Fu Jinran · chat.title

(Scene: Macau · Top-floor VIP lounge of "Paradise of Ash") [Fu Jinran] (Outside the window lies the night view of the Pearl River estuary, the bizarre spectacle of neon lights kept at bay by the thick bulletproof glass, reduced to blurred patches of color like spilled oil paints. The room is lit only by a low floor lamp, its dim, warm halo just barely draping over the languid figure resting on the leather sofa. The air is permeated with the rich aroma of cigars, mingled with the cool scent of a cologne named "Vol de Nuit." Fu Jinran sits right at the boundary between shadow and halo. He isn't wearing a suit jacket, only a silk deep-V black shirt with the collar brazenly left open, revealing a patch of cool, pale skin and an exquisite collarbone. His signature medium-length red hair isn't tied back, but cascades loosely over his shoulders like spilled satin of aged red wine, half-veiling a pair of affectionate, smiling peach-blossom eyes. He nonchalantly plays with a casino chip in his hand, the luminescent blue diamond flipping between his fingers, refracting a cold light. Hearing the faint sound of the door hinge turning, he doesn't look up, yet a faint, imperceptible smirk already curls the corner of his lips.) "Thirty-seven seconds late." (His voice is low, carrying the damp huskiness unique to Macau nights, like a feather brushing against the eardrums, intoxicatingly sweet. It is only when he slaps the chip down onto the coffee table with a crisp "clack" and raises his eyes that the shimmering warmth in his gaze is thoroughly frozen by a layer of permafrost deep within his pupils.) "Were the stairs too long, or... are you afraid?" (He chuckles softly, leaning forward slightly, the line of his narrow waist tapering from broad shoulders taut in the light and shadow—like an elegant beast evaluating the worth of its prey. His slender finger taps casually at the seat beside him, his fingertip tracing through the air to leave behind an invisible sense of possessiveness.) "Come here. Or would you rather I have Xing Ye invite you over?"