Chapter 100

Drunk not by the wine but by the mood, Wang Xiangdong soon leaned on the bar, mumbling incoherently, saliva slowly dripping from his mouth.

Wei Xiangxiu pouted her lips and nodded toward Wang Xiangdong, clearly finding it odd. "Why is he with him?" She thought Lu Zheng shouldn't be associating with such a person; they seemed to belong to entirely different worlds.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Dongxiang is a good person. But he's been through a lot today. I asked him about some things, and this is what happened."

Wei Xiangxiu smiled gently and said, "So, you mean I should drink with him next time? You called me here to keep him company, right?" With Wei Xiangxiu's intelligence, she could tell that Wang Xiangdong had been drunk by Lu Zheng. Moreover, Lu Zheng was being very straightforward, so she assumed he had called her to keep company.

Although she was smiling, Wei Xiangxiu felt a slight bitterness in her heart. In Lu Zheng's eyes, was she just a plaything?

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "You came a bit early, that's all."

Wei Xiangxiu blinked her watery, flirtatious eyes and looked at Lu Zheng. "So, are you asking me to drink with you?"

Lu Zheng laughed and said, "Exactly."

A strange, ambiguous atmosphere gradually enveloped the two of them, and for a moment, neither knew what to say.

Suddenly, a clear male voice came from behind, "Brother Lu, you're here?"

Behind Lu Zheng stood a bald young man. Wei Xiangxiu vaguely recognized him; he was the leader of the group of young men who had almost caused a conflict when she and Lu Zheng first came to Wushan to eat skewers.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "Yeah, come and have a drink?"

The bald young man readily agreed. At this moment, a waiter was already helping Wang Xiangdong to rest, so he sat down next to Lu Zheng. He naturally remembered Wei Xiangxiu, this sexy and fiery beauty, but he didn't ask any more questions.

Lu Zheng personally handed a glass of red wine to the bald young man, who quickly took it, a hint of gratitude in his eyes. He knew Lu Zheng was a big shot, even Huang Zixuan had been subdued by him. Yet, he treated him with such respect, even though he had only tried to warn Lu Zheng during his first encounter with Huang Zixuan and hadn't really helped much.

Lu Zheng gently clinked glasses with the bald young man, "Work hard, avoid fights, and you'll have a bright future." The bald young man's name was Wang Shangfei, nicknamed "Ah Fei." He was now the head of security at the Emerald Dance Hall, equivalent to a security manager, leading a group of young men to maintain order, mainly to prevent fights and other incidents. If someone caused trouble, they would be dealt with.

Lu Zheng wouldn't tell Huang Zixuan about his past with Wang Shangfei. Although Huang Zixuan now treated Lu Zheng like a close brother, if he knew about this past, Wang Shangfei would be in big trouble.

After clinking glasses with Lu Zheng, Wang Shangfei quickly drank the glass of red wine in one go, even tipping the glass to show it was empty, as if it were beer. He said, "I will always remember Brother Lu's advice."

Lu Zheng smiled, "You've improved, your words are getting more sophisticated." He patted his shoulder and said, "Alright, go back to work."

Wang Shangfei nodded and said, "Hope you have a good time, Brother Lu!" Then he got up and left.

"Seems you know a lot of people from all walks of life? He seems to be quite afraid of you and respects you," Wei Xiangxiu said thoughtfully, looking at Wang Shangfei's back.

Lu Zheng laughed, "Stop overanalyzing, do you want to be a detective? You should learn from me."

Wei Xiangxiu smiled seductively, "Forget it, I don't want to waste my brain cells." She no longer had much ambition for her career. A few days ago, her superior had talked to her, encouraging her to work hard and hinting that the party committee intended to cultivate her, planning to transfer her to a police station as a station chief for a while to gain experience, and then promote her to a full section chief. He also instructed her to be humble and strict with herself.

However, all this would become a distant memory after she divorced Biaozi. The bureau intended to make her a model female police officer and station chief, directly related to her divorce from her disabled husband and her diligent care for her in-laws.

Wei Xiangxiu could even imagine how the bureau leaders would react when they learned she had asked for a divorce from Biaozi. But none of this mattered anymore. Once she had the idea of divorcing Biaozi, it grew stronger and became uncontrollable.

All things would unfold as they would. She had already gone through the toughest times; what could happen now? At worst, she would lose her minor position.

She just felt a bit guilty toward her in-laws. When she first entered the family, her mother-in-law treated her like her own daughter. In the future, if they were willing, they could live with her. Biaozi had no ability or willingness to take care of them; her younger brother-in-law, Daxing, was loud and talkative, the type who talks big but can't deliver, and was even less reliable.

Wei Xiangxiu sipped her wine, silently thinking about these matters, but didn't want to share them with Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng looked at her a few times and also silently sipped his wine. Everyone needs their own space; not everything needs to be questioned.

Xiaoli suddenly rushed over, "Brother, go take a look, Young Master Yang and Si'er seem to be at odds?"

Young Master Yang? Lu Zheng immediately knew she meant Yang Zhaoyang.

"What happened? Weren't they talking well just now?" Lu Zheng frowned slightly.

Xiaoli looked angry, "Who says they weren't? It's all Si'er's fault. They had already agreed, and Young Master Yang just wanted to take Dujuan away. Dujuan didn't want to and was crying, but what does that have to do with Si'er? He should just let it be. If Young Master Yang wants to do something, he can deal with it through the police later. But Si'er wouldn't let it go, and now it's about to fall apart."

"Who is Dujuan?" Lu Zheng was a bit confused.

Xiaoli said indignantly, "A slut from the dance troupe! She always comes to our dance hall to make extra money. Today, she volunteered to serve drinks, and Si'er gave her a lot of money. Who knew she would suddenly act so proper?"

Wei Xiangxiu exclaimed, "Dujuan from the dance troupe? Is she the one who dances?"

Xiaoli huffed, "Yes, her, just a backup dancer, but she's made quite a bit of money in the past two years." Clearly, she was a bit jealous.

Lu Zheng asked curiously, "Xiao Wei, do you know her?"

Wei Xiangxiu stood up hurriedly, "Let's go see. Dujuan lives... in my building, she's a good person."

"Don't go," Xiaoli gently pulled Wei Xiangxiu's arm and whispered, "Sister, you don't know, we can't afford to offend Young Master Yang. No one in Wushan can stand up to him." She then whispered a few more words in Wei Xiangxiu's ear, probably telling her about Young Master Yang's background.

Then, Xiaoli said, "Sister, stay here, don't go over. If Young Master Yang sees you, it will be trouble. Just let Brother Zheng pull Si'er out. Don't get involved in Dujuan and Young Master Yang's affairs."

Wei Xiangxiu bit her lip and suddenly said, "No, I have to help her. Xiaoli, call the police! I'll go in and see!" She wanted to go in first to assess the situation and buy time so that Dujuan wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Once the police arrived, this "Young Master Yang" wouldn't be able to do anything to her as a policewoman.

Wei Xiangxiu had seen all kinds of people; no matter how arrogant the children of officials were, they still cared about their reputation when things were brought to light.

Lu Zheng was surprised; he hadn't expected this side of Wei Xiangxiu, someone willing to stand up for a friend. Thinking about her marriage to Biaozi and her attitude toward the two elders, she indeed had a sense of righteousness.

But in the past, she had no friends and a long list of family members to take care of, leaving her no time to worry about others.

Wei Xiangxiu looked at Lu Zheng and said seriously, "Zheng, go back, don't get involved in this." Lu Zheng was a young government official with a bright future; getting involved in the messy affairs of a dance hall would be a stain on his record, and offending this "Young Master Yang" could ruin his career.

Seeing Lu Zheng hesitate, Wei Xiangxiu said to Xiaoli, "Tell me which room, and don't forget to call the police."

Xiaoli looked at Lu Zheng helplessly, and Lu Zheng nodded, "Let's go, take a look." He said to Wei Xiangxiu, "You stay here, I'll bring Dujuan back safely."

They walked past the neon-lit dance floor to the VIP area. Wei Xiangxiu followed behind, urgently instructing, "Zheng, don't go, listen to me." She reached out to grab Lu Zheng's arm, but he pulled away. They tugged and pulled until they reached the door of the VIP room at the end of the corridor.

The place was filled with debauchery, and in some open rooms, through the beaded curtains, one could vaguely see men and women in intimate scenes.

Lu Zheng felt as if he had been transported to a different era; at this time, the rest of the country was still red.

Xiaoli knocked on the door and pushed it open, and Lu Zheng and Wei Xiangxiu followed her in.

The spacious and luxurious room had a long, wide black marble coffee table. On the sofa behind the table sat four or five people, including Huang Zixuan and the owner of the Emerald Dance Hall, Mr. Zhao. In a corner, a girl in a red silk dress was wiping tears from her face.

There were also two young men with short hair, both very alert. Although they were in casual clothes, Lu Zheng recognized them as Yang Zhaoyang and his friend. The one with a mole next to his nose was likely Yang Zhaoyang.

Lu Zheng could easily distinguish between the master and the lackey.

"Who is this?" The lackey, attracted by Wei Xiangxiu's dazzling appearance, stared at her long, white legs and asked with a smile.

"I'm Dujuan's friend," Wei Xiangxiu quickly walked to Dujuan's side and whispered to her, comforting her. Dujuan, seeing a familiar face, suddenly burst into loud sobs.

Yang Zhaoyang remained silent, his gaze sweeping over Lu Zheng and Wei Xiangxiu before retracting.

The lackey's gaze, which had been fixed on Wei Xiangxiu's sexy body, was suddenly blocked by Lu Zheng. He frowned and turned to Huang Zixuan, "Si'er, what kind of mess is this? Is this a market? Anyone can come in?"