The lights shimmered, dazzling the eyes, and the music was deafening. A boisterous crowd of wild young men and women let loose on the dance floor, and even the booths were filled with the clinking of glasses and bursts of laughter. Everything was 12% off today, they were clearly going all out for this anniversary sale.
"Little Shrimp is here! Come, sit for a bit."
Wang Yan, who was busy attending to customers at the bar, came over to greet Lu Qingyue as she arrived. "What do you want to drink? My bartender is highly paid, his skills are incredible. You have to try it."
Lu Qingyue quickly shook her head. "I don't drink alcohol. Two glasses of lemonade will be fine."
"Anything else, miss? The minimum charge here is 200 yuan."
Lu Qingyue thought for a moment and replied, "Let's start with some cold dishes. Do you have any specialties?"
"Hahaha, Little Shrimp, you're still so inexperienced. You don't even know the basics of common knowledge."
Shen Xiao interrupted, "One Angel's Kiss, one Classic, and a fruit platter. We weren't full when we came. Your place is big enough, you're not telling me you don't have any food at all?"
"Yes, of course! I'll treat you to some of our local signature dishes."
Having found someone who actually knew what they were doing, Wang Yan stopped paying attention to Lu Qingyue embarrassing herself. "How's the bar? Any reviews?"
"Quite popular, definitely making a lot of money."
Wang Yan waved her hand dismissively. "Not much. This is just a place my boyfriend opened casually for fun, and it accidentally became the largest bar in our county. Well, making money with your brain is just that easy—so young and already a billionaire! But a boyfriend like this has his downsides too. Because of the business, he has no time for me, unlike your boyfriend who is always by your side."
Even though I can only afford to treat you to fries and burgers, and buy you cheap stuff from street vendors, at least I love you and stay by your side. Unlike my boyfriend, who can only spend an hour with me every day, spending the rest of his time giving me rings and necklaces. Yesterday he even said he found a fine piece of jade and would make a bracelet for me.
"Little Shrimp, what about you? I haven't seen you wearing any jewelry."
"I'm not used to it."
"You'll get used to it after wearing it a few times. The price is next to nothing. You should at least have a ring, right? A ring only costs a few tens of thousands of yuan. Just be sweet to your boyfriend and he'll buy you one."
At this point, Wang Yan couldn't help but feel a bit smug. This man's clothes are so ordinary, he definitely doesn't have much money. Otherwise, there's no way he wouldn't buy you any jewelry. That's just what happens when you compare yourself to others. Unlike her boyfriend, who was worth millions.
Wang Yan, using the spotlights for emphasis, shook the three rings on her fingers and the bracelet on her wrist. "What do you think of these? If you like them, you can borrow them for a few days. No rush to return them, I have plenty of little trinkets like this."
"No, thank you."
...
"Little Shrimp, order whatever you want to eat. Don't worry about the cost. Today it's my treat for both of you. You can do whatever you want."
"Beautiful lady, are you sure you're paying for our meal today?" Shen Xiao asked.
"Of course! I invited you here, so I have to host you well. Drink whatever you like, eat whatever you want, order whatever you desire—don't be shy!"
She had seen Shen Xiao's type before, this wasn't the first time she'd brought classmates around. This man would probably drink a lot of expensive alcohol, trying to squeeze as much out of her as possible. Does he even care if he's short on cash? It would only cost ten or twenty thousand at most—something she could easily afford. Spending a little money to maintain her high status in Lu Qingyue's eyes was a price she was more than willing to pay.
Wang Yan, seeing a VIP guest arrive, rushed off to greet them. "Alright, I won't bother you any longer, enjoy yourselves. Oh, sorry, you're a country bumpkin, I misspoke. Handsome, spend more—I'm rooting for you."
...
"Sure enough, that friend of yours loves to show off. I see why you don't like her."
Shen Xiao picked up his glass and took a small sip. "Try this, it has very low alcohol content, almost like beer."
Taking the glass, Lu Qingyue was still a bit upset. She shouldn't have let Shen Xiao come in the first place, it only made him unhappy. Feeling oppressed, she found the constant thumping music irritating.
"Is this the kind of music played in all bars?"
Shen Xiao thought for a moment and replied, "Usually, yes. Of course, you can request a song if you don't like it."
Shen Xiao waved to the bartender and asked for the playlist. "Since you're here, why not give your friend a chance to increase her revenue? Want to request a song?"
"Okay."
Lu Qingyue took the tablet but hesitated, because requesting a song cost money—100 yuan per song. It was just a three or four-minute song, yet it cost 100 yuan. This was a bit hard for her to accept.
"No, if Wang Yan finds out I'm wasting her money, she'll complain to me later."
Shen Xiao found it a bit funny. "Spending her money? Why would I spend her money? We have our own."
Yes, Lu Qingyue suddenly realized that she had come here today to spend money, and she had already said she wanted to have a blast. What was the point of suddenly being stingy in the final hours? She would just explain it to her later. What could Wang Yan say if she spent her own money?
I just wanted to spend a wonderful day with Shen Xiao, but you ruined everything. I'm going to teach you a lesson.
Having firmed up her choice, Lu Qingyue took the tablet again. "Which one should I pick? Any recommendations?"
"Pick whatever you like. Just pick whatever you want to hear."
So, Shen Xiao watched as Lu Qingyue chose "Monkey King"... You really chose the song you like? But the song was quite straightforward, listening to it might help Lu Qingyue relax a bit. Registering an account, a series of operations were completed.
"Is this right?"
"Yes, let me cut the line."
Lu Qingyue glanced at the list. The song she chose was already past number 100. If she didn't cut the line, it would indeed take a long time to hear it. But looking at the price to cut the line, she hesitated. Moving up one spot cost 100 yuan. If she wanted her song to be played next, it cost 10,000 yuan!
Should she cut the line? Remembering how Wang Yan had just mocked her and ruined her plans for the day, she felt a surge of resentment. There were only a few hours left of her date with Shen Xiao. This might be the last time she'd have this chance, and it would be hard to get Shen Xiao out for a whole day again. She had to cherish this last opportunity. Why should she care if Shen Xiao spent these last few hours unhappy and depressed?
She had to teach Wang Yan a lesson. How dare she insult Shen Xiao? She had to apologize! She absolutely had to. Wang Yan said she could handle it, that she could just endure it, but the memory of her calling Shen Xiao a "country bumpkin" as she walked away made her hold a grudge! She wanted to show her that she wasn't the only one with money.
She gulped down the drink in front of her in one breath. "Cough cough cough..."
"Slow down, this isn't water, you can't drink it like that!"
"It's fine."
After the drink, she felt a bit dizzy, and suddenly felt much less nervous. Lu Qingyue opened her palm. "Borrow the ledger."
"Here's 10 million, spend it."
"10 million..." Lu Qingyue was stunned because she hadn't expected to borrow that much, this was no small amount.
"Spend it without worry, and if you need more, just ask. Even if you borrow a hundred million, I can get it."
Lu Qingyue felt a bit uncomfortable thinking about Wang Yan's attitude earlier, hesitated for a second, but kept the money anyway. "Let's be clear first..."
"Okay, okay, I know. It's going to take you a very, very, very long time... before you can pay it back, right? It's fine, I can wait. I'm in no rush."
Ding!
[Gained Lu Qingyue's support, Fate Ticket +100!]