Lanmei Bar, Jingdu's most famous money pit—the men and women who came here were either rich or noble, making it the ultimate playground for the upper crust.
This was also Zhou Jingming's territory.
The reputation of Jingdu's playboy didn't come from nowhere. The Zhou family was vast and powerful, yet Zhou Jingming consistently refused to go back and inherit the company, instead idling away his time investing in all sorts of entertainment industries.
Su Xi's car had just stopped when a dark Hummer sped past her eyes.
Her blood instantly surged.
Her danger precognition was sharp, yet it was rare for her to feel this kind of thrill.
In this world, the only one who could give her this feeling was Mr. Jiu of Anjue Group.
Watching the car head toward the second basement level, Su Xi stepped on the gas and gave chase.
But by the time she caught up, the other car had mysteriously vanished.
Su Xi circled the entire second basement level but couldn't find the car from before.
It seemed this Mr. Jiu was a regular at Lanmei and knew the place well. Perhaps there were even hidden secret passages here unknown to others.
There was no time to keep exploring now, so Su Xi turned around and drove back up to the first basement level.
The moment she left, a tall, slender figure emerged from a secret passage deep within.
"Sir, someone was just following you. Shall we take care of them?" The bodyguard's gaze fell toward the elevator.
The man waved his hand. "No need. That person is a trained fighter—you're no match for her."
"Move Mr. Jiu's reserved private room to the one next door, and have someone keep watch."
"Yes."
Su Xi had just parked when the car door was opened from outside, and a slender figure slipped into the passenger seat.
Fu Yu handed her a bag. "This is what you asked for—makeup and clothes, all of it."
Su Xi nodded, pulled out a sexy outfit from the bag and changed into it, then applied heavy makeup. The delicate beauty suddenly transformed into a queen of the nightlife.
"Did you find Su Rou?" She added the finishing touch—a black mole at the corner of her eye.
Fu Yu: "Found her. She's right here at Lanmei."
Su Xi opened the car door and got out. With her back to Fu Yu, her tone was cold. "Don't let her have it easy."
"Don't worry, it's already been arranged. Guaranteed her trending search stays up for three days and nights."
…
Other bars were quiet during the day, but Lanmei's foot traffic never distinguished between day and night. Su Xi stepped out of the elevator and entered the bar, where the noise was deafening.
Mr. Jiu had reserved the presidential suite. It was said the man was extremely guarded, and barging in rashly would be unwise.
Su Xi sat in a corner first, waiting for an opportunity.
Coming to a bar to relax and discuss business—it was impossible not to order drinks. As long as the other party had needs, she would have a reason to get close.
Before long, there was movement from the presidential suite, and soon a server headed over to attend to them.
Su Xi whistled toward the crowd. A dark figure appeared and lured the server away, allowing her to slip into the private room.
"Sir, the drinks you ordered."
She approached with her head lowered, her peripheral vision locked on a dark figure sitting on the sofa.
Just as she set down the drinks, a sweet, coquettish voice reached her ears: "Young Master Zhou~"
Su Xi froze.
She slowly raised her head and looked across. Her newlywed husband sat in the seat of honor, and the several men beside him were no strangers to her—all of them Zhou Jingming's fair-weather friends.
Had she entered the wrong private room?
In that moment of distraction, Zhou Jingming recognized her and leaned in with a debauched air.
Su Xi hadn't even reacted yet when the dog of a man grabbed her by the waist and easily pulled her onto his lap.
His scorching breath pressed against her ear. "Is this what you meant by having something to do?"
Su Xi frowned.
This was the private room Mr. Jiu had reserved—how had she run into Zhou Jingming?
Could Fu Yu's information have been wrong?
Now that she was tangled up with this dog of a man, she probably wouldn't be able to get away anytime soon.
Su Xi was anxious to find Fu Yu and confirm the situation. She had no energy to play games with Zhou Jingming.
At times like this, the honey trap was most effective.
She took the initiative to loop her arms around the man's neck, smiling bright and radiant. "What's the matter? Did I interrupt my husband's fun?"
Su Xi's voice was especially pleasant to hear. Now, with a bit of deliberate coquettishness added in, she was even more delicate and charming, impossible to resist.
The brothers present egged them on. "Young Master Zhou is whipped. His wife came to check up on him on the very first day they got their marriage certificate. Looks like he'll have plenty of good days ahead."
The dog of a man responded without missing a beat. "If you're jealous, go get your own marriage certificate."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Su Xi blinked and, in front of everyone, kissed Zhou Jingming. "This is my stamp—exclusive to my husband. No other women allowed to get close, okay?"
With Su Xi's declaration of sovereignty, how would any woman dare take even half a step closer to Zhou Jingming?
Having soothed Zhou Jingming, Su Xi used the excuse of going out to touch up her makeup and slipped out of the private room in no time.
As soon as she reached the restroom, she called Fu Yu. "What's going on? Why is Zhou Jingming in the private room?"
Fu Yu: "Sorry, boss. I was just about to contact you—Mr. Jiu changed private rooms at the last minute. He's in the room next door."
Su Xi pinched the bridge of her nose. She was just about to end the call when she suddenly saw a large group of reporters surging toward the private room across the hall.
It looked like Fu Yu had already started the operation.
Su Xi's target was Mr. Jiu. She didn't follow the crowd to watch the show, but instead headed toward the room next door.
She pushed the door open—it was completely empty.
Su Xi frowned.
She quickly realized she'd been set up and hurried to retreat.
Just then, two bodyguards in black rushed in from outside.
Su Xi put on her best actress act. "Sorry, sorry—I went into the wrong room. Young Master Zhou's is right next door."
The bodyguards recognized her identity and didn't give her any trouble, quickly letting her leave.
The moment she was gone, the bodyguard immediately dialed a number. "Sir, no sign of Qianye Gezhu. But Miss Su just came in."
In the private room next door, Zhou Jingming leaned lazily against the wall, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It's possible she saw through our plan and won't show up."
But why would Xi'er go into the wrong room?
Was it a coincidence?
Su Xi was now standing directly across from the two private rooms, her gaze deep and cold as it fixed on the two doors. Not in 1301, and not in 1302.
As expected of an old fox—meticulous and calculating, to actually design something like this.
Good thing she hadn't appeared as Qianye Gezhu. Otherwise, she would have fallen into that man's trap long ago.
Su Xi felt listless, but her intuition told her that Mr. Jiu was in the bar.
A living, breathing person in disguise who wouldn't voluntarily show himself—searching through a sea of people wasn't realistic. Su Xi temporarily gave up on this matter and turned toward a private room not far away.
She had personally delivered such a big gift to her sister. If she didn't go see it for herself, all this drama would have been for nothing.
Private room 1208.
Su Rou woke from her drunken dream.
Last night she had schemed against Su Xi, getting that bitch entangled with Zhou Jingming, that playboy. In a good mood, Su Rou had come to the bar to celebrate.
She had always been able to hold her liquor well. She didn't know what had come over her earlier—she'd suddenly felt dizzy, and then she'd blacked out completely.
Now that the effects of the alcohol had faded, she was much more clear-headed.
Instinctively, she tried to get up, but when she looked down, she saw that her clothes were in disarray.
It scared her so badly that her face lost all color.
"The great film queen Su really was quite a treat. I'm still savoring the memory."
A pleased male voice came from beside her.