By the time they returned to the top floor of the Paris Grand Hotel, it was already ten in the morning.
The security team, private butlers, and service staff were still operating in an orderly fashion.
The corridor was as quiet as ever, as if nothing had happened.
In the lounge, Ouyang Xuanyue stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of hot tea as she quietly gazed out at Hercules Port.
She had already changed back into a neat, light-colored business suit. Her long hair was pinned up, and her makeup had been flawlessly redone.
Her whole person had turned back into that graceful, dignified, and utterly watertight Ms. Ouyang.
Tang Song walked to her side and followed her gaze toward the azure sea beyond the harbor.
"What's next? Want to go to Nice together?"
Ouyang Xuanyue turned her head to look at him. "Tang Jin Manor?"
"Mm. It's less than half an hour by helicopter. Since we're already here, shouldn't we go take a look?"
Ouyang Xuanyue gently shook her head. "I won't go. If I appear there, it'll be given a lot of extra meaning. Besides... New Year is almost here. You know how it is. Every year around this time, I always have a lot to do. Many people need to be visited, many relationships need to be maintained, and there are many people I ought to see and connections I ought to tend to. None of them can be missed."
Tang Song nodded. "I understand."
Of course he knew very well.
For someone like Ouyang Xuanyue, New Year had never been merely a holiday arrangement.
It meant making rounds, placating people, probing, choosing sides, and it also meant that countless pairs of eyes would fall on her.
That she had been able to indulge herself