In all of China, only a handful of major cities sell genuine Blue Mountain coffee in a few extremely upscale coffee shops! There seem to be fewer than ten such coffee shops nationwide!
So what exactly is this "Blue Mountain coffee" that's almost ubiquitous in the market? Ninety-nine percent of it comes from coffee beans grown in Hainan, China. And... ridiculously, most of it is cheap, substandard!
Most so-called white-collar workers, so-called petit bourgeoisie, and so-called fashionable young people are nothing more than those who have read a few pretentious articles about petit-bourgeois sentimentality, pursue fashion and so-called style, and consider drinking Blue Mountain coffee fashionable... In reality, they are all laymen! They are just gullible fools trying to appear cultured!
“Think about it, every city in China has hundreds or even thousands of coffee shops and teahouses of all sizes, and every single one of them sells so-called ‘Blue Mountain coffee.’ If they were all genuine… Hmph! Even if Jamaica exported all of its annual Blue Mountain coffee production to China, it still wouldn’t be enough.” Fang Nan said this as the waiter brought out the coffee.
Looking at the exquisite cup in front of me, filled with the brown liquid, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.
I often chat with friends at teahouses, and occasionally order a couple of coffees to appear cultured. But I never imagined that I was actually drinking counterfeit products.
Fang Nan held the small silver spoon between her two fingers and stirred it in the cup a couple of times. Her fingers naturally formed a delicate orchid finger gesture, which was quite elegant. She watched me take a sip and smiled, "How does it taste? The special thing about Blue Mountain coffee is that the sweetness, sourness, and bitterness are very well combined."
I pondered for a moment, then sighed and smiled honestly: "I'm sorry, I can't taste the feeling you're describing at all. To be honest, to me, Blue Mountain coffee is no different from a bagged Nestlé; they all taste the same."
Fang Nan smiled genuinely this time, her smile carrying a hint of warmth: "You are quite honest in your words."
I shrugged. "It's not about being honest; I'm just stating a simple fact. I'm not some so-called bourgeois, nor do I try to appear sophisticated or pretentious. If I don't know how to appreciate things, I don't know how to appreciate them, and there's nothing shameful about that." I paused, then smiled slightly. "In my opinion, drinking coffee is inferior to drinking tea, and drinking tea is inferior to drinking cool boiled water..."
Fang Nan covered her mouth and laughed, then looked at me intently and said slowly, "I'm starting to find you to be a very interesting person."
She paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you know how to play pool?"
"You mean snooker? Or billiards? I know a little bit of both." I nodded; "Your skill level is pretty good."
"Well, what about playing cards? Since you know Cangyu, you should be familiar with all the different games at the casino, right?"
I nodded.
"Okay." Fang Nan's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Two guests will be coming in a little while, a man and a woman. I will accompany the lady to the spa. As for you, your task today is to accompany the gentleman to play ball or cards in the recreation center next door."
She paused for a moment, then cautiously added, "I don't care what methods you use, you have to lose, and not by too much, preferably with a very close score!" She paused again, then explained, "If you lose too much, your opponent will lose interest in the game because it's no longer challenging. You have to keep them interested while also making sure they enjoy winning!"
I nodded, but Fang Nan's next sentence made me a little nervous.
"Chen Yang, don't think things will be easy. That guy is a very good player... and I heard he's an honorary member of a professional club." She repeatedly warned, "Remember, you can only lose, not win! But you absolutely cannot lose too much! Remember, remember!" Perhaps because she didn't quite trust me, she added:
"If you mess this up, you're dead!"
Interestingly, being stared at by a woman with naturally alluring eyes, whose gaze should be full of murderous intent and threat, inexplicably transforms into a charming and seductive look... This feeling is actually quite enjoyable.
Part One: In the Martial World, Unable to Control One's Own Fate, Chapter Thirty-Nine: Unstoppable Luck
The two guests Fang Nan mentioned arrived about ten minutes later. They were clearly a couple; the man looked to be approaching middle age, impeccably dressed, and exuded the confidence and demeanor of a successful man. Although his appearance was ordinary, his eyes were very bright.
As for the woman, she was much younger, very beautiful, and had a good figure. In particular, her voice was very pleasant and her tone was beautiful.
I felt she looked familiar, and then it suddenly dawned on me that she was a female celebrity who had been popular for a while two or three years ago. She had a couple of hit songs back then, but then she disappeared from the public eye.
It seems she's been kept as a caged bird by a rich man.
Fang Nan gave a brief introduction, saying the man was addressed as "Minister Jin." This title was somewhat vague, as I wasn't sure if this "minister" was a high-ranking government official, a senior executive at some well-known company, or a government official or a businessman.
However, Fang Nan had no intention of introducing her further and quickly led the female celebrity inside for a beauty spa treatment.
Although I am just a young man, Minister Kim doesn't seem to have any airs about him.
"Are you Fang Nan's assistant?" He asked with a faint smile.
"Yes," I said politely. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No need," he waved his hand and smiled, "Young man, you know how to play golf, right? How about we go over there and play a couple of rounds?"
"I'd be happy to oblige." I stood up, trying to appear calm and composed.
Unfortunately, I still made a bit of a fool of myself.
Fang Nan just took that female celebrity to a beauty spa, but she didn't pay for our coffee. I didn't remind her, it's okay anyway. I guess two cups of coffee, even if they're ridiculously expensive, won't cost much. I can just pay for them.
When we called for a waiter, he politely bowed and asked what I needed. I said, "Please pay the bill."
The waiter immediately wore a strange expression.
Later I found out that the services here were free. In this salon, everything that was charged was ridiculously expensive! For example, beauty treatments and body treatments, but some smaller services, like the coffee shop, were completely free.
This move is undoubtedly very clever. After all, while they offer genuine Blue Mountain coffee, which, based on its value, would cost at least two hundred yuan a cup, that amount is negligible compared to the salon's profits from other paid services! Free service makes guests feel cared for and strengthens the relationship with customers—why not?
What's this called...?
I think this kind of approach is called "ripping you off and expecting you to be grateful!" Brilliant!
Isn't that so?
A simple aromatherapy spa treatment at this salon costs over ten thousand yuan! That's much, much more expensive than other beauty and body centers in the city!
It wasn't until later, after I got to know Fang Nan better, that she told me that all the beauty equipment in this salon was the latest model imported from Europe, so it was normal for it to be expensive.
and……
"A woman's beauty is something that needs to be built with money!"
Fang Nan said so.
...
"Young man, it seems this is your first time here." After dismissing the waiter, we walked out of the coffee shop, and Minister Kim looked at me and laughed.
I felt a little embarrassed, but I quickly recovered: "Yes, I was just hired by Miss Fang. This is my first time here."
"Hmm..." Minister Jin looked me over with interest. "I'm curious. Before, all of Qian Nan's assistants were girls, and there wasn't a single man in her company. Why the change today? But you're so young and handsome, bro... hahaha!"
I sensed a hint of ambiguity in his tone, but I didn't care. Anyone would have their wildest fantasies in this situation. What will be, will be.
There are small rooms here, which are dedicated to providing entertainment for guests, such as billiards rooms. It is clear that this place has done a high-end job in every detail, and it is completely following the boutique route.
The pool table was beautiful; it was a world apart from the free tables we used to play at the bar. The cues were all high-end, and they felt very comfortable in my hands.
There was also a beautiful woman in a red dress standing next to her. If it weren't for the small brooch on her chest that indicated she was an employee of this club, I would have thought she was also a customer.
She's a very pretty girl, especially in this dress, which is very form-fitting, with the hem just reaching her knees and the neckline very low... You can imagine that when she bends over to play ball, the man standing opposite her gets to see a wonderful view.
The sleeveless design also perfectly showcases the girl's shapely arms.
Minister Jin noticed me sizing up the girl, so he came over and patted me on the shoulder: "Brother, she's a professional at accompanying guests to play ball. Take me, for example. Every time I come here with a woman, I'm bored to death. I want to play ball, but I don't have any friends to play with. Luckily, there are girls here who specialize in accompanying people to play ball, otherwise I would be bored to death."
Then this guy leaned closer to me and whispered with a chuckle in my ear, "What? Interested in her? Bro, if you're interested, it's actually quite easy."
Before I could defend myself, he lowered his voice and chuckled in an ambiguous tone, "These girls rely on the club's salary and the tips from the customers watching the game. If you're interested in her, come here a few times, give her plenty of tips, then ask her out for dinner, go to a bar for drinks after dinner, and then go straight to a hotel for the night. That'll do the trick."
I immediately shook my head: "Minister Jin, you misunderstand. I'm just curious about everything here since it's my first time here, that's all. I didn't mean anything by it."
Minister Jin pursed his lips, then muttered to himself in an indistinct tone, "That's right... He's always around that woman Fang Nan, so naturally he has no interest in this kind of young girl."
The girl in red smiled professionally and moved efficiently, quickly placing the ball and then handing it to Minister Kim.
We were playing "trick shot" because, comparatively, my snooker skills are worse, and I felt I had a better chance in trick shot. I politely declined, and Minister Jin broke first.
As soon as he hit his first shot, I realized I was in trouble!
His posture with the cue stick was incredibly professional... no, not just professional, but expert! Bending over, gripping the cue, striking the ball—he was just like a professional golfer. His expression was focused and serious, and as each ball was pocketed, his face became more and more radiant, his eyes shining brightly.
It wasn't until he made a tiny mistake on his sixth shot that it was finally my turn.
Fang Nan wasn't lying; this guy was indeed a master! And he was extremely frustrated by the mistake he just made; it seemed that with his skill level, he rarely made such a mistake.
I know I'm in trouble.
To be honest... my skill level is at best that of a roadside billiards stall, which is slightly above average. Against a master like this, I have no chance at all!
If Fang Nan only wants me to lose, then no problem. Anyway, I'm no match for him.
But if Fang Nan wants me to fight the opponent to a standstill and then lose... I can't do that.
Minister Kim made a mistake, so it was my turn to play. Unfortunately, I was probably a bit nervous, and I hadn't played for over a month. My arm injury had just healed, so my movements were a bit rusty. As a result, my shot was absolutely terrible. If it weren't for good luck, I probably would have pocketed the white cue ball! I didn't score a single point.
Next, it was Minister Kim's turn to play. This time, he didn't give me any more chances. He swept all the balls on the table that belonged to him into the pockets, one shot at a time, and finally potted the black 8.
A complete victory! I was practically slaughtered!
Minister Kim pulled two cigars from his pocket and tossed one to me: "Young man, your movements just now were a bit off-standard."
I smiled and said, "Sorry, my hand slipped just now. But Minister Kim, your ball skills are indeed top-notch."
Damn it, thank goodness I didn't play snooker with him, or I would have lost everything!
The lady in red next to us thoughtfully brought us an ashtray and a cigar cutter, lit our cigars, and carefully rearranged the pool table.
Minister Kim let me break first this time, and I could see that his interest was waning. It was probably because my performance in the last game was so poor that he lost interest...
That's how experts usually are. It's like if you put a 9-dan Go player against a beginner Go player, the beginner will definitely find it boring!
I have to do something!
If I mess up my first task today, I reckon I'll be kicked out by that natural beauty Fang Nan on my very first day at work!
I need this job, I need an income! Since I'm determined to leave those places of prostitution and live a normal life, I must have a stable income!
There are two beautiful girls at home who eat my food and live in my house. I also have a girlfriend! Everything costs money!
I took a deep breath and hit my first shot...
My first shot was pretty good, but unfortunately I didn't pot a single ball. Then it was Minister Kim's turn.
I saw him with a cigar in his mouth, shaking his head almost imperceptibly, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied and even more helpless.
I know that if this continues, he'll probably lose interest in me very soon...
Let's give it our all!
This thought suddenly flashed through my mind!
Then, I took a half step back, quickly pulled my wallet out of my pocket, and took out a silver ring from it!
When I put this ring on, Minister Kim, the ball was struck!
Bang!
He successfully pocketed his colored ball, but unfortunately, the white cue ball rolled away too, bang!
The cue ball is in the pocket!
How could such a master make such a basic mistake!