Xiaokai was standing right behind him, looking like a prince in his all-black suit. He raised an eyebrow at Weiran’s attire, then at the drinks in his hands.

“Oh,” said Weiran. “Ah…do you want a drink?”

There was a faint smile on Xiaokai’s face—the remnants of his hosting abilities. “No. What are you doing here?”

“Making money.”

“I find it hard to believe you got the job so fast when you only recently decided to do the gallery showing.” His voice was smooth, even. He already had a drink in his hand, Weiran was just now noticing, which he swirled around and lifted to his nose. He didn’t drink. “I also distinctly remember telling you to leave the city.”

“Well, it’s—”

“Don’t go near Xingyu,” Xiaokai suddenly interrupted.

“What?”

“Don’t let anybody know that you know each other, and don’t go near Liu Baiyan.”

“But you’re talking to me.”

“I’m one of the event planners. If anybody asks, I was talking to you about the wine.” He took a sip of said wine. “After we finish talking, go down to the kitchen and restock. Tell one of the staff that I said to buy another three barrels of the white. Call me ‘Young Master Liu’ or ‘Director Liu’ if you don’t want to be found out. If you talk to Xingyu or Liu Baiyan, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Are you—are you helping Xingyu?” If Xingyu wasn’t going to ask, Weiran was. “I thought you hated him.”

“Even if I did hate him,” Xiaokai said with a thin smile, “I don’t want him dead.”

“Dead?”

“Go to the kitchen now.” Xiaokai drained the rest of his wine and put the glass onto Weiran’s tray. “Keep your head down.”

8

THE FIRST MEETING

“I TOLD YOU! I told you he was good. I told you he wasn’t with them.”

Weiran stared in half wonder and half bewilderment at Xingyu as he finished ironing the creases into the shirt Weiran was about to put on. “He threatened to kill me.”

“He was trying to protect me. And he was right—it was a bad idea for you to go to the party, no matter if you got yourself a proper pass or not. Someone could have recognized you.”

“No one recognized me.”

“That you know of. Here.” Xingyu passed over the shirt and Weiran shrugged it on. “I’ll grab you cuff links.”

“So you don’t think him threatening to kill me was at all significant? We’re just going to brush right over that?”

“What do you want me to say?” Xingyu wasn’t quite looking at him. “It’s the Liu in him. Even if he doesn’t know a thing about the List, it’s in the blood.”

“You’ve never threatened to kill me.”