Shen Ying turned her head and indeed saw Lu Linwei’s face, her expression instantly lighting up with delight.
Her undisguised joy at seeing him made Lu Linwei’s mocking expression falter, and for the first time, he wondered if his words had been too harsh.
But the moment of self-reflection vanished as quickly as it came. With a sardonic thought, he reminded himself that she *should* be happy to see him—after all, that sum of money was no small amount to someone like her.
Just then, she greeted him with familiar ease: “What are you doing here? Here to have fun?”
“We haven’t been in touch since that day. How’s everything at home?”
Lu Linwei bristled at her natural tone. This woman had the audacity to act as if she hadn’t completely fooled him before.
He let out a cold laugh. “Are you blaming *me* for not contacting you? Think again—you’re the one who lost the right to reach out.”
“And don’t talk to me like that. My privacy isn’t so cheap that just any woman can pry into it.”
Shen Ying studied Lu Linwei. Unlike the first time she’d seen him—drenched and disheveled—or the days he’d spent at her place, wearing her cheap father’s ill-fitting clothes with surprising nonchalance, the man before her now was dressed in an expensive, meticulously tailored dark suit. His deep-colored shirt complemented his sharp features, with one side of his short black hair swept behind his ear. The narrow slant of his eyes and the arch of his brows gave him a dangerous, sword-like beauty.
Even in a suit, he didn’t look like a businessman. More like the kind of man whose true occupation would get censored if written down.
So when he lashed out at someone, his words carried a piercing, heart-stabbing force.
But Shen Ying just looked at him as if he were an idiot and said bluntly, “Why are you talking to me like that? You weren’t like this when you were at my place.”
“Sure, back then you were picky, obsessive about cleanliness, and way too critical for a guest, but at least you still knew how to speak like a normal person.”
“I didn’t expect you to lose your *one* redeeming quality in just a few days.”
Lu Linwei felt his blood pressure spike. He took a step forward, his towering height instantly closing the distance between them with an intimidating presence.
Looking down at her, he sneered, “You dare play dumb with me *now*?”
“Are we close? Since this was a *paid* rescue, you don’t get to complain about my attitude. You’re not my friend, and you’re certainly not—” He bit off the rest of the sentence. “So stop bringing up the past.”
Shen Ying shrugged and raised her hands. “Then why did you come talk to me?”
Lu Linwei: “I—”
Shen Ying: “Do you get off on mocking your employees?”
She glanced at the group of black-suited men behind him and shook her head. “Seems like you’re doing pretty well for yourself. But I guess money’s hard to earn in *any* line of work.”
The men in black suits wished they could chop off their own legs—why had they followed so closely? Did they *want* their boss to remember they’d witnessed him getting rejected after confessing his feelings?
Lu Linwei clenched his jaw, barely suppressing his fury before forcing out a strained smile. “I was just curious which man you’re planning to ‘rescue’ for a paycheck this time.”
“Let me warn you—the commission from picking up men in a place like this might disappoint you. The top-floor VIP lounge has private elevators and exits. The ones coming out of the main entrance—”
He jerked his chin toward a group of young men just stepping out. “—might just be broke students.”
No sooner had he spoken than Shen Ying waved at them. “Over here!”
Lu Linwei’s face stiffened. Following her gaze, he saw her younger brother, Shen Yao, being half-carried out by his friends, completely wasted.
So she was here to pick up her brother.
The realization inexplicably deflated some of his anger—even though *that* wasn’t what had set him off in the first place.
The boys escorting Shen Yao hesitated when they saw the intimidating man standing across from Shen Ying, flanked by several broad-shouldered men in black suits.
Handing Shen Yao over, they barely muttered a word before bolting.
Shen Ying grabbed her brother by the back of his collar and plopped him onto a nearby planter. “Don’t you dare puke. If you throw up in the car later, one of us is gonna die.”
Just as she finished inputting her home address into her phone, Lu Linwei snatched it from her hand.
He looked down at her with a smile. “I’ve been thinking—no matter what, you *did* save my life.”
“It’d be rude not to treat my savior properly. I might’ve been a little harsh earlier.”
Without giving her a chance to refuse, he turned to his men. “Take Mr. Shen Yao home first.”
Two of the black-suited men sprang into action, practically competing to haul Shen Yao up and shove him into one of the luxury cars.
The whole thing took less than a minute. By the time Shen Ying processed what had happened, all she could see were taillights disappearing down the road.
She glanced at the vanishing car, then back at Lu Linwei. “Do you always have this little tact?”
Lu Linwei shrugged. “Don’t need it. People usually adjust to *me*.”
Shen Ying rolled her shoulders. “Fine. I could use a drink anyway.”
Pleased by her compliance, Lu Linwei finally showed a hint of satisfaction, tilting his chin arrogantly as he signaled for her to follow.
True to his word, while the nightclub was massive, the VIP section was off-limits to ordinary patrons.
A concierge was already waiting to escort them to a private elevator that shot straight up over eighty floors, leaving the noise of the lower levels far behind.
Stepping out, they were met with decor so lavish it put even the most exclusive lounges below to shame.
The corridor, lined with plush carpeting, was filled with the crisp, rich sound of soft music. Rows of impeccably uniformed staff stood at attention, bowing in unison as the elevator doors opened.
Lu Linwei strode past them without a glance, met by the club’s highest-ranking manager—
“Mr. Lu, everyone has arrived.”
The doors to the private room swung open, revealing an opulent, sprawling lounge where several young men were already seated.
They appeared to be around Lu Linwei’s age, though their attire was far more casual. Most had stunning women at their sides—the kind who turned heads instantly.
The men stood to greet him, but their eyes immediately locked onto Shen Ying.
Surprise flashed across their faces before they erupted into teasing.
“*Lao Lu*, you actually brought a woman out with you?”
“Since when? Didn’t know this was your type.”
“Man, I’ve been introducing you to bombshell celebrities this whole time, and I was *way* off the mark.”
Lu Linwei didn’t bother correcting them, letting them usher him and Shen Ying to a sofa.
He turned to her. “What do you want to drink?”
“Give her the menu.”
His friends exchanged glances. Since when did Lu Linwei *ever* personally attend to a woman? The one before them wasn’t the most breathtaking beauty, but there was something disarmingly sweet about her.
They’d seen it all—women of unparalleled beauty, irresistible charm, delicate vulnerability, even masterful schemers—throwing themselves at Lu Linwei over the years.
Yet the one who finally broke through was this seemingly unremarkable girl-next-door. And judging by the way he was acting, she was clearly the current favorite.
One of the men, dressed in a flamboyant shirt, hastily handed the drink menu to Shen Ying. “Here you go, beautiful!”
“Feel free to order any of the wines here, or if nothing catches your eye, the owner’s private collection is also available. Are you hungry? Their pastries and snacks are all handmade—decent enough. If you’d prefer something else, we can have XX Restaurant deliver.”
Shen Ying had heard of this restaurant—one of the most exclusive in the city, renowned for its top-tier chef and notoriously strict dining policies, with reservations booked two months in advance.
Yet at this hour, long past its operating time, it was treated like on-demand takeout in the eyes of these people.
As for the wines, none had price tags, but Shen Ying knew enough to recognize that a single bottle here could easily match a typical family’s annual income—let alone the rare vintages.
Lu Linwei held a glass in his hand, his lips curling into a faint, mocking smile as he looked at Shen Ying.
“Order whatever you want. Tonight, you don’t need to worry about the cost of anything here.”
The mere thought of this woman squandering even a shred of his sincerity made his vision darken with fury.
Though he despised her greed and pettiness, an inexplicable urge gnawed at him—he wanted to see regret in her eyes.
So when his friends mistakenly assumed she was his woman, Lu Linwei didn’t correct them.
So she liked money? Fine. He’d make sure she understood just how much more she could’ve had—how easily these luxuries could’ve been hers.
All of it, lost to her own shortsighted greed.
Sure enough, her eyes lit up with delight. “Really? Just the wine alone must cost hundreds of thousands, right? And if I ask for more, wouldn’t that be too much?”
So she did know the value of these things. Even better.
After tonight, she could stew in her regrets—because he’d never give her another chance.
The men around them laughed. “A few hundred thousand is nothing to Old Lu. It barely counts as money.”
“Sweetheart, go wild. Even if you open a bottle just to take a sip, it’s no big deal.”
“Want a wine tower? There’s plenty of space—we can have them build one right here.”
“You’ll learn soon enough. As long as you keep Old Lu happy, all this—”
“Can I get some male models, then?”
A woman’s voice cut through the group of men.
For a second, no one reacted, their heads whipping toward Lu Linwei instead.
His expression sent a chill down their spines.
But what was even more shocking was the sweet-faced woman pressing on, undeterred: “You must have male models, right? With a private stage in the VIP room, a place this high-end wouldn’t just cater to male clients.”
“Oh, and make sure to send me a variety—different types, please.”
Before she could finish, a hand clamped around her chin, forcing her to face Lu Linwei.
His face filled her vision, his voice dripping with ice.
“Male. Models?”
Shen Ying gave him a placating smile. “Relax, I won’t let a pretty smile trick me into ordering expensive drinks and making you overpay. At most, I’ll just hit the minimum spend.”
“I’m here purely for the eye candy—no shady business, I promise.”
The men around them sucked in sharp breaths, exchanging stunned glances.
This… wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
Since when did Lu Linwei’s woman dare to spend his money on other men?
This was too explosive not to risk posting on social media.
