“I’d imagine so, but this late?”

“He’ll be out for another few hours still, I imagine.”

Xingyu didn’t really have an appetite. He scooped up some rice, lifted it to his mouth, and then dropped it back into its bowl. “Aren’t you worried he’ll get overworked?”

“Xiaokai is more than capable of handling himself.” As always, it was his mother who answered his questions about Xiaokai.

“Well, I know, but—”

“Enough,” said his father suddenly, and just on instinct Xingyu shut his mouth. After all this time, he was still so reactive to his father; it didn’t occur to him until now that he’d been unable to even look the man in the eye. After all this time, he was still trapped by him.

Xingyu grimaced and stabbed at his rice again.

“Why don’t we talk about something else?” His mother’s interjection here seemed forcefully pleasant, and so did the thin smile she had stretched across her face. “You haven’t been in the city for some time, Xingyu. Are you doing everything you’ve been missing out on?”

Xingyu very readily replaced his grimace with that charming grin his father had taught him so well. “I’ve been having fun. I was still a kid when I left, so I never had the opportunity to check out the night scene.” He suppressed the rest of his questions about Xiaokai and just stretched out in his chair, putting on his most leisurely mask possible. “Xiaokai has one of those little black cards for spending. Think I could get one while I’m here?”

“Little black cards,” his father repeated, his eyes narrowing.

“The proper clubs all come at a price,” said Xingyu. “If Xiaokai has one of those cards—”

“Xiaokai isn’t spending money on clubs and alcohol.”

Xingyu gave his father a lopsided smile. “You were the ones who taught him to be so rigid.”

The dinner table was quiet for a long moment. Xingyu lifted one of his shoulders, scooped some rice into his mouth, and spoke around the food as he chewed.

“Anyway, you taught me to establish a relationship with all the other heirs, and I can’t do that if I don’t have the money to get into the clubs in the first place.”

“Establishing those relationships was only beneficial while you were still my heir,” said Xingyu’s father. “Now, all such relationships will do is cost me money.”

“It isn’t as if you don’t have money to spare.”

“The money isn’t yours to spend.”