Holy crap!
What's this feeling...? It's like being halfway through a book, just getting into it, and then suddenly being told that the book is now available as a VIP book and requires payment...
While there's no such thing as a free lunch, that's a given, but this feeling is still... frustrating!
Part One: In the Martial World, Unable to Control One's Own Fate, Chapter Seventeen: Throwing Oneself into Her Arms
I sat in the finance office for a long time, my mind filled with all sorts of thoughts.
I admit I'm really tempted!
At least based on the current facts, that ring actually works! It really can improve one's luck! Undoubtedly, this is incredibly tempting for me!
I think anyone would be tempted, right?
The problem is, this ring on my hand is a ticking time bomb. It can certainly bring me good luck, but it can also bring me bad luck! Just like what happened today…
If I had the money, I would really be willing to buy a "formal product"!
The problem is, looking at the astronomical prices on that product catalog, I could only shake my head and sigh. Although my income isn't low, my savings are far, far too small to afford even the lowest-end product…
Although the price was prohibitively high, I understood that it was worth it, no matter how expensive it was!
But having no money is still having no money.
Then I thought of another method: Actually, although what I have is a trial product, it is already more than enough for me. The only thing I lack is a "measuring device"!
Without a measuring instrument, I have no idea whether I'm having good fortune in money or love... This is no joke! I only made 200,000 today, and my house was burned to the ground... What if I won millions in the lottery today... What kind of bad luck would I encounter?
Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.
After thinking about it for a long time, my head started to ache. Suddenly, a surge of anger rose within me, and I wanted nothing more than to throw the ring into the trash can. But I couldn't bear to part with it, so after some thought, I took the ring off my finger.
I have my own break room at the company. No one dares to enter my room without my permission. I locked the ring in a small cabinet in the break room.
I wouldn't dare carry this thing around before I get my hands on that measuring device...
Because of these things on my mind, I was in a bad mood all the way to work. I had a sullen face, and my subordinates were clearly afraid of me. Partly because they could see I was in a bad mood, and partly because they probably heard about how I dealt with that gigolo the other day.
But the only one who isn't afraid of me is probably Mary. This flirtatious woman was wearing a black dress tonight, still low-cut, with a short, narrow mini-skirt underneath, revealing half of her round, full thighs. With each step, glimpses of what lay beneath the skirt were vaguely visible.
Everyone else treated me with utmost respect, not daring to utter a single word, but Mary, the moment she saw me, simply snuggled up to me. My head was still wrapped in bandages, and it wasn't convenient for me to walk around the place like that; after all, this was a high-class establishment, and it wouldn't look good, so I usually stayed in the lounge at night. Tonight, Mary wasn't busy greeting guests in each private room; instead, she followed me into the lounge. Before I could even speak, she had already casually jumped onto my lap, wrapped her arms around my neck, and whispered sweetly in my ear, "Little Fifth Brother…you were so impressive last night!"
"What a load of rubbish," I said irritably.
"Oh my~" Mary looked at me with a smile, her eyes alluring, and suddenly leaned close to my ear, as if gently biting my earlobe: "Little Fifth Brother, you're really 'hot-tempered' today."
This woman looked just like a ripe peach. I squinted at her and looked at her full, red lips. Immediately, the pink encounter in this room that night came to mind. Although it was interrupted in a hurry, the intoxicating feeling still makes me feel a fire burning in my heart whenever I think about it!
Mary, having spent her life in the world of pleasure, was adept at reading men. The moment she saw the change in my gaze, she immediately guessed what I was thinking. She chuckled twice, pressed her burning body against my chest, and a strange glint flashed in her eyes. I felt a tightening in my groin, only to find her hand gripping mine… This little slut! A surge of lust rose within me. I glared at her fiercely, grabbed her rounded shoulders forcefully, and then shoved her violently onto the bed.
Mary, with her alluring eyes and captivating charm, suddenly smiled seductively and said, "Brother Wu, wait a moment."
Hmph, I knew this woman was cunning; she must be up to something!
I stopped what I was doing and looked at her with a mocking expression: "Mary, tell me, what's your plan?"
"No, no." Mary covered her mouth and chuckled, then said coquettishly, "You didn't take what I told you last time to heart... Xiao Feng has two girls who want to switch to my team, but you know, Xiao Feng definitely won't let them go. So I'd like to ask you to talk to her on her behalf; she can't refuse to give you face."
I frowned, sat up straight, and quietly looked at Mary: "Which two little sisters are they?"
“Sophie and Nan Nan,” Mary quickly announced the two names.
Wow! My heart skipped a beat. I gave Mary a thumbs up and laughed, "Sister Mary, what a shrewd move! She's Xiao Feng's most popular girl, the treasure of our establishment. You managed to poach her all at once? No wonder Xiao Feng refused! If it were me, I wouldn't want to watch my cash cow slip away."
Mary still wore her signature coquettish laugh: "Brother Wu, you don't need to play tricks on me." Although she was smiling, there was a moment of hesitation in her eyes before she leaned close to my ear and whispered with a smile, "I know perfectly well that Xiao Feng won't be here for long! After what happened with Qiang, even though you haven't done anything to Xiao Feng, everyone can see that she's fallen out of favor and will have to leave sooner or later. And even if she does leave, whether she can survive depends on whether Brother Huan is willing to give her a way out!"
My smile faded: "Mary, where did you hear that?"
“Sigh, Brother Wu, don’t hide it from me. The news that Qiang’s leg was broken today has already spread. Brother Huan has already said he’s going to kick him out. From now on, no one in this city will accept Qiang. If he wants to live, he has no choice but to leave.” Mary shook her head and said, “Xiao Feng will leave sooner or later. Brother Wu, it’s better to keep the good stuff in the family. These two girls are so popular, we can’t let Xiao Feng take them away. It’s better to let them stay with me and continue to make money for the company.”
I thought for a moment, "The company won't touch Xiaofeng; that's the company's principle. Even in business, there are rules." Then I raised my voice slightly, becoming serious, "However, regarding Aqiang's matter, I don't care what's being said outside, don't say anything!" Mary saw my stern face and her expression hardened, but I immediately softened slightly, "Alright, I'll keep this in mind. If these two girls want to work for you, they can. If Xiaofeng has any objections, you can have her talk to me!"
I have to say, Mary is a very shrewd woman! Xiao Feng definitely won't be staying at the club for long; she might leave in the next couple of days. Anyway, the turnover rate for hostesses is very high; one batch leaves and another comes—it's all normal. But Mary is right, "the good stuff shouldn't go to outsiders." These two top hostesses can make the company a lot of money if they stay. If they leave, the company might even lose a few regular customers to them. Mary knows how to pick her chances; she understands that I'll definitely support her at this time.
I've never really liked women who are calculating and scheming. After a few words, my desire vanished. Seeing Mary about to come closer again, I shook my head: "Alright, Mary, I'll help you with this. You don't need to use this trick. We're all sensible people, so let's skip it."
Mary looked a little embarrassed, but being a seasoned veteran of the pleasure quarters, the embarrassment vanished instantly. Instead, a hint of disappointment seemed to appear in her eyes. She smiled, leaned in, and gave me a firm kiss on the cheek before swaying to the door. But before leaving, she suddenly turned back to look at me and said in a strange tone, "Brother Wu, there's one more thing... Xiao Xuan asked me to tell you... thank you. She originally wanted to come to you herself to thank you, but I told her it wasn't necessary, you're not that kind of person."
I was stunned for a moment before I remembered that this Xiaoxuan was the waitress who was drugged and forced into prostitution by Aqiang. Now that Aqiang had been fired, she had been transferred to Mary's company.
As for Mary saying she wanted to "come find me herself," the meaning is quite clear—she probably wanted to repay me with her body or something like that. But since Mary blocked it for me, that's fine. I didn't kill Ah Qiang purely to help her; it was mainly for the company.
Seeing that I didn't react, Mary sighed and whispered, "Brother Wu, I know you're a good person."
After saying that, she walked out and closed the door.
A good person? Another "good person"? It seems like everyone's been treating me like a good person lately.
I smiled, feeling a mix of emotions I couldn't quite describe.
I was lost in thought for a while when my phone suddenly rang. I picked it up and saw it was Huan Ge's number.
"Xiao Wu, get ready. I'll send someone to pick you up in ten minutes. You'll come with me somewhere tonight." Huan Ge's voice sounded tired.
I was taken aback: "So late?"
"Don't ask anymore. Come out in ten minutes. I'll have Jinhe drive to pick you up." Huan Ge hung up the phone after saying that.
Book One: A Man in the Martial World, Forced by His Own Will, Chapter Eighteen: "Personal Treasures"
Jinhe is a man in his forties. He is not tall, but he is very sturdy. He has a face that seems to never show any expression. His features are very ordinary. He is the kind of person who would be lost in a crowd. He always has a short buzz cut and wears only two suits, one black and one gray.
Jinhe is Huan Ge's confidant, Huan Ge's assistant, Huan Ge's driver, Huan Ge's shadow, Huan Ge's personal nanny, Huan Ge's butler—and also Huan Ge's bodyguard!
I don't know exactly how skilled Jinhe is; I've never fought him, but I know I'm no match for him. Although I've been learning martial arts since I was ten, and I can easily take down those flashy kids from martial arts schools with one punch, I wouldn't dare go up against Jinhe!
Because of his eyes!
His eyes weren't cold, but they weren't warm either. They were always so calm. If I had to describe them, his eyes were gray, as if nothing in this world could hold a place in his heart!
Disregard, that is absolute disregard!
Sometimes, I even feel that Jinhe is just Huan Ge's shadow, and he lives entirely for Huan Ge!
I heard that he was once a soldier who supposedly participated in the war in southern Xinjiang in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He crawled out of piles of dead bodies, walked through minefields, and sneaked behind enemy lines to find caves!
I could see that he had thick calluses on his thumbs and index fingers; I knew they were from practicing shooting.
There's something about him that I'm very curious about.
Huan-ge likes to box and also likes to ask me to spar with him when he has nothing to do, but Huan-ge never asks Jin-he to spar with him, even though Jin-he is with Huan-ge every day.
“He’s different from us. He doesn’t practice kung fu; he practices the most ruthless killing techniques, killing with a single blow. That kind of skill is meant to be used, not just shown off.” These are Huan Ge’s exact words.
Ten minutes later, I walked out of the nightclub. Jinhe's car was already parked at the entrance. I checked the time; it was exactly one second there. I didn't say anything, got in the car, sat next to him, and nodded to him. Jinhe didn't say anything either, and started the car and drove away.
This is Huan Ge's car. Huan Ge likes German cars and only buys German cars, because he thinks they are solid, sturdy, and reliable. As for Japanese and Korean cars, he thinks they are all garbage.
"Brother Jin, where are we going?" I offered him a cigarette. Jinhe looked ahead and simply replied with two words: "Eastern Suburbs."
The car drove out of the city and turned onto the road leading to the eastern suburbs. It was a bit remote here, but the environment was still quite nice.
The eastern suburbs are about seven or eight kilometers from the city center. There is a small mountain. In recent years, a European-style villa area has been built at the foot of the mountain, which is a place for the rich to live. Later, golf clubs, equestrian clubs, shooting clubs and so on were developed. However, these are all places for the rich to play. The membership fee for any of these places alone is more than 100,000 yuan a year.
After crossing a T-junction, to the left is a villa area, and to the right are all kinds of clubs.
These two places are usually indistinguishable during the day, but become completely different at night.
Although those European-style villas are very luxurious and beautiful, and the environment is built entirely according to the standards of a national AAA-level scenic area, they have never been very popular.
Of course, I'm not saying these villas are all empty; none of them are empty, they all have owners. It's just that people in this city know that the owners generally don't live here.
Because this villa area is far from the city center and has a secluded environment, it has become the best place to keep mistresses. Most of the dozens of villas here are occupied by mistresses. Every day, you can see beautiful young women driving various women's cars in and out. Occasionally, you can also see one or two girls who are not very famous, second or third-rate stars or singers.
These mistresses are actually quite lonely. They are kept by wealthy men, but they can't come to stay here every day. So most of the time, there are no people in the villa. The lonely women often drive to the city to have fun, and cars will start to return one after another until midnight.
The clubhouse area on the right is different.
Driving into the club area, the parking lot outside is like a luxury car exhibition center. BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes are commonplace, and sports cars like the Z8, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris are also frequently seen.
Most importantly, the waters run deep here! The parking lot outside is just the tip of the iceberg. There's a well-hidden underground parking garage behind it. Many high-ranking officials and dignitaries come here but, for various reasons, are unwilling to reveal their identities, and their cars can't be parked outside. The underground parking garage is for these people.
Our car drove through the clubhouse area and into the underground parking lot. The people at the entrance only saw the license plate and did not stop us.
This is my first time here; I've only heard about it before. Once I entered the underground parking lot, I realized that it's twice the size of the outer parking lot! We just found a spot to park our car in one of the parking areas near the outside.
After getting out of the car, Jinhe remained silent, so I kept quiet and followed him into the elevator. The parking lot was a place resembling a hotel, except this hotel was entirely members-only and didn't accept outside guests. The hotel rooms were completely free; the real money-makers were the several clubs located within.
Jinhe led me to the entrance of a bathhouse before stopping: "Go in, Huan-ge is waiting for you inside."
I nodded and went inside.
The entire path was paved with perfectly smooth marble floors. Then, a staff member greeted me and led me into a separate changing room. Without saying a word, I took off my clothes, wrapped myself in a soft bath towel, and walked naked into the bathing area.
This place is completely different from a public bathhouse. It's divided into individual small rooms, which are quite far apart and well-separated. I checked the thickness of the walls, and it seems the soundproofing is excellent. I was led into a room with a gold sign that read "Number One." As soon as I opened the door, a wave of hot steam rushed out.
This was a small bathroom, about fifty or sixty square meters. To the left was a bathtub entirely made of granite, next to which sat a large Japanese-style wooden tub. To the right was a small sauna room partitioned off. I walked in barefoot; the floor was wet. Above the bathtub was a large relief sculpture of a Nordic goddess, her naked, beautiful body reclining in a supine position, her arms wrapped around herself, forming a delicate human-shaped armchair. At that moment, a man lay with his back to me in the goddess's embrace, his upper body bare, his muscles muscular, and a three-inch-long scar near his shoulder on his back, resembling a centipede crawling on his body!
"Xiao Wu, you're here." Huan Ge leaned back lazily, a white towel covering his face, his arms casually resting on the edge of the pool.
I stepped into the bath, walked a short distance from him, and sat down, calling out, "Brother Huan." After a while, seeing that Brother Huan didn't speak, I couldn't help but ask, "Brother Huan, is there something you need me to do so late?"
Huan Ge then slowly removed the towel from his face and turned to look at me.
Huan Ge has a delicate face, and one has to admit that this famous local hero even has a slightly weak and scholarly air about him—if you don't look into his eyes, of course.
If you look into his eyes, you will never again perceive him as weak!
In my entire life, I have never seen anyone's gaze that made me feel more pressured than Huan Ge's! Huan Ge's gaze wasn't the kind that was aggressive and sharp; rather, it was gentle and calm, like a spring rain, nourishing things silently, as if he had seen right through you without you even noticing!
When this kind of person smiles at you, you feel as if a spring breeze is caressing your face. But when he gets angry, you feel that nothing in this world can escape his eyes!
Huan Ge looked at me for a few seconds, then smiled and suddenly asked me in a low voice, "Xiao Wu, what do you think of this place?"
"This place?" I thought about it carefully. "It's good, but it's obvious that the water here is very deep!"
“Hmm.” Huan Ge nodded: “Yes, almost all the wealthy and powerful people, high-ranking officials and celebrities in southern China know about this place! Being able to enter this place, to enter this circle, is equivalent to entering high society! When you came in, you should have seen the license plate numbers in the parking lot below. There are sixteen clubs of all sizes and seven private clubs here, each with a powerful background! And this hotel we are in now, I can tell you with certainty that everything you can enjoy in the palace of an Arab sheikh in the Middle East is available here!”
At this point, Huan Ge gently clapped his hands, and then a side door slowly opened, revealing two exquisitely beautiful young women. Both women were of similar height, with slender and alluring figures. They were only wrapped in short, thin bath towels, their skin as pink and delicate as a baby's. Their smiles were like blooming flowers, yet tinged with a captivating shyness. As they walked slowly, their waists swayed gently like willow leaves. What surprised me even more was that these two stunningly beautiful girls, who looked no more than eighteen years old, looked exactly alike! They were a rare pair of twins!