Chapter 93

Just as he was about to take the final step, Li Qi ultimately applied an emergency brake. First, he didn't want to give his first time in the Northern Song Dynasty to a prostitute. Second, the risk was too high, and it wasn't worth taking the chance. Besides, he had already found a way to release his tension.

Leaving the room, the hall was already empty, with Zhou Hua and Hong Tianji nowhere to be seen.

Li Qi stretched lazily, looked at the sky, and saw that it was already very late. He thought, "Those two guys are regulars; they shouldn't have any problems. I should go back early."

......

"－－－－I can't resist, especially at night, oh－－－－, thinking of you makes me unable to breathe, I wish I could run to you and tell you loudly that I'm willing for you, I'm willing for you, I'm willing to give you all I have, even if it's just one more second, staying in your mouth, losing everything wouldn't be a waste－－－－."

Leaving the Qifeng Tower, Li Qi was dancing the tango, singing Wang Xiaojie's "I'm Willing" with a lecherous expression, and the lyrics were unbearable to hear. Fortunately, no one here could understand what he was singing.

Walking along the riverbank for a while, Li Qi vaguely saw a dark figure standing not far ahead. From the figure, it seemed to be a woman.

A female ghost?

Li Qi's heart tightened, and he slowed his steps. Suddenly, he saw the woman take a small step forward.

Jumping into the river to commit suicide?

Li Qi's mind buzzed, and he rushed over, shouting loudly, "Miss, miss, calm down, don't jump!"

The woman seemed to be startled by Li Qi's sudden shout, shuddered, and turned around.

In a moment, Li Qi was already two meters away from the woman, bending over and panting, "Miss, you－－－you－－－calm down first." He thought, "Damn, it seems I overdid it just now. I'm already feeling weak after just a few steps."

The woman looked at Li Qi and asked, "You－－－who are you?" Her voice still carried a hint of fear.

"First, don't worry about who I am. What's troubling you so much that you want to take your own life?"

Li Qi raised his head and opened his eyes in surprise, "Hey? Aren't you the Ji－－－Madam from Qifeng Tower?"

This woman was indeed Ji Hongnu, but now her face was pale, and it seemed she had just vomited a lot.

Seeing that Li Qi recognized her, Ji Hongnu subconsciously took a step back, wary, "Are you sent by Gao Yannai?"

Li Qi shook his head, "No. Don't misunderstand, I just happened to be at Qifeng Tower earlier."

Ji Hongnu glanced at him, seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, and felt relieved, "What did you mean by 'taking your own life, calm down'?"

Li Qi was taken aback, "Aren't you planning to jump into the river and commit suicide?"

"Why would I commit suicide?"

"Damn! You scared me to death."

Li Qi patted his chest, relieved, "I saw you standing alone by the river and thought you were going to jump. Really, you almost scared the life out of me."

Ji Hongnu asked curiously, "We don't know each other, why are you so worried?"

"Why am I worried?"

Li Qi found this question very silly and said irritably, "Even if I saw a kitten or a puppy about to jump into the river, I would do the same. It has nothing to do with whether we know each other."

Ji Hongnu felt a bit uncomfortable hearing this, but she knew Li Qi meant well. She bowed and thanked him.

"Thank you isn't necessary. Since you're not planning to commit suicide, that's fine."

Li Qi let out a long breath. Seeing that her face didn't look good, he kindly said, "You drank a lot just now. Remember to drink a bowl of ginger vinegar soup when you get home. Also, coming out to the cool breeze right after drinking can easily make you catch a cold. You should go back quickly."

Ji Hongnu was slightly stunned, looking at Li Qi, "Big brother, why are you so good to me?"

"Uh..."

Li Qi was taken aback. He had just said it casually and was about to leave, but Ji Hongnu's call of "big brother" warmed his heart. He changed his tone, "Miss Ji, do you have any difficulties? If you do, you can tell me. Maybe I can help. Of course, if you don't want to, that's fine too. I might not be able to help, hehe."

Ji Hongnu looked at Li Qi gratefully, her face sad. Although she didn't know Li Qi, she was full of grievances and needed someone to listen to her. She sighed and began to speak.

It turned out she wasn't a prostitute but a noble lady from a prominent family in Tokyo. Due to the decline of her family and the lack of male heirs, she had to come out to sing to earn money for her sick mother. However, she didn't want to be a professional prostitute, so she didn't sign a contract with Qifeng Tower. She only performed as a temporary worker, singing a few songs.

This was against the rules, but the madam, seeing her good looks and excellent piano skills, allowed her to try. However, on her first performance, she was driven off by Gao Yannai. She had prepared all night but didn't earn any money and suffered a lot of humiliation. She couldn't accept it and came to the river to vent her frustrations.

It was just a misunderstanding.

Li Qi listened, but he wasn't particularly moved. Stories of selling oneself to save one's mother were common on the internet, and he had become numb to them. However, he thought of another idea: since he couldn't invite Feng Yinnu, why not create another Feng Yinnu?

In his time, there were countless stars, and the methods of packaging them were similar. Even if he hadn't seen it, he had at least heard of it.

Li Qi thought more and more that this idea was feasible. Although he had no musical talent, he had many songs in his mind, a valuable asset. No one would sue him for copyright infringement, and it required no capital. It was worth a try.

Seeing Li Qi silent, standing there with a frown and a sly smile, Ji Hongnu became wary, fearing that Li Qi was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Ji－－－"

Li Qi looked up, and as he spoke, he saw Ji Hongnu's strange expression, "Miss Ji, what's wrong?"

"I－－I'm fine." Ji Hongnu shook her head and subconsciously took a step back.

Li Qi was puzzled but didn't think too much about it. He bowed and said, "I am Li Qi, a chef at Zui Xian Ju."

"Zui Xian Ju?"

Ji Hongnu frowned and suddenly exclaimed, "Could it be the Zui Xian Ju that sells the best in the world?"

"Exactly."

Li Qi smiled and said straightforwardly, "Miss Ji, you want to earn money to treat your mother, right? I have a way that might help you, but I don't know if you're willing."

Hearing him introduce himself, Ji Hongnu felt a bit relieved. Hearing that he wanted to help her, she nodded quickly.

Li Qi smiled, "Here's the thing. We at Zui Xian Ju are short of a singer. If you're willing, I can talk to my boss and let you try. However, you must sign a contract first. Don't worry, it's not a sell-yourself contract. I only need you to sing, not do anything else. What do you think?"

"This－－－" Ji Hongnu's face showed hesitation at the mention of a contract.

Li Qi knew what she was worried about and chuckled, "You don't have to give me an answer right away. Think about it carefully. If you decide, come to Zui Xian Ju and find me. Remember, I'm Li Qi."

Ji Hongnu nodded, "Okay, thank you, Big Brother Li."

Li Qi smiled and nodded, looking around, "It's late. You should go back. I need to go too."

......

After parting with Ji Hongnu, Li Qi came to the Qin residence and called softly at the door, "Madam Chen, Madam Chen."

Before he left, he had reminded Madam Chen to remember to open the door for him at night.

The door opened after a while.

Li Qi hurriedly went in, not even looking up, and asked, "Madam, is the lady asleep?"

"If I were asleep, who would open the door for you?"

The voice was wrong.

Li Qi looked closely and drew a sharp breath, surprised, "L－－Lady, how－－is it you?"

The one who opened the door was Lady Qin, who smiled coldly and asked, "Was it fun at Qifeng Tower?"

Li Qi instinctively answered, "Fun," but as soon as he said it, he realized his mistake, cursing Lady Qin for being naughty.

Lady Qin snorted angrily.

Li Qi had a sudden idea and said quickly, "Lady, you misunderstood me."

"Misunderstood?"

"Actually, I went to Qifeng Tower to find a singer－－"

"Hmph－－, if that's the case, how did I misunderstand you?"

"Lady, please let me finish."

"I didn't stop you from speaking."

Sweat!

Li Qi rolled his eyes, "What I mean is, I went to Qifeng Tower to find a singer. I think our Zui Xian Ju should also have some singers to liven up the place, which would be good for business."

"Haven't you always been against hiring singers?"

"Uh－－That was when I was young and naive. Now I see that a tavern really can't do without singers."

Lady Qin glanced at him, skeptical, "Did you find anyone suitable?"

"I did find someone, but we're still negotiating. I think we can finalize it in a few days, and it will be very cost-effective."

Lady Qin looked at him suspiciously, "Really?"

"Of course. I risked my life, infiltrated the enemy camp, and gathered intelligence. If I didn't have any results, I wouldn't have the face to come back."

Lady Qin heard him start to make up stories and snorted, "This time, I'll let it go. If it happens again, you－－"

Before Lady Qin could finish, Li Qi said firmly, "Lady, rest assured, it won't happen again." He thought, "Next time, I'll go during the day."