Song Xi looked at the message, then glanced down at the cash tips in her hand and the balance on her phone.
Hmm...
Why did she suddenly feel a bit guilty?
Feeling somewhat uneasy, Song Xi typed a reply: "He gave me a two-thousand tip, and I also got nearly ten thousand in commission for the liquor sales."
She had confessed every bit of her "ill-gotten gains" in full detail.
Huang Liuer replied quickly: "Nice work!"
Song Xi hadn't expected Huang Liuer to praise her, and it suddenly made her feel a bit embarrassed.
Huang Liuer then launched into a long-winded tirade.
"Lord Shang is truly unimaginably wealthy, so you have to trick as much out of him as you can while he’s still interested in you."
"Since he has me as his 'Number One' now, and you as his 'Number Two,' who knows? Before long, there might be a Number Three, Four, Five, or Six! If you don't swindle him for more now, you won't be able to once he moves on to someone else."
The theory was crude and simple, but it made a lot of sense.
The only problem was that Song Xi still didn't quite understand how one was supposed to "swindle" him.
Based on the last two times, was it just about loitering in front of Gu Lishang?
-
A few days later.
It was nearly 12:30.
The entertainment complex suddenly erupted into commotion. A group of men in black suits came in to clear the floor; the entire venue had been booked out.
The scene was chaotic. People were cursing and arguing, a noisy mess. About ten minutes later, the whole complex went quiet, leaving only the staff behind.
Everyone was curious about what was happening.
Song Xi was intercepted in the hallway.
It was a security guard from the complex, who informed her with a grave expression: "Hurry to Private Room No. 1 and gather there."
Hearing that room number, Song Xi’s palms involuntarily began to sweat.
Private Room No. 1 was never occupied; it seemed reserved specifically for a very prestigious guest. She had rarely had any contact with it, except for that one time...
"May I ask what happened?"
"It’s an emergency. The higher-ups ordered all the female servers to go there. You’d better get moving, too. A big shot has arrived and seems to be looking for someone. I’m afraid some people are in for a rough time."
Song Xi bit her lip, a dark premonition gnawing at her.
She followed the other servers into Private Room No. 1. It was huge, and with about fifty servers present, it didn't feel cramped at all.
They stood in five rows in the center of the room, surrounded by bodyguards in black suits. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, and everyone kept their heads down, not daring to make a sound.
Song Xi stood in the back row, but her eyes immediately locked onto the large sofa in the center. She saw that handsome, striking face, but... it didn't seem quite the same as she remembered. It was dark, cold, and filled with malice.
Gu Lishang sat there, his cold face radiating an imperial authority.
Huang Liuer sat slumped on the cashmere rug, her face pale, tear-streaked, and her eyes hollow.
Sun Xiaoyu had a clear slap mark on her face. It was hard to tell if it was from earlier or if it was new. She crawled to Gu Lishang’s feet, desperately trying to defend herself.
"Lord Shang, I only knew that Huang Liuer was slacking off and sleeping in the breakroom that night. I know nothing else! I’m innocent! It was all Huang Liuer trying to trick you. She threatened me and tried to bribe me. I had no idea!"
"It was all Huang Liuer’s rotten idea. It really has nothing to do with me! Lord Shang, you have to believe me! I’m truly innocent!"
Once Gu Lishang discovered the two-million-dollar transaction, Sun Xiaoyu was quickly tracked down. The moment she saw Gu Lishang’s men, she spilled everything—the things she should have said, and the things she shouldn't have.
That was how Gu Lishang realized that the woman from that night wasn't Huang Liuer at all!
With a look of irritation, he kicked Sun Xiaoyu away.
"Get out!"
The bodyguards nearby were quick-witted; they immediately pinned Sun Xiaoyu down so she couldn't get close to Gu Lishang again.
Even his assistant, Mu Xi, stood to one side looking terrified, speaking with extreme caution.
"Lord Shang, it was my failure to verify the situation correctly. It’s all my fault. But I am certain it was a server from this complex that night. There’s no mistake about that!"
Finding a needle in a haystack wasn't easy, but for Gu Lishang, finding one person out of fifty wasn't particularly difficult.
Listening to their conversation, Song Xi instinctively buried her head lower.
They really were looking for her!
If Gu Lishang found out it was her, she didn't know what the consequences would be. Would she end up like them?
The words she had heard that day echoed in her mind: "The women who try to seduce Lord Shang usually end up in a sorry state."
Song Xi’s face turned deathly pale.
Gu Lishang’s thin lips parted, and he spoke in a flat, cold tone:
"Last Wednesday night. Who was it?"
The chilling voice made everyone shudder. The question was so vague it left everyone confused, but for Song Xi, it felt as though she had been plunged into an ice cellar.
For a long time, there was no response.
Gu Lishang pressed his leather shoe down onto Huang Liuer’s slender fingers.
The fingers quickly turned bright red from the pressure, and Huang Liuer’s face flushed with agony.
"Tell me, who exactly was the woman that night?"
"I don't know... I got drunk and accidentally fell asleep. The next day, I was going to the room to apologize, but then Mr. Mu gave me money and told me I’d done a good job. I was greedy, so I took it. I really don't know who that person was..."
"You didn't arrange for her?"
Gu Lishang’s expression remained indifferent, but he increased the pressure under his foot.
"Ah..."
Huang Liuer managed to suppress her voice to a soft moan, her face twisted in pain. She suspected her fingers were about to be crushed.
"I didn't arrange it! I just happened to go back to get the money. I have nothing to do with that person. I really don't know... Lord Shang, please, let me go... I’m begging you..."
Gu Lishang lifted his foot.
Before Huang Liuer could catch her breath, Gu Lishang suddenly leaned forward and gripped her by the throat.
His fingers left red marks on her fair skin.
Huang Liuer’s face quickly flushed purple from asphyxiation, her eyes wide as she struggled for air.
"Lord Shang... I really don't know..."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't know..."
"Very well." Gu Lishang curled his lips and released the nearly suffocating Huang Liuer.
Huang Liuer gasped for air.
Before she could even recover, she heard Gu Lishang’s voice again, cold as a wind blowing from the depths of hell.
"Liars belong in the crocodile pit, fed to the crocodiles."
The atmosphere plummeted to freezing.
Huang Liuer gasped, her face ghost-white, her body trembling uncontrollably from fear. The terror in her eyes was unmistakable as she knelt on the floor, kowtowing to Gu Lishang repeatedly.
"Lord Shang, I really don't know! I’m not lying! Please, let me go, I beg you!"
The sound of her forehead hitting the floor echoed throughout the room. Everyone else was relieved they weren't caught in this mess, yet terrified of being implicated. The room was deathly quiet, save for Huang Liuer’s desperate pleas.
Song Xi bit her lip until it almost bled. She knew she should keep her head down and save herself, but watching the only person who had ever been kind to her reduced to this, she finally raised her hand, trembling.
Terrified, yet determined.
Every eye in the room turned toward her.
Gu Lishang spotted her, too.
"It was me."
Song Xi spoke slowly. Once she finished, she closed her eyes in fear, feeling as if she were walking to her own execution.