Shen Ruoxi hesitated no further and made her way directly to the private room that Floor Manager Hu had mentioned.

The private room on the second floor occupied a perfect vantage point for watching the performances below. Seated on the sofa inside, one could take in the entire stage at a glance, and once the door was closed, it became an ideal space for privacy.

The occupant of the room seemed to have little interest in this evening’s performance. The door was shut, and on either side of the entrance stood two powerfully built men.

Floor Manager Hu first flashed a fawning smile at the two men, then stepped forward and knocked on the door. Only after a voice responded from within did she carefully push it open.

“Mr. Dai, Ruoxi has arrived.” Floor Manager Hu bowed and scraped as she ushered Shen Ruoxi inside. “Mr. Dai, I’ll take my leave now — please don’t hesitate to give any instructions.”

The private room was brightly lit. A man sat on an elegantly upholstered fabric sofa, with a spread of drinks and light refreshments arranged before him.

The man was quite tall, dressed in a well-tailored blue-striped suit. His slightly lean face was framed by a pair of glasses, and at first glance, he gave off an impression of being remarkably calm and refined.

“Miss Shen, how do you do.” When Dai Jing spoke, his voice was clear and pleasant. “My name is Dai Jing — forgive me for the intrusion.”

He was nothing like what Shen Ruoxi had imagined. Both in appearance and in manner, Dai Jing was thoroughly courteous, without a trace of the arrogance and presumption one often found in men of high standing or newly acquired wealth.

Seeing that Shen Ruoxi remained standing without moving, Dai Jing smiled slightly. “There is no need to be alarmed, Miss Shen. I invited you here simply to appreciate your singing and to have a quiet conversation.”

He gestured toward the other side of the sofa. “Please, have a seat, Miss Shen.”

Perhaps because Dai Jing’s manner made it difficult to dislike him, or because his refined appearance was somehow genuinely reassuring, Shen Ruoxi did as he said and settled into the spot he had indicated.

“What would you like to drink, Miss Shen? Alcohol won’t do — it damages the voice.” Dai Jing poured a glass of water and set it before her. “Where are you originally from, Miss Shen?”

“My hometown is in Xi Nan. When the war came, everyone in my family died. I fled the chaos and made my way here to Bei Di alone.” Shen Ruoxi’s voice was soft and quiet, quite different from how she sounded when she sang — when she spoke, there was a faint coolness to it, a measured distance.

“Everyone died?” Dai Jing expressed genuine regret. “I’m sorry — I shouldn’t have asked such a painful question.”

“It’s all right. It was a long time ago.”

“Did you have a renowned teacher who guided your singing, Miss Shen, or is it simply a natural talent?”

“My maternal grandfather was a court musician in the Imperial Palace, and he was held in great esteem by the Emperor. My mother inherited her father’s gift for music, and from the time I was very young, she taught me to sing and to dance.”

“No wonder,” Dai Jing remarked with a smile. “If your grandfather was a court musician, how did your family end up in poverty?”

“My grandfather was forthright by nature. Although the Emperor held him in high regard, he offended certain treacherous men. He was framed and the entire family was banished to the remote wastelands of Xi Nan. He fell ill on the journey and died before ever reaching the destination. Those who survived settled in Xi Nan as best they could.”

Noticing that Shen Ruoxi was answering in a mechanical, flat tone and clearly had no desire to continue the conversation, Dai Jing gestured toward the chessboard in front of him. “Do you play chess, Miss Shen?”

“I know the rudiments.”

“Would you be willing to play a few rounds with me?”

Shen Ruoxi glanced at Dai Jing. His gaze was calm and steady — he seemed to genuinely want to play chess. So she shifted over to the opposite side of the board. “Will you take white or black, Mr. Dai?”

“Please choose first, Miss Shen.” Dai Jing made a gracious gesture of invitation.

Shen Ruoxi chose the black pieces.

This rather surprised Dai Jing. The white pieces were carved from jade, smooth and translucent, and any woman would have been drawn to them. The black pieces, though equally lustrous, carried with them a faint, subdued air of pressure.

As soon as Shen Ruoxi placed her first stone, Dai Jing’s attention sharpened considerably — because he could see at once that she genuinely knew how to play.

Outside the private room, the singing voices of the other girls drifted in, layered over the cheering and noise of the guests. But within the room, the two of them held their black and white pieces and engaged in quiet, concentrated battle.

After two rounds, each of them had won one.

“Shall we let one game decide the winner?” Dai Jing’s interest had been thoroughly kindled.

He had only intended to give Shen Ruoxi something to do in order to ease the awkwardness between them. He hadn’t expected her to be anything but the amateur she claimed — on the contrary, at the chessboard she played with decisiveness and boldness, with the bearing of a skilled general.

Dai Jing had no intention of losing, so he cleared the board and prepared for the deciding game.

“Mr. Dai.” Shen Ruoxi, picking up her piece, suddenly spoke. “Shall we make a wager?”

Dai Jing hadn’t expected this from her. Quite interested, he asked, “What would you like to wager, Miss Shen?”

“If I win, Mr. Dai — could you make me the most sought-after singing girl in this dance hall?” Shen Ruoxi raised her amber-colored eyes and regarded him with a calm, unhurried gaze.

Dai Jing was taken aback, then laughed. “That is something that would cost me no effort whatsoever.”

“Those are my terms. Now you may state yours, Mr. Dai.”

“In that case,” Dai Jing said, “if I win — would you be willing to keep me company and play chess from time to time?”

“That’s all?” Shen Ruoxi seemed genuinely surprised.

“What else did you expect?” Dai Jing smiled. “It’s plain to see, Miss Shen, that you came here to sing because life compelled you to. You simply have no desire to mix with the noise and depravity of this place. You want to become famous, too, but only because fame gives you leverage — for instance, the ability to choose who sits across from you in this private room.”

Shen Ruoxi had not expected Dai Jing to see through her true thoughts so clearly — and this was a complete stranger she had only just met.

“Very well.” Shen Ruoxi placed her first piece. “Your turn, Mr. Dai.”

When the deciding game was over, Dai Jing had lost.

He spread his hands in mild resignation. “I lost — and I’ll honor the wager.”

Shen Ruoxi could tell that Dai Jing had not let her win. She had played with all she had, and she respected him for it — for taking every game seriously and with care.

“If Mr. Dai wishes,” Shen Ruoxi said, “I am happy to come and keep him company at chess at any time.”

“But I lost.”

“This isn’t part of the wager.” Shen Ruoxi rose to her feet. “Is there anything else Mr. Dai requires?”

“You may go, Miss Shen. When I feel like playing chess, I will send for you.”

The moment Shen Ruoxi stepped out of the room, Floor Manager Hu — who had been waiting outside the entire time — anxiously moved to meet her. Seeing that her expression was unchanged, the manager felt a slight wave of relief wash over her.

“How was it? You didn’t manage to offend Mr. Dai, did you?”

Shen Ruoxi gave her a sideways look. “If the manager was so worried I’d offend the guests, she shouldn’t have sent me in to see them in the first place.”

“Shen Ruoxi, with that sharp tongue of yours, sooner or later you’ll pay a price for your insolence.”

“The price has already been paid,” Shen Ruoxi said. “There won’t be a second time.”

The manager stared at Shen Ruoxi’s retreating figure and bit down in frustration — yet there was nothing she could do about her.

She despised Shen Ruoxi, yet the girl had caught Mr. Dai’s eye. Whether it was a passing fancy or something more, she now had no choice but to put up with Shen Ruoxi’s temper.

But there was still plenty of time ahead. She was certain that one day, Shen Ruoxi would be groveling before her.

~

Every ending was the beginning of the next day — that was the nature of Shen Ruoxi’s upside-down life, where night and day were reversed.

By the time she returned to her apartment, it was already three in the morning. She washed herself quickly and dropped herself onto the large bed.

But lying there, the raucous music of the dance hall still rang in her ears, and sleep refused to come.

She thought of Dai Jing, wondering whether behind that refined exterior there lurked a very different personality.

She didn’t trust that a man who had risen to a position of power could truly be the gentle, harmless sort — just like Xie Yan, whose beautiful face was nothing more than a mask.

Just as she was wondering why Xie Yan had come to mind, there came a knock at her door.

Old Liu wouldn’t be coming by at this hour. The only person who could be knocking was probably Sister Hong.

When Shen Ruoxi cracked the door open, a dark shape suddenly tumbled inside. She couldn’t dodge in time and was knocked squarely off balance, stumbling two steps back before barely managing to stay upright. Then a wave of alcohol fumes hit her full in the face.

A person was hanging off her, nearly collapsing.

“Mr. Xie?” Shen Ruoxi looked at the figure before her in shock. Even without seeing his face, she knew it was Xie Yan.

Shen Ruoxi steadied Xie Yan, then with her other hand pushed the door shut.

Xie Yan was too tall — it took considerable effort before she managed to half-drag him to the sofa’s edge, and he promptly sprawled out across it.

Shen Ruoxi went to the window and looked down at the street below. As she had suspected, a car was parked there — it must have been Xie Yan’s.

“Mr. Xie.” Shen Ruoxi went back to the sofa and tried calling out to him, but faced with her voice, he gave no sign of hearing her.

“Mr. Xie.” She gave him a nudge. “You’ve come to the wrong place. This isn’t the Xie Mansion — this is Cujin Road.”

“I haven’t come to the wrong place. This is my home.”

Just when Shen Ruoxi had thought he wouldn’t respond at all, he muttered something in a blurred, indistinct voice.

“Yes, yes, the apartment is yours, so naturally this is your home,” she said helplessly.

She got up and fetched a blanket, then draped it over him.

“Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?”

After waiting a while with no answer from him, she shook her head and walked away.

She hadn’t been feeling sleepy to begin with, and after this commotion from Xie Yan, she was even more wide awake.

Just as Shen Ruoxi was sitting on the bed in a daze, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and a dark shadow fell directly onto her bed — right beside her.

She jumped off the bed in alarm and stared in astonishment at the man who had already fallen back to sleep.

“You…” Shen Ruoxi complained in exasperation. “You were perfectly fine on the sofa — why have you gone and taken someone else’s bed?”

The bed wasn’t large to begin with, and with someone his height lying across it, there wasn’t a single inch of space left.

Shen Ruoxi had no choice but to retreat to the sofa. Yet when she reached the doorway, she still had the kindness to turn back and drape the quilt over him.

“Be grateful — otherwise you’d surely freeze to death.”

She had only meant it as an irritated mutter to herself, but in the very next instant, a hand reached out and pulled her in. The world spun, and she found herself locked against a broad, solid chest.

“Mr. Xie…” Shen Ruoxi looked with utter shock at the man who had ensnared her with arms and legs both, and cried out in outrage: “Xie Yan!”

He paid no attention whatsoever, and simply went on sleeping with her in his arms.

“Xie Yan, let me go.” She struggled hard several times — but it was like a mayfly trying to topple a great tree; utterly, completely useless.