"Rules are rules; we can't break the established regulations for just one person."
"Hehehe, that makes sense. How about this then? Have the manager issue an invoice, and you can reimburse me later."
Meng Jingwei knew that Qing Muyu was a man of strong principles, and the strict rule of the Ye Se Club was no credit, no discounts, and no special offers!
Perhaps Qing Muyu meant that the Ye Se Club couldn't offer discounts, but if she presented an invoice to him, he might reimburse her.
"You're the one who incurred the expenses, what reason do I have to reimburse you?"
Meng Jingwei: "..."
Hearing Qing Muyu's rigid attitude over the phone, she was stunned at first, then flew into a rage, "Qing Muyu, don't be so heartless. It's just a little money! You have so much money, it won't cost you a limb to charge me a little less! Do you know how hard it is to earn money? As someone struggling on the poverty line, where would I get so much? You're bullying me too much!"
"Knowing you're poor, yet ordering the most expensive drinks, that's called overestimating yourself."
"I... I thought you would give me a discount, damn it."
"Not understanding others, yet over-speculating, that's called being self-righteous."
"I..."
Meng Jingwei was rendered speechless by Qing Muyu's retort, burning with anger, gritting her teeth and asking, "I'll ask you one question, are you giving a discount or not?"
"I don't want to repeat myself."
"You, Qing Muyu, you better remember this, you truly are a scumbag, nothing more. And what kind of 'older brother' are you? Go to hell, you garbage. Besides using people, you're completely unfeeling. The moment you knew I had no value to you, you turned your back on me."
"Pah! I'll remember today's incident. From today onwards, you are no longer my brother, and I don't have a brother like you. No, I'm poor, I don't deserve someone as high and mighty as you. Goodbye!"
Meng Jingwei felt her anger burning fiercely within her. She hung up the phone without giving Qing Muyu a chance to respond.
Furious, she stood at the door, her anger lingering for a long time.
She looked up at the sky. The stars were brilliant, the moon was bright, and the cool night breeze dissipated some of her drunkenness.
Qing Muyu's words from earlier echoed in Meng Jingwei's mind: Knowing you're poor, yet ordering the most expensive drinks, that's called overestimating yourself; Not understanding others, yet over-speculating, that's called being self-righteous!
Indeed, Qing Muyu's words were not wrong at all.
She had indeed been too self-righteous, thinking that after spending so much time together with Qing Muyu, living in the same space, she naively believed that Qing Muyu would definitely give her a discount.
Instead, she was slapped hard in the face.
Meng Jingwei knew very well that Qing Muyu's attitude towards her had changed so quickly because she was about to leave Lancheng. From then on, she would no longer be of use to him, no longer a pawn in his game, with no further value to exploit.
Qing Muyu naturally wouldn't waste any more energy or resources on her.
Businessmen were inherently cunning.
She had been too naive.
"Heh heh."
After thinking everything through, Meng Jingwei gave a self-deprecating smile, shook her head, let out a deep sigh, and turned to walk back into the Ye Se Club.
Standing at the reception, Meng Jingwei looked at the bill: 1023991.22!
So expensive!
No wonder that dog Qing Muyu was so rich; they all ripped people off like this.
Clutching her bank card, she trembling handed it over.
The receptionist took her bank card but didn't pull it away, so she tugged harder. Meng Jingwei held on even tighter.
Looking at the beautiful receptionist, she said pitifully, "Little fairy, we've at least shared an encounter before, can you give me a discount?"
She had worked at the Ye Se Club before. Although she had 'changed' her face now, she was still the Meng Jingwei they knew.
The club staff had gossiped about Meng Jingwei and knew most of her story.
The receptionist forced a standard smile, "Sister Wei, I'm sorry, I really can't give you a discount. This is our club's rule. Please let go and give me the card."
She tugged at the bank card again, but the bank card seemed welded to Meng Jingwei's hand, impossible to pull free.
Meng Jingwei thought for a moment, then couldn't bear the pain. She said to the receptionist, "Forget it, I'll ask Young Master Xiao to pay. I'm broke!"
She pocketed the bank card and returned to the private room.
In the private room, the club's top performer whom Meng Jingwei had found for Xiao Cheng was singing, two "gentlemen" were playing drinking games, and Xiao Cheng was already drunk and lying on the sofa, fast asleep.
Seeing this scene, the corners of Meng Jingwei's mouth twitched.
She looked down at the bank card in her hand, endured the pain, and returned to the reception. She slapped the bank card onto the counter, "Quick, quick, swipe the card, or I'll change my mind if you're any later."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
The receptionist swiped the bank card through the machine, had Meng Jingwei enter her PIN, and everything was settled in just one minute.
When the receptionist handed the receipt to Meng Jingwei, she clearly saw the consumption amount of over a million on the slip. She almost spat out blood from the heartache.
Carrying the receipt back to the private room, Meng Jingwei used her phone to call a designated driver and then helped the drunken Xiao Cheng out of the club and into his car.
"Hello, where would you like to go?" the designated driver asked.
Meng Jingwei suddenly realized that she didn't know where Xiao Cheng lived.
"To a hotel, the nearest one," she said.
The designated driver tilted his head, looking at the club beside them, and said, "Isn't this a combination of bar and hotel?"
"Let's go, let's go! Wherever it's cheap, preferably a place for fifty yuan a night. The Ye Se Club is too expensive, we can't afford it, we can't afford it."
She waved her hand, still unable to escape the shadow of the million-dollar consumption.
"Uh, okay, I know a place for fifty yuan a night."
"Good that you know, let's get going quickly."
"Okay."
The designated driver drove them to a remote and dilapidated hotel on the outskirts of the city. When Meng Jingwei asked for the price, it was indeed fifty yuan.
They took Xiao Cheng to his room and placed him on the bed.
Meng Jingwei then went downstairs with the designated driver.
As they walked out of the hotel, the designated driver asked Meng Jingwei, "Do you still want to drive back to the city?"
"This isn't my car, why would I drive it?"
"Then, could you please settle the designated driver fee?"
"How much?"
"Sixty-five."
"What? Sixty-five? That's so expensive?"
Meng Jingwei was dumbfounded, unable to accept it.
Truthfully, she didn't have a car and had never hired a designated driver before, so she had no idea about the cost.
Only at this moment did she realize that hiring a designated driver was truly not as cheap as taking a taxi.
"Yes, this is the fee standard for designated driver companies."
"Fine, fine."
Meng Jingwei had no choice but to pay. She endured another pang of heartache and settled the sixty-five yuan.
And then...
She forlornly took a taxi back to the Ye Se Apartment in the city center, which cost her over thirty yuan more.