Huo Zheng found an empty table and sat down. He smiled at Gu Susu and asked, "Do you think this place isn't high-class enough?"
Gu Susu didn't answer him and sat directly opposite him. She thought that in such a noisy and crowded place, she didn't need to worry about what he might do.
Since she was hungry anyway, a late-night snack was fine. She was actually quite pleased with the roadside stall-like setting.
The boss, with a cigarette tucked behind his ear, walked over and asked them what they wanted to order.
Huo Zheng politely asked Gu Susu what she wanted to eat. Gu Susu took a pair of disposable chopsticks from the holder, broke them apart forcefully, and said, "Whatever. As long as you, Young Master Huo, are happy."
Without even looking at the greasy menu, Huo Zheng familiarly ordered a pile of grilled dishes. He then said to Gu Susu with a touch of pride, "The best places for late-night snacks are always found in the common neighborhoods."
Gu Susu absently replied with an "Oh," her mind preoccupied with whether Sister Jing had found anything at the police station and if Ya Nan was alright.
Before long, the boss brought over the first batch of grilled dried tofu, potatoes, and other items. Gu Susu didn't hesitate and started eating.
Seeing her eat without any pretense, Huo Zheng found himself somewhat captivated. He knew that even the lowest-ranking ladies would put on a show when eating in front of him.
Gu Susu, seeing him looking at her like he'd found a rare specimen, pushed the metal plate towards him and said gruffly, "Didn't you want to come out for a late-night snack? Why aren't you eating?"
Huo Zheng picked up a skewer of potatoes and, imitating her, took a bite and pulled. He found this way of eating quite satisfying.
When he had come here for barbecue with that group of young masters before, they had all used chopsticks to pick up the grilled meat and vegetables.
Gu Susu watched him, knowing what this young master was thinking. He probably found it interesting and novel, seeing her as a change of pace.
Just then, Gu Susu's phone rang. She picked it up and answered, "Hello."
"Susu, where are you? Why aren't you at home?"
Wei Ya Nan's voice came from the other end of the phone. Gu Susu immediately put down the barbecue she was eating. "Ya Nan, did you go back?"
"Yes, I'm fine now." Ya Nan was lying on her bed, her eyes still red. She said, "Some fool turned himself in to the police station, claiming he did it, so I'm okay."
"It's good that you're okay. I'm out having a late-night snack and will be back soon." The weight in Gu Susu's heart lifted.
Without waiting for Ya Nan to ask anything else, she hung up.
Huo Zheng had heard her phone call. He winked at her and said, "Didn't I tell you? Your friend is fine. How will you thank me?"
Gu Susu looked at him, smiled, and took out a hundred-yuan bill from her bag. "The trouble was caused by you, so it's only right that you fix it. Thank me? Don't dream! Don't think you can buy everything with a bit of money. Are you young masters even considered men? Bullying women who are struggling to survive at the bottom just to highlight your noble status? It truly disgusts me!"
With that, she threw the money at Huo Zheng's face and turned to leave without looking back.
The bill landed on Huo Zheng's nose. He pinched it between two fingers and watched the defiant woman walk away. He wished he could strangle this woman who could turn on him so easily. He slapped the money onto the small table and shouted at the boss, "The bill!"
...
Gu Susu walked faster and faster. She only looked back after walking a considerable distance and, seeing that Huo Zheng hadn't followed, quickly hailed a taxi.
She returned to her residence, having narrowly escaped trouble. She noticed the lights were on in the room and Ya Nan was still awake. She walked into Ya Nan's room and asked, "Everything is fine now, why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Ya Nan looked at Susu and said nothing, tears streaming down her face.
Susu quickly sat beside her and asked, "What's wrong? Were you mistreated at the police station?"
But Ya Nan still didn't speak. She hugged Susu tightly and burst into tears.
With Ya Nan saying nothing, Gu Susu didn't know how to comfort her, so she just gently patted her back.
After crying for a while, Ya Nan seemed to have had her fill. She looked at Susu and said, "I met Su Kangxi."
"Kangxi?" Susu finally understood why she was so upset. She sighed, "Don't think about it too much. Aren't you tired after all this today? Get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow will be a new day."
Ya Nan stopped fussing and returned to her room. Thinking about the way Huo Zheng looked at her that night, she felt like she was being targeted. It seemed she couldn't stay at the club for long.
She advised Ya Nan to sleep well, but she herself couldn't sleep. She went online to find out who this Huo Zheng actually was.
She didn't know what she was getting into until she started searching. She couldn't believe it when she found out that Huo Zheng was Huo Jin's younger brother.
He had a lot of gossip surrounding him online; he was just a playboy who didn't do any proper work.
Huo Jin had helped her a lot and was indebted to her. She never expected him to have such a brother.
Given the situation, she needed to stay even further away from Huo Zheng. She had left without saying goodbye precisely because she didn't want to implicate Huo Jin and the others anymore. If Huo Zheng were to discover her hiding in the club, then Huo Jin and Chang Qingchuan would definitely come looking for her.
But if she left the club, where else could she hide? And how long would she have to keep hiding like this?
Whenever the night was quiet, the thought of Qin Tianyi and Little Star would wrench her heart with pain. They were in the same city, sometimes so close, yet they couldn't see each other, let alone acknowledge each other...
...
In the following days, Gu Susu found herself encountering Huo Zheng frequently and unintentionally at the club.
It seemed this playboy was not giving up. He came to the club every night, wanting to prove his charm and that there was no woman he couldn't conquer.
But Gu Susu knew he was wasting his efforts. She had seen too many of these young masters and couldn't be swayed by his petty tricks.
Gu Susu was busy cleaning in the restroom when a server found her and told her, "Sister Susu, Room 8 wants you to clean again."
"Okay," Gu Susu replied. She thought to herself that this was the third time Huo Zheng had asked her to clean a private room tonight. He was clearly bored and had nothing better to do.
He was using her work to pressure her, so she had no choice but to go.
Upon entering the private room, she found that the floor she had just cleaned was once again covered in melon seeds.
As she began sweeping without a word, several young masters with Huo Zheng were still cracking melon seeds and throwing them on the floor, making it impossible for her to finish cleaning quickly.
Gu Susu swept with increasing anger. She swept her broom towards the feet of the person cracking seeds and said impolitely, "Lift your foot."
When the person lifted his foot a little too slowly, she swept the broom onto his leather shoe.
That young master immediately cried out in alarm, "These leather shoes are very expensive. Can you afford to pay if they get stained?"
Gu Susu retorted, "Who told you to throw melon seed shells everywhere? I was just trying to sweep the melon seed shells off your shoes. If you care about your shoes, then throw the melon seed shells in the trash!"
"You're just a cleaner here. It's none of my business where I throw them. I'll throw them wherever I please," the young master said, and continued to throw melon seed shells on the floor.