“The manager said this bottle costs eighteen thousand, so if I drink a whole bottle, you pay me for one bottle. If I drink half…”
Mu Chengyu replied without hesitation, “I’ll pay you for half a bottle.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with keen interest while harboring ulterior motives!
The drinking session soon began.
Seeing the man agree, Su Ning decisively opened the liquor bottle and poured the foreign alcohol into a wine glass.
The man addressed as Mu Shao had already taken the central seat on the sofa, while the woman named Na Na nestled in Mu Chengyu’s arms as usual.
She watched Su Ning with disdain and schadenfreude.
Su Ning glanced at Mu Chengyu, pursed her lips, then picked up the glass and began drinking.
Having never consumed alcohol before, the first sip of high-proof liquor burned through her throat like fierce flames, piercing her esophagus.
Yet for the money, Su Ning bravely swallowed the first mouthful, followed by the second, the third… By the time the transparent glass was empty, tears welled in her eyes.
Her face was small with a delicate chin, and her originally bright, expressive eyes grew darker and more luminous under the glaze of tears, lending her an air of heartbreaking vulnerability.
Her pale neck arched gracefully as she tilted her head back to drink.
Mu Chengyu watched somewhat mesmerized, but soon curled his lips into a smile.
“Impressive capacity. Come, refill it.”
He teased in a playful, somewhat provocative tone.
Without hesitation, Su Ning refilled her glass, her damp eyes fixed intently on Mu Chengyu.
That stubborn, aloof gaze seemed to tell Mu Chengyu: I’ve finished one glass, remember to pay for it.
“Drink up, liquor seller!”
A drunkard staggered forward, his thick arm slinging over Su Ning’s shoulder as he squinted at her alcohol-flushed cheeks.
This woman grew more captivating the longer one looked.
Su Ning detested being touched and shoved the drunkard’s arm away.
“Don’t touch me!”
She suppressed her emotions, struggling to maintain composure.
“Feisty and proud, eh? Haha, liquor seller, do you know who I am? My money surpasses even Mu Shao’s. Instead of currying favor with him, you should please me.”
Grabbing Su Ning’s chin, the drunkard rasped, “You look so innocent—selling liquor is a waste. Do you know there’s a faster way to earn money?”
His rough fingers stroked her cheek. “Just lie down obediently and let me…”
Slap! Su Ning knocked his hand away. “I said don’t touch me!”
The next instant, her scalp yanked backward as the drunkard slammed her palm-sized face against the amber coffee table, his drunken voice snarling in her ear:
“Bitch, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Since you’re in a brothel, learn the rules. Selling liquor or selling your body—what’s the difference? Stop pretending to be reserved. Today I’ll—ah!”
Before the drunkard could finish, Su Ning shoved him aside with such force that he staggered and leaned against the bar. He immediately glared at her with vicious eyes. “Damn bitch, how dare you push me? You must have a death wish!”
As soon as he spoke, the drunkard grabbed a bottle from the bar and was about to smash it toward Su Ning.
“Brother Hai, that’s enough.”
Mu Chengyu suddenly interrupted the drunkard, sliding a glass of wine toward him. “Calm down. Women are meant to be cherished. If you want to win a beauty’s heart, you must treat her well.”
He raised an eyebrow at Su Ning, a meaningful glint in his eyes. “What do you say, bartender?”
His overly flirtatious and slick words sent chills down Su Ning’s spine, making her shudder with disgust.
This man called Mu Shao was clearly no good.
But for the money, she had no choice but to keep drinking.
“Mu Shao, if your offer to drink still stands, I’ll drink. If not, pay me and I’ll leave immediately!”
“It stands. Keep drinking.”
At Mu Chengyu’s command, the drunkard called Brother Hai reluctantly put down the bottle.
Su Ning wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest.
As a woman who had been to prison, she had nothing left to fear.
After Mu Chengyu’s words, she picked up her glass and continued drinking.
Today, she was determined to earn thirty thousand yuan.
Meanwhile, in the VIP ward of Jing City Hospital.
The nurse had stepped out to change the medication, but when she returned, Nian Nian was gone.
“Gu Nian’an.”
“Gu Nian’an.”
The nurse searched the entire ward and then the entire floor, but Nian Nian was nowhere to be found.
Panicked, she immediately called Su Ning. Before leaving, Su Ning had given the nurse her number, saying to contact her if anything happened with Nian Nian.
But the nurse called five times in a row, and no one answered.
Growing increasingly anxious, the nurse hurried to the nursing station, looked up Nian Nian’s admission records, found Li Boyan’s number, and called him right away.
“Mr. Li, this is Jiang City Hospital. Your daughter is missing.”
Li Boyan was out socializing for work when he received the call. His already tense face instantly darkened with fury.
“Where is Su Ning?” he asked the nurse, his voice icy.
“You mean Gu Nian’an’s mother? She left at ten tonight and hasn’t returned. I haven’t been able to reach her.”
Left?
Li Boyan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Su Ning had actually abandoned Nian Nian and left the hospital on her own?
And now Nian Nian was missing?
Immediately, Li Boyan dropped everything and rushed to the hospital.
Sure enough, Nian Nian was not in the ward. Li Boyan tried calling Su Ning repeatedly, but she never answered.
Furious beyond measure, Li Boyan slammed his phone to the ground.
Assistant Song trembled with fear. “Master Li, do you think Miss Su… has run away?”
“How dare she?” Li Boyan’s face was frozen with rage.
As one of the most influential figures in Jiang City, his daughter’s disappearance alarmed the hospital’s senior management. The director personally led the effort to review the surveillance footage, which confirmed that Nian Nian had walked out of the hospital alone.
What broke their hearts was that she had been barefoot, repeatedly calling for her mother.
The nurse said, “Nian Nian must have gone out to look for her mom, Mr. Li. If you find your wife, you might find your daughter.”
Wife?
Su Ning?
Was she even worthy?
I had repeatedly instructed her to take good care of Nian Nian, yet she neglected her duties, disappeared, and even lost our daughter?
Where is Su Ning right now?
He had no idea at all. Could such a woman, though legally married to him, be considered a qualified wife?
“Search! I want you to search! Dig three feet underground if you must, but find Nian Nian and bring her back to me! Otherwise, I’ll make your entire hospital pay with their lives!”
Li Boyan ruthlessly threatened the hospital director with these vicious words.
The torment is basically about to begin!