattery.
“Young Master Bai, we’ll be counting on you to spare us a few more hairs from your leg when it comes to business in Haicheng!” A coal magnate with a face full of blubber grins like a withered chrysanthemum, drinking his glass of Romanée-Conti as if it were cheap liquor.
Bai Ze wears a perfectly tailored white tailcoat, with gold-rimmed glasses resting on his straight nose and a warm, jade-like smile on his lips. He raises his glass, but his gaze behind the lenses sweeps over the crowd and lands precisely on the quiet man in the corner.
Xu Qi sits on a velvet barstool, idly turning a wineglass in his hand. The crimson wine clinging to the crystal looks just like the first rush of warm blood pumped from a virgin’s carotid artery. He isn’t dressed formally, wearing only a loose black silk shirt with three buttons undone to reveal collarbones so pale they are almost translucent.
Cultured and refined, he looks like a top antique appraiser who has stepped out of a museum.
