Di Hao KTV was one of the most luxurious and high-end KTVs in Dongpu District, Tianhai City, with very high prices. Entertainment there started at a minimum of twenty thousand. Even in Tianhai, an affluent city, the young people who could afford to go to Di Hao KTV were typically wealthy or noble. They were significant figures ordinary people had to look up to.
Song Ningran parked her Lexus unobtrusively in a corner of the KTV's underground parking lot. Although Qin Heng had provided her with the car, she never showed off. In her view, the car was for taking Qin Yun to and from school, not for flaunting. As a result, even now, Song Ningran's classmates still believed she was just a girl living a frugal life from an ordinary family background.
Qin Heng and Song Ningran arrived at Platinum Room 001. This was Di Hao KTV's most upscale room, costing thirty thousand yuan per hour and unaffordable even for most tycoons.
The room was very spacious, a magnificent two hundred square meters, and incredibly luxurious. It featured not only karaoke equipment but also a swimming pool, rows of liquor shelves, and countless other entertainment facilities.
Three men and four women were seated in the room. Two of the women were even wearing swimsuits, drawing occasional glances from two of the men, whose eyes flashed with interest. After all, this was the drama society, and the young women's appearances and figures were quite impressive.
"Ran Ran, you're here! Come, sit down," a pretty young woman with a lovely face said, approaching to invite Song Ningran to sit. Judging by her voice, this was likely the girl who had called Song Ningran earlier.
Song Ningran whispered to Qin Heng, "This is Meng Huihui, our drama society's vice president."
Seeing Song Ningran and Qin Heng appearing quite close, Meng Huihui's brows furrowed slightly. She quickly put on a smile and said, "Ran Ran, you've got a boyfriend now? Why didn't you tell us?"
As soon as she spoke, Qin Heng immediately felt a fierce killing intent emanating from one of the three men. His gaze followed the feeling, landing on a tall, handsome man dressed in high-end designer menswear, wearing an expensive watch, and with an impeccable appearance. His attire alone was likely worth millions.
Among the four women present, besides Meng Huihui who was welcoming Song Ningran, the other three were fawning over him. The other two men clearly deferred to him as well. Evidently, in this platinum room, this young man was the center of everyone's attention.
"He's not my boyfriend," Song Ningran said, her pretty face blushing slightly as she shook her head. "He's my landlord and a good friend. I just picked him up from the airport, so we came here together since it was on the way."
"Oh, picking someone up from the airport? You two must be quite close," Meng Huihui said with a teasing smile, glancing at Qin Heng. She then joked, "Having a house in Tianhai makes him at least a 'minor rich second generation.' And 'male friend' is just short for 'boyfriend,' right? Ran Ran, don't get me wrong, okay?"
"You must be Miss Meng," Qin Heng said with a light chuckle, extending his hand. "Hello, I'm Qin Heng. I'm just lucky enough to own a small place in Tianhai; I wouldn't call myself a 'rich second generation.'"
Song Ningran, standing beside him, was slightly taken aback and nearly burst into laughter. She rented from Qin Heng and knew very well that his place was far from a "small house." It was actually a villa estate of more than two thousand square meters, worth several hundred million!
Meng Huihui, however, was unaware of these facts. In her view, Qin Heng was probably just a Tianhai local whose family got lucky during a demolition, perhaps scoring a few apartments—a nouveau riche, nothing more. So, she merely shook Qin Heng's hand politely and quickly withdrew it. Then, ignoring him completely, she pulled Song Ningran towards the young man who was clearly the center of attention.
"Ran Ran, Li Jiayi mentioned earlier he had a surprise for you," Meng Huihui said, pointing to the young man with a smile directed at Song Ningran. "You know he's always liked you, but he's been very low-key and never revealed his true identity."
Li Jiayi nodded slightly and stood up, his gaze on Song Ningran incredibly tender. He took an exquisitely crafted small box from his pocket. The box was inlaid with seventy-two diamonds. It looked dazzling under the light, luxurious beyond compare, making the eyes of several of the girls sparkle.
"Li Jiayi, what is this?" Song Ningran asked, her brows furrowing.
Li Jiayi was the drama society's playwright and had been pursuing Song Ningran for the past month. However, she had absolutely no feelings for him and hadn't expected him to pull such a stunt today.
"Ran Ran, you know I like you. I've always liked you very much," Li Jiayi said, gazing at Song Ningran with deep affection as he gently pressed the small box. The lid sprang open, revealing a dazzling diamond ring. Meng Huihui and the other girls' eyes widened, practically sparkling, as they looked at Song Ningran with a hint of envy.
Meanwhile, Qin Heng, still standing by the door, had been completely ignored. Now, Li Jiayi was the focus of the entire room; all eyes were on him.
"Be my girlfriend, Ran Ran," Li Jiayi said, holding the diamond ring in one hand and reaching for Song Ningran's hand with the other. He smiled. "Be my girlfriend, and I'll make you happy. I'll give you whatever you want."
Seeing Li Jiayi approach to grab her hand, Song Ningran quickly stepped back. Her eyes were clear and bright as she said, "Li Jiayi, I've told you before, I have no feelings for you. Please have some self-respect."
"Ran Ran!" Meng Huihui exclaimed, as if she'd heard something unbelievable. She hurried to Song Ningran's side and whispered, "Ran Ran, do you know how much that diamond and the box are worth? Five million! That's enough to buy an entire apartment from that nouveau riche landlord of yours. And for Li Jiayi, it's just a drop in the bucket, nothing to him. If you agree, you could marry into a wealthy family!"
"Huihui, if I wanted money, would I be in this situation now?" Song Ningran shook her head lightly and said calmly, "I'm sorry, it seems I really shouldn't have come. Goodbye."
With that, Song Ningran turned to leave. But Li Jiayi wasn't about to let her. He quickly blocked her path, while the other two young men moved to block the door, preventing her exit.
Li Jiayi tilted his head slightly, his gentle demeanor replaced by arrogance. He laughed, "Ran Ran, I want you to be my girlfriend. This isn't a request; it's an order! Whether you want to or not, you have to agree!" As he spoke, he shot Qin Heng a glance, raising his eyebrows, his gaze filled with contempt, disdain, and a hint of provocation. Then, he saw Qin Heng approaching, a full glass of red wine in his hand.
What a bumpkin, filling a wine glass to the brim as if it were beer. Li Jiayi thought.
"Li Jiayi, is it?" Qin Heng said, smiling as he looked him over. He shook his head and laughed. "An ant-like creature, daring to act like a rabid dog in front of my friend? What a vile creature!"
Then, with a flick of his hand, he splashed the red wine from the goblet directly onto Li Jiayi's face.