Chapter 31: Drank Until Blackout

The man smiled faintly. "It’s fine. I know the rules you people follow. I’m paying, and my money is clean."

I paused, then laughed. "You are truly a witty fellow. It would be quite heartless of me to refuse you now."

"Haha, exactly, little brother. We’re all just working for money; we’re just in different industries. Money is the cleanest thing there is—it has no inherent character."

I was stunned. This man was more subtle than Li Si, but far more insightful.

"Alright, brother. Let’s sit down and have a drink," I said.

When I looked back at our table, Li Si had already fallen asleep, and Brother You was glaring at the man with a look of hostility.

"Little brother, your friend has had too much to drink. Why don't you come to my table? I’ll introduce you to another gentleman—he’s a big boss."

I was already fairly tipsy and feeling sentimental. I looked at Brother You and said, "Brother You, please take Brother Si back first. I’ll find a place to sleep once I’m done here, and I’ll head home tomorrow."

Brother You nodded, helped Li Si up, and left.

The middle-aged man kept smiling at Brother You, his expression full of goodwill.

Once Brother You had gone, the man brought me to another table where two others were sitting: a man in his fifties with a well-maintained, fair complexion, and a man in his thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

The man introduced them: "This is President Li, and this is Boss Zhang." He introduced the bespectacled man first.

I looked at the man, swaying slightly. "I don’t believe we’ve met, have we?"

"My name is Wang Qiang. I’m one of those 'public servants' you mentioned."

As soon as I sat down, Boss Zhang spoke up. "Young man, look at President Li here. His business hasn't been going well this year. Do you have any advice for him?"

Wang Qiang didn't say a word, just picked up the bottle and filled my glass.

I looked up at the President Li he mentioned. His hands were resting on the large table, and his fingers were naturally curled, pointing toward Boss Zhang. A thought flashed through my mind: *“A finger curled toward another, relying on them for help.”*

I then looked at his face. His brows were dark and smudged, and immediately a phrase occurred to me: *“Darkened brows signify parental illness; pale white brows signify parental death.”*

I said, "I see that President Li is facing more serious matters at home than in business. With his parents ill, he shouldn't be here drinking; he should be home caring for them."

Boss Zhang furrowed his brows. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Young man, how do you suggest we help him?"

I was feeling the effects of the alcohol and continued, "Looking at this table, the one who can help him is you, Boss Zhang. Aren't you already planning to help him?"

Boss Zhang frowned again and glanced at Wang Qiang.

Wang Qiang intervened then, "Little brother, Boss Zhang is just joking with you. Let’s drink, let’s drink."

***

"Haha, alright! Let's drink."

I had already had too much; my brain felt disconnected. Whenever they raised their glasses, I drank. Before long, I was completely gone.

When I woke up, I found myself in a hotel room, with a glass of water beside the large bed.

I took a sip of water and shook my head, realizing I was in a suite. Another room had its door half-open.

My head felt heavy. I couldn't remember how I’d ended up here; mixing two different types of alcohol had caused a total blackout.

I sat up and rubbed my temples, trying hard to recall the previous night. A thought crossed my mind: *I haven't been "corpse-picked" by some beauty, have I?*

As soon as the thought appeared, I laughed. That was just the aftereffects of watching too many TV dramas—how could something like that actually happen?

"Sir, you're awake."

I was startled. A woman’s voice truly came from the other room, and her tone was quite sweet.

The sound of the woman’s voice sobered me up instantly. I thought to myself, *Oh no, it really happened.*

Just then, a woman dressed in a hotel attendant’s uniform walked out of the room. She smiled and said, "Sir, your friend asked me to tell you that they are eating at the restaurant downstairs. You can go find them once you're awake."

My heart, which had been racing, suddenly calmed. The woman who emerged was in her forties, with a waist at least three feet wide. My heart finally settled back into my chest.

I nodded at her with a smile. "Thank you."

I dressed quickly and rushed downstairs. I had forgotten about the previous night, but I remembered that I had gone out drinking with Li Si.

My phone rang. I answered, and Li Si’s voice came through: "Brother, where are you?"

"Brother Si, I'm heading downstairs. Wait for me at the restaurant."

"What? Where are you?"

I paused, standing by the elevator. "At the hotel, aren't you? Aren't you eating at the restaurant?"

"Brother, I just woke up from being drunk yesterday. When did I go to a hotel with you?"

I was stunned. If it wasn't Li Si at the restaurant, then who was it? Had I really been "corpse-picked" after all?

My heart began to race again.

"Right, Brother You said you went off to keep drinking with a friend halfway through last night," Li Si reminded me.

I frowned, finally remembering: Wang Qiang. I had been taken away by Wang Qiang to drink more.

I slapped my forehead and muttered bitterly, "Drinking causes nothing but trouble. That guy is a 'public servant'—nothing good ever comes from hanging around him."

The elevator arrived, and I stepped inside. Since I had already eaten their food and slept in their bed, I had to at least say goodbye; otherwise, it would be against the rules.

"Alright, Brother Si, I’ll consider this our farewell for now. I’ll be heading back in a bit."

"No, no, no," Li Si said urgently. "Brother, don't leave yet. Old Wan still needs your help."

I felt a surge of suspicion. Didn't Old Wan have Qingyuan? Why did he need me?

"Brother Si, doesn't he have someone to handle his problems?"

"Hey, brother, don't even mention it. Last night, Qing Yi and the others were caught by the cops, and Qingyuan ran away. Now, Old Wan’s daughter, Xiaolan, needs you to save her."

I frowned. It had only been one night; how could such a big thing happen? It was all too coincidental.

I thought of Li Si’s anger from yesterday, but I instantly dismissed the idea that he was behind it. He was a member of the Li family; he wouldn't do such a thing for personal gain—that would invite a blood feud.

"Brother Si, isn't this all a bit too coincidental?" I asked suspiciously.

I asked this to probe Li Si. Even though I guessed it wasn't him, I couldn't be sure.

"What, brother? You don't think I tipped them off, do you?" Li Si paused for a second, then continued: "Little brother, if you were me, a member of the Li family, could you do something like that?"

"Brother Si, I certainly wouldn't do it. That would create a blood feud, a deadly one."

As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I had meant to test him, but instead, I had become an accomplice, helping him prove his innocence.

"Brother, you're right. As a family man, you can't do such a thing, or you'll never be able to show your face in this business again."

"Yes, yes, Brother Si. I'll grab a bite to eat and head over to Old Wan's."

"Alright, brother. Let me know your location after you eat, and I'll send someone to pick you up."

The call ended. I arrived at the restaurant, and as soon as I entered, I saw Wang Qiang eating with Boss Zhang. President Li was nowhere to be seen.

"Little Fang, over here!" Wang Qiang stood up and waved at me.

I walked over with a smile, though in my heart, I was thinking about how to get away from these two as quickly as possible.

I was too drunk last night to pay attention to Boss Zhang, but today, as I caught sight of his physiognomy, my heart began to pound with renewed intensity.