Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Jasmine Bridge was also mentioned in the original book. While it appeared to be a private club, it was actually the personal property of a certain official.

A few years later, this official was convicted of corruption and imprisoned, making the club toxic—no one wanted to touch it with a ten-foot pole. Thanks to his protagonist halo, Yu Shang went through some trouble to purchase it and legally reopen it.

Upon arriving, Tian Ruan understood why Yu Shang had gone to such lengths to acquire this place. The emerald lakeshore was dotted with bizarre rock formations, jasmine shrubs were artfully placed, and a charming bridge over babbling water led to this hidden retreat.

All luxury cars were parked in the underground garage. From a distance, the area stretched wide, with willow trees lining the banks, drunkenly swaying in the spring haze. If visited in spring, the scenery would undoubtedly be even more breathtaking.

The club exclusively hosted banquets and receptions year-round, with its upscale exterior and impeccably groomed staff. For Christmas, two small trees were placed behind the entrance, and holiday trinkets were discreetly placed in inconspicuous corners.

Assistant Xu handed two invitations to the greeter, who smiled and said, "You're limited to two security personnel."

Tian Ruan had brought Mao Qi and Da Zhuang.

A receptionist led the way. The venue had only one banquet hall, making it easy to find. They walked down a long corridor lined with thick carpeting, where brass deer-head sconces blazed brightly.

After a turn, they arrived at a pair of white-and-gold arched double doors. Crossing the threshold meant entering elite circles.

The receptionist opened the doors for Tian Ruan, and a wave of murmured conversation instantly washed over them, mingling with the fragrance of jasmine and wine. Despite the season, the banquet hall was filled with snow-white jasmine blossoms.

Though it was a masquerade ball, there were none of the outlandish costumes Tian Ruan had imagined. The women wore various elegant gowns, flaunting their enviable curves, their faces adorned with delicate masks made of metal, feathers, or flowers—a feast for the eyes.

Most of the men were dressed in suits, their masks also of common designs.

Tian Ruan: [He thought: "..."]

"Esteemed guests, please enter."

Tian Ruan stepped inside, sticking out like a sore thumb under everyone's gaze.

His wine-red coat with snow-white accents and forest-green pants tucked into black Chelsea boots would've been a fashion disaster on anyone else. But thanks to Tian Ruan's near-perfect proportions—the slender waist, long legs, and small head—the outfit suited him perfectly, though it still drew more attention than usual.

Someone chuckled, "Which family's young master is this, dressed like Santa's hipster grandson?"

"Assistant Xu..." Tian Ruan turned his head, about to say he wanted to change into the formal attire Yu Jingmo had prepared for him, only to find that Assistant Xu, who had been beside him moments ago, had vanished.

Mao Qi said, "Bathroom emergency."

"Yeah right—like they'd have public restrooms here."

Tian Ruan took a deep breath. "It's fine. I can find Yu Jingmo myself. Don't give me any hints—I want to do this on my own."

Mao Qi and Da Zhuang melted into the sea of designer gowns and tuxedos, following from a distance. Da Zhuang's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of a woman in a backless dress, and he grinned foolishly.

Mao Qi: "Have you not seen a woman in eight hundred years?"

Da Zhuang lamented, "Exactly. The ones at the manor don't count as women."

Mao Qi: "I'll pass that along to them."

Da Zhuang: "...No, please don't!"

His bear-like yelp drew disdainful looks from the surrounding guests, as if he was some creep. Tian Ruan quickly distanced himself, pretending not to know him. Da Zhuang looked ready to die of shame.

The air hummed with power and privilege. The banquet hall was enormous, stretching across two levels and filled with a crowd of the wealthy, influential, celebrities, and movers and shakers from the global stage.

Several foreigners tried chatting up Tian Ruan. The outfit he was wearing today might’ve seemed a little rebellious back home, but to foreigners, it was totally unique—just the right vibe for Christmas: fun and laid-back, not just stiff small talk.

Tian Ruan was in a rush to find someone and didn’t have time to mess around, so he said, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak English.”

The foreigners looked disappointed and backed off.

Tian Ruan scanned the crowd. Then it hit him—he dashed toward the staircase. You know what they say—get high to see far. If he stood at a higher vantage point, he could scan the whole place.

The stairs were covered with thick carpeting, and waiters darted around with trays of drinks. Tian Ruan stayed to one side, leaning on the railing as he leaned over to look down at the first floor, slowly shuffling backward up the steps.

He mentally split the crowd below into zones, searching each one—nothing, zip, nada, zilch…

Soon, he reached a conclusion: Yu Jingmo wasn’t on the first floor, which meant he had to be on the second.

Then it hit him again—he jerked his head up. He saw a bunch of people lounging by the railing on the second-floor corridor, chatting and laughing. Thanks to the damn pillars and railings blocking his view, he couldn’t see them all clearly.

The first floor was the grand banquet hall, while the second floor held private lounges for hush-hush chats.

Tian Ruan couldn’t go banging on every door—that would be super rude and would probably get him thrown out.

“…Bastard, how am I supposed to find you like this?” Tian Ruan grumbled under his breath as he walked along the second-floor corridor. “If I find you, I’ll punch you twice.”

Three people—two men and a woman—were standing by the railing, talking. The tallest man slightly turned his head, a smirk playing on his lips as he glanced at the passing young man.

Mao Qi, trailing behind, facepalmed internally: “….”

Tian Ruan didn’t stop. He reached the end of the hallway, then turned back. Still unwilling to give up, he craned his ear against the last parlor’s door. Nothing came from inside.

Only when he straightened up did he notice a small sign hanging beside the door: *Unoccupied*.

“…”

He moved to a room marked *Occupied* and pressed his ear against that door.

A tall man wearing a black eagle mask passed by, but Tian Ruan ignored him completely. He was too focused on eavesdropping. If he could just catch a voice, he was sure he’d recognize it.

But the doors here were as thick as those in a mansion—only muffled crap came through. No way to make out a thing.

Mao Qi watched helplessly as his master blew another shot at spotting him.

At the opposite end, Tian Ruan got so pissed he almost kicked the door in—but stopped himself.

How was he supposed to find anyone like this? Impossible!

“Bastard, bastard, bastard!” He hopped in place, cursing with every stomp. “Yu Jingmo, you absolute dick…”

Female voice: “Wait… is he cussing at you?”

The man chuckled. “Mm.”

Tian Ruan went statue-still, like his brain just blue-screened. Slowly, he turned his head and gaped at the guy who towered over everyone at 6’3”.

The man wore an eagle mask—same style, different color—and an iron-gray suit with sharply tailored trousers. The fabric looked deceptively plain at first glance, but under the lights, it shimmered like liquid metal.

His feet were huge—custom dress shoes that dwarfed everyone else's by a good inch or two.

Such a statuesque, mountain-of-a-man presence was rare in any world. Somehow, Tian Ruan had missed him three times in a row.

Tian Ruan: “….” It had to be a freaking glitch in the matrix.

Yu Jingmo's lips curled into a faint smile, his almond-shaped phoenix eyes fixed on the bewildered young man before him. "Did you find me?"

Tian Ruan flashed in front of him in an instant. "Mr. Yu, I'm here."

The lady beside them was stunned by Tian Ruan's speed. "And who might this be?"

Yu Jingmo tapped Tian Ruan lightly on the head, murmuring with a chuckle only they could hear, "Dummy."

Tian Ruan accepted the teasing without protest, gazing eagerly at the man whose aura of authority couldn’t be masked even by his disguise.

Yu Jingmo took his hand and introduced him, "This is my husband."

The lady joked, "Classic older spouse and younger one! Mr. Yu’s husband is quite lively."

Tian Ruan winced inwardly, recalling how he’d had his ear pressed to the door eavesdropping—cursing Yu Jingmo as an asshole, no less—all of it witnessed. He shot Mao Qi a glare. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Mao Qi shrugged helplessly. He had been standing right next to Yu Jingmo as a marker, yet Tian Ruan somehow hadn’t noticed him.

"You called me an asshole just now," Yu Jingmo said to Tian Ruan. "I heard everything."

Tian Ruan: "...I didn’t mean to."

"How exactly am I an asshole? You’d better explain, or else word might spread that I really am one," Yu Jingmo teased with a deadpan expression.

Tian Ruan: "You’re not the asshole—I am. A clueless mess."

Yu Jingmo smiled faintly. "Did Ms. Li and Mr. Xiao catch that?"

President Li, the lady, laughed. "Don’t worry, I won’t say you’re an asshole. Your husband is the airhead."

President Xiao, also in his thirties, watched Tian Ruan with amusement. "There are too many idiots here already. One more airhead won’t tip the scales."

Li gave Xiao a sidelong glance but simply smiled in response.

After some polite back-and-forth, the host made his entrance—a middle-aged man with a beer gut, holding a microphone as he greeted warmly, "What a fortunate gathering tonight. Merry Christmas!"

A handful of half-hearted cheers responded. Most people were here for business connections and favors, not the host. Nobody cared who he was.

Or rather, the visible host might not even be the real one. The true power broker remained offstage, soaking up the sycophancy from the shadows.

Everyone knew it—but nobody spoke of it.

This whole masquerade charade? The masks were just tools to approach otherwise untouchable figures, who would then set their conditions. If met, all parties benefited; if not, the masks meant plausible deniability.

"...It's a quid-pro-quo bazaar," Yu Jingmo explained the ball’s true nature. "Being such a peacock makes you seem like someone desperate to climb the social ladder."

Tian Ruan: "I’m not trying to climb anything."

Yu Jingmo took a glass of cherry cordial from a waiter and handed it to his husband. "Of course. You're the prize they're angling for."

"?"

He smiled again. "Want to know who the real host of this ball is?"

Tian Ruan stared in disbelief. "Wait... it’s you?!"

"Why couldn’t it be me?"

Tian Ruan struggled to answer. "What’s your angle with this party?"

Yu Jingmo’s voice was calm. “The dance is just a cover. I’m here to select.”

“Select what?”

“I have a 5-billion-yuan development project that hasn’t been announced yet. Once the news gets out next year, people will come flocking in. It’ll be hard to tell friend from foe in all the chaos. I need to find a partner who can hold their own and help me see this project through.”

Tian Ruan opened her mouth in surprise. “…Why does it have to be a joint effort? Your family’s business is huge—can’t you handle it on your own?”

Yu Jingmo chuckled—a low, velvety sound that brushed against the ears. “Holly Group mainly operates in finance, hotels, luxury goods, and military supplies. We’ve dabbled in real estate, but we don’t have the same level of expertise. We’re not as seasoned or ruthless as the old-school developers.”

Tian Ruan nodded half-understandingly and took a sip of cherry liqueur.

The alcohol content was low, sweet and refreshing.

It was already five in the afternoon. The sky hadn’t fully darkened yet, but the banquet hall was brightly lit. A Christmas feast of turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, and raisin pudding filled the long tables, with cocktails rounding out the spread.

Four workers wheeled a massive Christmas snowman in on a cart, placing it onto a pair of widened, elongated sleds. They climbed up scaffolding to place a hat on the snowman’s head and wrap a scarf around its neck.

Tian Ruan was delighted by the sight. Alongside the snowman were holly trees, cacti, and amaryllis. The vast banquet hall felt almost like the outdoors.

"Do you like it?" Yu Jingmo asked.

Tian Ruan nodded vigorously. "I love it. It’d be even better if Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan could come too."

"They get out of school later. I'll send someone to get them."

As he spoke, the banquet hall doors opened again, and in walked a young man dusted with snow—from his clothes and shoes to the sharp, pale line of his jaw, which looked unnaturally pale, almost sickly.

He had no bodyguards with him, and his frame was similar to Tian Ruan’s. As soon as he entered, he seemed drawn by some invisible force, lifting his gaze toward the second floor—their eyes meeting across time itself.

Tian Ruan blinked in confusion.

The young man brushed off would-be conversationalists and made his way upstairs, stopping beside Tian Ruan and Yu Jingmo. He spoke softly, his voice like a breeze. “Long time no see, Yu Jingmo. After all these years, I still recognized you at first glance.”

Tian Ruan stared, thoroughly confused.

Yu Jingmo simply asked, “And you are?”