Box No. 3 was as lively as a talent show, with eighteen young men and eighteen hostesses, each pair performing and singing romantic love songs.
Those who sang well were rewarded. Sheng Xia leaned back on the sofa, holding a wine glass with a stack of cash beside her. Whenever a duet moved her, she would generously tip them without hesitation.
Simple and straightforward, the eighteen pairs took turns performing.
Su Qiao, sitting beside her, felt her ears were about to grow calluses from the music. “Xia Xia, what on earth are you up to? This isn’t the way to listen to songs, is it? If I have to listen to any more, I’m going to be sick!”
“You don’t understand, these are songs of love!” Sheng Xia remembered a scene in the novel where Gu Cheng’an and the female lead sang a duet of romantic love songs.
She savored it, savoring it carefully. Damn it, the song really did evoke a sense of desolation, an irresistible, life-or-death kind of love.
The more Su Qiao listened, the heavier her heart felt, and the more fiercely she drank.
By the time the eighteen pairs finished singing, the cash beside Sheng Xia was all gone.
Su Qiao leaned closer to her. “Did any catch your eye?”
“Yes, but… haven’t all the guys here been, you know, with rich ladies? Doesn’t that make them dirty? Could they have some kind of disease? I just can’t bring myself to…”
“That’s true. How about I have them keep an eye out for us? We’ll look for those first-timers, the young and innocent ones?”
As soon as Su Qiao finished speaking, the door to the private room was pushed open.
The manager of “Intoxicated Dreams” walked in, wearing a professional smile. “Good evening, Miss Su! Good evening, Madam Gu!”
Su Qiao waved at the manager. “You came just in time. I was about to look for you. Do you have any first-timers here? If so, pick a few good ones and send them over!”
“We do! But I have something to discuss with Miss Su and Madam Gu.” The manager smiled warmly.
“The wine we just served is our finest cellar reserve, priced at one million per bottle. Miss Su and Madam Gu ordered ten bottles, totaling ten million. The eighteen young men and eighteen hostesses are all our top-tier performers, with a base fee of one million each. As a courtesy to Miss Su and Madam Gu, who are regulars, I’ve given a fifty percent discount. The total for the performers is eighteen million. Oh, and Madam Gu requested five million in cash for tips. Adding it all up, the total comes to thirty-eight million. Would you two like to settle the bill first?”
“What the hell? This is robbery! Those performers cost five hundred thousand each? Are you treating us like fools?” Su Qiao jumped up first.
“Miss Su should be aware of the rates at Intoxicated Dreams. Our top-tier performers are worth tens of millions. The ones just now were already discounted for Miss Su and Madam Gu—they were practically at rock-bottom prices.”
The manager’s smile remained unchanged. “Which of you will be paying?”
Su Qiao, of course, knew the rates at Intoxicated Dreams and grumbled, “You didn’t mention they were one million each earlier!”
“I didn’t, but Miss Su specifically asked for the best. Both Miss Su and Madam Gu are prominent figures in Jingnan, so I naturally called for the best. There were even two ten-million performers who were booked elsewhere, otherwise…”
Su Qiao waved her hand, cutting off the manager. “Enough! We’re not done yet, are we?””I know, I just wanted to ask who’s paying tonight? Miss Su is one thing, but I’ve heard… I’ve heard that Young Madam Gu’s monthly allowance is only ten million, and she’s already spent twenty-eight million tonight. Young Madam Gu has already overspent, hasn’t she? Could it be that later…”
The manager’s words, both explicit and implicit, suggested they couldn’t afford the bill. Su Qiao, having drunk quite a bit, was furious and jumped to her feet. “I’ll pay for this! Get the hell out!”
Sheng Xia, however, was instantly sobered by fear.
How could she have forgotten this? Indeed, Gu Cheng’an gave her a monthly allowance of ten million. She had already spent five million today, and now another twenty-eight million—that was more than three months’ allowance gone.
The key issue was that she had already advanced several months’ allowance to keep up appearances by buying luxury goods, so now she was buried in debt?
Wasn’t this like poking at a sore spot? No, it was more like drinking cold water and getting a toothache—no, that wasn’t right either…
Ah, she remembered—this was what they called “when it rains, it pours,” or “a leaky boat meeting a headwind,” right?
Sobered up, Sheng Xia didn’t dare act recklessly. She stood up unsteadily. “Qiaoqiao, let’s go!”
In the VIP lounge, Jing Ci entered from outside and whispered to Gu Cheng’an, “Young Madam and Miss Su left in disgrace. Young Madam’s card is already heavily overdrawn. Miss Su covered tonight’s expenses.”
Gu Cheng’an chuckled softly, feeling quite pleased as he raised his glass.
At midnight, Gu Cheng’an’s Maybach pulled up outside the Gu family estate.
He stepped out of the car, jacket slung over his arm. He had negotiated several major deals tonight and had drunk quite a bit.
Nevertheless, his steps were steady. After exchanging a brief greeting with Jing Ci, who then turned the car around, Gu Cheng’an strode through the villa’s main gate.
The Gu family estate was vast, with a large courtyard separating the main gate from the living room.
On previous occasions when Gu Cheng’an returned from social engagements, Sheng Xia would greet him with a charming smile, sweetly linking her arm with his and leaning against him.
Tonight, however, it was eerily quiet, with no sign of movement. Gu Cheng’an guessed it was because of the incident at “Paper Drunk Gold Lost,” where he had the manager embarrass her, which must have upset her.
She was always hypocritical, willing to suppress everything for money.
Gu Cheng’an could guess her little tricks. Though she might be unhappy, for the sake of her future comfort, Sheng Xia would surely have prepared hangover soup in the kitchen. Soon, she would bring it over with a smile to help him sober up, and then casually bring up the matter of her living expenses.
As long as she didn’t overstep, he wasn’t a stingy man and naturally wouldn’t make things too difficult for her.
Gu Cheng’an draped his jacket over his arm as he ascended the final step. He could already picture Sheng Xia’s face blooming like a flower, sweetly calling him “darling.”
Just as Gu Cheng’an had imagined, the door opened from inside.
But what greeted him wasn’t a smiling, lovely face—it was Gu Tingting’s furious expression. “Brother, I heard Sheng Xia spent tens of millions at ‘Paper Drunk Gold Lost’ tonight. Is that true?”
Gu Cheng’an frowned slightly as he glanced at Gu Tingting, who paid no heed to his reaction. “That woman, who’s completely unfit for high society, actually went to entertain young masters and stayed out all night! She still hasn’t come back!”
Gu Cheng’an paused mid-step, his eyes instantly turning cold. “Sheng Xia hasn’t returned?””No? Brother, is she fooling around with those young masters? You should quickly arrange for someone to find her. Once confirmed, kick that annoying woman out and make her leave with nothing!”
Gu Cheng’an ignored Gu Tingting and strode upstairs. Pushing open the bedroom door, it was pitch dark inside. He turned on the light, but no one was in sight.
Sheng Xia indeed had not returned.
This unprecedented situation stirred a surge of anger in Gu Cheng’an’s heart. He picked up his phone and dialed: “Find out where Sheng Xia is right now! Report back to me immediately!”
Gu Cheng’an’s subordinates acted swiftly. Half an hour later, they reported: “The young mistress’s car is parked at the new house. I called the property manager there and asked. They said the young mistress returned to the new house two hours ago and has been staying there without leaving. The lights are still on there now.”
Hearing this, Gu Cheng’an inexplicably felt a sense of relief, followed by a cold laugh.
Playing hard to get!