Little Eagle Hotel

Little Eagle Hotel was very well-known among some Chinese international students!

But among most Chinese international students, it was practically unknown. Many had never even heard of it.

It was nominally a "hotel," and in reality, it was indeed a hotel...

But it was also a massive entertainment complex!

It had everything—food, drinks, and entertainment: bowling alleys, nightclubs, bars, dance halls, and even a casino!

Chinese students who came to Moscow to study actually came from vastly different financial backgrounds.

The students at Moscow University tended to be quite wealthy. After all, Moscow University had still ranked among the top twenty universities worldwide in 2001, making it a world-class institution.

With such a prestigious reputation, the tuition was naturally expensive. The Chinese international students there generally came from very well-off families.

Quite a few Chinese students from Moscow University often went to Little Eagle Hotel for fun, while hardly anyone from People's Friendship University did.

In his previous life, the first time Wang Ye had gone there had been with Ruan Xiaozhu.

Naturally, he was very familiar with the place.

So he readily agreed, put on his coat, and prepared to head out.

It was eight o'clock at night in Moscow, and since it was still January, the sky had long since gone completely dark.

Seeing Wang Ye about to leave, Song Xiaogang said worriedly, "Brother Ye, you're going out this late? Be careful. I heard the metro stations are full of drunks and skinheads at night."

Wang Ye waved him off casually. "It's fine. I'm meeting a fellow countryman. I'll take a taxi, not the metro."

Little Eagle Hotel was not far from where they lived. By taxi, it took less than twenty minutes and cost very little. It was also much more convenient than messing around with buses and the metro.

After leaving the dormitory, Wang Ye pulled his down jacket tight around himself, wrapped his face and ears in a wool scarf, and hurried to the roadside.

Standing beneath a streetlamp, whenever he saw a car pass by, he stuck out his right hand with his thumb raised.

Before long, a battered Lada pulled over. Its window rolled down, revealing a round, chubby face.

"Where to?"

the fat driver asked.

"Little Eagle Hotel," Wang Ye answered as he stepped forward.

The fat driver thought for a moment, then held up two fingers. "Two hundred rubles."

That was a bit of a rip-off. Perhaps he had seen that Wang Ye was a foreigner and deliberately quoted a high price.

Wang Ye smiled. "It's less than twenty minutes from here to Little Eagle Hotel, around ten kilometers. I've been there many times. It's always been one hundred rubles."

Seeing that he had failed to fool Wang Ye, the fat driver did not mind. He laughed heartily. "Fine! Get in. I happen to be going that way anyway. One hundred it is."

There were plenty of unlicensed taxis here, and everyone simply negotiated the fare verbally.

But one thing was good: once the price had been agreed on beforehand, the driver would not go back on his word. Whatever price was agreed was the price paid.

Unlike those unlicensed drivers back home, who had no professional integrity at all...

By the time the drafty old Lada reached Little Eagle Hotel, Wang Ye's nose was nearly running from the cold...

Shivering, he pulled out his wallet and paid the fare, then turned and headed toward the hotel entrance.

The moment he entered the lobby, a wave of heat rushed over him.

After taking off his down jacket and checking it at the service counter beside him, Wang Ye called Ruan Xiaozhu.

"Sister Ruan, I'm here. I'm in the lobby, right in front of the coat-check counter."

It was rather noisy on Ruan Xiaozhu's end, with several girls chattering away in the background.

"Okay, wait for me. I'll be right there."

Less than two minutes after hanging up, he saw a petite girl hurrying over from inside.

In reality, this should have been Wang Ye's first time meeting Ruan Xiaozhu.

But in his "previous life," Wang Ye had known Ruan Xiaozhu far too well...

He raised his hand and waved to signal her.

Ruan Xiaozhu walked straight toward him. There was no one else in front of the counter, so it was obvious that this tall boy was her "freebie cousin"...

Ruan Xiaozhu was twenty this year, two years older than Wang Ye.

By age, Wang Ye should call her sister.

But when it came to their heights, the contrast was rather striking...

Wang Ye was over 1.8 meters tall. Even among Russians, he counted as tall.

Ruan Xiaozhu, on the other hand, was only around 1.6 meters.

Fortunately, she had good proportions and looked quite pleasant, with delicate features and a pair of large, bright eyes.

When she reached Wang Ye, Ruan Xiaozhu looked him up and down twice, then stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder.

She said with a smile, "Good heavens! You're way too tall. Don't walk beside me once we go in, or my friends will think you're my older brother!"

Of course, she was joking.

Although Ruan Xiaozhu had never met this "freebie cousin" of hers before, she had heard her parents talk about him.

She and Wang Ye had graduated from the same high school, just at different times.

When Ruan Xiaozhu graduated from her final year of high school, Wang Ye had only just gotten into high school and had not even started yet.

"Hello, Sister Xiaozhu," Wang Ye greeted her with a smile.

The moment Ruan Xiaozhu heard that, she frowned and rolled her eyes. "What Sister Little Pig? Just call me Sister!"

Though she was small, she still put on quite the airs of an older sister...

Wang Ye could only obediently call her "Sister."

Only then did Ruan Xiaozhu beam and take Wang Ye by the hand, leading him inside as she said,

"I came here to have fun with a few classmates today. Come on, I'll introduce you. You just got here, so you probably aren't familiar with this place yet, right? Your Russian probably isn't much good either. If anything comes up later, just call me. Your big sister's got your back!"

Being led around by Ruan Xiaozhu made Wang Ye feel a little awkward.

His mental age was already pushing forty...

Being pulled along by the hand like a child by a young girl felt rather strange.

But he did not say anything.

Little Eagle Hotel was fairly upscale, and business was excellent.

There were quite a few people in both the lobby and the adjoining hall. Naturally, anyone who could afford to come to a place like this was not poor.

There were plenty of well-dressed handsome men and beautiful women.

Of course, there was no shortage of potbellied men who looked like bosses either.

Ruan Xiaozhu and her friends were playing in the bowling alley. She led Wang Ye to a booth in the lounge area, where three girls sat chatting and drinking cold beverages.

When they saw Wang Ye and Ruan Xiaozhu approach, all three girls turned their heads in unison.

"Come on, let me introduce everyone. This is my little brother, Wang Ye!" Ruan Xiaozhu said with a smile.

The three girls immediately began chattering away:

"Wow! What a handsome guy! Little Pig, why did you never tell us you had such a brother?"

"Hehe, little brother, you don't have a girlfriend yet, do you? Want your big sister to introduce you to one? Someone as pretty as me—how about it?"

"Little Pig, you're too much! You hid such a handsome guy from us and didn't tell us sooner!"

These girls were a little too outgoing. Wang Ye could barely handle them...