Night fell, and neon lights flickered.
The sign of the Enchanted Night Club blazed brightly, unmistakably the most eye-catching thing on the street.
The dance floor was like a pot of boiling, muddled porridge, the crowd surging chaotically.
Multicolored laser lights swept wildly across the people, illuminating face after face lost in intoxication.
The pounding bass and the crowd’s screams mingled, as if they would tear the air around them to shreds.
Someone was passed out on a sofa.
In a corner, someone was gulping down liquor.
And beneath the lights, others were having sex without a care who saw.
Men and women alike had glazed eyes, their makeup smeared by sweat and tears.
Lipstick marks dotted the glasses and clothes everywhere.
Broken glass was crushed to powder beneath the chaotic foot traffic.
This was an out-of-control paradise of pleasure.
All morality and order had been cast aside, leaving only endless debauchery and fornication.
Huo Jiulin had no interest in the chaos inside. He crossed the dance floor and headed straight for the Supreme Private Room.
Just then, a long-haired woman with blazing red lips rose from her seat, drink in hand, striking a seductive pose.
In the entire nightclub, no one could outshine these two foreign faces.
Especially the man with dark-gold hair.
His looks were striking in the extreme, his physique flawless, and a mysterious tattoo climbed all the way up from his wrist.
Every part of him stirred her desire into a frenzy.
A man this perfect in every way—what would it be like to sleep with him just once?
Though he was dressed quite inconspicuously, after years of hunting for men, she could tell at a glance:
This man had to be at the very top of the pyramid—a king among kings.
She swayed her slender waist as she walked over to the two men.
Her ample breasts strained against her low-cut top, as though they might burst out at any moment.
The hand with its brightly painted nails lightly climbed Huo Jiulin’s arm. She smiled wantonly, then spoke in fluent English.
“Hello, handsome. Is there anything you need? I’d be happy to help.”
As she spoke, her hand deliberately—or perhaps not—gave Huo Jiulin’s arm a little squeeze.
Huo Jiulin gave her a cold glance, then looked at Qiaoke.
Just one look.
All right, Qiaoke knew it was his turn to handle things.
He answered with a lazy “Mm.”
Huo Jiulin calmly pulled his arm free of the woman’s fingers.
“Handle it yourself.”
With that, he turned away.
The woman didn’t understand Italian. Watching Huo Jiulin walk off, she was bewildered. “What does that mean?”
Qiaoke raised two fingers and crooked them toward her, saying in English, “Come here.”
She approached without a second thought, expecting something good.
But suddenly—
Crack—
The slender bone in her wrist snapped.
“Ahh!”
She let out a cry of agony, breaking into a cold sweat in an instant.
The glass in her hand fell to the floor and shattered.
Her bloodcurdling scream was swallowed by the din of the club.
The whole place carried on reveling wildly. Not a soul noticed what had happened over here.
*
The people at the door respectfully pushed open the door to the Supreme Private Room.
With both hands in his pockets, Huo Jiulin walked inside without betraying a hint of emotion.
Qiaoke followed behind him.
The room was dim, filled with the mingled smells of alcohol and cheap perfume.
A dozen or so brawny men in brightly patterned shirts stood inside.
Shinai was sprawled diagonally across a sofa, surrounded by several scantily dressed prostitutes, who kept giggling and fawning over him, the air thick with seduction.
His fingertips wandered over the women, and his eyes were full of unrestrained lust.
Seeing them arrive, Shinai sat up a little and looked toward Huo Jiulin with a smile.
“Mr. Norsen, long time no see.”
Huo Jiulin sat down on the sofa without replying.
Shinai laughed heartily and glanced at the prostitutes in front of him. “Sweethearts, go keep Mr. Norsen company.”
The women rose with teasing smiles and headed toward Huo Jiulin.
Huo Jiulin glanced at Qiaoke.
Qiaoke immediately stepped forward and blocked the women.
Shinai looked at Qiaoke, a faintly displeased expression on his face.
“If Mr. Helan likes them too, I’ll send you a batch of your own next time.”
He pointed at the prostitutes Qiaoke had stopped. “These are the ones I specially prepared for Mr. Norsen—”
Huo Jiulin narrowed his eyes and cut him off. “Mr. Meng Zhao, do you really think I’d want women you’ve already had?”
Shinai smiled unruffled and waved the women out. Then he sat upright himself.
“I suppose I didn’t think that through.”
He turned to one of the men behind him and ordered, “Go find the manager and have him get us a few more women—”
Huo Jiulin narrowed his eyes and cut straight to the point.
“Forget the women. Mr. Meng Zhao had someone steal my things. Don’t you owe me an explanation?”
“I’ve asked Mr. Norsen to meet with me several times, but he kept refusing. I had no choice but to resort to this.”
Huo Jiulin swept him with a cold glance, his tone flat.
“Looks like Mr. Meng Zhao needs to clean house in his intelligence department. I haven’t used the surname ‘Norsen’ in years.”
Shinai readily changed how he addressed him. “Mr. Huo.”
Then he got down to business.
“I hear Mr. Huo owns a number of top automobile manufacturers in Italy.”
“That includes, but isn’t limited to, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Pagani, and so on…”
“If Mr. Huo is willing to work with me, I believe both sides can benefit as much as possible.”
“My rubber plantations in Thailand cover as much as 5,000 rai. You don’t need to worry about the supply, Mr. Huo.”
Huo Jiulin crossed his right leg lightly over his left. The dim light cast eerie shadows across his face, adding to his air of menace.
Then he spoke unhurriedly. “Mr. Meng Zhao, are you so sure I’ll work with you?”
At his words, the dozen or so men behind Shinai immediately put their hands to their waists, ready to draw their guns.
Their expressions were grim as their vicious eyes swept back and forth over Huo Jiulin and Qiaoke.
The atmosphere in the room turned instantly taut, charged with the threat of violence and ready to explode at any moment.
Just then—
Click.
The door opened again.
A young woman in a light green, low-cut dress with a tight skirt and black stilettos walked in, carrying a tray and trembling with fear.
Shinai and all the men behind him turned to look at her in unison.
Huo Jiulin, meanwhile, leaned back against the sofa, his head lowered, his posture relaxed.
Qiaoke nudged him. “Lin, look. Who’s that?”
Before Huo Jiulin could lift his head, a sweet, soft voice came from the doorway.
“I-I’m here to bring you drinks.”
A familiar voice.
Huo Jiulin recognized it.
The girl from the riverbank last night, trembling with fear.
He raised his eyes and gazed at her from across the room.
Her delicate makeup stood out clearly in the interplay of light and shadow.
When he’d seen her last night, she’d been wearing a very loose dress and looked as if she barely had any flesh on her bones.
But now, in a tight dress,
she still looked slender and frail, yet her figure was curvy.
She certainly had curves in all the right places.
Compared with last night, she had a few more alluring qualities.
Still.
She was so timid, yet she dared to serve drinks in a nightclub.
The girl slowly made her way toward the middle of the room.
She had taken barely two steps when she stumbled.
It seemed she’d twisted her ankle.
She instinctively shielded the bottles on her tray, afraid she might smash them.
Clearly, she wasn’t used to wearing high heels.
She steadied herself and kept walking, tugging self-consciously at the hem of her dress as she went.
Only when she reached the table did she shakily take the bottles off the tray and set them down.
She kept her head lowered, not daring to look up.
Shinai’s gaze shifted away from Ji Linlin, and the corner of his eye swept over Huo Jiulin, seated across from him.
He raised a hand toward the men behind him, signaling them to hold their positions for now.
The men immediately understood and lowered their hands.
Thud!
Shinai slammed the glass in his hand down on the table.
“Pour the drinks.”
“Okay.”
Ji Linlin hurriedly nodded and carefully lifted a bottle to pour into Shinai’s glass.
Shinai looked at Huo Jiulin and offered a concession.
“If you’re unhappy with the price, we can talk. That’s easy enough.”
After all, his aim was still to do business with Kaweila.
He naturally didn’t want to resort to force unless absolutely necessary.
Huo Jiulin didn’t respond. He took a cigarette and lighter from his pocket.
He pulled out a cigarette, put it between his lips, and held it there with his teeth.
Click!
A spark of orange light leapt in the room, illuminating his handsome face for an instant.
He lit the cigarette, drew deeply, then slowly exhaled.
White smoke curled around him, blurring the contours of his striking, masculine features.
Shinai couldn’t help looking at his face a couple more times.
That face…
Damn! He was even better-looking than any of the male models Shinai had seen in nightclubs.
Huo Jiulin slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, his eyes fixed on Ji Linlin as she poured Shinai a drink.
Shinai naturally noticed Huo Jiulin’s gaze falling on Ji Linlin.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He stopped her at once, then tipped his chin toward the man across from him.
“You. Go pour Mr. Huo a drink.”
Ji Linlin immediately replied, “Yes.”
From the very first second she entered the room, its chilling, terrifying atmosphere had unnerved her.
She kept her head bowed, wanting only to finish the task that thug had given her and get out of there unharmed.
Holding the bottle, she carefully walked toward the man across from her.
Huo Jiulin picked up a clean glass from beside him and set it gently on the table.
When Ji Linlin reached him, she bent forward, carefully positioning the bottle’s mouth over the rim of the glass and began to pour.
“Look up.”
The man’s voice suddenly came from above her head.
It was deep, low, and cold.
He spoke Thai.
At the sound of his voice, Ji Linlin looked up, but her hand kept pouring.
The moment she saw his face clearly, her hand trembled despite herself.
The liquor spilled all over the table.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Ji Linlin immediately set the bottle down on the table, then snatched up some tissues from beside her and hurried to wipe up the spilled liquor.
Oh my God!
How could she be this unlucky? How had she run into this terrifying man here?!
Stay calm! Stay calm!
She kept telling herself over and over.
The light had been so dim last night; he probably hadn’t gotten a good look at her.
Besides, she’d been forced to wear such heavy makeup today. Surely he hadn’t recognized her?
Ji Linlin, be cool! Don’t panic!
Huo Jiulin said nothing. He simply watched the girl frantically wipe the table in front of him.
The instant she bent over—
Huo Jiulin’s sharp gaze caught a red dot flashing briefly on her chest.
It was very well hidden.
If she hadn’t bent over to wipe the table, he might not have noticed it at all.
Seeing what had happened, Shinai immediately scolded her.
“What’s wrong with you? Can’t you even pour a drink?”
“Such a pretty face, and you’re completely useless!”
He slammed his glass down on the table. “Get out!”
Ji Linlin shakily straightened, trying to leave. “Yes.”
“Wait.”
Huo Jiulin stopped her.
Ji Linlin’s steps halted abruptly. She didn’t dare go any farther, and her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
Huo Jiulin glanced sideways at the window behind her.
“It’s a little stuffy in here. Open the window.”
Ji Linlin nodded and took small steps toward the back of the room.
She drew back the curtain and pushed the window open.
Huo Jiulin glanced at the window, then turned his gaze to Shinai.
He raised his eyelids slightly, and his expression softened a little.
“Wasn’t Mr. Meng Zhao just saying he’d give me a woman?”
He turned his head and swept his gaze over Ji Linlin.
“I’ll take her.”