Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 9
Chapter 9 Our Zhenzhen (Minor Revision)
2024-10-13 07:10 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
The pitch-black door, which blocked out sight and sound, was suddenly pushed open, and a tall woman with a dazed look in her eyes staggered out, covering her mouth, and ran towards the bathroom not far away.
The heavy doors closed slowly, allowing the mocking voices from inside the luxurious private room to escape.
“If you can’t drink, then don’t drink. Do you think you can get good resources by having a few drinks with those bosses? It’s not that simple!”
“Exactly, what kind of bees and butterflies haven’t they seen? Why would they let this moth flutter its wings over there?”
“I think she’s just desperate. I heard she hadn’t received any work for two months before this event.”
“Then her precious ‘phoenix man’ (a man from a poor background who achieves success) won’t leave her?”
Bang bang~ The microphone, studded with ostentatious rhinestones, was tapped twice, and a pleasant male voice, interspersed with a faint static sound, came out, cutting off the malicious discussion.
“Is anyone singing? Looking for a duet.”
The men and women sitting in the middle, gossiping, turned their gaze to the corner of the sofa. One of them crossed his arms and sneered, “Oh, we forgot, there’s someone here dating a man from a poor background who has achieved success.”
“Lu Zhen, are you still talking to that director of yours?” A cherry, painted with cardamom, was picked up by her fingertips, rolled between her fiery red lips, and a pit was spat out. “Can that guy spend ten thousand yuan on you a month?”
The handsome men and beautiful women sitting on the U-shaped sofa either laughed along or watched coldly. It was clear that Lu Zhen had replaced the drunk woman from before as the new target of their attack.
Having spent more time with You Shulang, Lu Zhen had learned some of his composure and calmness. He held the microphone just the right distance from his mouth, and his voice, neither too loud nor too soft, filled the entire private room.
“Yeah, we’re talking, and it’s going well.” He chuckled slightly, a hint of provocation in his eyes. “I’m a man, why should I spend other people’s money?”
Aside from the soft music, the silence that enveloped everyone in the private room was somewhat eerie.
“Excuse me, something came up, so I’ll have to go now.”
Lu Zhen stood up and bowed slightly to greet everyone, but before he could take a step, he heard the handsome man sitting in the middle snort: “You have time when you can connect with resources, but now you don’t have time to get together with your peers. Lu Zhen, you really have put pragmatism to the extreme.”
Lu Zhen clenched his fists at his sides. After all, he had only learned the superficial aspects of You Shulang’s style, and his imitation was far from perfect. Therefore, he instantly showed anger when he was hit.
Before he could speak, the handsome man chuckled, rested his arm on his leg and propped his cheek up, and pouted in a pretentious yet charming way: “Lu Zhen, it’s fine if you want to leave, but you should pay for the drinks in advance. We agreed that whoever leaves first tonight will treat everyone.”
Lu Zhen subconsciously squeezed the bank card in his pocket, frowned, and asked, “When did you say that?”
The alluring woman beside the man chuckled, “You said it as soon as you came in, everyone heard it. Lu Zhen, are you pretending to be stupid? Or do you simply not afford it? Is all your money going towards supporting a poor man from a poor background?”
“You fucking…”
Lu Zhen had barely begun his tirade when the door to the private room was flung open from the outside. Bright light from the corridor streamed into the dimly lit room, like a door of hope opened by God for a sinner.
Everyone’s eyes turned to that direction, and after seeing who it was, a strange light flashed in their eyes.
A man and a woman entered. The woman, who had just drunkenly vomited in the bathroom, was now slumped in the arms of the man beside her, clutching a brand-new seasonal shirt from Barbery.
The room was filled with handsome men and beautiful women, and the inclination was to slowly scrutinize the men’s faces, starting with their expensive clothes.
He had a broad chest and a tall, upright figure; his muscles, taut and powerful, were accentuated by a tailored black suit, making him imposing and alluring. Even more remarkable was his handsome face: deep-set eyes, a thin, smiling mouth, and sharply defined features. The warmth of his smile softened his otherwise cold and stern expression, making him even more striking. His every move exuded an air of nobility; though he appeared mild-mannered, he possessed an undeniable commanding presence.
The handsome man sitting in the middle raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the man whose face was even more captivating than his clothes.
The woman looked disheveled, but the man who held her in his arms remained elegant. He knocked symbolically on the open door of the private room and said with a smile in his eyes, “I met this lady who needed help in the corridor. She said her friends were in this room. Ladies and gentlemen, I haven’t taken her to the wrong place, have I?”
The man’s gaze swept briefly over the crowd before finally settling on Lu Zhen, who stood in the corner. He was somewhat surprised, or rather, pleasantly surprised.
“Zhenzhen? What a coincidence to run into you here.”
“…Mr. Fan?”
Lu Zhen was quite surprised, but more than that, he felt at a loss. The man’s utterance of ‘Zhenzhen’ was like an invisible hand, instantly gripping his breath. The heat wave from the luxurious art studio three months ago seemed to wash over him again, making his face slightly flushed.
He didn’t know how to respond, and after thinking for a long time, he could only say, “What a coincidence.”
“Give her to me.” Lu Zhen stepped forward to help, supporting the woman who was completely drunk as a madwoman as she sat down on the sofa. He then took out her phone, held her hand, unlocked it with her fingerprint, scrolled through the call log to the number he had contacted most frequently, dialed the number, and gave her the address to have someone come and pick her up.
Having done all this, he had composed himself and turned to face Fan Xiao.
“Mr. Fan, over here…” Lu Zhen glanced at the young man and woman on the sofa out of the corner of his eye. These people were like cold, venomous snakes, particularly adept at judging others by the most vicious aspects of human nature. Sure enough, their gazes on him and Fan Xiao were now full of amusement and hostility. “Let’s go outside to talk.”
“Coming to hang out with friends?” The tall man was incredibly gentle, even bowing slightly to look him in the eye. “It’s been almost three months since Zhenzhen and I last saw each other, hasn’t it?”
Lu Zhen clasped his hands together. The man in front of him spoke in a sticky tone, like a lollipop melting in the sun, filling the surrounding air with sweetness.
The embarrassment that had just dissipated returned, swirling up from the very tips of her nerves. Lu Zhen bit her lip and said, “I came here to have fun, but I have to leave now.”
Fan Xiao, who was always insightful, glanced at the silent onlookers on the sofa and gave them a knowing look.
Standing up straight, Fan Xiao exuded the demeanor and elegance of a mature man. He gently patted Lu Zhen’s shoulder, leading the stiff man to a more prominent position, and said with a smile, “I stumbled in by accident, it’s fate, how can I leave without having a drink with your friend?”
He beckoned to the waiter: “Put all the expenses for this private room on my tab today. Also, order three 5A set meals and send them over.”
“Mr. Fan!” Lu Zhen stopped him.
Fan Xiao gently patted his shoulder with his large hand, then whispered in his ear, “Be good.”
Warm breath brushed against Lu Zhen’s ear, mingling with his own. The deep, mellow voice sent a shiver down his spine. Lu Zhen took a deep breath, intending to distance himself from Fan Xiao, but after seeing the fleeting jealousy in the handsome man’s eyes, he froze on the spot, not moving an inch.
After the man ordered drinks, hushed murmurs filled the private room, and the men and women sitting in the middle of the sofa couldn’t help but exchange glances. They were used to such scenes; these men and women, who spent their days indulging in a life of pleasure and debauchery, had far more sophisticated tastes than most.
However, in their minds, such scenes only happen on certain important occasions. People who spend a lot of money usually have ulterior motives, which is why they would throw in hundreds of thousands of dollars without batting an eye. They wouldn’t be idiots and spend money on a group of so-called “friends” they’ve just met and haven’t even exchanged a single word with.
There’s only one explanation: the man in front of him is trying to win Lu Zhen’s favor. A mocking glint appeared in the handsome man’s eyes, and he curled his lips into a slight sneer. No one could misunderstand his meaning.
Does Lu Zhen even deserve it?
Upon receiving the order, the waiter left with a pleased expression. Fan Xiao picked up a bottle of new wine from the table and said, “My name is Fan Xiao, and I might be a few years older than you all. You can call me Brother Fan. Today, thanks to the beautiful lady, I had the pleasure of meeting Zhenzhen… and everyone else. I’m especially happy. Since you are Zhenzhen’s friends, you are also my friends. So, let me show my appreciation by treating you all to drinks. I hope you all have a great time today.”
The man’s voice resonated softly from his chest, his tone slow and deliberate, yet it was impossible to ignore the natural temperament and depth he exuded, his composure and elegance emanating from his very bones, which controlled and even suppressed the entire scene.
Because Fan Xiao didn’t sit down, everyone on the sofa stood up and clinked glasses with him. After the crisp sound, the man said, “Our Zhenzhen is simple-minded and doesn’t have any ulterior motives when interacting with people. He often speaks without thinking. If he has done anything in the past or in the future that has upset anyone, I apologize on his behalf. Please don’t hold it against him. After all, there are plenty of people with ulterior motives, but it’s not easy to find someone as sincere as our Zhenzhen.”
Lu Zhen, whose shoulder he had been gently draped over, slowly lowered his head, and suddenly the grievance in his heart faded and dissipated…
