Ling Zhenfei was startled; he usually didn't pay much attention to what he wore. The clothes he had on were purchased by Yang Zixuan that morning, and he didn't know their price. They felt similar to his previous clothes, but he hadn't expected that the woman in front of him could discern the difference. Had he still been wearing the clothes from this morning, perhaps this woman wouldn't have spared him a second glance.

"How much do you want?" Ling Zhenfei was eager to know how much such a beautiful woman would charge for one time.

Jiu Jiu looked at Ling Zhenfei with enchanting eyes and said, "Actually, I don't care too much about money. If you are exceptionally capable, maybe I won't only not charge you, but I'll even give you money."

Ling Zhenfei was taken aback. He really hadn't expected to meet such an open-minded woman.

"So, how many men have made you submit?"

"Sorry, but men's abilities are limited; up to now, none have succeeded," Jiu Jiu said with a bit of mockery, a trace of disappointment on her face.

"Then, exactly how many have been fortunate enough to challenge the lady?" Ling Zhenfei suddenly understood a saying: speak accordingly to the company you keep, do as the Romans do. Topics that were taboo with other girls seemed as normal as discussing what to eat for dinner when with Jiu Jiu.

"Sorry, I'm not the type of woman you're thinking of. I need to like what I see, beside having money," Jiu Jiu said, sipping her drink with an elegant posture, appearing more like a well-bred young lady than anything else.

Ling Zhenfei felt a sense of wonder; life was truly marvelous to have met someone like Jiu Jiu.

"Then, am I fortunate enough to catch the lady's eye, and should I thank the lady for her favor?"

"Would you like to try?" Jiu Jiu leaned in and asked Ling Zhenfei.

"I'm sorry miss, he probably doesn't have the time right now," Jiang Hao answered before Ling Zhenfei had a chance to reply.

Only then did Ling Zhenfei realize that Jiang Hao had already arrived at their table and was looking at Ling Zhenfei and Jiu Jiu with lively interest.

Jiu Jiu glanced at Jiang Hao, then stood up and said to Ling Zhenfei, "It seems you have a friend. Then you guys chat, goodbye."

After she finished speaking, she just walked away.

Jiang Hao unceremoniously took the seat Jiu Jiu had just vacated and looked at Ling Zhenfei, somewhat amused.

"What are you laughing at?" Ling Zhenfei asked.

"I'm laughing at you, of course. You really have charisma; a woman actually made moves on you," Jiang Hao opened a bottle of beer, took it, and had a sip.

"I am that charismatic, what about it? Tell me, who was that woman just now?" Ling Zhenfei was indeed very curious about Jiu Jiu.

Jiang Hao looked once more toward where Jiu Jiu had disappeared and said, "A special group you find in bars, many are white-collar office workers with proper jobs, either due to work or life pressures. They specifically look for wealthy people like you, who are also not unpleasant to look at, chat and drink the day away. If they drink too much, you can take them to a hotel. If you're generous, you give them some money, though some don't even ask for it."

Ling Zhenfei suddenly realized, "So they're not prostitutes?"

"Of course they're not. As long as you can afford it, not only can you fool around freely in the bar, but you also don't have to take any responsibility. However, there are those who will ask you for money afterward—those are the ones who play at a more upscale level," Jiang Hao explained, clearly very familiar with the ins and outs of the bar scene.

"So, does that woman usually hang out in the bars?" Ling Zhenfei asked Jiang Hao.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Hao said, "Not really, I have never seen that woman before. But those types of women don't stay in the same bar for long, nor do they come out to play every day. Why, did you take an interest in her?"

"How could I? It's just my first time encountering this sort of thing, so I'm a bit curious." Although Ling Zhenfei verbally denied it, he couldn't help feeling a strange intrigue for Jiu Jiu; she seemed very different.

"Alright, enough about that. I managed to meet up with you today because there's something else I want to discuss."

"Sure, go ahead with what you have to say," Ling Zhenfei said, knowing that business talk was important.

As Ling Zhenfei had anticipated, Jiang Hao began by talking about the problems he had encountered in the bar these past few days, and now he had a complete plan ready to be implemented.

In truth, Ling Zhenfei didn't understand much about running a bar. After listening to Jiang Hao, he could only agree and let him take full charge of the bar operations.

"Oh, by the way, do you know about the recent incident at the Imperial Palace Club?" Jiang Hao asked Ling Zhenfei, switching topics after the business talk was over.

Ling Zhenfei's heart skipped a beat. He was involved in that matter, so of course he knew about it, but he had no idea why Jiang Hao suddenly brought it up.

"I've heard a little about it, but I'm not entirely clear on the details," Ling Zhenfei pretended to be unaware, as this matter involved his and Zhuo Yue's lives, so he could not disclose it to anyone.

Jiang Hao looked at Ling Zhenfei and said, "I remember one time you called and asked me about Wei Damin, then I mentioned the Imperial Palace Club, and I seemed to have told you some details and the address, right?"

Ling Zhenfei was startled yet again. Indeed, he had discovered the Imperial Palace Club because of the matter involving Wei Damin. At the time, he only knew it was Wei Damin's property, and in an act of revenge, he had arranged with Zhuo Yue to expose it, leading to subsequent events. He surely hadn't expected such troublesome complications to arise.

But why was Jiang Hao suddenly asking about this now? Could it be that Jiang Hao had received some information?

"At that time, I think I did ask you about Wei Damin, and you did mention the Imperial Palace Club to me. I got busy afterward and forgot about it. For such a trivial matter, I wouldn't persist in holding a grudge against Wei Damin. What made you bring it up now?"

As he spoke, Ling Zhenfei tried his best to act naturally. Whatever Jiang Hao's reason for inquiring about this matter, Ling Zhenfei could not let him know that he was involved.

"It's strange, really. Regarding the Imperial Palace Club incident, Wei Damin was severely injured after being stabbed in the artery with a pen. He almost died from excessive blood loss. Although he has been treated and is recovering, his brain suffered from lack of oxygen for too long, and he now has nerve damage. He can't remember what happened before, but he keeps mumbling the words 'greenhouse' and 'fish'. I think he's obviously referring to the arson of your greenhouse and the poisoning of your ornamental fish," Jiang Hao explained.

After hearing this, Ling Zhenfei's heart raced with cold sweat. This was a fatal mistake. He had never intended to take Wei Damin's life—his pen stab to Wei Damin's leg was simply meant as retaliation. The hasty retreat had left him unaware that his pen had hit an artery.

Fortunately, it had been an artery, which led to the heavy bleeding and subsequent brain damage. If Wei Damin had been lucid, he probably could have traced the incident back to Ling Zhenfei based on their conversation at the time.

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