8:00 p.m., Shen City.
Hu Xiaoyu stood in the hallway outside the Supreme VIP lounge on the eighth floor of Nightfall, surrounded by a group of MBs (male escorts).
Running low on spiritual energy, he cautiously unsealed his sense of smell.
Immediately, a wave of overlapping scents hit him like a wall—perfume, sweat, the fabric of clothing, and the leather pouches strapped to the waists of some MBs—completely suffocating the fox's sensitive nose.
A head of coffee-colored hair leaned toward him.
"You okay? Your lips are pale. Low blood sugar?"
As the boy spoke, he rummaged through his small pouch and unwrapped a fruit candy, holding it out toward Hu Xiaoyu. "Tonight, we're entertaining some of the top heirs in Shen City. If you can hook one—even for just a few days—it's worth more than a year of work here. Don't mess it up."
Hu Xiaoyu took a moment to adapt to the overwhelming scents around him. His head was still spinning slightly, but at least he managed to stand upright.
He accepted the candy and smiled at the gentle, fair face beneath the coffee-colored hair. "Thank you."
A few words into their conversation, Hu Xiaoyu learned the boy's name was Jin Bao—one of the highest-ranking MBs in Nightfall.
As for himself, Hu Xiaoyu had only slipped in half an hour ago after charming the club manager. He was here to meet someone.
Of course, he couldn't tell Jin Bao that and offered only a vague response.
Other MBs nearby, noticing their conversation—and especially catching sight of Hu Xiaoyu's face—reacted in mixed ways: envy, awe, and even disdainful snorts as they turned away.
Jin Bao was already used to those reactions. In this business, rivalry was the norm. Anyone pretending they were all one big happy family? That was the real red flag.
Hu Xiaoyu blinked but remained unbothered.
Human emotions were so complex and expressed in so many ways. Fascinating, really.
As the clock neared 8:30, Jin Bao mustered his courage and asked to exchange contacts with Hu Xiaoyu.
He hadn't seen him before and figured he must be a newcomer. But with that face, it wouldn't be long before Hu Xiaoyu became the new favorite of the club.
If he didn't connect now, it'd only get harder later.
Of course, it wasn't just about networking. Jin Bao genuinely liked him. It was the kind of unexplainable attraction where just being near someone made the air feel fresher—an instinctive pull toward beauty.
Hu Xiaoyu was still unfamiliar with his phone and fumbled his way through adding Jin Bao.
He hadn't fully absorbed the original host's memories—only drawing what he needed as situations arose. The effort drained him, and a wave of drowsiness quickly followed.
Ten minutes later, a group of ten young men—aged eighteen to twenty-two—filed into the private lounge.
The room was spacious but dimmer than the hallway outside.
That wasn't a problem for Hu Xiaoyu. His pupils shimmered with a faint green glow, allowing him to see clearly even in the dark.
Then, he saw him.
Sitting alone on a plush sofa near the window, a cigarette between his fingers—Yu Tan.
Found you.
Hu Xiaoyu's breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked onto the man.
Two seconds of eye contact—and Yu Tan looked back.
His gaze was as sharp as a blade, cutting through the noise and shadows of the lounge, landing squarely on Hu Xiaoyu's face.
For a moment, time stopped as the two locked eyes in the half-light.
Then suddenly—light flooded the room. Someone had flipped on the overhead lights.
"Shi Jingyang, what the hell is wrong with you? That light's blinding!" someone cursed, half-laughing.
Another voice replied gleefully, "Better blind you than let you keep stealing my picks!"
Hu Xiaoyu instinctively closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he found Yu Tan had snuffed out his cigarette and was now fingering a string of prayer beads on his left wrist.
The other MBs had already adjusted to the sudden brightness. While Hu Xiaoyu stood frozen in place, staring at Yu Tan, the rest had instinctively gathered in the center of the room, lined up like saplings, each trying to present their best side.
In contrast, Hu Xiaoyu remained conspicuously near the door.
Jin Bao tried subtly signaling him, but Hu Xiaoyu's focus was entirely on Yu Tan. He didn't notice.
Shi Jingyang was the first to spot Hu Xiaoyu. His eyes lit up. "Damn, he's stunning... No one fight me for this one tonight!"
The man beside him was equally stunned, though his preferences leaned toward women. Still, he couldn't help but comment, "You sure know how to pick 'em. But that little beauty seems to have eyes only for Yu-ge. Look at how he's staring."
Shi Jingyang followed Hu Xiaoyu's gaze—and sure enough, he was looking at Yu Tan.
Still, Yu Tan was famously hard to approach. Maybe he could get lucky.
He shamelessly asked, "Yu-ge, how about that one at the door? If you don't want him, I'll take him… That face is too unreal—I need to touch it just to confirm he's real."
The room fell silent.
All eyes were on the youth by the door.
Simple white tee, black shorts, long legs and a slim waist—just standing there, he was enough to make someone instinctively snuff out their cigarette for fear of tainting him.
And that was just his figure.
Then came the face—those fox-like eyes, sharp yet enchanting, a straight nose, soft pink lips, all framed by porcelain skin and delicate features. He didn't look real.
As a fox demon, Hu Xiaoyu was no stranger to stares.
Though most of his focus remained on Yu Tan, he still offered the rest a slight nod and a soft smile—like a refined young noble from an ancient family.
After all, anyone who could socialize with Yu Tan must be his friends.
And a friend of a friend, Hu Xiaoyu believed, deserved a good impression.
At that moment, Hu Xiaoyu had no concept of what it meant to play the role of an MB.
And in truth—he wasn't one.
He had merely used a small trick to gain access to the lounge, all to get close to Yu Tan.
The other MBs were completely stunned.
Jin Bao was panicking inside.
Was Hu Xiaoyu really trying to stand out like that in front of a room full of elite heirs?
These guys didn't take kindly to show-offs. One wrong move and—
The others mostly watched in amusement or schadenfreude. One less competitor was always a good thing.
Hu Xiaoyu remained by the door, oblivious to the manager who was sweating bullets. He was supposed to introduce the MBs to the guests one by one, and Hu Xiaoyu was throwing everything off.
The manager, having forgotten he'd been charmed earlier, grew frantic. What was this kid doing? He reached out to push him.
But before he could touch Hu Xiaoyu, a jolt of static shocked his hand.
He yelped, pulling back in pain.
Hu Xiaoyu didn't bother to look. As a fox spirit living in the mortal world, he wasn't allowed to attack humans—but defending himself when someone made the first move? That was fair game.
The lounge fell into an eerie silence.
Shi Jingyang itched to make a move but still turned to Yu Tan. "Yu-ge, do you want the one at the door?"
If Yu Tan said yes, he'd back off. After all, Yu Tan rarely showed interest in anyone. It wouldn't be right to fight a brother for someone he finally noticed.
Not to mention, he couldn't win even if he tried.
The man known as Yu-ge wore a white shirt and dark slacks. Even seated on a wide sofa, his presence was sharp and chilling.
His complexion was pale—almost sickly so—but not weak. The slight lift of his eyes made him look naturally fierce. His dark pupils seemed bottomless, and one glance from him could send chills down anyone's spine—even before noticing how stunningly handsome he was.
His fingers were still circling the prayer beads on his left wrist.
No one knew that the moment he saw Hu Xiaoyu, the beads had suddenly heated up—so hot they nearly burned his wrist.
He twisted the beads and, in a voice full of casual indifference, said, "Put tonight's tab on me."
Tonight's event had been organized by Shi Jingyang, so by default, he was paying.
Yu Tan's words made his meaning clear.
Shi Jingyang scratched his head, a bit disappointed, but waved at Hu Xiaoyu anyway. "Come here."
The lounge was large. Aside from the MBs, there were about ten young heirs—each wealthy and powerful in their own right. Having them all staring at one person could be nerve-wracking.
But for Hu Xiaoyu?
It meant nothing.
He simply walked over as if visiting a neighbor.
His fox-like eyes were naturally alluring, but more than that, they radiated genuine joy and warmth as he looked at Yu Tan.
And then—something else.
As he noticed Yu Tan's neutral, unreadable expression, a hint of disappointment and guilt crept into his own gaze.
Yu Tan had reincarnated, his face and name unchanged—but he no longer remembered him.
Back then, Hu Xiaoyu had promised he'd just go home briefly and return soon. But after falling unconscious from the pain of his severed tail, he'd woken up a hundred years later.
Now, the world was the same, but everything had changed.
He bit his lip.
Yu Tan didn't recognize him. And he looked a little scary.
Yu Tan, whose IQ exceeded 150, could see through most people with ease. He spun the prayer beads again and spoke, neither warm nor cold—
"What do you want?"
What Hu Xiaoyu wanted didn't matter.
What mattered was whether Yu Tan would let him stay.
And Yu Tan intended to keep him.