Today, Julian Sterling had arranged to meet Lucas Hill at a rather renowned lounge in Saint Lawrence City. This place was known as a haunt for the city's young elite. Naturally, it wasn't a venue for depraved debauchery; its primary appeal lay in its secrecy and discretion. Each patron was registered for a private, dedicated room. As long as no laws were broken and no illicit substances were involved, the lounge management would not intervene.
Just the day before, Ethan Caldwell had secured a room for him. The main purpose was to ensure Julian had a separate venue to entertain friends or socialize in the future. Ethan's home was somewhat inconvenient for such gatherings, so he had booked a VIP suite here. It was designed to resemble the drawing room of a prominent family and looked quite respectable.
When they made the appointment yesterday, Julian had instructed Lucas that upon arrival, he simply needed to give his name to the staff and mention Julian. Julian had already cleared it with the reception.
Sitting inside the car, Julian narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the red sign displaying the words "The Ebony Lounge" in sweeping, flamboyant calligraphy.
"Young Master, would you like to get out at the main entrance, or take the elevator up from the basement?" The driver stopped the car right in front of the doors and turned his head to ask.
Julian leaned back against the seat, crossing his legs in a posture of languid ease. He pondered for a moment before replying, "Head down to the basement. We'll take the private elevator up."
The driver, who also served as his bodyguard, nodded and steered the car toward the parking garage entrance.
Upon arrival, Lucas had not yet appeared. Julian signaled for the bodyguard to stand guard outside the door while he walked straight into the room. He did not immediately turn on the lights; instead, his eyes swept over the surroundings in the dimness before he finally reached out and flipped the switch.
The entire room was instantly flooded with light.
The décor adhered to an elegant aesthetic. In the center sat a tea table intended for entertaining guests and conversation. On the left wall stood a rack of rare wines, and nearby was a bar counter and a small refrigerator, convenient for indulgence.
At the end of each session, staff would enter to clean up and tally the cost of any wine consumed. There was also a simpler option: paying for the room's entire stock of alcohol upfront. One could drink as much as one pleased, and if the supply ran out, one simply called for restocking.
Naturally, this room had been rented under the second arrangement.
The left wall of the room was currently obscured by a large curtain. Julian walked over and pulled it open with a sharp tug. The afternoon sunlight poured in, so brilliant that it made the interior lighting seem dim by comparison. The entire wall was glazed, offering a panoramic view of the city.
Fortunately, this was the tallest building in the vicinity, and the floor he had rented was sufficiently high, meaning basically no one from the outside could peer into the room. Naturally, for security, these were all one-way glass panes.
Julian took another look around. After satisfying himself that there were no issues with the place, he returned to the chair and sat down. He crossed his legs and leaned back against the sofa, his demeanor incredibly languid.
If anyone were to enter now, they would sense that the current Julian was unlike his usual self. If his everyday persona was lively yet carried a trace of strange gloom, the Julian of this moment exuded the aura of a true wealthy heir - even in his lethargy, there was an air of noble elegance. This was especially true of his slightly narrowed almond eyes, which were bright yet cold.
He did not resemble a destitute child picked up and brought into a wealthy family, but rather a young master honed by life. No matter what he did, he could not conceal the absolute resolve in his temperament.
This was the true Julian Sterling. Even if this body possessed a touch more innocence and frailty, the state of his soul remained eternally unchanged. He tapped his finger against his phone in a rhythmic beat, his brows slightly furrowed as if he were deep in thought.
A while later, faint sounds drifted in from outside the door. Julian relaxed his body, letting his weight sink fully into the chair. He curled his slender legs up, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a throw pillow hugged to his chest, his fluffy hair falling over his forehead.
"Have you been waiting long? The traffic was bad, so I'm a bit late." Lucas entered to find Julian sprawling on the chair, clutching a pillow to his chest. His small face was buried almost entirely in the cushion, leaving only a pair of glistening eyes visible. Upon hearing the noise, Julian lifted his head slightly to look at Lucas.
Suddenly, Lucas realized that in recent days, this friend of his seemed to have become much more beautiful. He had also changed significantly.
From his aura to his temperament.
"You aren't late; I just arrived too early." Julian tossed the pillow aside. While chatting with Lucas, he summoned staff to bring up some tea. "It was too boring at home, so I came here first."
The tea at The Ebony Lounge was of a special variety, and there were two modes of service. One could simply have a server bring the tea up and leave, or one could have a skilled tea master accompany the service. Julian had only asked for the water and leaves to be brought up, dispensing with the tea master, so he had to brew it himself.
Julian was not overly proficient in the art of tea, yet he was not incompetent either. He poured hot water onto the leaves, rinsed them gently, and discarded the water. Then, he filled the pot to the brim and replaced the lid. About half a minute later, Julian poured the tea into a fairness pitcher, then into a small cup which he placed in front of Lucas.
His movements were incredibly fluid.
"I didn't know you possessed this particular skill." Lucas picked up the teacup and took a sniff. The aroma was fragrant. He took a sip; it had a slight bitterness, not astringent, but leaving a clear, sweet aftertaste in the mouth.
Though not an expert on tea, Lucas felt that this was a fine brew.
"Living in this circle, isn't it necessary to learn a little bit of everything?" Julian smiled and took a sip himself, then clicked his tongue. "But compared to Aaron Sterling, I'm still inferior. He brews it better than I do."
"He is 'tea', after all. If one understands tea, one must brew it well." Lucas was sarcastically implying that Aaron was a 'green tea' - a manipulative person feigning innocence. And a green tea had to understand their own kind, knowing how to brew it so that others would fully absorb the flavor and understand the taste to be successful.
Hearing this, Julian laughed and said cheerfully, "Forget about him. I don't live there anymore, so it saves me the trouble."
"Are you really letting go? Those things were originally yours." Lucas finished his tea, so he picked up the fairness pitcher and poured another cup for himself.
"But in their eyes, that thing belonged to Aaron Sterling."
Julian Sterling added more boiling water to the teapot. This time, he let the tea steep longer, so when he poured it into the fairness pitcher, the color was much darker. Lucas Hill didn't notice; he simply poured himself another cup. Upon drinking it, he nearly spat it out.
"Hey, I just said one sentence, and this is how you take revenge? The tea is both bitter and astringent now."
"It's good tea, isn't it?" Julian smiled with his eyes crinkled, finishing his cup as well. Having steeped for too long, the tea was indeed stronger; the astringency seeped into the mouth, overpowering its inherent sweetness.
"It *was* good, but you left it too long. It's lost its flavor."
"Life is just like brewing tea. At first, you already have something good, but you feel you can get something better. However, the longer it steeps, the more the flavor changes. In the end, no one knows if it will turn out good or bad."
Julian emptied the pitcher and poured a fresh round. "If you steep it too briefly, it's bland; too long, and it's bitter. Only when you know when to stop is it at its best."
"Wow, you're talking so profoundly today." Lucas pouted, looking at him, then glanced at the pale color of the new tea and decided not to drink.
He felt like Julian was intentionally messing with him today; he couldn't even drink two cups of tea in peace.
"How could I be as profound as you?" Julian dusted off his hands after speaking. "I'm changing majors next month. What about you? Do you want to switch?"
"Me? Switch to where? I'm not good at anything, nor do I like anything in particular. Any major is fine."
"Lucas, don't let yourself regret this later." Julian looked straight into Lucas's eyes and continued, "Right now, you choose to give up because you don't want to affect your family's peaceful life. But have you thought about it? Except for your parents, everyone on both sides of your family is involved in complicated affairs."
"Perhaps right now your family can't compare to those wealthy clans, lacking their deep foundations. But what about the future? Your maternal uncle is in the political circles; sooner or later, the fire from above will spread to your house."
"Government officials shouldn't touch economics, but what politician doesn't have a wealthy backer behind them? If you don't strive, one day when your uncle's faction falls from grace, the fire will burn your house down too."
"I know you have ambition, but you accept being an ordinary person because you fear that tall trees catch the wind, affecting your family. But Lucas, the way of the world is to flatter the high and trample the low. From the day your uncle stepped into the government, you didn't have much of a choice."
"Tall trees catch the wind. But if it's a whole towering forest, that is authority."
Lucas remained silent for a long time.
That was true; he had ambition. Since childhood, he had wanted to study data, to develop himself, to struggle and thrive in life, to build his own career and let his parents enjoy their golden years. But the older he grew, the more he understood his family's situation.
If his family were all ordinary people, he could have strived to his heart's content. But his uncle suddenly entered the government. At first, he was happy, feeling that when he entered society later, he would have someone backing him.
But growing up a bit more, he realized that his family members could become sacrificial pawns at any moment. Because Lucas's uncle grew up in an ordinary family, with no powerful backing and no one to assist him.
The stronger his uncle became, the higher the danger his relatives had to bear. If one person falls, the whole clan suffers.
Lucas dared not act rashly anymore.
He was afraid. The higher he climbed, the more attention would be drawn to his uncle. If something happened one day, he might become a weakness, dragging his uncle down and harming his entire family.
There was one thing Julian said that was true. His family was not like those noble clans. Lucas's uncle currently had power and his own influence, but no one truly backing him from behind.
Just one small mistake would be enough to make everything collapse.
Just one or two families collaborating - no, just a family slightly larger than the Sterling family making a move - would be enough to doom his family.
So Lucas was afraid. He feared that climbing high and appearing often would only make him more of an eyesore to others.
Ultimately harming his whole family. So he decided to be an ordinary person.
Studying a random major, becoming an office worker in the future, working eight hours a day would be enough.
However…
Lucas looked up at Julian. Suddenly, he felt that this friend of his had become much stranger.