I stood at the edge of the dance floor, one hand hooked casually in my trouser pocket, my body responding to the beat of the music as I observed the crowds. This was my first you party thrown by Jin to ring in the new year in the most extravagant way possible.

“Big things are coming from Jin Corp,” he had said with a triumphant smile when he welcomed all the party guests, before an antique gong was sounded and the black curtains dropped behind him and the massive wall erupted in red-and-gold flames. The audience gasped and clapped as an elaborate cutout of a Chinese ox blazed into existence dramatically before our eyes, in anticipation of the lunar new year soon.

Partygoers wandered from the stage after that, to hurry to the multitude of gold fountains that had began flowing with bubbling pink champagne or melted Belgian chocolate. I had lingered, hoping for a glimpse of Daiyu, but no one waited for Jin beneath the stage except for his small entourage. I spotted Da Ge, dressed in a black suit, and felt a surge of adrenaline. No one would recognize me tonight; I had to sell my new identity.

Watching the dance floor, I was enthralled and repelled at the same time. I’d heard stories of the you youth’s excesses. But it was different to be surrounded by so many beautiful, thoughtless people at a party so extravagant most meis wouldn’t be able to wrap their heads around it. It was obscene. What did it matter when everything was going to rot around the yous if they themselves thrived? Why should they care? I didn’t think they even noticed.

I might have my own you suit now and an expensive, air-regulated apartment, but I’d never forget my childhood, growing up as the poorest kid at my private school, being grateful for every meal that my mom put on the table.

Those knee-high black boots that indigo-haired girl wore probably cost enough to buy the meds my mom had needed; that pair of sapphire earrings, to get her a private room at the hospital, and pay for top-notch medical care.

Enough to have saved her life.

I clenched both hands into tight fists without realizing, then loosened my stance. Focus. Befriend them. Charm them. That was my task tonight.

A stunning girl clad in a silver dress with purple-feathered wings unfurled behind her winked at me. Her eyes glowed lavender in the darkness, another surgical manipulation. Nothing was permanent in the world of the rich, except for their wealth. I winked back, but the wild movement of the dancers quickly swallowed her from view.