Upon entering the bar, Yan Shouyi felt as if his very soul was about to be shaken out of his body by the deafening music.
He observed the dissolute youths within, unrestrained in their indulgence of desires, and felt a sense of alienation from the environment.
In the past, accompanying his grandfather, he had enjoyed the quiet pleasure of brewing tea and, at most, playing a few games of chess with him.
If asked about his interests, he would naturally say carpentry. From small-scale carving to constructing houses, Yan Shouyi possessed an extraordinary talent for observation. He could instantly recall a person's appearance and all their details, even analyzing their internal structure in his mind.
His grandfather had once praised Yan Shouyi as having a pair of "insightful eyes," but also cautioned him that the most unfathomable thing in the world was the human heart. Even with insightful eyes, one could not see through it. When Yan Shouyi asked how to truly understand people, his grandfather merely smiled, pointed to his own blind eyes, and said, "The human heart cannot be seen or touched; one can only close their eyes and feel it with their heart."
Returning to the present.
Yan Shouyi followed Zhang Yingying through the crowded throng to a booth in the center of the bar's second floor.
During their passage, he made physical contact with numerous scantily clad young women, making him feel somewhat awkward and constrained. Zhang Yingying observed all this, her disdain for Yan Shouyi deepening.
"Just got caught in the vice squad raid, and now he's blushing. What a faker!"
"Stick close to me when we go in. Don't say anything out of turn. Just answer 'yes' or 'no' to whatever they ask," Zhang Yingying cautioned.
Yan Shouyi nodded and let out another yawn.
It was nearly two in the morning. Having not rested properly for two consecutive nights, Yan Shouyi could barely keep his eyes open.
Seeing him yawn, Zhang Yingying couldn't help but remark, "Tired already at two in the morning? Are you even a young person?"
As she spoke, Zhang Yingying entered the booth. The moment she stepped in, her face seemed to blossom, and she called out with a radiant smile,
"Brother Wang Kang! So sorry, I'm late!"
Yan Shouyi blinked. It was the first time he had ever seen someone's demeanor change so rapidly.
The booth was occupied by young people, and three bottles of Ace of Spades champagne, each costing 28,888, were placed on the table. Yan Shouyi was unaware that the consumption for this single booth alone approached a hundred thousand.
In the center of the booth sat a young man in a green shirt with his hair slicked back. He smiled and waved at Zhang Yingying.
"Yingying, you're late. Don't you owe us three drinks?"
Zhang Yingying showed a distressed expression. "Brother Wang Kang, I'm not feeling up to it lately."
"What's not to be up to? My father and your father have a relationship. Don't you think that's worth three drinks?" Wang Kang gave her no quarter, his gaze openly scanning Zhang Yingying, lingering particularly on her exposed legs.
This Wang Kang was no good.
As the saying goes, a person's appearance reflects their inner self. Wang Kang had a narrow forehead, a flat nose bridge, but wide and long nostrils – a physiognomy of treachery and malice.
Furthermore, Yan Shouyi noticed that Wang Kang's expression was filled with lust, and a faint aura of depravity hung in his brows, indicating that this person had engaged in much debauchery!
Sensing Wang Kang was not a good person and driven by a man's sense of responsibility, Yan Shouyi could not allow Zhang Yingying to be plied with drinks by Wang Kang.
So, he stepped forward, grabbed a bottle of wine, and downed it in large gulps, finishing it in one go.
Afterward, he wiped his mouth and said to Wang Kang, "Bro, Yingying isn't feeling up to drinking. I'll have it on her behalf!"
As his words fell, the booth fell silent. Wang Kang stared at Yan Shouyi with wide eyes, while the young men beside him wore expressions of schadenfreude, anticipating a spectacle.
Zhang Yingying was stunned. "Do you even know what you just drank? That's Ace of Spades, thirty thousand a bottle!"
Although Ace of Spades wasn't exactly a top-tier wine, young people ordered it specifically to show off.
Before anyone else could drink, Yan Shouyi had already downed an entire bottle by himself.
Was this something a person would do?!
Wang Kang's face darkened, and he glared at Yan Shouyi. "Who do you think you are?"
Yan Shouyi glanced at Zhang Yingying. "I'm Yingying's boyfriend."
Zhang Yingying couldn't help but cover her forehead.
This plot development was completely different from what she had imagined.
She had only intended to use Wang Kang to drive Yan Shouyi away, but now it seemed Yan Shouyi might even get beaten up by Wang Kang.
However, a beating might be good. Although her father, Zhang Guodong, constantly praised Yan Shouyi, in Zhang Yingying's eyes, Yan Shouyi was clearly a country bumpkin and a swindler.
Let him get beaten. What could he do to me?
Therefore, Zhang Yingying, deciding to embrace the inevitable, directly turned on Yan Shouyi, taking Wang Kang's hand. "Brother Wang Kang, he's not my boyfriend. He's just a casual friend my dad introduced!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Wang Kang narrowed his eyes.
"But he has ulterior motives toward me..." Zhang Yingying whispered.
Yan Shouyi looked at Zhang Yingying in surprise. How could this woman be so full of lies and hypocrisy?
He had clearly stepped in to help her out of a bind, yet she turned around and accused him of having ulterior motives towards her!
His grandfather was right; the prettier the woman, the more she lied!
Wang Kang said coldly, "Everyone in Rongcheng knows Yingying is my woman, Wang Kang. Kid, you really don't know the meaning of death."
Yan Shouyi's heart grew cold. He thought that since he had saved Zhang Guodong, Zhang Yingying would at least show some gratitude. Instead, it turned out to be a tale of the farmer and the viper.
Since you are unrighteous, do not blame me for being unrighteous.
Yan Shouyi's expression also darkened, and he stared at Zhang Yingying. "Have you considered the consequences of what you're saying?"
Since things had reached this point, Zhang Yingying stopped pretending. She spoke to Yan Shouyi with a tone of disdain. "Look at yourself. It's only because my dad, in his middle age, can't keep up with the times that he was fooled by you. But you want to fool me? Not a chance!"
"You'd better stand by what you said."
Yan Shouyi smiled faintly.
As a descendant of Lu Ban, he possessed pride.
They never showed mercy to those who repaid kindness with ingratitude.
It was important to remember that although the "Lu Ban Book" contained many spells for saving people, it also contained far more malevolent arts for harming them!
Otherwise, how could the Lu Ban Sect have become one of the forbidden sects!
Since the words had been spoken, Yan Shouyi saw no reason to linger. He turned to leave, but Wang Kang's two lackeys blocked his path.
Wang Kang's voice drifted over lazily. "You country bumpkin, you bullied my girlfriend and think you can just walk away? You're thinking too simply of me, Wang Kang."
Yan Shouyi remained undaunted, turning to face Wang Kang. "What do you want?"
Having traveled extensively with his grandfather, Yan Shouyi had encountered many benevolent individuals and many utterly wicked people.
When people turn truly bad, even ghosts fear them.
A villain like Wang Kang, in Yan Shouyi's eyes, didn't even rank in the top hundred. He saw through Wang Kang at a glance as someone who was all bluster and bravado, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Wang Kang pointed to the dice on the table and said with a sinister grin, "Swallow these five dice, and I'll let you go."
Swallowing five dice raw could lead to intestinal issues, and in the worst-case scenario, it could even be fatal due to infection.
Zhang Yingying felt that the situation was escalating beyond her expectations and couldn't help but persuade, "Brother Wang Kang, why don't we just let him go? It's really not a big deal..."
However, Wang Kang completely ignored Zhang Yingying's plea and instead moved closer to Yan Shouyi.
"My dad says that if you're not ruthless, you won't stand firm. When you get an opportunity, you have to crush the other person to death. That's how people will respect you, fear you, and not dare to provoke you!"
Facing Wang Kang's aggressive stance, Yan Shouyi's expression revealed neither pleasure nor anger.
He simply said, "Wang Kang, your surname is Wang. You must be from the Wang family of Jianzhou Province, right? And your father's company should be a subsidiary of Wang Group. Am I correct?"
To have his background revealed by such a country bumpkin, Wang Kang was somewhat surprised.
However, even so, Wang Kang didn't take him seriously. "So what? My dad is the chairman of Wang Building Materials Company, the second son of Wang Group, Wang Liquan!"
"Very good."
Yan Shouyi smiled faintly. Wang Kang announcing his identity saved him the trouble of asking.
He picked up the dice cup on the table and gently shook it. Upon looking inside, he saw that the five dice were all ones!
This feat astonished everyone else. What incredible luck did this kid have to easily roll five ones?
Damn it, he's showing off!
Yan Shouyi pointed at the five dice and said softly, "In five minutes, I will make you kneel before me and beg me for mercy!!"