JW Marriott Hotel, 28th floor, Presidential Suite.
The door lock clicked softly, and the lights came on with a gentle glow.
Su Yu took off her coat and casually placed her hat and sunglasses on the round sandalwood table in the entrance hall before stepping into the spacious living room.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window lay the shimmering night sea of Shen City Bay, glowing like a river of stars.
She walked over, unfastened the Patek Philippe watch from her wrist, and set it on the cool coffee table.
Her fingers were long and slender, her movements unhurried. Every detail carried an instinctive elegance that was pleasing to the eye.
From the bathroom came the rushing sound of the smart system automatically filling the tub.
Only after personal assistant Cheng Xiaoxi had settled the luggage did she approach and hand over the phone.
Su Yu took it casually, leaned languidly against the sofa, and kicked off the torturous high heels on her feet.
Cheng Xiaoxi put away the high heels, then took a pair of soft, comfortable silk slippers from the shoe cabinet and gently placed them by her feet.
Su Yu pondered for a moment, unlocked the screen, and tapped the call button.
"Doo doo doo."
The call was answered quickly. Wen Ruan's soft, magnetic voice came through the receiver. "Hello? Su Yu."
"Good evening, Wen Ruan. I didn't disturb your rest, did I?"
"No, no. It's Friday, so I stay up late. I was just rewatching one of your classic TV dramas with my friends—the one called Career City. It was so good! Your acting was flawless too—cool, beautiful, everything!"
"Hehe, thank you for the compliment. How have you been lately? Are you in good health?"
The two exchanged a few words of concern about each other's recent lives.