Hanshi's Ruifang Hotel stood majestically in the heart of the bustling district.
The thirty-sixth floor, closed to the public, was decorated in a classical style, with carved beams, painted rafters, rare flowers, and exotic plants.
A winding stream passed through a rockery formed of strange peaks and rugged stones before spilling into a small pond filled with emerald bamboo and lotus roots, startling the goldfish within. Mist rose from the water's surface, lending the place an illusionlike air.
Faint notes from a zither and flute intertwined, sometimes gentle, sometimes urgent, while bells chimed endlessly amid the music like a sudden downpour.
Behind a curtain of jade beads, eighteen dancers spun on their feet, twisting their waists as their delicate bodies whirled. Their sleeves fluttered, red silk ribbons floated upward, and they danced like immortals.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Beyond the curtain lay a chamber fragrant with antique elegance, like a bedchamber. A young man lounged against a sofa, admiring the graceful dancers with amazement in his eyes, unable to resist applauding in praise.
The middle-aged man beside him sipped tea and said smugly, "Young Master Han, I personally screened and interviewed every one of them. They're all students from the dance department."
"Take your pick, and I'll arrange it." The middle-aged man was Li Qing, helmsman of the Li Family's Ruifang Group.
The dance troupe he kept was originally meant for public relations and entertaining guests. To provide services for important figures, it was an exceptionally useful "weapon," one that had played an indispensable role in Ruifang Group's development.
As for Young Master Han before him, his own status was not particularly high, but his father was a formidable figure in Hanshi. The Li Family had every reason to curry favor with him.
Young Master Han crossed one leg over the