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墨書 Inktalez
Deng Xiaomei's originally charming smile stiffened upon seeing me. She widened her eyes, as if she had never seen me before. I coldly laughed at her; it truly was a case of thirty years on the west bank and thirty years on the east bank, never expecting to see her here again.
"Lu Ye, this is the new girl from this batch. We brought her over as soon as she arrived," the man who had just entered leaned closer to Lu Ming, his voice loud enough for me to hear clearly. Judging by Deng Xiaomei's reaction, she seemed to hear it just as well.
Very good.
"Keep this one; send the others away." Lu Ming extended his finger, and the man nodded knowingly. With a grin, he took the stack of cash Lu Ming handed him and left with four or five women, leaving only Deng Xiaomei behind.
Deng Xiaomei's expression was a mix of emotions but quickly returned to indifference. She probably adapted faster than I did; perhaps she recalled something and let out a cold laugh, resigned to stand there.
"Go over there and take care of Lu Ye." The man, resembling a foreman, pulled Deng Xiaomei to Lu Ming's side. Her face gradually turned very ugly, perhaps recalling the "Lu Ming" that Huang Zhang had taken her to see earlier; after all, even I found him quite terrifying just from what I had heard.
After awkwardly sitting next to Lu Ming, Qin Yi across from them watched with great interest, saying nothing but smiling. Wang Yue turned to Qin Yi and whispered a couple of things in her ear but did not interfere in any way.
Lu Ming appeared relaxed as if nothing had happened, treating Deng Xiaomei like air. What was his reason for calling her over? What was he up to?
Not long after—about ten minutes into my observation of Deng Xiaomei—someone approached. Upon closer inspection, it was Huang Zhang, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
Things were developing in increasingly shocking ways. Huang Zhang calmly walked up to Lu Ming. Qin Yi suddenly stood up and exchanged a few words with Huang Zhang before taking Huang Zhang's place at her table. Clearly, Qin Yi willingly gave up her seat for Huang Zhang before walking over to me.
Once seated beside me, Qin Yi linked her arm with mine: "I'll stay here with you."
I ignored her and continued to watch intently across the room. Was Huang Zhang called over by Lu Ming? What was Lu Ming's purpose in doing this?
I had been paying close attention to this matter when amidst the booming music, I could still catch snippets of their conversation—likely some formulaic small talk. Neither Huang Zhang nor Lu Ming acknowledged Deng Xiaomei sitting nearby.
Deng Xiaomei sensibly kept her head down without looking up. I couldn't see her expression but could imagine what kind of bitterness she must be feeling right now.
Then the two began raising their glasses and drinking repeatedly. After Qin Yi toasted me, she ran over to join Lu Ming and Huang Zhang, chatting amiably with them. Perhaps Huang Zhang had known or heard about Qin Yi before.
After all, Qin Yi's family is more worthy of association than Lu Ming's. Huang Zhang's face was full of flattery. Before long, Qin Yi waved at me to come over, and I felt a sinking feeling in my heart, wondering if this was already a rehearsal for the main event.
When I walked over, I chose to sit in the space that Qin Yi had made for me between her and Huang Zhang. Qin Yi naturally linked her arm with mine and introduced me to Huang Zhang: "Huang Ge, let me introduce you. This is one of my good sisters, named Zhuang Jun. Huang Ge, you must take good care of her in the future."
Huang Zhang nodded cheerfully but didn't immediately mention how he knew me. Instead, he praised Qin Yi: "A warm-hearted person like Qin Mei really knows how to make friends. I, Huang, am almost ashamed!"
Qin Yi chuckled: "Huang Ge is joking again. Actually, the person I wanted to see most after returning to the country is you, Huang Ge. Every time I hear Lu Ming talk about you, it's all good things. I've never heard him praise anyone before; after all, in business, no one admits defeat to anyone else. If Lu Ming praises Huang Ge, it must be because you have exceptional qualities."
Qin Yi surely knew about how Huang Zhang had messed up Lu Ming's project before; saying this was likely more sarcastic than sincere. Huang Zhang caught on but wouldn't choose to show his displeasure at such a moment; after all, Qin Yi wasn't Deng Xiaomei.
Speaking of Deng Xiaomei, she had been sitting quietly in the corner without speaking or moving. Once the conversation shifted towards her, several pairs of eyes turned in her direction, prompting Deng Xiaomei to finally lift her head. The one looking at her was Huang Zhang.
"I say Lu Ming, you really are something. You called someone here to keep you company and just left them hanging? You really have too much money to burn; I'm not very pleased with your behavior today," Qin Yi feigned an unhappy expression.
Lu Ming shot her a cold glance: "I called for President Huang's sake; it's for President Huang's entertainment."
Qin Yi seemed to understand and immediately smiled again: "Oh dear, I didn't realize! Look at me, Huang Ge; I was being inconsiderate. It's still Lu Ming who knows how to handle things. I just wanted him to bring you out; since Lu Ming has done this, Huang Ge should give him some face, right?"
Huang Zhang continued to smile but remained silent, nodding as Qin Yi stood up and pulled Deng Xiaomei over.
I stood up tactfully to give Deng Xiaomei a seat. After Qin Yi led Deng Xiaomei to sit next to Huang Zhang, she introduced her again: "Huang Ge, what do you think of this sister? If you don't like her, I can ask Foreman to switch her out."
Huang Zhang nodded with a smile: "Since Qin Mei found her for me, how could I not like her?"
"Then as long as Huang Ge likes her, let's pour some drinks for him."
Compared to her earlier arrogance in front of me, Deng Xiaomei now wore a numb expression as she performed a series of actions before lifting the wine glass and handing it to Huang Zhang. Next to them, Qin Yi looked somewhat displeased: "Is this your first time here? Why do you look so unwilling while doing your job? Do you know how many people want to serve Huang Ge?"
A harsh remark pulled Deng Xiaomei back to reality. She forced a self-deprecating smile and said, "Sorry, President Huang, let me toast you."
After handing her wine glass to Huang Zhang, Deng Xiaomei quickly poured herself a drink and clinked glasses with Huang Zhang in a perfunctory manner. She raised the glass to her lips, but at that moment, Qin Yi slapped Deng Xiaomei across the face, causing her to spill the drink.
Deng Xiaomei coughed with her head down, while Qin Yi's face was filled with anger. "What's wrong with you? A hostess should be more pleasant and not act so ungratefully!"
As Qin Yi spoke, she was about to call for the Foreman. Huang Zhang, who had been silent, stopped her. "Sister Qin, please don't make a big deal out of this. It's just a small matter."
"That won't do. She's here to serve Huang Ge, and looking like this makes it seem like she doesn't want to work. Isn't she trying to create a rift between Huang Ge and us? I must call the Foreman over."
With a glance from Qin Yi, Wang Yue eagerly went to fetch the Foreman. The Foreman came in front of Qin Yi, nodding and bowing as he listened to her complaints about Deng Xiaomei. The Foreman was perceptive; after glancing at us without showing any emotion, he immediately turned serious and scolded Deng Xiaomei for being dull-witted and for owing their bar money, questioning whether she intended to pay it back.
I was taken aback and couldn't help but interject, "Owe money? What do you mean?"
The Foreman quickly understood and replied, "It's like this, ma'am. She recently owed our bar some money. She said she couldn't pay it back and came to work at our hotel to make up for it. At this rate, I doubt she'll ever pay it off while working at our bar."
I didn't know how Deng Xiaomei had ended up owing money to a bar, but it seemed connected to Lu Ming. Looking over at Deng Xiaomei in the dim light, her expression was indifferent. To my surprise, when I glanced at her, she was looking back at me.
Her eyes seemed to ask if I was satisfied.
To be honest, I had been shocked before, but now that I roughly understood the situation, an unshakeable sense of glee bubbled up inside me. As for whether I was satisfied or not—of course not! I believed there were still more exciting developments waiting for me. How could I be satisfied with this? That would be too humble compared to the hurt I had previously endured.
"Let's not talk about anything else; your bar needs to give an explanation for how disappointing she is," Qin Yi suddenly asked the Foreman.
The Foreman tentatively suggested, "How about I get you all someone else?"
Qin Yi shook her head. "Just her; we don't want anyone else. If your bar can't even manage this one properly, then perhaps it's time for you all to reconsider your future."
The Foreman’s face turned pale. “No, no, Sister Qin, whatever you say goes. We will cooperate fully with whatever you decide.”
“If the performance is not good, then training is necessary. Let’s do it here. I can see that there’s still a hint of arrogance deep down.”
Qin Yi's intention was clear; she wanted to embarrass Deng Xiaomei. In the not-so-distant dance floor, a program had just ended. Qin Yi pointed to the center and asked the Foreman if there were any more performances. If not, she suggested that Deng Xiaomei come up and perform a pole dance to liven things up.
The Foreman nodded vigorously and turned away to communicate with someone through the intercom. After finishing, he turned back with a fierce glare at Deng Xiaomei, urging her to get up quickly and asking what she was still dawdling for.
Deng Xiaomei hesitated before standing in front of the Foreman. He immediately began scolding her and brought up the pole dance issue, likely because she didn’t want to participate. He slapped her across the face, causing her head to turn sideways.
“Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty shot. This is your last chance; don’t let it slip away. You need to understand how much money you owe our bar!”
This was the second time I witnessed Deng Xiaomei being hit tonight. I suddenly saw in her what I had once been—someone at the mercy of others. Back then, Deng Xiaomei had bullied me with Huang Zhang’s backing, and I could only grit my teeth and swallow my anger.
Now, everything has changed; truly, thirty years in the east and thirty years in the west.
In stark contrast to Deng Xiaomei's thoughts, I wished that time would slow down a bit; this was my moment.
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