"Pfft!"
Seeing as Zhou Yiquan was on the verge of losing it, Zhou Wang could only glare at him.
"Don’t laugh, they’re not far away yet!"
Saying this only made Zhou Yiquan laugh even harder, sparking a chuckle among the others, and eventually even Zhou Wang couldn’t help but join in with a few laughs.
...
Upon reaching the parking lot, Zhou Wang spotted the gifts placed on the car hood and shook his head helplessly.
He picked them up for a closer look, finding some kind of tea. Though Zhou Wang wasn’t knowledgeable about tea, he knew that since it was a present from Lu Conglin, it must be quite valuable.
It wasn’t only Zhou Wang; Ruan Jinghong and others received them too. Old Ruan kept exclaiming how it was an honor to hang out with Brother Dog, turning from someone who couldn’t even give away gifts to someone who received them.
Due to the new project Zhou Wang suddenly proposed, Old Ruan didn’t need to go around begging anymore; all he had to do was wait patiently for Zhou Wang’s project to kick off.
Like Young Master Zhang, he also had blind faith in Zhou Wang...
"Brother Dog, about this stuff..."
"Just keep it."
Zhou Wang thought for a moment but decided to let everyone keep the gifts.
Fair is fair in social interactions, giving and receiving is part of it. He’d find a chance to return the gesture later.
"Brother Dog, so what’s the plan now?"
After putting the gifts in the car, Zhou Yiquan asked noisily again, "Every time I invited you for some fun, you always bailed. You’re not going to ditch us today, right?"
"Relax, I’m not bailing today."
Zhou Wang laughed, "I didn’t have enough to drink during dinner, let’s hit another spot to continue."
Though it had been a month, he missed Su Yajing... missed her a lot, but today was a gathering he arranged, so it wouldn’t look right if he took off first.
Old Ruan and Tang Yiming naturally wanted to chat with Zhou Wang a bit more too, not just for fun; they were more intrigued by the project he mentioned and wanted to understand some inside details.
"Okay, leave it to me. Shall we go for drinks or singing?"
Zhou Yiquan was one of the stakeholders in the Ming City bar alliance, so he naturally wanted to take charge.
But Zhou Wang waved his hand, "You don’t arrange it today, let’s go to the KTV in Lishui Yunquan Hotel."
"Huh?"
Zhou Yiquan was clearly taken aback, "Lishui Yunquan is that five-star hotel at the University City, isn’t it? Why are we heading there?"
Tang Yiming was initially puzzled too, but quickly, something clicked for him, and he realized, "Lishui Yunquan, that’s the hotel you acquired today, isn’t it, Brother Dog?"
"Yeah, might as well take this chance to check out the KTV in our own hotel, see what it’s like."
Zhou Wang nodded with a smile.
Zhou Yiquan finally understood, and since Zhou Wang wanted to visit his own place, he had no objections.
Old Ruan and the rest called for a driving service, while Su Yajing drove a Bentley Continental GT, and the group headed back to University City.
...
"Laugh if you want, don’t hold it in."
Inside the luxurious karaoke room of Lishui Yunquan Hotel’s KTV, Zhou Wang looked at the group who all had amused expressions and spoke with mock annoyance.
"Sorry, Brother Dog, hahaha..."
Zhou Yiquan was the first to lose it, laughing loudly.
Much like before, the infectious laughter led Ruan Jinghong and Tang Yiming to chuckle as well, although theirs were more restrained, more like snickers than guffaws.
Only Su Yajing, who was holding onto Zhou Wang’s arm, was perplexed. She looked quizzically at Zhou Wang, who was also struggling to hold in his laughter, "Brother, what are you guys laughing at?"
Su Yajing truly didn’t get it. In her view, although this was an in-house KTV run by the hotel, the environment and facilities seemed superb; the sofas were soft and comfy...
The style might not be trendy, but it was quite cozy, with the only downside being the outdated sound system.
"Yajing, you don’t get it, hahaha..."
With tears almost streaming from his eyes, Zhou Yiquan winked at Zhou Wang, "Isn’t that right, Mr. Zhou?"
"Alright, stop with the snarky remarks, just because it looks like a business K doesn’t mean it actually is one..."
Zhou Wang cleared his throat.
He hadn’t expected Lishui Yunquan’s internal KTV to be decorated in such a... suggestive style.
"Business K?"
Su Yajing’s dark eyes twirled as understanding dawned on her. She looked innocently at Zhou Wang, "Brother, is it one of those KTVs with pretty girls offering to drink with you?"
"Well, they say it is, but actually, I’ve never been to one..."
"Pfft... Sorry, Brother Dog, I’m not laughing at you!"
This time it was Old Ruan who burst into laughter. Seeing Zhou Wang’s "fierce" look, he quickly raised his hands in innocence, though he seemed like he might suffer internal injuries from holding his laughter in.
"Manager Qian, right? Have a seat!"
Zhou Wang, feeling helpless, gestured for the KTV manager, who had been standing respectfully by the side, to join them.
This Manager Qian had accompanied the group to visit Zhou Wang during the day, so when Zhou Wang appeared at the front desk, he quickly dismissed everyone else and took it upon himself to act as a server.
"Yes!"
Manager Qian responded and quickly perched himself on the edge of a sofa.
"Does our KTV really offer companion services?"
Zhou Wang needed to clarify this matter, so he asked directly.
"Mr. Zhou, about this..."
Manager Qian hesitated but then glanced at Su Yajing.
Zhou Wang immediately understood his concern and waved it off, "It’s fine, speak freely... She’ll be the boss lady here in the future; it’s something she needs to know."
Su Yajing unconsciously straightened herself, her expression filled with joy.
It wasn’t because Zhou Wang was really going to hand over the hotel to her, but because of the title "boss lady"...