After washing her hands, Gan Yuan looked at herself in the mirror and tidied her hair before pulling open the door to the restroom.
No sooner had she stepped out than a man in black approached her from the lobby.
"Miss Gan, Mr. Moses sent me to pick you up."
Gan Yuan nodded slightly.
Into the elevator, up the stairs, through the corridor...
The man in black led her to the top floor, where attendants immediately pushed open the thick, carved double doors for her.
Inside, a vast rooftop restaurant lay empty, save for one person sitting at a table in the very center.
Dressed in a black suit, black shirt, and black tie... he sat like the god of the night personified.
Upon hearing the door open, he turned his face and smiled at her.
"I knew it; my Gaia would never disappoint me."
Walking over to the side of the dining table, Gan Yuan lifted her lips in a light smile.
"I understand Mr. Moses’s feelings, but I... truly am not your Gaia."
The man stood up and leaned forward, gazing into her eyes.
"Then to whom do you belong? Huangfu Jue?!"
"No!" she laughed, "I belong to myself."
The man chuckled lightly.
"Of course, you belong to yourself, my Gaia would never bow to anyone. She is the queen of this world, commanding wind and rain at will."
Gan Yuan smiled. "I believe she must be a very special woman."
Mr. Moses smiled and helped her to pull out a chair, "Why don’t we sit down and have a slow chat?"
She nodded lightly and gracefully took her seat.
Mr. Moses raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly; an attendant immediately brought over the menu.
Gan Yuan frowned as she looked at the menu in front of her, flipping through it lightly, "Please ask the chef to come over, I have some requirements to explain to him."
First, she needed to ensure that Qiao Liang was safe.
"Certainly, please wait a moment!"
Having booked the entire restaurant, they certainly had that privilege.
The attendant agreed and turned to leave.
Across the table, Mr. Moses raised an eyebrow and smiled without speaking.
A short while later, the attendant returned with a man dressed in chef’s attire. A white-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian in his forties, wearing a white chef’s coat.
"I think there’s been a mistake, I’m looking for Qiao Liang."
"I apologize." The Caucasian chef appeared regretful, "Chef Qiao is not here today."
"Not here?!" Gan Yuan’s heart sank, her gaze fixed on the menu, but from the corner of her eye, she covertly scrutinized Mr. Moses, trying to read any clues from his face.
Could it be that Moses had taken him away?!
"It seems we’ve come at an inopportune time." Mr. Moses lifted the corners of his lips in self-mockery, promptly ordering several dishes she liked, "Steak medium-rare, bring her a bottle of ’83 Bordeaux, and... no onions, she doesn’t like them."
He remembered her tastes.
"Mr. Moses is quite the humorist, actually, I quite like onions," Gan Yuan closed the menu in her hands, "I don’t drink alcohol, bring me a glass of lemon soda water instead, please."
In front of this man, she had to remain highly alert; a single misstep could mean losing everything.
After the attendant left, Mr. Moses held up a glass from the table and slowly sipped from it.
"Are we really that alike?" Gan Yuan asked softly.
Mr. Moses didn’t speak; he just set down his glass, took off the necklace around his neck, and presented it to her.
It was an inexpensive brass necklace that had clearly been frequently handled; the patterns on it had been polished to a shine.