Chapter 9
Entering the private room, Shao Yongyang and the other person sat on either side of the coffee table while Wei Yuhuan sat in the center. Xie Xiaojiang followed behind, eyeing the two-seater sofa occupied by Wei Yuhuan and awkwardly standing by the side.
“What are you standing there for?” Wei Yuhuan patted the empty space next to him and beckoned Xie Xiaojiang over. “Come sit here.”
Xie Xiaojiang looked at Wei Yuhuan’s handsome face and couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being smiled at in a malicious way.
Since he had already entered, he couldn’t act like a little girl and hesitate. Xie Xiaojiang put on a smile and moved over. “If the boss doesn’t mind, I’ll sit here then!”
Wei Yuhuan could see Xie Xiaojiang’s guard up. Unable to resist, he reached out and pulled him over, pressing him against his side.
Xie Xiaojiang thought to himself, “This doesn’t seem good.”
The other two watched them with interest, but didn’t say anything.
While Qi Muying was about to ring for tea, Shao Yongyang suddenly said, “I suddenly feel like drinking.”
Wei Yuhuan glanced at him and smirked. “Sure, let’s drink. Drinking is better than tea, anyway. It’ll liven up the atmosphere!”
Qi Muying said, “But we can’t just drink. We should order some food. Maybe some crayfish, sauce duck wings, or drunken chicken feet?”
Xie Xiaojiang quickly jumped up. “We have those! I’ll go get them!”
He hadn’t even warmed his seat yet, but he hurried out the door…
As soon as Xie Xiaojiang left, Shao Yongyang couldn’t contain his laughter and bent over, “You’re too eager. You scared him!”
Qi Muying said, “Exactly, be civilized, take it slow!”
It’s really not Wei Yuhuan’s fault. He watched this little thing slip away from under his nose half a year ago and had been holding a grudge ever since. If he had completely forgotten about it, it would have been fine, but the other party reappeared just as he was about to forget, and now that surge of anger is even stronger than before!
Wei Yuhuan’s behavior was relatively good. He didn’t immediately choke the person and ask, “Do you remember Wei Fangdong by the Fengjiang River?” But the friend’s reminder was not wrong. Since they already knew this guy worked here and there was no rush, they shouldn’t scare him off. However, when he turned around and didn’t get a few words out, he was treated as a pervert!
Wei Yuhuan took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
Shao Yongyang stood up straight and asked with a smirk, “What do you want to drink? Vodka or whisky?”
“Vodka, please,” Wei Yuhuan paused and added, “and another dozen beers.”
“Depth charge? You’re ruthless!” Shao Yongyang exclaimed.
Wei Yuhuan smirked wickedly, “Be prepared for anything. What if that guy doesn’t drink foreign liquor? Let’s start with beer and slowly add some foreign liquor later.”
“Sneaky! Despicable!” Shao Yongyang raised his middle finger in disdain, then switched to a thumbs up. “But I like it.”
Wei Yuhuan: “…”
Qi Muying thought for a moment and asked, “What if that kid has a good drinking capacity?”
Shao Yongyang rolled his eyes, “We have three people, and we’re worried about not being able to get a little brat drunk?”
“No matter how many of us there are, when we drink, we’ll drink together. So fundamentally, it’s the same whether it’s one against three or one on one,” Qi Muying said.
Shao Yongyang slapped his forehead, “You’re right!” He searched his coat pocket and pulled out a small bag of powder, then whispered, “Or should we just add some drugs?”
“Why would he carry something like this on him?” (= _=) Quipped Qi Muying.
“This is a bit too much,” Wei Yuhuan also frowned. He wanted to teach the kid a lesson, but this method was too despicable and went against his style.
Qi Muying agreed, “Yeah, it’s better for us to follow the rules.”
“Who cares about following the rules when we’ve come this far?” Shao Yongyang muttered under his breath, unwillingly taking the small bag back.
Just as they were talking, Xie Xiaojiang returned, accompanied by a girl wearing a “bud-like” pink uniform. Both of them carried trays with the small dishes Qi Muying had just mentioned.
Xie Xiaojiang put the dishes on the table one by one, while the girl helped. Soon enough, the alcohol was also served. Xie Xiaojiang eagerly poured the drinks and searched for glasses, as if intentionally dragging out the time before sitting back down.
Wei Yuhuan had just heeded his friend’s advice, so he let Xie Xiaojiang busy himself. Only when he had nothing else to do did he smile at him and gesture with his eyes for him to come over and sit.
Xie Xiaojiang: “…”
The girl who had just served the dishes stood on the side waiting. Shao Yongyang found her presence annoying and wanted to ask her to leave.
Xie Xiaojiang’s black and white eyes turned around, and he said, “Gentlemen, I’m not a professional drink companion. It’s better to keep Xiaotao with you. Otherwise, if you haven’t drunk enough later, Manager Wang will scold me.”
Upon hearing this, the girl named Xiaotao immediately smiled at the three men and said, “Hello, gentlemen.” She looked quite pretty.
Without any restraint, Shao Yongyang immediately said, “Then stay with us and have a drink or two!”
Wei Yuhuan paid no attention to him. He hadn’t planned on doing anything to Xie Xiaojiang in the first place. At most, he would wait for this kid to get drunk and talk nonsense before interrogating him, exposing the bad things he had done six months ago, and making him apologize and beg for mercy. If anyone were to witness this, it would be this little guy who would lose face, hehe.
“Do you know why I asked you to come in and drink with us?” Wei Yuhuan revealed his purpose.
“Why?” Xie Xiaojiang was taken aback. He just wanted to know the reason!
Wei Yuhuan smiled at him and said, “Because you look very much like a friend of mine.”
Xie Xiaojiang replied, “Oh…”
Wei Yuhuan patted his shoulder and said, “So don’t be too nervous. I just wanted to chat with you for a bit.”
Xie Xiaojiang scratched his head and felt relieved when he saw that they didn’t ask Xiao Tao to leave. It was better to have someone he knew with him than to go alone.
“Do you drink liquor?” Wei Yuhuan asked in a calm tone, trying to create a friendly atmosphere.
“I can drink anything,” Xie Xiaojiang replied, feeling more relaxed now that his nerves had settled.
“Anything?” Wei Yuhuan was surprised. He had just touched a beer can and was about to pour a glass of vodka for him. “Do you want to try this?”
“What is it?” Xie Xiaojiang asked foolishly.
Wei Yuhuan chuckled to himself, thinking it was quite audacious to say he could drink anything without knowing what it was. “Try it.”
He handed the glass to Xie Xiaojiang, who brought it to his lips and licked it with his tongue like he did when he tried tomato and scrambled eggs for the first time. Then he squinted his eyes like a cat and said, “This is so spicy!”
It was the first time Wei Yuhuan had seen this scene up close, and his heart was pounding again. This little crab was so adorable!
Xie Xiaojiang sipped the small glass of liquor and licked his tongue, saying, “It’s so spicy!”
Wei Yuhuan couldn’t help but smile. He gave him another glass of liquor, thinking that he must be a heavy drinker who loved liquor. He kept pouring and said, “Xie, why don’t you pour me a glass now?”
Xie Xiaojiang felt embarrassed and said, “Mr. Wei, I should be pouring the liquor for you.”
Wei Yuhuan put the bottle in front of him and said, “Sure, go ahead.”
Xie Xiaojiang held the bottle and asked, “What kind of liquor is this?”
Wei Yuhuan replied, “It’s vodka.”
Xie Xiaojiang showed a surprised expression, not concealing his joy in trying something new. “Is this vodka? This is my first time drinking it!”
Wei Yuhuan smiled at him and suddenly had an impulse to pat his head.
Xie Xiaojiang “dedicatedly” poured some alcohol for Wei Yuhuan, Shao Yongyang, and Qi Muying, and then raised his glass, saying, “Thank you, three bosses, for treating me. After today, I can say that I have tried vodka, hehe.”
Shao Yongyang secretly chuckled, thinking to himself that after today, Xie Xiaojiang wouldn’t even know who he belonged to anymore!
To distract Xie Xiaojiang’s attention, the three of them chatted about some gossip around them. Xie Xiaojiang listened attentively with big eyes, seeming to be curious about everything.
After listening for a while, Wei Yuhuan only occasionally clinked glasses with him and told him to eat more, without any strange actions. Only then did Xie Xiaojiang completely relax and start to enjoy the delicious food and good wine before him.
Being in the same room as the bosses, not only did he not have to wait on them respectfully, but he could also drink good vodka. This treatment was unprecedented for Xie Xiaojiang.
He touched the bundle of red banknotes in his pocket and felt elated. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, so he drank two more glasses of alcohol.
They say that those who come here are fools with money. Today, he truly experienced it. The money came too easily. No wonder the sisters who work at “Hanbao” look so radiant every day.
Wei Yuhuan chatted with his friends with his mouth while occasionally glancing at Xie Xiaojiang. He saw that this little guy had already lost his initial caution and restraint, enjoying himself alone while gnawing on chicken feet.
Wei Yuhuan was both angry and amused, wondering if this little guy could be so carefree no matter where he was.
He opened a can of beer, poured a little vodka into a large cup, and silently pushed it in front of Xie Xiaojiang. “Try this,” he said.
Xie Xiaojiang had never tried this method of drinking before, and he looked fresh again, raising his cup and drinking it.
Seeing this, Xiao Tao on the side jokingly said, “Xie Xiaojiang, do you have a good drinking capacity? Don’t get drunk later, or no one will carry you back!”
Although Xie Xiaojiang worked as a receptionist outside, because he was cute and sweet-talking, and had a good relationship with many female servers in the store, the girls all treated him like a younger brother. Xiao Tao was one of the girls who was closer to him.
Just now, while she was working outside, Xie Xiaojiang suddenly ran over to find her and said that he had encountered three abnormal customers and asked her to come and keep him company. He was a little worried and asked her to go with him to take a look.
Xiao Tao came without hesitation. She was well-traveled and knew that mixing liquor with beer, especially high-proof liquor like vodka, can be very potent. Some bar owners would directly pour a small glass of vodka into a large beer glass, creating a drink called a “depth charge.” People with low alcohol tolerance could easily pass out from drinking just one.
Now, seeing that Xie Xiaojiang was clearly being encouraged to drink by the customer, Xiao Tao was worried that he might not know his limits. She gave a gentle reminder, but Xie Xiaojiang waved his hand and confidently declared, “I’m fine.”
People who are drunk usually say they are okay, and Xiao Tao was a little worried that Xie Xiaojiang might have already had too much to drink. But she couldn’t remind him again, because if the customer noticed, it would be bad for her.
Sure enough, Shao Yongyang quickly sensed the situation and privately diverted Xiao Tao’s attention, preventing her from interfering with his buddy’s good time. Qi Muying also felt that the timing was right and slowly joined the conversation between Shao Yongyang and Xiao Tao, leaving Wei Yuhuan and Xie Xiaojiang alone.
Wei Yuhuan sipped his drink slowly and casually chatted with Xie Xiaojiang, “You don’t sound like a local, where are you from?”
Xie Xiaojiang was honest, “I’m from Suqian, Jiangsu.”
Wei Yuhuan nodded and asked, “How old are you? You look like you’re underage.”
Xie Xiaojiang spoke straightforwardly, “Haha! Everyone who knows me says I look young. I’m 22 this year!”
Twenty-two? He was eight years younger than himself, indeed just a kid!
“You should be in college at your age. Why are you working in a place like this?” Wei Yuhuan asked.
“I need money,” Xie Xiaojiang thought to himself. This guy must be clueless to ask such a question. Most young women who work in places like this are under 25 years old. Who would come here to work if they had money? The emperor may be unaware of the people’s suffering.
Wei Yuhuan noticed something in Xie Xiaojiang’s answer. When asked why he was working in this place, his main reason was “I need money.”
He remembered once going to a foot massage parlor on the street with a friend, where he was also massaged by a young guy. He asked the same question, but the answer he got was “I didn’t do well in school.” Indeed, in Chinese society, even if a boy’s family is poor, his parents will still do everything they can to provide for him if he is a good student, since education is the only way to change one’s fate.
“So, you need money to go to college, right?” Wei Yuhuan asked.
“Of course,” Xie Xiaojiang replied without hesitation.
Upon hearing this answer, Wei Yuhuan felt a hint of inexplicable sympathy, but he didn’t come here to be a “sugar daddy” for young people who couldn’t afford an education and had to work.
Wei Yuhuan didn’t delve further into this issue and clinked glasses with Xie Xiaojiang before continuing to ask, “Are you an only child? Does your family have anyone else?”
“I have a younger sister,” Xie Xiaojiang replied without much thought, downing one drink after another. However, he found it a bit strange that Mr. Wei was asking so many questions like he was checking his household registration.
“When did you start working here?”
“It’s been about half a year.”
“How much do you make working here?”
“2,800 yuan a month, including room and board!” Xie Xiaojiang answered this question with a hint of pride, puffing out his chest.
Wei Yuhuan laughed, not understanding what was so proud about such a meager salary.
However, the fact that it includes “room and board” is truly thought-provoking…
Wei Yuhuan narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile, “Where did you live before that?”
