The hotel lobby. Liang Jianguo was sitting in the lounge area beside the front desk, listening to the manager in charge explain.

The conversation was in Chinese.

"I'm very sorry, but there are no suites available at the moment."

"None?"

Liang Jianguo, who'd been speaking in a low voice, slowly raised his head.

"And the room prepared for me?"

"A deluxe room."

"You mean a regular room."

"By category, yes."

Liang Jianguo's fingers slid very slowly along the arm of the sofa.

He didn't get angry. If anything, that was why the faces of the Huolong Society men standing around him stiffened.

"It seems people here don't know how to treat a friend."

The manager didn't move a muscle.

"I apologize for the inconvenience."

A polite reply was all he gave.

But anyone could see it wasn't the face of a man apologizing.

Liang Jianguo didn't miss that subtle difference, either.

"……" It wasn't about the cost. And it couldn't be that they didn't know the Huolong Society. That narrowed the remaining reasons down to a few.

Because he was Asian? Or because they didn't consider him a guest who deserved that kind of treatment?

Liang Jianguo asked quietly, with all the courtesy he could manage.

"Do you still discriminate against Asians?"

"No."

The manager's answer came back immediately. In that instant, Liang Jianguo's eyebrow twitched.

"No?"

"That's right."

The manager answered steadily, in an even tone.

"There are Asian guests who have been assigned suites."

A brief silence followed. Liang Jianguo leaned forward a little.

"Guests? Who?"

"I'm not able to disclose our guests' identities."

"Is there a Korean?"

"There is."

It was a short answer. That one word scraped Liang Jianguo's pride even more savagely in an instant.

He, the mighty head of the Huolong Society, got a regular room. And another Asian, a Korean from a small country at that, got a suite.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you that."

"I asked you who!"

"I'm sorry."

Liang Jianguo's voice stayed as low as ever.

"Tell me!"

"I'm sorry. Hotel rules don't allow me to share that."

The manager…