Her gaze landed on another table. A group clearly out for the first time, their nervous energy palpable even from a distance. A young woman sat with a man and his friends, all of them laughing too loudly, drinking too fast, trying to convince themselves they belonged in a place like this.
Shuyin slid into the chair beside the woman with exaggerated seductiveness, draping herself across the armrest like a cat claiming territory.
"Oooh, beautiful lady…" She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "This man won't marry you. He's an heir and already has a fiancée. Don't be fooled…" She reached up, caressing the woman's hair gently, the touch almost motherly despite the alcohol on her breath. "And these friends of his? They all know it. He's playing with you. Tread carefully…"
The woman's face drained of color. She turned slowly to look at the man beside her, who was suddenly very interested in the bottom of his glass.
