Le Mei had seen how the so-called assistant instructors in billiard halls played with their guests. To put it nicely, they were instructors teaching guests how to play; to put it bluntly, they flirted, bantered, and let guests take advantage of them.
Money came fast that way. She had heard that tips alone could reach around ten thousand yuan in a single night.
As for why there was a bed in the VIP parlor—how tiring could playing billiards possibly be that one needed to lie down and rest...
Well, those who knew, knew!
"Keep your legs apart shoulder-width apart, put your center of gravity on the balls of your feet, lean your upper body forward a bit more, set your left hand as a bridge, and grip the cue tight with your right hand..."
Listening to Huo Qi's instructions, Le Mei followed them step by step.
Yet as soon as she made the current move, the previous one fell apart.
She had never played billiards before; her movements were stiff, and her limbs completely uncoordinated.
With a weak push, the cue ball didn't even roll an inch...
Watching Le Mei's clumsy performance, Huo Qi raised an eyebrow, the back of his hand pressing against the corner of his lips to hide the curve of a stolen smile.
He found it both amusing and somewhat exasperating.
With no other choice, he decided to teach her hands-on.
"Like this!"
Huo Qi's hot, large hand covered Le Mei's small hand, which was resting on the billiard table with her elbow bent, without any warning.
Le Mei's body stiffened, and she shuddered involuntarily.
In an instant, the man's fresh scent of mint and citrus enveloped her tightly.
Even through the fabric of her back, Le Mei could clearly feel the man's scorching body temperature.
The air conditioning in the parlor was set very low, but right now, standing beside Huo Qi, she inexplicably felt a wave of warmth.
Huo Qi was tall and straight. As they leaned forward together, Le Mei looked exceptionally petite in his embrace, as if he were holding her in a circle.
Touching the back of Le Mei's hand, Huo Qi found it icy cold, and then noticed her body trembling slightly.
He furrowed his brows slightly, leaning down to whisper into her ear in a deep, magnetic voice:
"Was the breakup fee I gave you not enough to spend? Why do you have to work in a place like this?"
"I..."
A pink flush spread across Le Mei's cheeks as she started to explain.
Yet the man's face was extremely close—so close that his breath brushed against her stray locks, and she could clearly feel his warm breath lightly sweeping past her ear, carrying a hint of a teasing itch.
At that very moment,
she didn't even dare to move a muscle, terrified that if she turned her head just a fraction, she would press right against his cheek.
Under Huo Qi's guidance, Le Mei slightly bent her left elbow, forming a stable triangular bridge with his large hand.
Then, Huo Qi's right hand covered her right hand on the grip, their large and small hands overlapping closely.
He skillfully controlled the rhythm and force, pushing forward in one smooth motion, striking the cue ball with pinpoint accuracy.
"Crack!"
Accompanied by a crisp sound, the ball dropped steadily into the pocket once again.
The parlor door opened,
and Ji Rao walked in.
Seeing the two of them in such an intimate posture, he realized that Huo Qi had just been teaching her how to play billiards.
The opportunity had just been handed over to him like that, look how smug he was.
"I'm back!" Ji Rao said with a stiff smile on his face.
The two slowly straightened up. Huo Qi glanced at him indifferently and said,
"Turn the air conditioning up!"
Ji Rao had just come back from outside and was burning up; the cold air in the parlor had felt wonderful.
"Huh? Isn't this temperature just right?"
"I'm cold!" Huo Qi said.
Ji Rao looked over at Le Mei. Her delicate, fair face was flushed pink, clearly from the heat.
Seeing Ji Rao's gaze linger on Le Mei, Huo Qi rubbed his fingers together, subconsciously recalling her icy little hand.
He stepped forward with his long legs, his tall and slender frame blocking Le Mei's petite figure and cutting off Ji Rao's burning gaze at the same time. He curved his lips and said lazily:
"Hurry up and adjust it, set it to thirty degrees! I'm cold!"
"Fine~"
Speechless, Ji Rao had no choice but to go over and adjust the central air conditioning on the wall to thirty degrees.
"I... I'm thirsty, I'm going to get some water."
"Hey~ there's water right here!" Ji Rao shouted.Cola Meimei acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, lowering her head bashfully like a startled little rabbit, and scurried out of the private room in a flash.
Ji Rao complained, "Look how hot you made her—she's all parched! And you even made me turn up the temperature!"
"What the hell do you know!"
Huo Qi had just tested her temperature with his own hands; did he not know whether she was cold or hot? If she were hot, would her hands have been that ice-cold?
"Anian said he isn't coming."
"Forget it if he's not coming."
Huo Qi lowered his gaze slightly, glancing at the Patek Philippe on his wrist. It was already past ten o'clock in the evening.
"Even if he came, he wouldn't be able to stay long before having to head back."
Jing Nian never participated in nightlife, and his bedtime never exceeded eleven o'clock. Both of them knew how strictly disciplined his life was.
Huo Qi, Ji Rao, and Jing Nian had been childhood friends who grew up playing together. During high school, however, the three of them attended different schools: Huo Qi studied at the elite school built by his own family, Ji Rao attended an arts-focused school, and Jing Nian studied at Modu Affiliated High School.
Back in their high school days, whenever they had a day off, the three of them would gather together to eat, drink, have fun, and chat about everything under the sun.Now that they were in university, they had even more free time. The three of them gathered almost every day after class or during free periods to hang out.
The three-hundred-square-meter flat in Donghuwan—specifically Apartment 1808, where Le Mei had once delivered barbecue—served as their secret base.
Naturally, the apartment was just one of countless properties belonging to Huo Qi's family. Since the entire Donghuwan development was built by the Huo Group, whichever unit he wanted to live in was entirely a matter of a single word from him.
...
Le Mei poured a cup of warm water in the pantry and had just taken a sip when a fellow part-time colleague, another local college student, walked in. She sidled up to Le Mei, fluttered her freshly applied false eyelashes, and asked in a low, gossipy whisper:
"Meimei, I heard the guest in Box 3 is the Crown Prince from Modu! How much of a tip did he give you?"
Le Mei smiled and casually replied:
"None! I'm not a hostess, where would I get a tip?"Just as she finished speaking, Xiangxiang, who had walked in to fetch water, happened to overhear. As she brewed a cup of instant coffee, she pricked up her ears to eavesdrop.
"What?"
The part-time girl was astonished. "Are scions of wealthy families really that stingy? Not even a little tip?"
Le Mei smiled faintly and offered no reply.
In truth, Huo Qi was not stingy at all. After their very first... time, he had handed her the black card he always carried with him.
Though she had no idea how much money was on that card, she had heard that such cards had no spending limits.
Such intimate matters were hardly things Le Mei cared to share casually with others.
"Oh well, I thought since he specifically requested you, he'd shower you with tips! Turns out he's nothing special after all!" The girl cast a covert appraisal at Le Mei, a trace of imperceptible disdain flashing in her eyes.
Aside from having fair skin, she looked quite ordinary—it was only natural she hadn't been tipped. Secretly, the girl felt a sense of equilibrium restored...
Having finished making her tea, the girl picked up the kettle and left the pantry.
Le Mei was just about to step outside when Xiangxiang suddenly blocked her path.
"Le Mei, go help out on the main floor. Leave Box 3 to me."
The pungent scent of perfume radiating off Xiangxiang made Le Mei feel slightly nauseous, and she instinctively frowned.
"But Box 3 didn't order any assistants," Le Mei said, seeing right through Xiangxiang's petty scheme, though she chose not to expose her outright.
"You don't even know how to play billiards, so what kind of experience can you possibly provide the guests? I can rack balls just as well—leave Box 3 to me! The main floor is busy today, and the two of them alone won't be able to handle it. You should just stay out on the floor."
"The manager said I'm only responsible for Box 3 today. Nothing else is my concern."
Refusing to back down, Le Mei met Xiangxiang's gaze with a firm, resolute tone, took a step to the side, and intended to walk right around her.
Xiangxiang lunged forward a step, blocking Le Mei's way once more, and the atmosphere between the two instantly grew tense and confrontational.