"Bang!" The heavy ashtray slammed hard into the coffee table.
With a crash, the tempered glass shattered into small, irregular, rounded pieces the size of coins.
Around him were greeters dressed as doormen and security guards in black suits with radios clipped to them.
More than a dozen people came running from who knew where and instantly surrounded Qin Xiao.
"What's going on?"
A man at least 185 centimeters tall, over thirty-five, and wearing a black suit pushed through the crowd and approached the waiter who had brought Qin Xiao inside.
"Brother Liu!"
Seeing the man approach, the waiter hurriedly lowered his head in greeting.
Then he leaned toward the man's ear and quickly recounted what had happened.
As he listened to the waiter, the man looked Qin Xiao up and down.
Qin Xiao was dressed entirely in luxury brands, his expression utterly unruffled.
The man did not dare take a hard line right off the bat.
Instead, he waved his men away.
Then he sat down heavily in a nearby armchair.
"Brother, has some failing in our service upset you? If our staff haven't served you to your satisfaction, take it up with me. Whatever you want to do here today, it's on me!"
Earlier, in the car, Uncle Wang had told Qin Xiao that this place was run by a so-called underworld big shot.
Although it was not in downtown Magic City, this entire six-story building housed karaoke rooms, a bathhouse, a nightclub, and all sorts of other entertainment facilities.
Whether he had built the building himself or rented it, this was not something an ordinary small-time thug or average person could afford to run.
Someone who had risen to that level would not even spare an ordinary brawl a glance. If you stepped on his foot in the street, he might lower his head and apologize first.
On top of that, Qin Xiao's outfit was worth a considerable sum, and he looked as though he had nothing to fear.
So the man who looked like the head of security opened with pleasantries, intending to find out who he was dealing with first.
Qin Xiao could not be bothered wasting words on him.
He simply slapped a bank card down.
"There's two million in this card. The PIN is six zeroes. Whether this place belongs to your boss or your big brother, have him come out to discuss a little business. Whether we reach a deal or not, consider this money a meeting gift."
With two million paving the way, the man no longer dared make the decision himself.
He simply said, "Please wait a moment," then got up to make a call.
Less than two minutes later, the man came back in and addressed Qin Xiao respectfully.
"Our boss is tied up with something right now. If you don't mind, I'll arrange for you to go upstairs for a bath and relax first. He'll hurry back to meet you shortly!"
"All right!"
Qin Xiao did not stand on ceremony. He got up and followed the man upstairs.
After getting Qin Xiao settled, the man dashed down to the lobby and hurriedly swiped the card to check its balance.
Only after confirming the amount was correct did he pick up the phone and call his boss again.
June 27, 2021, the eighteenth day of the fifth lunar month!
The year of Xinchou, the month of Jiawu, the day of Bingwu.
Inauspicious for: opening a business, felling trees, making beams!
Auspicious for: getting engaged, completing betrothal formalities, traveling, moving house!
For Chinese people, this was not a particularly auspicious wedding date. It could only be called unremarkable.
But Guo Xinliang had chosen it anyway, for no other reason than that the lunar date, 5-18, sounded like "I want to get rich."
The landline on the bedside table rang at precisely four thirty.
This was the wake-up call Guo Xinliang had specifically booked with the hotel the night before.
He hung up the phone and looked at the graceful, naked figure beside him, half covered by the quilt.
He drew back the curtains. Outside, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
Looking down from the luxury hotel room more than thirty floors up, he could faintly make out scattered early risers beginning to appear on the streets below.
He was staying in a luxury hotel suite, and lying in his bed was a long-legged model who had once been far beyond his reach.
Guo Xinliang was satisfied with his current life. Very satisfied.
Even if it meant betraying the brother he had grown up with and selling out his own marriage, he was willing to do it all.
Standing on the balcony and breathing the fresh air, he lit a cigarette, took his phone, and called the contact saved as "Wife."
"Hello!"
A sleepy voice, tinged with anger, came through the phone.
The corner of Guo Xinliang's mouth twitched. That single sound seemed to have utterly ruined his good mood.
"You're still asleep? Do you have any idea what time it is? Do you know what day it is? The makeup artist will be coming over soon to do your makeup, you know that? What were you doing last night? Did you go drinking at a nightclub for half the night again?"
Guo Xinliang kept his voice low, trying to sound less angry, but he could not conceal the reproach in his tone.
"What's with that attitude, Guo? We agreed we'd each have our own fun. When you roped me into swallowing up Qin Xiao's company shares, you were like a lapdog in front of me."
"What? Now that the company is about to go public, you think you're something special? Turning your back on me now, are you? I'm telling you, under the agreement, management control of the company rests with the two of us. Without me, you'll be just another minority shareholder, and sooner or later the venture capital people will kick you out!"
The woman's voice abruptly rose several decibels, as though she was extremely displeased with Guo Xinliang's bossy tone.
"Shut your mouth! You were greedy yourself, so stop pinning the blame on me. I don't care how you fool around normally, but today is our wedding day, and last night you actually brought a male escort back to your hotel from a nightclub!"
Guo Xinliang clenched one hand into a fist and slammed it hard against the balcony railing.
"You're fucking hilarious, Guo. Don't tell me you don't have a woman beside you right now. Spare me this precious little act. Once the company's been successfully listed for a year and the shares can be traded, I'm done with you. I'm warning you, don't bother me for no reason. Piss me off, and I'll transfer my shares straight to someone else!"
The woman on the other end spat out those words viciously and hung up.
"Qu Fang, you bitch!"
Guo Xinliang barely resisted the urge to smash his phone.
This came late. There's one more chapter, so those of you who go to bed early can read it tomorrow morning!