Quan Jiu's eyes were as wide and timid as a young deer's. She got up softly, murmuring, "It's nothing, thank you."
Even though An Changxian had seen many beautiful women, he was momentarily stunned by such exquisite beauty. While he was lost in thought, the woman before him suddenly cried out, "Be careful!" and looked fearfully behind him.
An Changxian reacted reflexively with a back kick, landing squarely in the groin of the heavily tattooed man. The man howled in pain.
"Get out of here," An Changxian ordered sternly.
To his surprise, the tattooed man ignored him. "Make that bitch return my money. Thirty-seven thousand, not a cent less."
Quan Jiu looked innocently startled. "I don't know him, let alone his money. I don't know anything."
The tattooed man was so enraged he forgot the pain in his groin. He jumped up and shouted, "The bill is right there on the table, and you still deny it!"
His take from the job was only twenty thousand. He had expected the bill to be at most a hundred yuan, insignificant. Who knew it was over thirty thousand? Not only would he not profit, but he'd also lose money. How could he just leave like this?
Quan Jiu frowned slightly. "Why did you pay my bill for no reason?"
The surrounding crowd immediately began to murmur. From their appearances alone, it was clear who was in the right and who was in the wrong. The tattooed man must have been trying to take advantage of the young lady, resorting to this old trick of paying the bill.
The tattooed man choked. "I just sat at your table for a moment, and you made me pay the bill."
"And then you paid it? I was just joking, why did you take it seriously? Besides, didn't you say you went to pay the bill yourself? What does that have to do with me?" Quan Jiu said meekly.
"You..." The tattooed man, unable to argue, turned to An Changxian. "If you're going to stand up for her, then return my money, or I'm not leaving today. We'll go down together."
An Changxian's eyes threatened, "If you don't leave, you'll be arrested."
"I don't care. I'm not leaving until I get my money," the tattooed man declared, sitting down on the ground.
Seeing their boss sit down, his two subordinates followed suit, acting like three ruffians.
An Changxian saw that the security guards downstairs were already on their way up and couldn't afford to delay any longer. Helplessly, he signaled to the tattooed man with his eyes: You leave first, and I'll reimburse you later.
The tattooed man glared angrily: No, give me the money first, then I'll leave. What if you refuse to pay later?
They were at an impasse. In the end, An Changxian relented. He smiled and said, "Since this lady owes you money, I'll pay it for her. I only hope you won't bother this lady again in the future."
The tattooed man sprang up like a carp, quickly opened his payment QR code, and only after confirming the money had arrived did he leave with his two subordinates.
Over thirty thousand. An Changxian's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a nonchalant demeanor, flashing a warm, spring-like smile. "You must have been frightened."
Quan Jiu nodded pitifully. "You shouldn't have given him the money. He tricked you. I don't owe him anything. For a thug like that, you should have waited for the security to catch him, why let him escape?"
An Changxian's heart skipped another beat. He smiled, "It's fine. A mere thirty thousand yuan to save you from trouble is worth it. By the way, my name is An Changxian. May I know the name of this beautiful lady?"
Quan Jiu smiled gratefully. "My name is Quan Jiu."
"Miss Quan," An Changxian said, pointing to a chair. "Don't let unrelated people ruin your mood. I'm alone, and it seems you are too. Why don't we share a table? It would also prevent us from being seen as odd ones out."
"I'm waiting for a friend, but I don't think she'll mind. Please, sit down," Quan Jiu said with a slight smile.
An Changxian's breath hitched. Such a stunning woman, a single smile could captivate anyone. No wonder she could make the tattooed man pay the bill with just a few words.
At that moment, a waiter brought over a plate of food. Just as he was about to set it down, he heard, "Can I get this to go?"
The waiter quickly nodded. "Yes, you can."
"Alright then, pack all the dishes and drinks for me to take away. I don't want to eat here anymore," Quan Jiu said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
The waiter, aware of the recent commotion, apologized a few times and went to pack the order.
An Changxian almost choked. He chuckled, "Are you leaving? Not waiting for your friend?"
"I am waiting. I'll leave after she arrives. Didn't you order any drinks or food?" Quan Jiu asked curiously.
"I did. It's at the next table. Waiter," An Changxian called out, asking the waiter to move his order to their table.
However, since the food had already been brought to the table, An Changxian couldn't bring himself to eat while the beautiful lady watched. He persuaded her, "Why don't you eat and drink a little? Your friend might not arrive for a while."
"That's right. I don't even know where I parked," Quan Jiu pouted, picking up her chopsticks. "Then we'll eat first and wait slowly."
An Changxian chuckled. "Okay. Would you like to order more? Two people might not be enough. Or perhaps you could ask them to bring what you ordered."
Quan Jiu shook her head. "It's too much trouble. I already asked them to pack it. If I ask them to bring it again, it would be like toying with them, and I'd get scolded. How about you order more? I don't really want to eat. If you want to eat, you order." As she spoke, she picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.
An Changxian chuckled inwardly. The lady's way of thinking was a bit hard to follow.
However, a single plate of food and a glass of wine clearly wouldn't sustain a conversation. An Changxian had to order several more dishes and drinks, costing over ten thousand yuan.
Looking at his severely depleted wallet, An Changxian felt a pang of pain. He had spent fifty thousand yuan before even achieving anything. This beauty was indeed thorny.
However, this also ignited his competitive spirit. Putting aside the fact that the beauty opposite him was stunning, the sheer difficulty of the situation made him secretly vow to win her over.
It didn't matter. Once the fish took the bait, millions would be a small price to pay. The current expenditure was nothing.
With this thought, An Changxian's expression improved considerably. He brought out his full charm and began to "fish" earnestly.
His professional skills were clearly not for show. Throughout the conversation, Quan Jiu was amused and laughed heartily. For a moment, she even forgot that she was in a honey trap.
Fortunately, it was only for a moment.
"Then how did you get back in the end?" Quan Jiu asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
An Changxian was secretly pleased. No matter how guarded a woman was, once she fell for his storytelling, she was bound to be ensnared. "How did you get back?" was a question almost every woman he had "fished" had asked. And every woman who had asked this question had eventually willingly opened her purse strings, or even her heart.
"If we have the chance to meet again, I'll tell you then. I have to keep some secrets for myself, don't I?" An Changxian winked lightly.
Quan Jiu looked disappointed. "Oh, tell me! I'm impatient. If I'm engrossed in a drama one night, I lose interest by the next morning. If you tell me next time, I won't want to hear it anymore."
An Changxian's brow twitched slightly. Beautiful lady, shouldn't you be happily arranging our next meeting?
However, seeing the lady's expectant yet slightly disappointed expression, he almost blurted out the answer several times. Fortunately, he swallowed the words as they reached his throat, reminding himself: Stay calm, stick to the plan, don't get sidetracked.
Maintaining his composure, An Changxian finished his last sip of wine. He then checked his watch and said apologetically, "Has your friend not arrived yet? I'm sorry, I have something to attend to and must leave. I can't stay with you any longer."
Quan Jiu waved her hand. "Okay, no problem. I had a very pleasant chat with you today. Thank you for treating me to food and drinks."
An Changxian waited for two seconds before getting up to leave.