As Chen Liang spoke, he clicked his tongue in amazement, clearly shaken by such a scene of luxury and debauchery.
Fang Ming gave a disdainful sneer, unconcerned.
It would be weirder if a rich second-generation heir with Zhao Ruilong's 'horny dog' attributes didn't do such things.
"I'm not interested in Zhao Ruilong picking out concubines."
Fang Ming took a sip of wine. "What about that Zhu Dahai? Did you find him?"
"Found him!" Chen Liang nodded quickly. "He's right upstairs, Private Room 404."
"Just as I was coming back, I saw a woman go in. She was incredibly beautiful, with a temperament completely different from ordinary girls, wearing professional attire. I think... she should be the person you're looking for, Brother Ming."
Hearing this, Fang Ming nodded slightly. "Alright, I understand."
He set down his wine glass, stood up, and straightened the slightly wrinkled hem of his shirt.
"You stay here, eat and drink as you please, and keep an eye on our things. Wang Meng!"
Fang Ming shouted.
Wang Meng, who was right in the middle of a song's climax and wouldn't let go of the girl he was holding, was startled. He immediately dropped the microphone and scrambled over.
"What's up, Brother Ming? Are we starting a fight?"
His face was flushed, he reeked of alcohol, yet his eyes sparkled with an excited light.
Fang Ming looked at him with disgust. "Wipe that lipstick mark off your mouth and come upstairs with me to meet an acquaintance."
"You got it!"
Wang Meng gave his mouth a messy wipe and immediately followed Fang Ming's lead... Meanwhile, on the fourth floor, in Private Room 404, the atmosphere was somewhat stifling.
There was no deafening music, only the lewd laughter of several middle-aged men.
Zhu Dahai sat in the seat of honor. This man looked like a steamed bun, his face oily, with a 'Mediterranean' balding hairstyle and a gold chain as thick as a finger hanging around his neck, which jiggled with every word and movement.
"Manager Gu, it's not that I'm not giving you face."
Zhu Dahai held a glass filled to the brim with white liquor, squinting his small eyes—which were squeezed into slits by fat—as he maliciously sized up the woman standing before him.
"As for this order, several companies are eyeing it, and their prices are all lower than yours. You want me to sign for this? Then drink this glass of wine first!"
Zhu Dahai placed the wine glass on the coffee table in front of him.
Standing before the coffee table, Gu Qinghe felt the world spinning.
She already had a high fever, and her body was even more exhausted after the long journey. Now, provoked by this foul environment, her brain was already starting to feel faint.
"Boss Zhu..."
Gu Qinghe's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of pleading. "I'm really not feeling well today, and I'm not very good at drinking... Could I substitute tea for wine?"
"Tea?"
Zhu Dahai's face darkened, and he slammed the table. "Gu Qinghe, are you fucking playing me? You come to a place like this to talk business and you tell me you want to drink tea? What are you, some kind of chaste martyr?"
"I'm telling you, if you don't drink this wine today, you can take this contract back and use it to wipe your ass!"
"I..."
The air in the private room seemed to freeze, and the murky smell of tobacco and alcohol was nauseating.
Gu Qinghe hesitated, her eyes fixed on the full glass of white liquor, her stomach churning with a spasm-like twitch.
She had only eaten a single slice of bread today. Now, the high fever had her body in a state of extreme dehydration. If this glass of high-proof liquor went down, it would be no different from drinking sulfuric acid.
But she knew better than anyone what this deal meant: her younger brother's tuition for next semester, the rent, and living expenses for the second half of the year.
In the world of adults, 'easy' never exists. So-called dignity is often laughably cheap in the face of survival.
"Alright, Boss Zhu."
Gu Qinghe took a deep breath, a professional smile forced onto her pale face, a flash of determination in her eyes.
"I'll drink this glass. I hope Boss Zhu is as good as his word."
After speaking, she picked up the glass, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back to drain it in one go.
The pungent liquid rolled down her throat like a line of fire burning straight to the bottom of her stomach. The intense sensation almost made her vomit on the spot.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Gu Qinghe coughed violently, her eyes tearing up from the sting. That face, which originally had no color, was suddenly flushed with a sickly crimson hue.
She turned the empty glass upside down to show Zhu Dahai, her voice terribly hoarse.
"Boss Zhu, I've drunk the wine. The contract... can it be signed now?"
"Good! Straightforward! I like straightforward people like Manager Gu!"
Zhu Dahai clapped and laughed, the fat on his face trembling. But he didn't reach for a pen; instead, he leisurely picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a peanut, and tossed it into his mouth.
"However, while the wine is drunk, this sincerity... I feel it's still missing something."
Gu Qinghe's heart sank. Forcing down the upheaval in her stomach, she propped her hands on the table, her knuckles turning white.
"Boss Zhu, what do you mean by this?"
"I don't mean anything special."
Zhu Dahai's squinted eyes glinted with lewd light. He pointed maliciously toward the karaoke machine nearby:
"When we talk business, we need to care about the atmosphere. That wine just now was only to moisten your throat. Go sing a song for your big brother. If you sing it well and make me happy, I'll sign this immediately."
"Oh, right, I don't like those fancy, intellectual songs. Just sing that... 'Itch'. Do you know it? The kind that needs movements."
The several middle-aged men accompanying him immediately burst into a chorus of lewd laughter.
"Hahaha, Boss Zhu really knows how to have fun!"
"Impressive, impressive!"
"Manager Gu, why aren't you going yet? Boss Zhu is giving you a chance to show off your talent!"
Snap!
Listening to the rising voices of the people in the room, Gu Qinghe felt the string in her mind called 'reason' snap.
Humiliation. This was blatant humiliation.
The other party had no intention of signing the contract at all. From the very beginning, this fat pig had been playing with her like she was a hostess in the entertainment city!
Gu Qinghe was desperate for money, but as the protagonist's older sister, she had her own pride. She straightened her back and no longer bowed or forced a smile.
Though her body was trembling slightly due to the high fever and alcohol, her gaze was frighteningly cold.
"Zhu Dahai, I came here to talk business, not to sell my smiles. Sign this contract or don't. I, Gu Qinghe, may be poor, but I'm not someone just any piece of trash can trample on!"
After speaking, she grabbed her briefcase and turned to leave.
Even if she lost her job, even if she had to eat dirt next month, she would absolutely not endure this indignity here!
"Damn it! Giving you face but you don't want it!"
Zhu Dahai's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Was he going to let the duck right at his mouth fly away?
He stood up abruptly and grabbed Gu Qinghe's wrist. His greasy palm exerted great force, pinching Gu Qinghe painfully.
"You drank my wine, insulted my person, and now you want to leave?"
"Why don't you go ask around? In this Jinding Entertainment City, how many women that I've set my sights on can walk out of here on their own two feet?"
"Let go!"
Gu Qinghe struggled desperately, but in her weakened state, how could she be a match for an adult man?
"Let go? If you don't serve me well today..."
Bang!
Just as Gu Qinghe was about to reach for a nearby beer bottle, the heavy soundproof door of the private room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.