Chapter Thirty-Four: The Bar Rescue (Part Two)

Smack! Before Zhou Zisheng could finish his sentence, the woman called Zhang Jing delivered a fierce slap to his face. Furious, he wanted to strike back, but his hand was instantly seized in a tight grip. Startled, he turned his head to find a young man—me—standing there, my face flushed with drunkenness, wearing a calm, measured smile.

“Who the hell are you?” Zhou Zisheng stared at me in confusion. He had never seen me before, nor I him. I released his arm, staggered over to Zhang Jing, pointed at her, and laughed, “Doesn’t matter if you don’t know me—the important thing is, I know her.”

Now, everyone in the booth turned their attention to me, even Zhang Jing, whose face was clouded with doubt, likely wondering when she’d ever met me. But the real shock was yet to come. I, in my drunken haze, suddenly wrapped Zhang Jing in an embrace, inhaling the subtle fragrance that drifted from her delicate figure. “Jing, why aren’t we going yet? Didn’t you ask me to wait for you here? It’s late—we should head home.”

Still bewildered, Zhang Jing found herself held tightly by a boy she barely knew. At first, she struggled in embarrassment, but when she heard my words and caught the secret signal I sent with my eyes, realization dawned: I was here to rescue her. Immediately, she stopped resisting, smiled, and replied, “Yes, why did you come so late? Let’s go—it really is getting late.”

But as she tried to leave, she noticed I hadn't moved, and her expression grew anxious. It wasn't reluctance holding me back—it was the shock of her beauty. Though my head was spinning from the alcohol, seeing Zhang Jing’s angelic face struck me as extraordinary. Even in the dim glow of the bar, the flush on her cheeks and her alluring eyes seared themselves into my memory. Su Xin was beautiful, but compared to Zhang Jing, lacked the mature grace; Zhang Jing was truly a rare, perfect woman.

“Well, well, Zhang Jing, so you secretly keep a young lover? Turns out you like them tender, huh? I should’ve known! You always played the virtuous woman, never let me take advantage—so this is your type? This kid looks barely out of his teens!” Zhou Zisheng burst out laughing at our intimate display, while Fatty Wang’s face grew increasingly sour. He sneered, “So you’ve always had a man, Zhang Jing. I thought you were pure, but you’re just another whore. I’m not interested anymore—pay up and get out.”

“What are you talking about? I—” Zhang Jing tried to defend herself, but words failed her. She stood there, shame and anger warring on her face, unable to leave or speak. I knew then it was my moment. I had always wanted to help Zhang Jing, thinking her heartbreak for love matched my own. Now, seeing her so beautiful, I couldn’t let her be humiliated by these scoundrels.

“What’s going on, Jing? What payment are they talking about?” I glanced at her, then deliberately looked at Zhou Zisheng, who quickly explained, “Oh, she offered to treat us, but now won’t pay. If you’re her man, settle the bill—looks like your woman can’t even pay for the booth.”

“I see…” I nodded as if understanding. “So, how much is it?”

Instead of answering, Zhou Zisheng called the waiter over. The waiter, sensing a payment, beamed, “Sir, the booth fee, hostess fee, and drinks add up to forty-three thousand yuan.”

“Forty-three thousand?” Zhang Jing’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “No way—it can’t be that expensive! Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”

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“No mistake, miss. These gentlemen ordered 1985 French red wine—each bottle costs eight thousand four hundred. Four hostesses at twelve hundred each, plus the booth fee of six thousand. Altogether, forty-three thousand. The change is already waived for you.” The waiter was polite and enthusiastic.

“Zhou Zisheng! You did this on purpose! You ordered expensive wine and hostesses just to embarrass me, to force me to give in… You’re so cruel…” Zhang Jing was furious. She hadn’t expected her former boyfriend to stoop so low, using this scheme to push her into bed with Wang. Her company was bankrupt, and she had no way to pay—how could she possibly cover this bill?

“Forty-three thousand, is it? Charge fifty thousand; keep the extra as your tip.” As Zhang Jing floundered, my voice rang out across the noisy booth. I pulled out my wallet, drew a golden VIP bank card from among a dozen others, and handed it to the waiter. The bar staff weren’t fools; they knew what a gold VIP card meant. He hurried off to process the payment.

Neither the waiter nor people like Zhou Zisheng, Fatty Wang, or Zhang Jing were naïve; a VIP gold card meant assets of at least a million yuan, and I had more than a dozen such cards in my wallet. That meant I was a multimillionaire—a rarity in 1997, especially in a place like C City. Suddenly, everyone’s eyes lit up. My magnanimity and generosity made Zhou Zisheng sneer with envy, “So, Zhang Jing, you’ve gotten yourself a rich patron all along. Why bother pretending to be bankrupt? Was it all an act for me? I’m impressed—real masters hide their strength, and now you’ve shown yours. We’re outmatched today; you’ve got skills!”

“I…” Zhang Jing wanted to protest, but seeing me help her so selflessly, she could only swallow her grievances and remain silent.

Once the waiter returned my card, I smiled drunkenly at everyone in the booth. “Enjoy yourselves. Zhang Jing and I will be leaving now. Goodbye.” With that, I took her hand and led her toward the bar’s entrance.

“Goodbye, my ass!” Zhou Zisheng spat at our departing figures. Fatty Wang tugged at his arm and whispered, “Zhou, do you think she’ll notice the drug we put in her drink? It takes about an hour to work—what if…”

“Notice? Hell no! Didn’t you see her leave with her toy boy? Who knows how late they’ll stay up tonight—she won’t realize a thing. At most, she’ll wonder why she feels so lascivious.” Zhou Zisheng snickered. “I’d love to see how Zhang Jing performs in bed—what a shame, Wang.”

Fatty Wang glared at the direction we’d left, sighing, “No choice, that kid looks like someone important. We’d better stay away from people like that. Did you see his wallet? Over a dozen gold cards, and some diamond cards I’ve never even seen—must be worth over ten million…”

“What!” Zhou Zisheng jumped up from the sofa, his face darkening. “This could get tricky. If that guy listens to Zhang Jing and comes after us, what then? We’re the ones who bankrupted her company…”

“Don’t worry. Zhang Jing’s company went under because of Xia Wang Construction. She should blame Xia Fugui, not us. Xia Fugui’s brother is the mayor of C City—I doubt her little boyfriend can take on someone with real power. If he tries, it’s good for us—we can profit from the chaos, don’t you think?” Fatty Wang grinned wickedly at Zhou Zisheng.

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“Hahaha… You’re right, Wang. Doing business with you is never a loss. Come on, let’s drink! This wine is on Zhang Jing—we won’t leave until it’s finished!”

“That’s right—the girls are on Zhang Jing, too. Why leave when we can enjoy ourselves?” Laughter and crude jokes filled the booth as Zhou Zisheng and Fatty Wang each clung to a hostess, reveling in their pleasures. Before long, the waiter brought over a dozen more bottles of fine French red wine.

“Huh? Who ordered this wine? We’ve already paid the bill.” Zhou Zisheng eyed the waiter, who placed bottle after bottle on the table, and questioned him.

“Oh, it’s a promotion, sir—buy five, get two free. The gentleman who just paid asked for ten bottles to be sent over. He said you hadn’t had enough fun yet and wanted you to keep drinking.” The waiter smiled politely.

“What?!” Fatty Wang leapt from the sofa, fuming as he pointed at the waiter, “Did that guy pay for all this wine?”

The waiter shook his head with a smile, and Zhou Zisheng nearly slapped him in frustration. Fatty Wang, his face dark, pressed, “How much for all this wine?”

“Altogether, eighty-four thousand yuan,” replied the waiter crisply.

Thud—Fatty Wang’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed onto the sofa in anger. Zhou Zisheng, scowling, grabbed a bottle and smashed it on the floor, roaring, “Bastard! You dared to play me!! Ah—!”

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