Su Ning’s body trembled slightly, her voice quivering as she replied, “Okay.”
“Come here.”
He suddenly commanded her again.
“Oh.”
With nerves stretched taut as if sitting on pins and needles, Su Ning moved her stiff body one step closer to the man, never daring to look up at Li Boyan throughout.
Suddenly, her injured hand was seized by the man’s large palm. The next moment, a cartoon-patterned bandage was applied to the wound on her hand.
Her skin was exceptionally fair, making the redness and swelling on her hand appear particularly alarming.
The man’s slender fingers gently affixed the bandage, but in the next instant, Su Ning abruptly withdrew her hand.
Her breathing grew rapid with tension—she never expected Li Boyan to tend to her wound.
She was his enemy; she didn’t deserve it.
A spontaneous sense of guilt instantly coursed through every nerve in her body.
“Thank you.”
Su Ning uttered stiffly and hurriedly, then swiftly shifted her body to the corner, not daring to move an inch.
The woman’s obvious evasive action caused the man’s dark eyes to dim slightly. He then asked coldly, “Did you see your grandmother?”
“Yes.”
Su Ning answered mechanically, her tone laced with faint fear.
“So, you…”
Su Ning hastily interjected, “So, I’m very grateful that you returned my grandmother to me. I will fulfill my duties as a wife, take good care of Nian Nian for you, and you can focus on your work without worry.”
That wasn’t what Li Boyan meant at all. Seeing that Su Ning didn’t want to be honest with him, he let it go.
Soon, the car arrived at Jiang City Hospital.
As the car stopped at the entrance, Su Ning pulled open the door and fled inside as if escaping.
Li Boyan’s car hardly lingered before driving away.
However, the man’s gaze remained fixed on the rearview mirror until Su Ning’s figure disappeared from view. Only then did he withdraw his eyes, step on the accelerator, and speed off.
10 PM.
After putting Nian Nian to sleep and greeting a night-shift nurse, Su Ning left the hospital and headed to the Tang Dynasty Club.
Jiang City was a city of nightlife, and at 10 PM, the night was just beginning. The club was alive with energetic music, dazzling dances, and flashing neon lights.
Upon entering, Su Ning followed the supervisor to meet the manager and changed into the employee uniform provided by the club.
The uniform consisted of a white shirt paired with a blue blazer and a tight-fitting skirt that ended mid-thigh.
Most of her fair, slender legs were exposed to the air.
As she pushed the cart, Su Ning tugged uncomfortably at the short skirt.
Being a beverage promoter wasn’t an easy job.
She pushed her cart around the booths in the hall, but no one bought her drinks.
Some even stared at her with strange looks, as if she were an out-of-place misfit.
Before long, she was pushed aside. The manager happened to see this and called out to her, “Xiao Ning, if you really want to make money selling drinks, go to the private rooms upstairs. The people there are all wealthy big shots.”
Seeing that Su Ning lacked experience, the manager called over two fellow beverage promoters to take her upstairs and show her the ropes.
Following the two women upstairs, and encouraged by them, Su Ning knocked on the door of a private room.
“Sorry to disturb you. Would you like to order any drinks?”
“Get lost, don’t ruin my mood. Can’t they even find someone decent to sell alcohol? What kind of trash is this?”
A drunken brute kicked Su Ning’s cart, which was filled with expensive liquor—not a single bottle sold yet.
Fearing the drunkard would break the bottles and force her to pay for them, she instinctively shielded the cart with her body, only to be kicked in the waist.
Su Ning’s waist was already injured, and the impact made her legs buckle, sending her kneeling to the ground instantly.
The drunkard, spurred by a sudden impulse, grabbed Su Ning by the hair and forced her face up.
“I’ve been to nightclubs many times and always run into blind fools. Today, I’m lucky enough to meet one with eyes—and so eager to kowtow to me?”
He stepped closer, scrutinizing her, and only then did he notice how strikingly beautiful Su Ning’s face was.
Immediately, as if discovering a new continent, he let out a greasy laugh. “Not bad looking, little girl. I’ll give you a choice: ‘entertain’ me well today, and I’ll buy all your liquor.”
As he spoke, the man released Su Ning’s hair, his gaze turning even more lecherous as it roamed over her body. When it landed on her slender legs exposed to the air, his eyes grew downright obscene.
Su Ning was an adult and understood exactly what the drunkard meant by “entertain.”
Gritting against the pain in her waist, she supported herself with one hand on the cart, her delicate frame barely managing to stand. Coldly, she stated, “No, I only sell alcohol.”
The implication was clear: everything else was off the table!
“Oh? Quite the backbone.”
“And rather amusing, too.”
Two men seated on the sofa spoke up one after the other.
One of them, dressed in a black suit with a handsome yet roguish face, strode over to Su Ning.
He stopped directly in front of her, his eyes unapologetically fixed on her stubborn, icy expression.
As he assessed her, his phoenix-like eyes gleamed with the sharpness of an eagle.
“How about a different game, alcohol seller? You drink with us—whatever you drink, we’ll buy that much from you. What do you say?”
Though his tone sounded negotiable, to Su Ning, it carried an undeniable command.
Su Ning knew her main goal was to earn money by selling alcohol—Grandma was still waiting in the hospital. Though she loathed the debauchery of such places, years in prison had worn down her edges long ago.
She had long lost her dignity; as long as it didn’t involve selling her body, she was willing to earn the money.
“Fine.”
She agreed to the man’s proposal without hesitation.
“Mu Shao, you’re so generous.”
A coquettish voice, tinged with displeasure, rang out from the corner.
The man called Mu Shao teased back, “Na Na, if you’re not satisfied, you can compete with her. Whoever drinks more gets the money in my card.”
The woman named Na Na sneered disdainfully, “Mu Shao, have you seen what she is? How could I drink with her? Besides, if I get drunk, who will keep you company tonight?”
Swaying her hips, she sauntered over and clung to Mu Shao’s arm, her voluptuous curves pressing against him.
Ignoring her flirtatious antics, the man kept his eyes on Su Ning. “Alcohol seller, start drinking.”
Hearing this, Su Ning met his gaze with her cool, clear eyes and reiterated coldly once more:
“I can drink, but you have to keep your promise. For every drink I take, you have to give me the corresponding amount of money.”
With that, Su Ning casually picked up a bottle from the cart and clearly stated the rules of the drinking game.