An hour later, Fu Yu arrived outside N.X Bar.
Song Qi, wrapped in a trench coat, stood waiting for him.
The moment Fu Yu stepped out of the car, he caused quite a stir. Several half-drunk Omegas who had come outside for fresh air stared wide-eyed. But even at this close range, no one dared to react further.
Song Qi stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Fu Yu. “Boss, let’s go inside and talk. Ji Chenxi is stuck with a few ‘well-endowed’ Betas and couldn’t get away. He told me to come pick you up myself; what a jerk.”
Song Qi was 180 cm tall in shoes, but standing before the 188 cm Fu Yu, he had to look up to speak.
Fu Yu simply looked down at him. Without a word, he gave a slight nod, signaling Song Qi to lead the way.
After the two had gone inside, the Alphas and Omegas outside the bar immediately huddled together, their excitement exploding.
“Ahhh! It really was the Crown Prince of Fu Corporation! Does he actually come to bars?”
“It feels so surreal. Aren’t the rumors saying President Fu has no interest in nightlife? We only ever see him in the news attending financial forums, or maybe a glimpse of his private life at state banquets… Who would have thought we’d see him at a bar!”
“I wonder if he’d ever let a Bar Prince pour his drinks. If I’d known I’d get this close to him one day, I would’ve joined as a Bar Prince. Ugh, I’m so annoyed I regret not doing it. If I could just get close to President Fu…”
As a few Omegas nearby finished speaking, a real Bar Prince, who had been crouching by the roadside gagging, steadied himself against the trash can and stumbled into the bar.
He muttered, “I can do it. I can do this. President Fu, huh? Let me handle it!”
Unfortunately, the Bar Prince’s hopes were dashed. He shamelessly asked the team leader for a chance, only to be told, “Stop dreaming if you don’t want to get yourself killed.”
Song Qi led Fu Yu through the deafening main hall and into the VIP Secret Lounge.
The sonic assault was less explosive than in the main hall, but it still made the soles of their shoes vibrate.
They followed a corridor paved with black-and-gold tiles, where twenty or thirty Champagne Girls, as a tide of Ace of Spades and Jokers, flooded into a super-deluxe private room numbered 888.
Song Qi and Fu Yu followed behind the girls and entered the room. Inside, they saw Ji Chenxi leaning back into the ample embrace of a Bata Girl, shaking a pair of dice.
His leg rested on a shy, fair-skinned “Bar Prince,” who was attentively massaging it.
The champagne girls immediately started swaying their hips provocatively, crowding around Ji Chenxi to blow him kisses.
“Brother Chenxi, you look so handsome when you’re throwing money around.”
“Brother Chenxi, I want a glass of Louis XIV too. Can you get me one?”
“Get one for each of us. Once we finish, you can order more. You look absolutely stunning when you’re placing orders.”
Ji Chenxi gently returned each of the champagne girls’ kisses, his voice filled with emotion. “A single glass is so stingy. Brother Chenxi will order a whole bottle for each of you…”
Before he could finish the word “bottle,” a low, commanding voice cut through the air: “Everyone out.”
The voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an inexplicable, domineering aura of authority, instantly silencing the entire room.
The champagne girls turned, their eyes widening in shock.
“President Fu!”
“Hello, President Fu!”
The girls started chattering, eager to make a good impression on Fu Yu, but the champagne girl in charge shot them a sharp look, signaling them to shut up. She then ushered them out in a receding tide.
Fu Yu stared at the twenty or thirty bottles of Louis XIV on the obsidian table. “Trying to get me drunk?”
There were only three people in the room: him, Song Qi, and Ji Chenxi. Yet there were nearly thirty bottles of Louis XIV.
Ji Chenxi sprang up from the sofa like a koi fish leaping out of water. With the composure of a true gentleman, he pushed the female beta beside him away and glanced at the Bar Prince, nodding toward the door.
The female beta led the Bar Prince out. Before leaving, she tried to greet Fu Yu, but seeing his displeased expression, she didn’t dare speak. She backed out with a bow and closed the door behind them.
Ji Chenxi stood up, grabbed a bottle, and handed it to Fu Yu, taking one for himself.
When Fu Yu caught the bottle, Ji Chenxi clinked his own against it and downed a fifth of the bottle in one gulp. “If we don’t finish it all, I’ll pour it in your bathtub so you can bathe in it.”
Fu Yu said, “Song Qi. Give him a sobering injection. Or splash him awake with ice water.”
Ji Chenxi set down his bottle and narrowed his eyes. “I’m not like you. I’m an emotional thinker, a man of true feelings. I don’t hide myself the way you do. I need a little alcohol to see you clearly.”
He threw an arm around Song Qi’s shoulders. “Right, Little Qi?”
Song Qi sneered and pushed him off. “Get to the point, you drunkard.”
Fifteen minutes later, the three of them finally got down to business.
Ji Chenxi did most of the talking, while Song Qi looked utterly bewildered and shocked. Fu Yu, on the other hand, kept a somber expression, his emotions unreadable.
Ji Chenxi had run through every wild theory he could think of. He started with brain transplants in the scientific community, moved on to body-snatching in the world of criminal investigation—his claims growing more outlandish by the minute—and finally landed on the idea of soul possession.
“I’m a theist,” Ji Chenxi declared. “Fu Yu, come clean. Which one are you?”
Fu Yu swirled the half-glass of Louis XIV in his hand. He neither agreed nor disagreed with Ji Chenxi’s statement, nor did he make a definitive choice. He simply said coolly, “I was stolen by a beast for three years. He altered the part of my life concerning Ruan Luo; the rest remains unchanged.”
Song Qi drank his wine in silence, his expression dazed. “I’m a doctor. I believe in science. I’d rather believe the boss’s brain was sucked out by someone…”
Fu Yu glanced at Song Qi.
Song Qi immediately shut his mouth.
Ji Chenxi’s imagination then ran wild, leaving Song Qi completely stunned.
Seeing that the two of them had processed the news, Fu Yu prepared to leave.
Ji Chenxi was still talking to Song Qi, his face flushed and neck strained with effort, when Fu Yu suddenly called his name.
“Ji Chenxi.”
The formal tone made Ji Chenxi shiver. “What’s with that? Don’t use my full name, it’s scary.”
Fu Yu gave a faint smile and raised his glass to him. “Thank you.”
He knew Ji Chenxi. Now that the truth was out, Ji Chenxi would still treat him as a friend.
Ji Chenxi was the kind of person who would go to the ends of the earth for his friends. On this matter, Fu Yu didn’t even need to remind him; Ji Chenxi wouldn’t run a big mouth and tell the fourth person outside the room.
Ji Chenxi would not bring trouble to the real Fu Yu.
Neither would Song Qi.
In this world, having his secret truly known by his old friends gave Fu Yu a sense of relief.
But Ji Chenxi didn’t let Fu Yu leave.
Though he had spent the entire evening in a drunken stupor, Ji Chenxi suddenly turned serious as Fu Yu rose to go. His eyes cleared with a strong sense of propriety as he asked Fu Yu earnestly, “But you’ve been very good to Ruan Luo.”
On this point, Song Qi looked at Fu Yu and nodded. “You’re a decent man in this regard. Actually… you’re worthy of Ruan Luo.”
Fu Yu smiled.
Ji Chenxi asked again, “I heard it from Song Qi. Ruan Luo has amnesia now, and by a fluke, he’s developed an imprinting-like attachment to you. With just a little manipulation on your part, he’s completely at your mercy, so obedient. But once he recovers his memory, he’ll probably want to kill you.”
Fu Yu took out a cigarette and held it between his fingers.
Ji Chenxi sighed, snatched the cigarette Fu Yu had just taken out, lit it, and put it in his own mouth. “Fu Yu, talk to me. What’s going to happen when he wakes up from this complicated situation? Is there anything we brothers can do to help?”
As the three of them chatted, Fu Yu kept glancing at the Graff watch on his wrist. “I’ll pave the way for him.”
Ji Chenxi froze for a moment, then a look of sudden realization dawned on his face. “Actually, after you called me, I did some digging. I couldn’t find anything on you, so I looked into your two assistants. That Assistant Wang of yours has been frequently visiting your private hospital to see an old man. Song Qi said that old man is Ruan Luo’s grandfather. You’ve arranged for him to receive the best care, haven’t you? And then there’s Secretary Li. She’s been incredibly busy lately, constantly traveling back and forth to America, practically wearing down the threshold of the Juilliard School. I was wondering what she was up to. With your piano skills, you’re trying to get into the top music school? Now that I think about it, it’s for Ruan Luo… Is this the path you’re paving for him?”