"Mm-hm, impressive, impressive."
The other two gestures would have been too intimate, so Shen Lang raised a hand, rested it on Li Liusi's head, and gently rubbed it twice.
The childlike gesture made Li Liusi a little embarrassed, but she was still quite happy inside.
Yearning to be cherished, she even imperceptibly rubbed her head against Shen Lang's broad palm.
"You have a phone, right?"
Shen Lang took out his phone. "Let's add each other on WeChat. I'll come pick you up tonight."
"I do."
Li Liusi took out her phone, flattered beyond measure.
It was an off-brand touchscreen phone, its screen slightly cracked. It probably cost only a few hundred yuan, and might even have been secondhand.
"Heh, I thought you were going to pull out one of those senior phones or a flip phone."
Shen Lang teased her with a smile and added Li Liusi on WeChat.
Yu Sheng Ping An was her ID, and her profile picture was a golden sunflower.
"I'm not some old man or old lady. Can't I pick a nice ID and a cute profile picture?"
Shen Lang smiled and shook his head. That plain, unadorned style really did suit her personality.
"All right, go see your grandma. I need to get back to work too. I'll come pick you up when I'm done, so don't foolishly walk home."
"Mm."
Li Liusi unfastened her seat belt, hugged the chicken soup that still held some warmth, stood outside the car door beneath the blazing sun, and sincerely bowed to Shen Lang.
"Thank you so much!"
"Go on, go on. Don't do that again next time. You're being melodramatic."
Shen Lang couldn't stand seeing a woman so humble before him. It made him feel as if he were seeing his former socially anxious, introverted self, so he quickly drove away from Xiehe Hospital.
He drove to Guoyue Hotel in the city center.
Following Xia Shuyi's instructions, Shen Lang took the splendidly decorated elevator to the twenty-second floor, headed straight to Room 302, and rang the doorbell.
The one who opened the door was a tall young man in a suit. He looked rather immature, no older than his early twenties at most.
"This is Room 302, right?"
Shen Lang thought he had gone to the wrong place, so he took a step back to check the number. It was indeed Room 302.
"Little Shen, that's right. Come in."
A delighted female voice came from inside. Xia Shuyi came trotting out in her high heels, grabbed Shen Lang's arm, and complained coquettishly like a young wife.
"Why did you come so late? It's almost three already."
"The traffic was bad."
"All right, come with me. I'll introduce you to a few of my friends."
Shen Lang followed Xia Shuyi into the room. The first thing he saw was a mahjong table and three rather well-fed women.
"Wow, Shuyi, this young man is pretty good."
"Yeah, yeah. Those arms, those legs... tsk, tsk..."
"No wonder Shuyi has been glowing with happiness every day lately. So she found herself a young stud."
The instant the three women saw Shen Lang, their eyes practically glowed green.
These women were either rich or powerful, and their private lives had given them plenty of experience with men.
They could tell at a glance whether a man was capable in that regard.
That handsome face, that upright physique—he was leagues better than the pretty boys and fitness trainers they kept around.
They openly appraised Shen Lang from head to toe, especially his lower half, which most clearly revealed a man's prowess. The sight made the rich women's hearts itch as if scratched by cat claws.
"This is Sister Li, this is Sister Hong, and this is Sister Fang."
When she introduced Sister Fang, Xia Shuyi softly reminded Shen Lang in his ear.
"Sister Fang has a lot of influence in Jianghai City. Half the entertainment venues around here belong to her. There's no harm in getting acquainted with them."
"I see."
"You're Little Shen, right? Do you know how to play mahjong?"
Fang Li cast Shen Lang a faintly seductive glance, then looked toward Xia Shuyi. "If you do, come play a few rounds with us."
If it had been before, Shen Lang might not even have dared speak when faced with such powerful figures.
Even now, Shen Lang still felt a trace of nervousness.
But he understood that these wealthy, powerful women looked down most on timid, servile men.
If he lost his nerve at a time like this, these women would never see him as a man again.
"Sure. I'll play a couple rounds with you sisters."
Shen Lang nodded with a smile and sat down openly in Xia Shuyi's seat, while Xia Shuyi sat beside him with a beaming smile.
The rich women exchanged glances, all becoming interested in Shen Lang.
The men they usually met were all pathetically humble, so they liked men who carried themselves openly and confidently.
While shuffling the tiles, Shen Lang realized that the rich women were not shuffling at all. They were constantly rubbing his hands.
Sister Hong beside Shen Lang was especially blatant about it. The ring on her hand pressed against his fingers until they hurt slightly.
"Sister Xia, how about you explain our relationship to these sisters?"
Shen Lang stopped shuffling and spoke to Xia Shuyi with awkward yet polite composure.
"Oh, ladies, Little Shen isn't what you think."
Xia Shuyi froze for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "He... he's my sworn younger brother. He didn't come here to entertain us."
"Huh? Oh, so that's how it is."
Sister Hong awkwardly pulled her foot back and apologized to Shen Lang. "Sorry, Little Shen. I thought you were a male model."
"Hahaha, Sister Hong, you really have no eye for these things."
Fang Li beside her could not help laughing. "Shuyi doesn't play as wildly as we do. How could she possibly trade him around with you?"
"Well, I was just captivated by the little brother."
Sister Hong changed her attitude quickly. Not wanting to damage her relationship with Xia Shuyi, she immediately instructed the young man who had opened the door to take a bank card from her bag.
"Little Shen, don't be angry. It was all a misunderstanding."
Sister Hong handed Shen Lang the bank card and smiled understandingly. "There's 300,000 in this card. Take it and have some fun. Consider it my apology."
Before you continue