At night, the city shone bright and dazzling.
Electronic billboards atop skyscrapers, flickering neon lights, and holographic projections composed of endless specks of light made this city burst with radiance and beauty, even in the dark.
Westbrook Street, west end of Silk Road.
The road bustled with traffic. As one of the most prosperous and thriving districts in the city, Westbrook felt like an entirely different world compared to the northern industrial zone of Watson—despite being in the same city.
Here, everything shimmered with allure and surreal glamour.
A lady stood quietly by the roadside, dressed in a lavish red evening gown, her hair elegantly coiled into a bun, a small handbag slung over one shoulder.
She gazed at the stream of vehicles flowing like drifting clouds, as though waiting for someone.
Despite her clear attempt at subtle makeup, her face bore an obvious unease. The expensive dress lent her an air of elegance and grace, but the aura of a commoner couldn't be covered up so easily. It was like Cinderella in crystal slippers awaiting the stroke of midnight—ready to part with her prince in haste before her facade unraveled.
Dressed finely on the outside, anxious within.
Cars passed. People bustled along the sidewalks.
This area was infamous for its opulence and indulgence. Restaurants, designer boutiques, jewelry shops, and the ever-essential bars and braindance parlors surrounded the street in a glamorous blur.
Even the passersby were well-dressed—no crude street punks here. Everyone either wore sharply tailored suits or elegant dresses, their hair styled meticulously, decked out in red, green, gold, and crystal, gleaming like precious metal and glass under the lights.
Even the gaudy styles that she personally disapproved of couldn't hide how striking these people looked. They were, in their own way, the most dazzling figures on the street.
She even saw a woman in luxury wear holding a chain that was fastened to the neck of a man in front of her.
The man wore a black, plastic-like restraint suit, with seductive eyes full of illicit allure...
She also saw something she had never encountered near her own home—a regular NCPD patrol squad. Each unit had three to five officers, accompanied by a military-grade combat drone.
Even more unbelievable was the appearance of intelligent combat exosuits. They bore twin mounted heavy-caliber machine guns, side-loaded missile hives, and alloy-reinforced bodies...
She had never seen this level of security and law enforcement before.
Then again, it made sense.
She lived in Santo Domingo—hardly a place known for this kind of glamour.
Her daily job mostly involved "hauling corpses," and an area this well-guarded simply didn't produce corpses in any quantity.
"Why isn't David's friend here yet..."
Gloria muttered to herself in frustration.
She wore a pair of high heels she rarely used. After standing here for so long, she could already feel the numbness in her toes and heels.
She had prepared long for tonight's meeting.
Early this morning—before sunrise—a drone from the delivery company had brought over the evening gown, heels, perfume, and other high-end essentials from David's friend.
Though she knew it wasn't ideal to accept such unsolicited gifts from an outsider, she had little choice—after all, he had invited her to dinner.
According to her son, this young man was someone who made his own decisions.
To refuse to wear what he sent would be to slight him, and that simply wouldn't do.
It's not like she could show up in her work uniform... If she had arrived in that rustic yellow suit, Gloria could practically picture the expressions on everyone's faces—people might genuinely think there'd been a shooting nearby.
At worst, she would return the dress to the boy after tonight.
With that mindset, she tried on the outfit before leaving the house.
And then... she got a shock.
She wasn't sure if it was because she'd gained weight recently, but the supposedly tailored gown tore at the seam.
Looking back on her recent habits, the only explanation she could come up with was David's newfound wealth. He'd taken her out to eat at a few nice places recently.
Was it those meals? Gloria glanced at her chest, filled with unease and confusion.
The dress was ingeniously crafted, consisting of both inner and outer layers—and the tear happened to be in the inner lining around the chest. It was so subtle that she wouldn't have noticed it without putting it on.
She quickly dismissed the idea that the dress had already been torn before it arrived. There was no reason for the boy to send something defective.
She must have gotten too fat.
Now she didn't know how to compensate Mr. Lin for the damage.
Her thoughts were a mess. Nervous and distracted, her mind spun in circles.
When she used to pick David up from school, she never imagined something like this would happen.
Her son's friend had invited her to work at his studio... no matter how she looked at it, it all seemed far too strange.
And yet, for some inexplicable reason, she had agreed to meet him tonight.
With a sigh, she checked the time—it had just struck 8:00 PM.
He was the host; as the guest, she had to arrive early.
She just didn't know when the boy would show up...
"Sorry to keep you waiting, beautiful lady,"
"Or... would you prefer another title, Madam?"
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a clear, steady male voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Startled, Gloria turned around sharply, only to find a young man standing behind her. She took an unconscious step back.
Warm golden light from the streetlamps spilled across the pavement and his face, casting a gilded glow on his refined, classically Eastern features. He offered a faint, polite smile, his dark eyes reflecting the blur of passing traffic—and the vivid red silhouette before him.
He wore a tailored black suit, a pale blue tie around his neck, and a katana at his waist—like a noble's ceremonial blade.
The ensemble gave him a mature, refined appearance that erased the youthful awkwardness she'd seen when they first met. He looked like a graceful young aristocrat—not at all like a sixteen-year-old boy.
Lin Mo extended his hand, palm upward, smiling as he silently invited the lady to place her hand in his.
He was like a noble prince out of a fairytale. Even the streetlamps seemed to become stage lights shining down on him, and every passing pedestrian turned their heads to glance back in curiosity—wondering what noble youth had stepped out of some theater or dream.
No woman could refuse a moment like this.
Almost unconsciously, Gloria placed her hand in his. Lin Mo responded with a gentle smile—like a royal prince escorting a beloved relative on an evening stroll. Even his sword at the waist added to the grace of the scene. Passersby stepped aside to give them room.
Gloria followed in a daze, led forward by the boy.
On one side, the road buzzed with traffic. On the other, strangers passed by, oblivious. She and the young man walked together in the middle, and things were moving so fast that—even if she wanted to refuse—she couldn't resist the moment.
With a smile, Lin Mo led the way, occasionally nodding politely to passersby. The confused expressions on their faces gave way to stunned, reflexive nods in return.
Sure enough, all those rehearsals in the braindance paid off in the real world.
After all, she was his friend's mother. By generation, she was his elder. As the younger party, Lin Mo naturally held a weaker presence.
So if he wanted to control the tone of the conversation later, he had to win the upper hand from the very beginning.
For example, by keeping her waiting. A long wait would stir up anxiety.
Then, by making a theatrical entrance like this, no matter how strong-willed or stubborn she might be, the dynamic would shift—he would be the one leading the interaction.
...Though, maybe he'd chosen the wrong target.
Using a strategy like this on the mother of a classmate and friend... perhaps wasn't the most appropriate thing...
Lin Mo reflected on this silently.
And the extras passing by? He'd have to settle their performance fees later.
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🧠💻 MY CYBERPUNK 2077 SIMULATOR 💻🧠
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⚙️ Level up.
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🛡️ Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore
🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
🏰 Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort
⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter
🌹 R18: Reincarnated in Her World
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