Song Xi shook her head firmly again and whispered, "I don't know how to drink."
She had hoped this excuse would be enough to let her leave, but the man remained insistent.
"It doesn't matter. If you can't drink, you can at least pour for Brother Shang. Let him drink."
"I don't know how to do that either..."
"You don't even know how to pour a drink? Are you playing games with me?"
Xie Qian was starting to get annoyed. Who on earth would believe such an obvious lie? They always said the people working in the entertainment complex were sharp as tacks—how could this woman lack even a shred of social awareness?
"I'm sorry, but I have other things to attend to. I must be going."
Song Xi bowed, still intent on making her escape. But the moment she lifted her foot, she heard Xie Qian bark out in a fit of temper:
"Don't you move! Stay right there!"
Song Xi obediently retracted her foot and pressed her lips together, not daring to say another word, terrified that if she spoke again, she might actually cause him to drop dead from rage.
She was truly baffled. The entertainment complex was crawling with beautiful women who had high emotional intelligence and knew exactly how to coddle guests. Usually, when she encountered customers trying to hit on her, she would just play the part of the socially inept girl, and the customers would grow impatient and tell her to get lost. It had always worked perfectly, so why was it failing so miserably now?
It was unfathomable.
Because of Xie Qian's outburst, the atmosphere in the private room turned strange, and for a moment, nobody spoke. Song Xi felt the scene was incredibly awkward. She felt like a monkey in a zoo, with everyone's eyes fixed on her. The people in the room couldn't grasp why she wouldn't jump at an opportunity others were fighting to get.
After a long silence, Gu Lishang finally spoke.
"You may leave."
Song Xi's eyes lit up. She could go? Well, she was certainly going!
Without a word, Song Xi prepared to slink away as fast as her feet could carry her. Gu Lishang frowned slightly. She was leaving that decisively? There wasn't even a hint of hesitation. She was just like that woman from the other night. Except, for some reason, that woman had suddenly turned into a buzzing fly, and he had lost all interest in her.
Xie Qian, however, was highly dissatisfied. "Brother Shang, she’s showing me such disrespect, yet you’re still helping her!"
"You're too noisy."
"All those excuses you make—you just like this type!"
"Nonsense."
Gu Lishang's tone remained cool and inscrutable.
Just as Song Xi reached the door of the room and was about to open it, she bumped squarely into the floor manager.
"Sister Chen..."
The manager grabbed Song Xi by the shoulders, forced her to turn around, and pushed her back inside.
Song Xi: "???"
The manager whispered a warning in her ear, "The people in this room are the most distinguished guests in the entire complex. If you make them unhappy, don't even think about keeping your job!"
"But... I'm just here to deliver the drinks..."
"Can you pour a drink or not?"
Before Song Xi could offer a stubborn rebuttal, the manager continued, "If you can't, get out."
"..."
Suddenly, she knew exactly how.
"Provide good service, get them to drink more, and I'll give you a bonus."
With that, the manager pushed Song Xi into the seat beside Gu Lishang. "She's a new waitress and doesn't know any better. Don't take offense, everyone. She was just joking around earlier—how could she possibly not know how to pour a drink, right? Xiaoxi?"
Song Xi gave an awkward smile. "That's right."
"Good, keep up the service." The manager patted Song Xi on the shoulder and turned to the others. "We've recently launched some new package deals. Would you like to try something new? They’re quite interesting."
"For instance, we have the 'Golden Rabbit Brings Joy' for 388,000, and 'When the Cannon Sounds' for 588,000. They are both quite signature and come with a very entertaining performance."
Seeing that there was finally a woman beside Gu Lishang, Xie Qian was in high spirits. He felt like a friend who had just helped a brother achieve a major life milestone, and when a man is happy, he’s prone to spending money.
He waved his hand grandly. "Get us one of each!"
"Understood! I'll arrange it immediately!"
The manager’s face lit up with a beaming smile. This was the wave of business that would make her quota for the month!
Xie Qian raised an eyebrow at Song Xi. "Now that you're staying, how about taking off that mask? Let everyone see what you look like."
He was genuinely curious about what kind of woman could satisfy Gu Lishang. Song Xi instinctively clutched her mask. If she took it off and Gu Lishang realized she was the same person who had angered him a few days ago, wouldn't he be even angrier? Her livelihood would definitely be finished then.
"It’s against the store’s policy... I can't take it off..."
"What does that matter? Here, we're the ones in charge."
"I'm not used to it."
*Thwack!*
Xie Qian slammed his hand on the table, furious. He’d lived this long and never been contradicted so many times in a row. Did she really think he was that easygoing?
"I'm asking you, does this woman not know who’s boss around here?!"
Song Xi curled up on the sofa and didn't make a sound. If she couldn't argue back, she would just play dead.
Xie Qian suddenly stood up. "You dare ignore me? Today, I’m taking that mask off no matter what!"
Seeing him move around the sofa toward her, Song Xi could only tuck her head down and shrink away, desperately trying to think of a way out. Suddenly, a hand blocked his path. She looked up and saw it was Gu Lishang.
Gu Lishang glanced at Xie Qian. "Can you pipe down?"
"Is it me who needs to pipe down? She’s the one disrespecting me. Who does she think she is?"
Gu Lishang merely signaled for him to sit back down with a look. Xie Qian, both angry and cowed, returned to his seat to sulk, muttering suddenly, "When you find out she's an ugly hag, don't come crying to me!"
Gu Lishang ignored him completely and went back to his drink. Seeing that Gu Lishang’s glass was nearly empty, Song Xi grabbed the bottle and quickly refilled it. She was being quite calculating as she poured, making sure to pick the most expensive vintage. She had to work hard for that bonus!
Before long, the packages Xie Qian had ordered began to arrive, and the room grew boisterous. To encourage drinking, the club had come up with all sorts of flashy gimmicks: gongs and drums blared, small fireworks were set off next to the bottles, and a group of pretty girls in silk stockings and short skirts danced through the room—it was a lively scene.
Watching the two of them sitting there in such peaceful isolation, Xie Qian couldn't resist wanting to stir the pot and turn up the heat. Otherwise, what was the fun in that?
"Brother Shang, why don't you tell everyone how your experience was last Wednesday night? We're all dying to know how a stone-cold iron tree like you finally blossomed."
Only Xie Qian would dare to ask such a thing.
Song Xi’s hand, holding the wine bottle, went rigid. Last Wednesday night? Wasn't that when they...
She hadn't expected them to bring this up so suddenly. She jerked her head toward Gu Lishang, desperate to gauge his reaction.