A group of people walked into the private room. Xu Tian had ordered the dishes in advance, and within ten minutes of their arrival, the food was served.
They had also ordered some red wine and fruit wine. Xu Tian explained that the girls could drink the fruit wine since it was not very intoxicating. Neither of the two girls was much of a drinker, but since everyone was gathered together, they should drink a little to have fun.
He did not force the two girls to drink, but encouraged them to have a little.
The fruit wine they ordered actually tasted quite good, much like juice. Drinking it, the two girls didn’t think much of it and ended up drinking a bit more than planned.
“I’m driving, so I won’t drink,” Qin Yuan said.
While everyone else was raising their glasses, only Qin Yuan remained still, holding his chopsticks and picking up a piece of braised pork to eat.
Fang Chen and Wang Xiao sat on either side of Qin Yuan. They exchanged glances, and Wang Xiao wore a knowing expression.
“That’s right, Qin Yuan has to drive himself later.”
Fang Chen quickly understood what Qin Yuan meant. Come to think of it, earlier that day he had been planning to completely gift a woman to Qin Yuan. Now, seeing that there were two, he didn’t have to worry about it at all.
Qin Yuan lived quite a liberated lifestyle, even more so than these friends of his.
Moreover, none of the people around him would ever cling to him obsessively. Probably just by looking at Qin Yuan’s face, the moment Qin Yuan smiled, those lovers would be left completely speechless, utterly bewitched and entranced.
Qin Yuan did not drink, but during the meal, he glanced twice at the two girls. Xu Tian saw both of those glances clearly.
It turned out that Qin Yuan’s tastes were similar to his own. In the future, whenever he spotted someone decent, he would frequently send them over to Qin Yuan.
They could also integrate their circles with one another.
To be honest, many people envied the resources in Qin Yuan’s hands.
Yet, Qin Yuan was not someone who readily made new friends. People like Fang Chen around him were childhood friends he had known since they were little.
Xu Tian had never thought of approaching Qin Yuan through the channel of gifting women. Discovering this method today, he naturally felt that he had struck gold.
Qin Yuan didn’t pay much attention to Xu Tian; even without looking, he knew what little schemes were running through that man’s mind. He decided to let this fellow be happy for a while longer.
Taking things slowly, he was in no rush.
As for the two girls, they had only had two or three cups of the fruit wine, but they had no idea that while this fruit wine looked and tasted good, people who generally couldn’t hold their liquor would mostly get drunk after just one glass.
Consequently, they had drunk several glasses in a row.
Before the meal was even finished, both of them were showing signs of drunkenness.
Everyone else saw it, including Fang Chen and his friends, but they just watched and said nothing.
Suddenly, Qin Yuan stood up.
“Seeing that they’re both drunk, and I happen to have some business, I’ll just send them back first.”
As soon as Qin Yuan spoke, Fang Chen stared at him for a moment. Remembering Qin Yuan’s past temperament, he seemed to dislike this type of woman, and now there were two of them.
Yet, Qin Yuan was acting quite impatient.
Fang Chen had no idea what was going on with Qin Yuan today.
“Alright, take your time sending them off,” Wang Xiao chimed in.
“Or instead of sending them back, there are rooms upstairs. We can send them to a room to rest and take them to school tomorrow.” Xu Tian wore the expression of someone who had everything arranged.
“I don’t really like staying in hotels; home is much better.”
“Yes, yes, home is definitely better. After all, it’s much more spacious than a hotel room.”
By this point, everyone present basically understood what Qin Yuan and Xu Tian meant.
They were all people who understood things clearly in their hearts.
Qin Yuan walked over to the two girls. They weren’t completely drunk and could still basically walk on their own.
It was just that their feet stepping on the ground felt little different from stepping on cotton.
Qin Yuan did not touch them; he simply walked alongside the girls.
The group went downstairs, and the valet drove Qin Yuan’s car to the hotel entrance.
Sitting in the car, Qin Yuan fastened his seatbelt and turned to urge the two girls to fasten theirs as well, only to turn around and see that both girls had fallen asleep from drunkenness.
Qin Yuan stared at their innocent faces and couldn’t help letting out a chuckle.
They had simply happened to run into him today. If they hadn’t crossed paths today, by tomorrow two families would be plunged into grief and despair.
Qin Yuan started the car engine. Speaking of which, when he died accidentally in his previous life, his family must have been equally heartbroken.
A child gone, just like that.
Right, Qin Yuan suddenly thought of another matter: he had died saving Lin Xi. Would his family and Fang Chen retaliate against Lin Xi? Qin Yuan frowned.
But now he was reborn; he didn’t know how things ended in his previous life.
Qin Yuan suddenly smiled. Since he had been reborn, he wouldn’t die, and Lin Xi wouldn’t be retaliated against by anyone.
The car drove quickly, arriving at Qin Yuan’s home.
Qin Yuan got out, opened the rear door of the car, and carried the two girls upstairs to the guest room one by one, placing them both on the same bed.
He pulled the blanket over them to cover them.
Looking at their sleeping, unfeeling faces, he could have done anything to them right now.
Since they chose to go out and play, regardless of who was around them, they ought to have some sense of vigilance.
To casually leave one’s life in a dangerous position like this and nearly encounter real danger, Qin Yuan’s gaze as he stared at the two of them was not very gentle.
Walking out of the door, Qin Yuan made a phone call. He was not in the mood to take care of two drunk people; bringing them back was already enough, and they weren’t worth him spending any more time on them.
On the other end of the line was the housekeeper Qin Yuan hired to clean the house. He told her there were two girls at home and asked her to come over and help take care of them.
The housekeeper lived in the same residential complex; Qin Yuan had bought a separate apartment which the housekeeper could freely use now.
After receiving the call, the housekeeper, who was wearing her pajamas, immediately changed her clothes and rode over on an electric scooter.
When she arrived, Qin Yuan was sitting in the living room smoking a cigarette.
Seeing the housekeeper enter, Qin Yuan immediately stubbed out the cigarette butt.
He did not smoke in front of women.
“Young Master Qin.”
“They are in the guest room upstairs. Sorry to trouble you.”
The housekeeper nodded, changed into slippers, and followed him upstairs.
Just as she was about to push the door open, the housekeeper glanced toward the stairs. It was already past nine in the evening, and Qin Yuan had already driven away and left.
One could say her employer was young, handsome, and paid a high salary. The housekeeper did not live in, and sometimes when Qin Yuan stayed at other properties, she didn’t work many days in a month, yet her salary remained untouched.
During holidays, she also frequently received red envelopes.
Therefore, at a single phone call from Qin Yuan, the housekeeper came over without a second word.
Qin Yuan drove away, and the housekeeper entered the guest room. Upon entering, she saw two girls lying on the bed.
As she got closer, she smelled the alcohol on both of them, realizing they were clearly drunk.
Neither of them had taken off their shoes or changed their clothes. The housekeeper immediately went to work, taking off their shoes and stripping off their outer clothes so they could sleep more comfortably.
Next, she took out pajamas from their bags and changed the two sleeping, drunk individuals into them.
After finishing all this, the housekeeper went downstairs to boil hot water and brought it up for the two of them.
Though she didn’t know who the two girls were, since they were brought home by Qin Yuan, she would take good care of them.
While the housekeeper took care of the two girls at home, Qin Yuan drove to a certain location.
Although it was already nighttime, at that place, everything could be said to be just beginning.
Qin Yuan presented his membership card, walked into the underground passage, and continued forward for a short distance. Before he even reached the end, the roaring shouts of the crowd could already be heard.
The corridor lights were dim, leading to a door at the end. The moment the door was pushed open, a wave of humanity and impassioned, frenzied cheers rushed toward him.
“Beat him to death! Beat him to death!”
“Knock him out, hurry!”
“Go on! Hit his face!”
The sharp, ear-piercing sounds made Qin Yuan frown.
A staff member came over. Most of the relevant personnel here knew Qin Yuan, and the staff member immediately led him up to the second floor.
The second floor had fewer people and a much more spacious layout.
Far from the agitated crowd on the first floor, Qin Yuan stepped into a small private room on the second floor.
He was the only one in the room, with no one else around. This was a room specially provided for distinguished guests.
“Young Master Qin, who are you betting on today?”
In the center surrounded by the crowd downstairs was a boxing ring. At this moment, two shirtless boxers were engaged in a violent brawl. Aside from mouth guards, they wore no other protective gear; their heads and hands were entirely bare.
This was one of the unique characteristics of the underground boxing club. It was precisely because of direct hand-to-hand combat that the raw blood and violence stirred up the audience’s enthusiasm all the more.
Basically, everyone who came here came to place bets.
Watching the boxing was one thing, but gambling and placing bets was much more important.
Qin Yuan sat on the sofa. The railing was made of transparent glass, giving a crystal-clear view of the ring below.
The two boxers were familiar faces.
At this time in his previous life, Qin Yuan hadn’t come here, so he wasn’t clear about the outcome.
Actually, even if he had come, he probably wouldn’t remember clearly.
Qin Yuan casually placed a bet: “The one on the left.”
“Young Master Qin, he should…”
The staff member looked toward the boxer on the left, who was already beaten black and blue, with one cheek swollen high. Falling down at any second seemed inevitable.
“It’s fine. I like watching people pull off desperate counterattacks. If he can’t counterattack, this bit of money is nothing.”
The staff member immediately beamed. “Understood.”
Betting here, once a wager exceeded a certain amount, it would be broadcast on-site.
Qin Yuan threw down two million right off the bat. As soon as this sum was announced, the staff member immediately used a walkie-talkie to notify a colleague on the first floor. That colleague immediately used the PA system to shout to the boxer in the ring that a boss had wagered two million on him to win.
The bet-upon boxer glanced toward the second floor. Naturally, he knew that anyone willing to bet that much must be up there.
Though he couldn’t see anyone, the boxer’s previously crumbling body suddenly seemed infused with endless strength.
He suddenly regained his vigor, while his opponent wore a sneer of full mockery. Not betting on him, huh?
Fine then. In that case, he would make that rich but blind-eyed boss lose even more.
The opposing boxer, who had been holding back slightly, had his muscle groups visibly rippling in the very next round.
Bang! With a dull thud, the boxer hit the floor, his mouth guard flying out as a mouthful of fresh blood gushed forth.
The referee squatted beside him to check his eyes and breathing.
Counting to ten, the referee shouted out loud with a steady rhythm. The boxer tried to struggle back up, but he was dizzy and his whole body ached dully. In the end, as the count reached one, he still failed to climb up.
The referee walked over to the standing boxer, grabbed his right hand, and raised it high.
The victorious boxer looked up toward the second floor. With that single look, he spotted Qin Yuan. No one had been there just now, but someone was there now, and the boxer immediately guessed that those two million must have been wagered by Qin Yuan.
The boxer flashed a faint, provocative smile at Qin Yuan. If only he had bet on him from the start, he wouldn’t have lost those two million now.
Qin Yuan ignored the boxer’s provocation. Two million to buy himself some amusement, and he liked it.
With the first round over, the second round followed.
As soon as the two boxers stepped onto the stage for the second round, the crowd erupted into cheers.
One of the boxers was exceptionally handsome, the kind of good-looking where he could go on television without any problem at all.
The moment that boxer stepped onto the ring, Qin Yuan’s expression changed slightly, his gaze fixed icily upon the other man.
The boxer was shoving his mouth guard into his mouth. The surrounding clamor seemed to have nothing to do with him; he had come here to fight simply to earn five million as quickly as possible so he could buy a nice house and live in it with the person he loved.
It wasn’t that talent scouts hadn’t come looking for him, but this boxer had spent time in prison once before, having intervened in a righteous cause, but ending up leaving the other person disabled. For someone like him to enter the entertainment industry, the man didn’t even dare to imagine it.
He only wanted a peaceful and stable life.
Now he had over a million in savings, having earned that much in just over a month at the boxing club. With a few more months, he would probably have enough.
Thinking of his lover, a smile appeared at the corner of the boxer’s mouth.
It was a fleeting smile that the surrounding crowd didn’t notice, but Qin Yuan on the second floor saw it clearly.
Seeing Fu Chen again after his rebirth, the repressed jealousy and anger deep within his heart surged to the surface.
He didn’t know where he fell short compared to Fu Chen, causing Lin Xi to be so stubbornly devoted to this man. No matter what Qin Yuan gave Lin Xi, whether money or a house, Lin Xi remained entirely unmoved.
Hatred permeated Qin Yuan’s gaze.
A waiter knocked on the door and entered to serve Qin Yuan tea, snapping Qin Yuan abruptly out of his daze. What was he even doing?
Why was he hating Fu Chen? Romance was naturally an uncontrollable thing.
If Lin Xi had easily fallen for him back then, perhaps he wouldn’t have liked him this much.
It was precisely because it was an unrequited yearning from start to finish that he found it so hard to let go.
If Lin Xi had truly been like those other people, casually abandoning an ex to be with him, he probably wouldn’t hold onto such lingering obsession for Lin Xi either.
When all was said and done, what he liked was Lin Xi’s dislike of him.
Qin Yuan closed his eyes and calmed his emotions.
He roughly knew why Fu Chen had come to the underground boxing club: it was for Lin Xi.
He wanted to earn a bit more money so he could buy a house and give it to Lin Xi.
Qin Yuan owned plenty of such houses and could casually gift one to Lin Xi, but Lin Xi never wanted them.
He only wanted what Fu Chen gave him.
And as for Lin Xi, he was actually willing to keep renting a home with Fu Chen all along. Houses were secondary; being with the person he loved was what mattered most.
This was also one of the reasons why Qin Yuan wanted to forcibly take Lin Xi for himself. He had never witnessed such true love around him, and just catching a glimpse of it had left his heart deeply stirred.
Fu Chen’s match began. Everyone basically bet on him; one could say that from the beginning until now, Fu Chen had never suffered a single defeat in this ring.
Although everyone placed heavy bets, the money that actually reached Fu Chen’s hands was heavily discounted over and over again. After all, nobody was running a charity, and the lion’s share went to the boss.
Watching the fight unfold below, Qin Yuan knew who would win just by looking at the start.
Instead of all that, why not just bet ten million straight away? At least one or two million of that would end up in Fu Chen’s hands. Qin Yuan chuckled softly to himself.
Gifting money to a love rival? Better skip that.
He was praying for Fu Chen to run into some trouble and collapse right there in the ring.
Though he thought this way, his brow still furrowed.
If Fu Chen really met with misfortune, the one who would be heartbroken was someone else, and by then that person might well leave the coffee shop and stay home full-time to take care of Fu Chen.
Thinking about it, Qin Yuan laughed. Better forget that, then. If Lin Xi wasn’t at the coffee shop anymore, wanting to properly look at him, even if it was just watching from afar, would probably become very difficult to pull off.
So, it was better if Fu Chen didn’t collapse; staying healthy was the better option.