Jiang Cheng immediately nodded to show he understood.
Then he tipped the glass and drained every last drop.
He turned to the others and said, "Brothers, it's getting late. I'll head to my room first."
Seeing Jiang Cheng about to leave, Qi Yuan quickly slipped an arm around the voluptuous young woman who'd been leaning against him all night.
An unmistakable, eager impatience flashed across his face.
Grinning, he chirped, "Oof, this candy's too hard to crack; I need to vanish for an hour or two and go polish my spear."
The moment Qi Yuan finished, Wang Congcong at his side fired up the roast without mercy.
"Aren't you overestimating yourself? Jiang Cheng was right—have you forgotten your own track record? I'll be waiting in the downstairs cigar lounge; don't keep me waiting more than half an hour."
Stung by Wang Congcong's teasing, Qi Yuan snapped, "Low cabin pressure on the plane messed with my performance. This is solid ground—my territory. From now on I'm the Undefeated God of War…"
After they split up, Jiang Cheng didn't look for Si Qing; he went straight to the room that had been prepared for him.
No kinky theme suite, no presidential suite like before.
He'd picked a high-end single: one room, one bed, no extra doors, no extra cots.
Every possible obstacle had been stripped away.
Even so, the solo room came fully loaded.
A quick, scalding shower took only a few minutes; Jiang Cheng didn't linger in the outer sitting area.
He stretched out on the club's king-size bed, closed his eyes, and set about catching up on sleep.
Meanwhile, Si Qing lay half-naked on a massage table, lost in the deep relaxation of an aromatherapy massage.
At first, being asked to lie almost bare on the table had mortified her.
Only when she noticed plenty of other women doing the same in neighboring rooms did her embarrassment fade.
The moment the experienced therapist lit the scented oil
and pressed warm, practiced palms against her skin, the last of Si Qing's tension melted.
Between the delicate fragrance and the therapist's perfect rhythm
her muscles loosened, her nerves unknotted.
Soon drowsiness rolled in like a tide; she couldn't fight it and slipped into heavy sleep.
How long she slept, she had no idea.
Suddenly a sharp, insistent ringtone cut through the silence.
Startled out of her delicious dream, Si Qing jolted awake as if zapped by electricity.
Her lashes fluttered open, heavy as lead.
It took a while for awareness to seep back in.
Only then did she remember she was still in the massage room.
She tugged the soft blanket higher, covering her bare shoulder.
Her mind felt muzzy.
She gave herself a light, scolding tap on the head
and thought, How did I just fall asleep like that… While she was berating herself, the therapist smiled and handed her the phone from the side table.
Si Qing took it with a murmured thanks, cheeks flushing.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to doze off."
When she glanced at the screen, she saw Si Nian's name.
Her heart gave a thud; a bad premonition flickered.
She shot a quick look at the wall clock:
the hour hand on ten, the minute hand on thirty-five.
The sight sent a jolt through her; she hit answer at once.