0016 Where the Rose of Sharon Blooms 016 Miss Rose of Sharon
Boss Cheng's words sounded like he was introducing Qi Yu with great concern, but in reality, they were full of undisguised exclusion. Which of the current leaders hadn't been to Jingyang at the end of the last century? And how could anyone not have been to the Tiandi Dance Hall, which was known as the back garden of officials? He directly referred to the dance hall as "our place," practically writing the word "outsider" on Qi Yu's face.
Qi Yu was neither annoyed nor angry. Instead, he smiled, but the meaning of the smile was ambiguous. It seemed as if he understood, but it was more like mockery.
The Cheng father and son were in an awkward situation, their laughter and tears were almost palpable. Just then, the manager came over with a few girls and came to their rescue.
"Dear bosses, these are the most energetic girls on our shift today. They'll definitely make sure you all feel comfortable."
The manager's words were convoluted and his tone was almost like that of an old man, but Boss Cheng remained aloof, waving his unlit cigar in the air.
"What do you mean by 'on duty today'? Do you know what level of person this is? Whether they're out on duty or resting and sleeping, call them all over here, line them up, and stand here. Go now."
"Boss Cheng, you see, we have our own business here too..."
"Your little business is worth absolutely nothing."
The two were still arguing, their voices rising and falling in a cacophony of emotion, more excited than a comedy sketch. Qi Yu had no interest in listening to their nonsense. His eyes scanned the dance hall, noticing that the men and women under the neon lights all looked pretty much the same, listless and dispirited. Just then, a beam of light pierced through the darkness.
The little girl, who was clearly not very old, walked in from the side with her head down. Her long hair reached her waist, but it was not smooth; instead, it was noticeably dry and yellow. Her small face peeked out from her hair, and her skin was white from the light. She looked like she had accidentally fallen into this place, which immediately attracted everyone's attention. She was already numb to this kind of attention, and she only looked up when she almost bumped into someone.
Young Master Cheng glanced at her and recognized her. Bored, he looked away, but caught a glimpse of Qi Yu's gaze, which was noticeably different from before. He didn't delve into the meaning behind that look, but simply scoffed even louder. What kind of upright official is he? Putting on an air of superiority, he's just as vulgar when he sees someone prettier.
As shrewd as Boss Cheng was, he naturally noticed this gaze. He immediately stood up, pointed at the girl, and asked her to come over.
The manager panicked this time and quickly tried to stop him.
"No, Mr. Cheng, this really won't work."
"What do you mean no? Our leader just glanced at her, that's a blessing for her. Come here."
The girl was obedient and walked over. The closer she got, the more slender she appeared, but she was wearing a baggy top and pants, which made her look somewhat disproportionately bulky.
She stood at the small table, her face illuminated more clearly by the small white light above her seat. All the men present gasped in amazement, while Qi Yu gasped, his heart pounding irregularly.
"Manager, please introduce this princess."
Boss Cheng adopted the tone of an old man who frequents brothels.
"Um, this is Miss Tu Mi."
"That's it? Someone with this kind of looks doesn't even have a reputation here."
"Miss Tu Mi has already been booked and cannot be lent out."
"Who? Who booked it out?!"
Although Boss Cheng hadn't touched a drop of alcohol today, he acted as if he were completely drunk. He shouted at the top of his lungs, drawing everyone's attention to him. Someone recognized him, gave a mocking snort, and turned back to continue dancing.
The manager was caught in a dilemma and was trying to dissuade the man when he was suddenly kicked hard from behind and fell face-first onto the small table. The man behind him was revealed, with one hand in his pocket, his hair combed into a side part, and a fierce expression.
Even Qi Yu was taken aback when he saw his face. The manager had already gotten up from the table and bowed respectfully to the young man.
"Young Master Pei."
"Don't you know this is my daughter? You still bring her to other people. Don't you want to live?"
His voice was low, yet incredibly imposing. In comparison, Boss Cheng's shouts sounded even more ridiculous. But how could he allow a junior to overshadow his authority in the arena? So he started to act arrogantly.
"Who do we have here? A down-on-his-luck bastard, now scurrying underground with your tail between your legs? You put on a good show during the day, but now you've finally lost your temper and come out to roam. Do your students even know you're keeping prostitutes at nightclubs?"
The young man wasn't angry when his mask was removed; instead, he curled one corner of his mouth into a wicked smile.
"What nonsense are you spouting? You can't even recognize people and you're still yelling at them. You're not even calling out the right thing."
He snapped his fingers at the large wolfhound tied up in the corner of the dance hall.
“Teach this old man how to address him.”
"You little brat..."
Qi Yu stopped Boss Cheng's punch. The young man glanced at him, his eyes completely scrutinizing the stranger, but he tightened his grip on Miss Tu Mi's arm.
"Boss Cheng, why resort to violence here? This isn't a place to eat. Let's go somewhere else. We've been up all day."
"Okay, okay, I'll accompany the boss to another place for a drink."
With bodyguards clearing the way, Qi Yu glanced back at Miss Tu Mi as he walked out. Coincidentally, she was also looking in his direction. The two calmly stared at each other for a second before parting ways.
Finally free from the pungent smell of smoke and alcohol in the dance hall, Qi Yu's appetite was also gone. In the private room on the top floor of the Lizhuang Hotel, the Cheng Group's official reception hotel, Boss Cheng was drinking alone and got drunk, still bringing up the incident in the dance hall.
"Secretary Qi, how come Pei Youwen is such a convincing actress? She acts like a human during the day and a ghost at night. She even pretends not to recognize people when she sees them. What's the point of her painting? She should just go act instead."
"How did Mr. Cheng know that it was Pei Youwen?" Qi Yu leaned back slightly in his chair, looking at Mr. Cheng with a half-smile.
"Secretary Qi is confused too. Who else could it be but Pei Youwen? You saw him at the funeral. Putting aside everything else, he was really good-looking."
As he spoke, Boss Cheng looked at his son and shook his head with some regret.
His drunken state elicited a smile from Qi Yu, while his own son let out a disdainful snort.
"Mr. Cheng is too kind. I think your son is more outstanding."
"That's right!" Boss Cheng immediately became excited and even slammed his hand on the table. "My son is much more capable than him, and he will inherit my family business in the future..."
Boss Cheng paused for a moment, then leaned closer to Qi Yu and lowered his voice.
"Secretary Qi, don't you think something's wrong with the Pei family's situation?"
Qi Yu leaned back a little more, his expression wary and silent.
"Secretary Qi, don't worry, this is all our own territory. There are no recording devices or cameras. We're just having a casual chat after drinking. If ordinary people can talk about their own affairs, why can't we?"
"No, I was just wondering, Mr. Cheng, what do you think is wrong with them?"
“This is a huge problem! Secretary Qi definitely knows Pei Yuzhou better than I do. He holds onto even the smallest bit of power, leaving nothing behind. Would he not have a backup plan? Would he be willing to let others take away all that he has accumulated after his death, leaving nothing for his son? You have children too, this just doesn’t make sense.”
“It is somewhat unusual…” Qi Yu nodded in agreement, took a sip of tea, but then dismissed his question with a retort.
"But life and death are separated by a fine line, and even the smartest person cannot predict it."
"That's true... but also, have you heard about the Pei family's child?"
It seems that Boss Cheng is determined to bring Qi Yu to his side today, racking his brains to find topics to discuss.
"What is it?"
"Back then, after Pei Yuzhou's eldest son was assassinated by his enemies, his wife gave birth to twin sons the following year at an advanced age, namely Pei Youwen and his younger brother. However, his younger brother was murdered a few years ago. This old man has been troubled all his life, and in the end, he only left behind this useless son who can't do anything right."
"Does anyone know the eldest son of the Pei family?"
"It is said that his name is Pei Shang. I don't know why he chose such a name. No one has ever seen what he looks like. However, his twin sons look like their mother and are much better looking than Pei Yuzhou."
"Pei Youwen's younger brother..."
“Third Brother Pei, his name is… Pei Tanxi, yes.”
Boss Cheng eagerly answered, waving his hand to signal the others to nod in agreement.
Qi Yu tapped his fingers lightly on the rim of the cup for a long time, then smiled in a way that was both gentle and provocative.
"So, according to that logic, the Pei family is finished, with only a clueless playboy having sex underground. What is President Cheng still afraid of?"
"Oh, Secretary Qi, I'm not scared at all. I'm just taking precautions. The Pei family isn't completely finished. If they really cause trouble again one day, it might catch everyone off guard."
Qi Yu nodded as he listened to him speak, then took out his phone and sent a text message to Qi Shuyao. There was no reply for a long time. A while later, Han's mother sent a message saying that she cried when she got home that night, didn't eat much for dinner, and went to bed early.
The usually calm and composed man put down his phone and rubbed his temples. Lately, many things had spiraled out of control, leaving him exhausted. He wearily began to address Boss Cheng.
"President Cheng is such a decisive person. Ups and downs in the workplace are common, so why did he have to drive his whole family to their deaths?"
"Oh no, no, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I misspoke after drinking. But why am I the only one drinking at this table? Secretary Qi hasn't touched a drop."
Seeing that the conversation was turning sour, Boss Cheng pretended to be drunk and leaned closer, insisting on having a drink with him. Qi Yu clinked glasses with him and then spoke.
"How does Mr. Cheng plan to develop that piece of land?"
"A sweeping, earth-shaking transformation!"
"It seems that President Cheng knew all along that he would definitely be able to acquire that piece of land."
The two cunning foxes stared at each other, suppressing their inner rage but unable to vent it. Boss Cheng chuckled twice, a smile spreading across his dark red face, and patted his shoulder familiarly.
"Secretary Qi is much more straightforward than the old director. That old guy dawdles at the dinner table, only managing to squeeze out a single sentence after two bottles of wine, and he always ends up vomiting... Since Secretary Qi asked, I won't beat around the bush. This land has always been reserved by the Gu family. Remember how glorious it was when they were in office? It was all ruined by that Lin family. Actually, the Lin family is even more cunning, but they're good at pretending. Now they're all out of power, and nobody's doing well. But this land is still very useful. It used to be controlled by the Gu family's remnants, but now that Old He is in power, they're bound to make major changes. If I take it over now, things will be much easier. And with this land, I'll definitely share the profits with Secretary Qi. Then we can cooperate on other things, and things will go smoothly, hahaha..."
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