A Lion's Gaping Demand

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the door.

"Get out of my way!"

"My young lady is still resting, you can't go in!"

Qinghe's voice was urgent and panicked as she desperately blocked the door.

Immediately following, a shrill, angry voice from a middle-aged woman burst in:

"Resting? I bet you're hiding someone there! Get out of my way!"

With a loud bang, the door was forcefully kicked open.

Bai Ruoli shuddered and woke up abruptly. She looked up and met Shen Jingchuan's eyes. Her face instantly turned bright red, and she hurriedly shrank back into the blankets.

The woman who barged in was Madam Liu, Bai Ruoli's madam. She was in her forties, past her prime, wearing a brocade jacket and with her face heavily made up.

She rushed to the bedside and, upon seeing the two people embracing each other, immediately exploded.

She pointed at Bai Ruoli, her finger almost poking her face:

"You heartless little hussy! I've spent so much money raising you, hiring famous teachers to teach you music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, making you the most famous courtesan in the Great Qian Kingdom. The money I've invested could fill half a room. I was counting on you to stay in the limelight for a few more years and make a fortune! And what do you do? You quietly do this shameless thing!"

After scolding Bai Ruoli, she turned to look at Shen Jingchuan, her tone immediately softening. She didn't dare truly offend this brilliant scholar whose every word was a timeless masterpiece, but instead adopted a posture of having suffered a great loss, slapping her thigh and sighing:

"Young master! This is so unfair! Ruoli is a pure and innocent woman. She always behaves properly when receiving guests, and rarely even touches them. What you're doing... Now her reputation is ruined, her value has plummeted, how am I supposed to live the rest of my life?"

Qinghe hurriedly chased after her, slammed the door shut behind her, and anxiously grabbed Madam Liu's arm:

"Mom, keep your voice down! Are you afraid the whole building won't hear you and you'll completely ruin the young lady's reputation?"

Madam Liu flung her hand away, stubbornly refusing to cooperate:

"It's already ruined, what's there to be afraid of hearing! We've already lost all face, so no one's leaving this room until we get a clear explanation!"

Shen Jingchuan was stunned on the spot. His first thought was that it was a honey trap, but then he realized something was wrong— Bai Ruoli's gaze at him was genuine and didn't seem like she was deliberately setting up a scheme.

But right now, the two of them were completely naked, wrapped in a blanket, with a beautiful woman in his arms. He wasn't even dressed, so he couldn't move or argue, and he felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable.

Just as they were at a loss, the door was slammed open again, and Zhou Tong strode in.

He glanced around the room, then without a word, grabbed Madam Liu by the back of her collar and dragged her out of the house like a chick, shouting in a gruff voice:

"Young Master Shen, don't worry about it, I'll handle this!"

Taking advantage of this moment, Shen Jingchuan looked down at Bai Ruoli in his arms. Her face still showed panic, her eyes were slightly red, and her fingers were trembling as she gripped the blanket.

Shen Jingchuan's heart softened. He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, soothing her in a low voice:

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Upon hearing his words, Bai Ruoli instantly calmed down, nodded shyly, buried her face in the blanket, and only revealed the top of her dark hair.

Shen Jingchuan quickly grabbed the clothes from the side of the bed and put them on, buttoning them up while listening to the sounds from the outer room.

Zhou Tong's loud voice made the window paper tremble:

"Is this how you do things? What kind of place is this? A brothel! The customer is king! You're making a scene in front of someone's bed over something so trivial? Aren't you ashamed?"

Just moments ago, Madam Liu was incredibly fierce, but upon seeing Zhou Tong's burly, imposing figure, her arrogance immediately diminished, and she switched to a wailing, tearful tone:

"Sir, you have no idea! I've been raising Ruoli for so many years, hiring famous teachers for music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and I've spent a fortune on her!"

She was the most famous courtesan in our Great Qian Kingdom, and I was counting on her to stay in the limelight for a few more years. Now that her body is ruined, her value has plummeted. How am I supposed to do business now?!

"Alright, alright, stop with that attitude." Zhou Tong interrupted her impatiently. "You're just beating around the bush trying to get money, aren't you? Just say it."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu immediately stopped crying, stopped wiping away her tears, and sat up straight, waiting for the other party to name a price.

At this moment Shen Jingchuan, already dressed, came out from the inner room and pulled the bed curtains shut. He happened to hear the last sentence and frowned as he looked at Madam Liu:

"Why are you making such a scene so early in the morning? Just say what you want to say directly. Why make such a fuss that everyone has to hear?"

"Since you're so open-minded, young master, I'll be frank too." Madam Liu cleared her throat. "Ruoli was originally a virgin; once she's lost her virginity, she's worthless. You have to compensate us for our losses, don't you?"

Shen Jingchuan had no intention of reneging on the debt, and was about to ask her to name a number when Zhou Tong reached out and blocked him behind her, giving him a wink:

"Young Master Shen, you don't understand the intricacies of this matter. Please sit down, I'll handle the details."

Shen Jingchuan was taken aback for a moment, then realized that Zhou Tong was worried that he would be overcharged because he didn't know the business. He felt a warmth in his heart, nodded to him, and sat down on the chair next to him.

Xu Mo and Su Yan then pushed open the door and walked in. They glanced at the scene in the room, exchanged a look, and then gave Shen Jingchuan a wink, a mixture of concern and teasing, asking him how big of a fuss this was.

Shen Jingchuan gently shook his head at them, indicating that it was nothing serious. The two then sat down on the chairs next to him without saying a word.

Seeing that everyone was seated, Zhou Tong turned around, leaned against the edge of the table, gestured with his chin towards Madam Liu, and said impatiently:

"Stop with that cliché about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and years of training; I don't want to hear it. Just tell me, how much money do you want?"

Madam Liu gritted her teeth and, determined to make an exorbitant demand, stubbornly announced, "Two thousand taels! Not a tael less!"

Fearing she wouldn't be able to intimidate people, she quickly added two more sentences, full of confidence:

"Young master, please don't think it's too expensive. Ruoli is the number one beauty among the Eight Beauties of Great Qian! I was originally going to hold a coming-of-age banquet for her in half a month. The wealthy merchants and sons of officials in the city have already sent people to inquire about the price. If the bidding were open, it would be more than two thousand taels! Now that she has lost her virginity without knowing why, my first large sum of money has gone down the drain. Her value will have to drop when she entertains clients in the future. Asking for two thousand taels is already a low price!"

Two thousand taels? Are you fucking desperate for money? A decent, pretty young woman from a respectable family can be bought off and taken home for thirty or forty taels of silver.

Two thousand taels is enough to buy fifty or sixty! It's just for one night, and you dare to ask for that price? Do you really think we're some naive, fat sheep?

Madam Liu shrank back slightly after being yelled at, but she couldn't bear to part with the money, so she stubbornly argued back:

"Sir, what are you saying? How can an ordinary family's daughter compare to Ruoli? She is the head of the Eight Beauties, taught by renowned teachers since childhood, and proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. How can their social standing be the same?"