None of the others objected, so we got up.
The burly man beside Luo Lie was about to stop him, but Luo Lie was smart enough to wave his hand, causing his men to push him aside.
We walked out confidently, and as we crossed the dance floor, we came to a bar. Just then, I suddenly heard a young girl's voice:
"Leave me alone!!"
I was stunned for a moment.
Despite the noise in the bar, the shouting on the dance floor, and the deafening music, those words rang exceptionally clearly in my ears!
It's simply because this voice is so familiar to me, and it left such a deep impression on me!
I stopped in my tracks and looked in the direction of the sound. I saw a girl sitting on a bar stool at the bar, shouting loudly at a man in a suit. There were three or four other men standing around, but none of them dared to make a sound. They were simply carefully keeping everyone else at bay.
The man standing in front of the girl didn't seem like someone trying to pick her up, but rather like her subordinate. He lowered his head, not daring to refute anything, and firmly pressed down on the wine bottle on the table with one hand—seemingly to stop the girl from drinking any more.
"Let go!" the girl shouted again.
Under the lamplight, the girl was facing me sideways. Her facial features were soft, and her short hair, reaching her ears, was styled playfully. Her young skin was full of delicate elasticity. This face, however, was strangely familiar to me.
I stopped in my tracks and frowned.
she……
Before I could even speak or react, someone had already rushed ahead of me!
It's Little Tiger!
This kid was even more excited than me. Before I could react, he had already rushed in front of those people. He shoved aside one of the guys blocking his way, then stood tall and proud next to the girl, shouting, "Hey! What do you think you're doing to this young lady!"
I was stunned.
Then, I quickly remembered... Oh, could this be the beautiful girl that Xiaohu mentioned earlier, the one he had his eye on?
Haha, what a coincidence!
In the short time I was distracted, Xiao Hu seemed to have quickly gotten into a conflict with those people...
Lei Xiaohu's skills were unparalleled! He was the eldest brother's own son! He had received the eldest brother's direct teachings from a young age! How formidable were his skills?! The men on the other side seemed to be trying to push him away, but Xiaohu casually grabbed one of their wrists, then lightly kicked him away. Then he grabbed another man, pulled and pushed him down, and he was down.
"Stop!!" Before I could even speak, someone else had already spoken.
Luo Lie had already caught up from behind us. Seeing this, he immediately rushed forward and stood in front of Xiao Hu, shouting, "What are you doing!"
"I..." Before Xiao Hu could speak, the girl behind him frowned and whispered, "Luo Lie, don't interfere in my affairs!"
“Miss…” Luo Lie said seriously, “You must go back. This is your father’s wish.”
Uh... Miss? Father?
Although Xiao Hu had drunk quite a bit tonight, he understood a little bit about the situation: clearly, his idea of being a hero and rescuing the damsel in distress had failed.
With a sigh, I pushed the people in front of me aside and said, "Little Tiger, let's go!"
As soon as I spoke, the girl visibly flinched! Then she turned around as if trembling all over, her eyes suddenly shining with an unusual light as she stared at me with surprise.
I sighed inwardly, shook my head, and gave a bitter smile.
"Chen, Chen, Chen, Chen, Chen..." The girl was so excited that her lips seemed to be trembling as she tried to call out my name.
I smiled calmly and slowly walked over: "Oh, it's been a long time... How come I didn't know you could stutter?"
"Chen Yang..." The girl finally called out my name, but then she burst into tears. Judging from her appearance, it seemed that she might throw herself into my arms at any moment.
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Seventy-Nine: Dreamland
At this moment, Luo Lie walked over. He gave a signal, and immediately two of his men came over and forcefully pulled the girl away, ignoring her struggles. Then Luo Lie stood between me and the girl, looking at me coldly.
"Hmm, it seems I wasn't wrong earlier, you are indeed his subordinate." I smiled, "However, given the current situation, it's rather strange that he still has a force like yours in Shanghai."
“I only came out to find the prostitute.” Luo Lie looked up at me, “The prostitute heard you were in Shanghai, that’s why she ran away! You should know how dangerous it is for her to come to Shanghai in this situation! If the people here find out who she is…”
"Then why don't you take her back right away?" I snorted.
"I have some things to take care of here. Once I'm done, I'll take her home tonight," Luo Lie said coldly. "Chen Yang, we'll definitely meet again!"
I glanced at him twice, then suddenly laughed: "Have we known each other before?"
"I don't know him."
"Then why do you seem to hate me so much? It's like we have some deep-seated grudge."
Seeing that the young man remained silent, I sighed, turned around, and left with Xiao Hu.
"Chen Yang!" Luo Lie suddenly whispered from behind, "I will definitely kill you! Remember my name! My name is Luo Lie!"
I turned around, looked at him, and then waved my hand with a hint of pity on my face. I casually said, "I have many enemies, and many people want to kill me... Do you think I should remember the names of every Tom, Dick, and Harry? You're far from that level."
He pulled Xiaohu away. Behind them, the girl screamed, "Chen Yang! Chen Yang! Chen Yang, don't you want me anymore? Chen Yang... don't go..."
I could hear the sadness in her voice, but I could only manage a bitter smile. I gritted my teeth and tried my best to keep myself from turning back, then quickly walked out of the bar with the other person.
On the way, Xiao Hu couldn't help but look at me with a worried expression, then said awkwardly, "This... Uncle-Master... I, I don't know. That girl was you..."
I glared at him, and he quickly swallowed the words "old flame." Then, seeing Xiaohu's embarrassed expression, I suddenly smiled and said, "You've got your eye on this girl? But let me tell you, it's impossible for you two. Forget about it..."
"Uh...of course I know." Xiao Hu scratched his head: "This girl is obviously your girl..."
At this point, I cut him off with a murderous glare. I stared at him, then remained silent for a moment. I said in a low voice, "It's not what you think. There's nothing between me and this girl. It's just… I have a deep-seated hatred for her father, and sooner or later one of us will kill the other. Do you understand?"
"Oh...family feuds...young lovers who can't be together...is this going to be a modern version of Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet?"
This kid's still full of random thoughts. I gave him a hard knock on the head: "I think you've gone crazy from making movies."
After all that commotion, everyone lost interest in continuing to play, so they decided to just go back.
When I returned to the club that evening, Qiaoqiao, who had been with me the whole way, gave me a strange look. I had initially thought that Qiaoqiao might come to my room to keep me company tonight...
Uh, I suddenly remembered that old fox Qiao's contract with its strange conditions. Looking at Qiao Qiao beside me, I couldn't help but let my imagination run wild, but I was caught off guard when I noticed that Qiao Qiao was also looking at me with a strange gaze.
"My old man saw you tonight, right?" Qiaoqiao suddenly asked, "What did he say to you?"
"Um... I didn't say anything." I hesitated for a moment but still couldn't bring myself to say it.
Qiaoqiao's smile grew even more mysterious. She gave me a deep look and said, "Alright, you should get some rest." Then she suddenly leaned closer, whispering in my ear, "Tonight..."
My heart skipped a beat, but then I heard Qiaoqiao continue in a low voice, "You're not allowed to have any silly thoughts tonight! Especially not about that girl Ni Duoduo."
“…I won’t.” I shook my head.
Qiaoqiao looked at me for a while, but I didn't say anything more. Qiaoqiao waited for a while, and seeing that I didn't speak, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. She shook her head: "Sigh, don't you have anything to say to me...?"
She shrugged, shook her head, and walked away.
As I recalled Qiao Qiao's gaze just now, a thought suddenly struck me... Hmm, could it be that Qiao Qiao also knew about that condition of that old fox Qiao?
That's quite possible! Maybe that old fox Joe had already met his daughter before talking to me.
I went back to my room, closed the door, and pulled a document out of my drawer. It was the contract that old fox Joe had given me a few hours earlier tonight… the “conditions” he had proposed.
I was alone in the room at that moment, and I carefully reviewed all the terms and conditions again. The more I read, the stranger it seemed to me...
Sigh, only a cunning old fox like Joe could come up with such a method.
The document in front of me lists several clauses, clearly written in black and white...
"Article 1: Chen Yang and Qiao Qiao must have at least one biological child within three years from the date this contract is signed!"
Article 2: Regardless of gender, Chen Yang must relinquish his right to give the child the surname Qiao, and the child must take the surname Qiao and become the legal heir of the Qiao family.
Article 3: Starting from the day the child is born, the Qiao family will sell the Shanghai East Suburb Club to Chen Yang for 960 million yuan.
Article 4: The child will officially inherit the Qiao family business at the age of twenty. If Mr. Qiao passes away or is unable to continue managing the family business due to health reasons before the child reaches adulthood, Chen Yang will temporarily take over the management of the Qiao family business until the child turns twenty.
Article 5: From the time the child turns ten years old, all education, training, and upbringing shall be solely provided by the Qiao family, and Chen Yang shall not interfere!
I smiled somewhat strangely, slowly closed the document, and then closed my eyes to think for a while.
My mind flashed back to the last conversation I had with that old fox Joe earlier tonight.
"Are you planning to use this club to buy one of my children?"
"No, it's not your child. The correct way to say it is your and Qiaoqiao's child!" Old Fox Qiao said firmly, "Kid, you've already kidnapped my daughter and ruined my plan to find her a husband. Now you think you can just walk away and do nothing?"
After thinking about it, I felt that it wasn't unreasonable for the other party to ask me to give one of my and Qiaoqiao's future children to the Qiao family as an heir.
"But...aren't you worried?" I smiled. "From the time a child is born until they grow up, it takes at least twenty years. Mr. Qiao, aren't you afraid of such a long time?"
"Afraid! Of course I'm afraid," Old Fox Qiao replied. "I've even thought about it. Twenty years from now, I might already be dead. After all, I'm already fifty-eight this year. But I believe that even though you're a scoundrel, a tiger won't eat its cubs! I'll pass my business to your son. You wouldn't dare swallow your son's property, would you? Twenty years from now, you'll be middle-aged or old too. At that time, you'll also start thinking about your own affairs after death or your children, just like me. So, I'm not afraid that you'll swallow my family fortune!"
I nodded; his calculations were indeed very reasonable.
"Chen Yang, I have one more condition... Of course, this condition is somewhat strange, and it's not convenient to put it out in the open. If I write it in this contract, you might worry that I'll pull something behind your back. So, I'm just making this a verbal request."
"What?"
“If… I mean if.” Qiaoqiao’s father sighed, “If, in the future, for some reason, you and that girl Yandi separate… or, when you get old, she passes away first… Anyway, I don’t know what will happen in these situations. What I mean is, if one day, the position of wife becomes vacant beside you… I hope you can marry Qiaoqiao! Even when you are already old!”
"I……"
Jojo's father shook his head: "Do you think that Jojo doesn't want to be your wife at all? Doesn't she want to get married?"
I didn't say anything.
“You’re not wrong in thinking that way,” Old Fox Qiao chuckled. “No one knows a daughter better than her father. I know my daughter well. She has such an eccentric personality, of course she’s not suitable to be someone’s wife. She likes to be crazy, like to play, like to be mischievous. When she says she won’t get married, doesn’t want to get married, those are all true, she’s not lying to you. She certainly won’t pressure you to marry her… but…”
At this point, Qiaoqiao's father suddenly became serious. He looked at me and said, "Qiaoqiao's personality is like this now. She doesn't want to get married, she doesn't want to be anyone's wife... But... you have to understand. Everyone gets old eventually! Youth will eventually pass... When Qiaoqiao gets older, when she's in her thirties, forties, or fifties... when she reaches that age, she won't be able to play around anymore, she won't be able to cause trouble anymore, and she won't be able to be crazy anymore... At that time, people inevitably become more mature, quieter, and more composed. Right now, her mind is free-spirited and carefree, but after she passes this stage and becomes mature and stable, everything will settle down. At that time, she will inevitably feel that living alone is too lonely and too desolate... You know, many people say they won't get married or don't want to get married when they're young, but most of them regret it when they get old. No one can endure loneliness and solitude when they get old!"
yes……
What that old fox Qiao said back then left me with a strange and complicated feeling!
Indeed, Qiaoqiao doesn't want to get married now, but what about the future? Everyone gets old eventually, and there will always be a time when they can't jump around or make a fuss anymore! There will always be times when they are afraid of being alone, afraid of loneliness, afraid of being alone!
Am I just going to take it all for granted, enjoying the youth that Qiaoqiao gave me, only to see her suffer a miserable old age?
“I know you have many women around you. Even if you can’t marry Qiaoqiao in the future… at least, I hope you can live with Qiaoqiao! On this point, I’ve heard that your wife, Miss Yandi, is a very gentle person, she shouldn’t object.” The last thing the old fox Qiao said to me was, “Qiaoqiao has been crazy her whole life, I hope she can also have a good ending. I don’t care about a thin piece of marriage certificate. But at least you have to take good care of her.”
After carefully putting the item away, I sighed, lay down on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling...
That night, I had a dream.
In my dream, I seemed to see this scene...