"Mr. Xue, Mr. Xue, you can’t just sit here any longer. The investigation team hasn’t arrived yet, there’s still room to turn things around, you... you ought to think of something!"
The downcast Xue Mingyuan initially showed no reaction. It wasn’t until the cigarette butt was nearly burnt out that he belatedly took a puff, then looked down at Wan Xingyi’s pleading face.
"Tell me, where exactly is the difference?"
"Huh?"
Tears and snot streaming down his face, Wan Xingyi looked up in bewilderment, not understanding what Xue Mingyuan meant.
"The difference is that Yan Lingchuan went in there, and never came out."
Xue Mingyuan chuckled, puffing on the burnt cigarette butt, and pointed towards the Jingcheng Building across the way.
Wan Xingyi suddenly realized, incredulous, looking up, "Are you saying... the mastermind behind all this is Zhou Wang?"
"Who else could it be?"
Xue Mingyuan’s eyes wandered, "Three years ago, I dodged a crisis that could have put me in prison for life, and now, I’m downed by a young upstart..."
"That’s impossible, how could Zhou Wang have such a capability? Even Qiu Zeyu couldn’t manage it, this doesn’t make sense, this doesn’t add up!"
Wan Xingyi stubbornly shook his head, unwilling to believe.
"Little Wan, run."
Xue Mingyuan lowered his head, "I’ll be fine, at most I’ll end up in jail, but you... you have lives on your hands. Run while there’s still a chance, run as far as you can..."
Facing Xue Mingyuan’s peculiar smile, Wan Xingyi, after a moment of shock, scrambled up from the floor, grabbed his coat, and stumbled out of the room.
Xue Mingyuan glanced at Wan Xingyi’s fleeing figure, and couldn’t help but smile again.
"Heh heh, though there might be hope, there’s hardly any chance..."
...
"When I was young, I’d listen to the radio, waiting for my favorite songs..."
On stage, "Rooftop Cat" was singing a classic old English song, "Yesterday Once More," with a melodious voice.
Off stage, Zhou Wang, who had finally finished another round of pleasantries with all the guests, had a moment of respite. Leaning against a round supporting column, he tapped his fingers lightly to the rhythm, clearly in a pleasant mood.
"Mr. Zhou, you seem particularly fond of Miss Xinyi. With so many famous singers you didn’t invite, yet you invited her to perform... Oh, not to mention, that Miss Gu seems intent on staying with you till the end. I’m curious, how do you plan to arrange things?"
A slightly hoarse, magnetic voice came from beside him. Zhou Wang turned to see Jiang Qingkui looking at him with a half-smile.
"Haven’t you heard the saying, when you love a flower, you don’t necessarily have to pick it."
Zhou Wang rolled his eyes, "As for Tian Xinyi, I purely admire her. I can’t claim every pretty girl as my own, can I?"
"Is that so?"
Yet Jiang Qingkui continued to stare at Zhou Wang, "And Miss Gu, you also purely admire?"
"Why do I feel like you’re deliberately picking on me, though your tone doesn’t sound like jealousy..."
Zhou Wang suspiciously scrutinized Jiang Qingkui.
Jiang Qingkui finally couldn’t hold back her laughter, her eyebrows curving in a rare smile, "I’m just afraid you might get too complacent, so I can’t help but remind you... although, it seems you do have a reason to be proud tonight."
"How many people have registered as members?"
"All of them... all the guests present have become members of Jingwang Club, including Mr. Yan, and everyone has paid at least three years’ worth of membership fees. In other words, the initial costs, including renovation, have been fully recouped."
Jiang Qingkui couldn’t contain her joy as she spoke.
"The renovation costs have been recouped... how much did we collect, exactly?"
Zhou Wang was also taken aback by the news.
"According to the membership tiers you established, they all opted for the most expensive Black Rose Card. The basic annual membership fee is 880,000, and with the three-year discount, it’s a neat two million..."
Zhou Wang felt a twinge of toothache upon hearing this. Indeed, as long as there is enough influence, making money is remarkably easy.
Jingwang Club offers three types of membership cards: Golden Rose, White Rose, and the top-tier Black Rose.
The membership fee for one card is two million, so ten people equal twenty million... Holy shit!
And this is just the cost to become a member, granting access only to the basic services of the club and a range of hidden privileges according to the membership card level. Any consumption inside the club requires additional top-ups.
The most significant part is that both Zhou Wang and Jiang Qingkui understand that tonight is just the beginning...
The Beijing Circle is filled with endless wealthy individuals who will flock to Jingwang Club following tonight’s events.
Although it might not have reached the top yet, there was no doubt that Jingwang Club reached the heights comparable to the former four major clubs on its very first day of operation.
Of course, Zhou Wang was keenly aware that these people were not drawn by the club but by the Wangyuan Commerce he was still establishing.
But that was the plan for the next step; for now, Zhou Wang couldn’t be bothered to think too far.
"Do you really admire me?"
Turning to see Jiang Qingkui still gazing at him with sparkling eyes, Zhou Wang couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Yes, greatly admire,"
To Zhou Wang’s surprise, Jiang Qingkui nodded straightforwardly and admitted it.
Afterward, Jiang Qingkui leaned over to Zhou Wang’s ear and whispered, "Do you know what’s on my mind right now?"
"What?"
Feeling the warm breath from the full red lips in his ear, Zhou Wang was taken aback.
"I want you to kiss me, to knock me over like you did last time at the Waldorf, no, even more aggressively than that..."
Jiang Qingkui’s words, heated and full of desire, instantly ignited Zhou Wang, but damn it, this is a public place!
Perhaps it was precisely for this reason that Jiang Qingkui’s expression and gaze appeared so unabashed.
But there was no way Zhou Wang would indulge her "bad habits". After quickly scanning the surroundings, Zhou Wang suddenly encircled Jiang Qingkui’s soft waist, and under her astonished gaze, pulled her behind the pillar.
"Zhou... mmph!"
Jiang Qingkui’s eyes widened in surprise, momentarily forgetting to struggle.
Even with the pillar as a barrier, this spot was not a secluded corner. Anyone passing by could see them.
The intense shame, combined with the tide of forbidden allurements, made Jiang Qingkui tremble briefly. As she pushed Zhou Wang away, she couldn’t help but embrace his head.
She couldn’t tell if she was resisting or yielding, but she was greedily trying to use all her senses to imprint this moment, tinged with a hint of madness...