My driver switched off his headlights, but the commercials continued to play across the opaque glass of the limo. He’d wait for me until the event was over.
I walked alone down the stone-paved pathway through the lush garden toward the front entrance, guided by red velvet ropes marking the way. The grounds were illuminated with hidden lights, as if by magic. I glimpsed a pond below rockery stacked poetically at its edge, more an art piece than a mountain. There was a moongate beyond the small pond, leading into another courtyard. Jin’s estate was large enough that no traffic noise carried to where I strolled near the mansion. Turning a corner, the lush walkway opened into a large circular driveway with a stone fountain at its center, decorated with carvings of leaping koi fish.
Two doormen dressed in tuxedos stood at either side of the grand arch leading into the massive double doors of Jin’s house. One bowed and proffered a hand, and I gave him my invitation. Their jackets were made of a deep silver brocade with the Jin character woven through it in pale gold. “It is a pleasure to welcome you, Mr. Zhou,” the doorman said, and pulled one heavy wooden door open. I was bathed in blue light, and I realized the entryway scanned each person who entered for weapons. Walking through without incident, I stepped into a beautiful foyer with marble floors and a magnificent chandelier hanging from the domed ceiling.
Six security guards stood against the walls of the circular foyer, silent and observant. They were unobtrusive, but I felt their presence immediately. No music or voices carried to me from the gala; the mansion walls must be soundproof. Other than a large flower arrangement placed on the middle of a round stone table, the foyer was undecorated. I glanced down at the bouquet I clutched in my own hand, feeling tense and ridiculous. I don’t belong here.
“Mr. Zhou.” A young woman clad in a deep purple qipao decorated with the same pale gold Jin character glided toward me. “Welcome.” She lifted a graceful hand. “Please follow me.” I trailed behind her down one of the wide corridors leading from the foyer, then picked up my pace so we walked side by side. The corridor was composed of pillared archways, lit by intricate ironwork sconces along the walls. We passed one set of closed double doors and several floor-to-ceiling arched windows looking out to the lush gardens beyond.
We walked for some time in silence. I tried to take in my surroundings, in no mood for small talk. It astounded me how the corridor just went on, that an estate as large as this actually existed in the heart of Taipei. How many apartment buildings had Jin knocked down to build this opulent home? Finally, the woman stopped in front of tall arched double doors and opened them. Classical music and the low hum of many people speaking filled the sudden silence. “Enjoy, Mr. Zhou,” she said and stepped aside. “Miss Jin has been waiting for you.”
I covered my surprise by glancing down at the mixed bouquet I held. When I looked up, the woman had already slipped away. A small orchestra played on the far side of the wall, under a bank of tall arched glass doors framing them like a canvas. We were in a ballroom that opened out to the gardens and a pool beyond. About one hundred yous dressed in their finest mingled in the ballroom while servers weaved their way through the crowds carrying silver trays. One server stopped in front of me, offering small gilded dishes of scallops nestled over greens. I shook my head, and he drifted away. I had no appetite.
A chandelier as magnificent as the one in the foyer hung in the center of the rectangular room, with wall sconces casting a soft glow on the beautiful crowd. I saw Daiyu almost immediately, surrounded by a group of yous our age, each one of them holding a flute of bubbling champagne, laughing or smiling. The picture of wealth, happiness, and perfection.
I made my way to her, bumping a few elbows along the way—not the done thing, I assumed, by the sidelong glances I received. It wasn’t until I neared Daiyu that I realized I had been holding the flowers thrust out like a weapon, my anger and discomfort rising with each jacket sleeve I brushed, with each diamond choker and large ruby or sapphire earring I glimpsed swaying above bare shoulders. Daiyu caught my eye and broke into a wide smile.
I stopped dead, loosening my grip on the bouquet. I hadn’t noticed that my pulse had been racing, and sweat had gathered at the back of my neck, clammy against the stiff collar of my tuxedo shirt. I drew a slow, deliberate breath, and grinned back, shrugging sheepishly. Hi, I mouthed.
She broke away from the group and came toward me. Every one of her you friends tracked her movement like a hawk. It would have been ridiculous and funny if I wasn’t already feeling so much out of my element. “Are those for me?” she asked.
I had forgotten the flowers and proffered them. “They are,” I said, wishing I had asked Victor for a list of charming one-liners to use. “In exchange for the lilies you sent.” I groaned inwardly. So not suave.
She breathed in the fragrance of the blooms, smiling into the bouquet. “Oh,” she said, “these are lovely, Jason.” Then she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, suffusing my senses with her subtle floral perfume. Several pairs of eyes narrowed among her group of friends, and I could actually feel their appraisal and suspicion from this short distance.
Daiyu was paying them no attention. She was clad in a sleek turquoise-blue dress, and the cut of it showed off her long, toned legs to full advantage. Her hair had been pulled back into a loose, elegant style, and her only accessory was a cascade of diamonds set in silver, plunging like raindrops between her breasts. I managed not to gape, but my eyes lingered on her longer than was polite before I remembered to say, “You look stunning.”
“You look pretty stunning yourself.” She smoothed a hand over my lapel.
Before I could respond, Angela charged up to us. “Jason Zhou from California,” she exclaimed. “Where have you been hiding?” She grabbed me by one bicep and kissed me on the other cheek.
As much as I’d studied and followed the yous online, I could make no sense at all over the cheek kissing. Did I kiss them back? I thought Daiyu’s kiss was a thank-you for the flowers. What was Angela’s for, then?
“I haven’t been hiding,” I said, deciding not to return any cheek kisses today. Or ever.
Angela still clutched my arm, gazing up at me and fluttering her long lashes. She wore a strapless black dress today, and her lotus tattoos had been replaced by bats nestled among peach blossoms, one floating beneath each clavicle. “There’s been a party every night since New Year’s Eve, and I haven’t seen you at any of them!” She squeezed my arm in reprimand. I blinked when her unnaturally lit golden eyes turned a deep emerald, glowing subtly. Some new you fad she must have bought.