Lu Ting Zhou's breath hitched.
Black Sun.
The very name sent ripples through the room.
Lu Zhi Hao and his wife joined the kids on the wider couch.
"Hello, Young Master Lu, we get to meet today. I have always heard your name." Nathan walked over to Lu Zi Zhen and stretched his hand out facing him.
Lu Zi Zhen nonchalantly stretched his hand and shook his, he had these lazy, laid-back facial expressions, like what was going on around there didn't bother him at all.
"Hear my name? Hehe... I hope it's something good and nothing bad!" He jokingly spoke up while his face gave off a cold smile that chased people away.
"Weren't you the same person who was trending on social media platforms a few hours ago?" A waiter brought a glass of wine and served it to him. Lu Zi Zhen picked up a bottle of juice but didn't immediately consume it.
"Isn't it normal with the kind of people we are! Any slightest thing, we will still end up in the news platforms." He didn't think there were any abnormalities about it. These prominent figures were the news that needed to trend daily.
Nathan Reyes's lips curved into a small, enigmatic smile, gazing at him intently. "Guilty as charged," he said, lifting the wine glass in a mocking salute. "It seems even a minor boardroom shift draws far too much attention these days. But that's the curse of power, isn't it? No one escapes the matrix."
Lu Zi Zhen's eyes didn't leave him for a minute. The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly, but the chill in his gaze deepened. "That depends. Power built on smoke usually burns out faster than expected. You can rise and fall, it's human nature and destiny. These are things we have to accept and take them positively."
Nathan laughed softly, his voice smooth, but it carried a hint of something colder underneath. "A fair observation. But tell me, Mr. Lu… do you believe you are immune to the same smoke?" It wasn't a hidden thing of how wealthy Lu Zi Zhen was.
Lu Ting Zhou shifted uncomfortably beside his brother, hiding in the back. The tension between the two men was a razor's edge, cloaked in civility, but sharp enough to draw blood.
"Enjoy the evening, Mr. Reyes," Lu Wan Ruyi cut in, her voice silken, yet laced with warning. "This is a celebration, after all, not a chessboard. You can always find time to play around, and you are welcome." Lu Wan Ruyi didn't want Lu Zi Zhen to be distracted even for a minute, because it would take only a second to kill a person.
Nathan tilted his head slightly, acknowledging her presence, and wondered who she was, as this was the first time they were seeing each other.
"And miss, may I know who you are!" He turned around and checked her out. He could see the similarity between her and Lu Zi Zhen.
"She is my mother.... Mrs Lu, and that man there is her husband, Mr Lu, and both are my parents." Lu Zi Zhen glared at him vividly, warning of stepping over the boundaries.
"Ohhh, it's Madam Lu, nice meeting you, Madame Lu. You look so stunning tonight. See you around." He turned to leave but paused just beside Lu Ting Zhou. "And you… You are the youngest, aren't you? I have heard you are full of a promising future. Just be careful with who writes your story."
Then, with a final flash of his polished smile, he walked away, disappearing into the crowd as though the shadows themselves welcomed him.
Lu Ting Zhou exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath. "He's… strange," he muttered under his breath.