Xiao Li returned after seeing off the guests and sat on the high stool where the woman had been sitting. She asked the waiter to get her a glass of foreign liquor.
"Don't you need to go upstairs?" I asked.
"With a big boss like you accompanying me, why would I need to go up?" she replied, looking at me with glazed eyes, as if she wanted to devour me.
The woman from before returned and put her arm around Xiao Li, saying, "Stop trying him, he's broke. He's looking for cheap ones here."
It seemed they knew each other, but she didn't recognize me.
Xiao Li pushed her hand away and looked at me provocatively, "I'm not after his money, I'm after him. How about it, will you spend the night with me?"
The woman pouted, "Are you crazy? Giving yourself away? What's so good about this guy? Is he handsome, or is he good in bed?"
"He's good in every way. Want to try him?" Xiao Li retorted.
"I'm not interested. I still need to make money. If you get ripped off, don't say I didn't warn you!"
"Get lost, don't ruin my mood!"
The woman, acting like a helpful bystander, saw that she couldn't persuade Xiao Li and left dejectedly.
"Am I some kind of kept man? For you two to be teasing me like this?" I said indignantly.
"She's a snob, she doesn't even recognize you, a big boss. Shouldn't I teach her a lesson? You don't know her, her name is Xiao Feng. She was in the same year as us, a classmate from our school."
I grunted. Unexpectedly, another senior. But her dress and demeanor were like a woman of the night, with no trace of a student left.
Xiao Li said she had stopped attending classes long ago. She rented a place nearby and did "that" business, fishing for clients here and taking them back.
She said she didn't work, so she didn't recognize you.
I said it's best not to recognize each other, lest she actually try to reel me in like a fish.
"You're doing quite well lately, aren't you? In just a few days, you've climbed to vice president of the main company. That's one level higher than Zhou Yingying. Give me a chance to follow you, let me bask in your glory too."
I said, "We're fighting and killing all day. I'm afraid you'll bask in glory, but you'll definitely bleed."
"I'm willing to bleed if I'm by your side."
I quickly said, "I wouldn't dare take a girl into battle. You should focus on earning a stable living. At least no one dares to bully you here. Oh, right, where's Xiao Lian? Isn't she with you?"
"Xiao Lian went to Shenzhen after the New Year. She said it's easier to earn money there and they don't have to drink so much alcohol. We haven't been in touch since she left. I don't know if what she said is true. If it's easy to make money, I want to go too. The clients here have low quality. They just keep shoving alcohol down your throat as if not drinking themselves to death is an insult. "
We chatted for a while. I helped her order more drinks, but she quickly waved her hand, stopping me, "I have to go upstairs. The manager will scold me if I'm late."
I said, "Aren't you not afraid?"
"It's a lie that I'm not afraid. If I get fined, I'll have worked all night for nothing."
After finishing her drink, she gave me a flirtatious look and walked upstairs with a sway of her hips.
Xiao Li is a woman of true feelings, who dares to love and hate. At least she's more straightforward than Zhou Yingying.
After Xiao Li went upstairs, Xiao Feng sat back down. It seemed today's fishing was not going well, and she wanted to try her luck with me.
"My sister didn't take a liking to you, did she? Why did she leave?" she asked.
"She went upstairs to make money. She wants to hire me for the night, for three thousand. What, do you want to compete with her?"
"She's really a fool, working so hard to hire a gigolo. I wouldn't do such a losing business. Besides, what's so special about you that you're worth that much?"
"I'm wondering too, but she just wants to hire me. Isn't that infuriating?"
"She must be crazy to do something like that."
Just then, the manager on duty on the first floor came over and said to me, "Manager Li, Manager Lan wants to see you upstairs."
I smiled and stood up, saying to Xiao Feng, "If you don't compete with Sister Li, my price might even go up."
Xiao Feng looked at me blankly for a moment. I ignored her, got up, and went upstairs, leaving her bewildered in the wind.
Lan Ya said to me as I entered, "I just went to a private room to accompany a guest for a drink. The guest is from a certain bureau. He said a plot of land in the northern suburbs is up for auction. It used to be a farm, in the semi-mountainous area. It will surely appreciate in value once developed."
"Great," I said. "Let's go take a look as soon as possible and try to secure it."
Lan Ya said, "This farm has over three thousand mu of land and will be auctioned as a whole. The starting bid is fifty million. If major bosses participate in the bidding, it could go up several times. You need to think about how much money we can allocate."
I said, "Mr. Lin will be coming to see rough stones tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, we'll secure at least six hundred million. Brother Bao promised to give us ten percent each, so we'll have over a hundred million. If that's not enough, let Jing Lei front the money first, and we'll repay her later."
"That's fine," Lan Ya said. "But it's quite remote there. Maybe the big bosses won't be interested, and we'll get a bargain."
I said, "The chance of getting a bargain is slim. Ruili is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. There are too many people with vision and money. We're just starting out, and we might not be able to compete with them. You need to be mentally prepared."
Lan Ya nodded and said, "My home is not far from there. He said he knows this farm. It used to be very popular. People received subsidies with their salaries, and many people pulled strings to get posted there. I never expected it to become like this now."
I said, "Every era has its development model. Now the focus is on economic development. Eating from the big pot, like farms, cannot keep up with the times. Elimination is inevitable. Perhaps many years from now, when the cities develop and the economy prospers, people will return to pastoral life. At that time, with thousands of mu of land in our hands, we'll be highly sought after."
"I'll listen to you. Let's invest heavily to acquire it. It might be of great use in the future."
At that moment, someone knocked and entered. A waiter brought us a fruit platter and placed it on the coffee table before leaving.
I suddenly thought of Xiao Hong. I didn't know how she was doing. I told Lan Ya that I was going out for a bit to check on Xiao Hong at the second-floor bar.
It felt wrong to abandon her here and not check on her.
Xiao Li was busy in the preparation room. The fruit she served earlier was probably cut by her.
Seeing me, she smiled and said, "Are you done being busy?"
"Are you adapting well? Have you arranged your accommodation?" I asked.
"I'm adapting. Although this job is busy, I can handle it. Accommodation has also been arranged. I'm living with a few girls who work with us, two to a room, which is quite good. You focus on your work; I'm fine."
Even in her work uniform, she couldn't hide her beautiful face and graceful curves. Honestly, it was a bit of a hardship for her to be working here.
Once our own company is established, I'll definitely arrange a suitable position for her.
I gave her a few more instructions and took out a few thousand yuan from my pocket, giving it to her to buy some daily necessities, skincare products, and cosmetics.
She didn't refuse, put it in her pocket, and continued her work.
I turned and left. Although this job was a hardship for her, it could temporarily provide her with a place to settle. Once I make a comeback, I will never let the woman I love languish here.