That night, Shāng Xiǎojūn vaguely remembered what he had done and how much he had drunk before being sent upstairs. His mind wasn't one for forgetting things by drinking, but Dù Juān's reminder connected the dots, and he probably figured out what had happened. He, who treated him like a brother yet kept all the meat for himself and offered no soup.
Heh... Shāng Xiǎojūn chuckled, a laugh directed at his naive self. After the chuckle, it was almost time to act.
But... forget it. Recalling her words of caution not long ago, Shāng Xiǎojūn handed the soda in his hand to Zhōu Guìshēng.
"Open a bottle for me, bro." Zhōu Guìshēng paused for a moment, quickly took it, found a bottle opener, and handed it over. Just now, he thought...
It seemed he had overthought it. He trusted him so much; he wouldn't think too much about it. That's right, the person who drugged Shāng Xiǎojūn that night was Zhōu Guìshēng.
He liked Dù Yànqín. And he had been playing second fiddle for too long; he was getting restless. Not everyone thinks carefully before acting.
Although it was risky, Zhōu Guìshēng did it. Shāng Xiǎojūn tilted his head and took a few gulps of soda. The bubbles in his throat made his mind clearer than ever.
Indeed, drinking soda was much better than drinking alcohol. Shāng Xiǎojūn smiled faintly, put down the bottle, and placed his hand on Zhōu Guìshēng's shoulder. "Guìshēng, I know you're a person with ideas and drive.
I'll support you. Therefore, we can't just be sloppy with the transport team anymore. We need to divide things up and clarify the shares."
After speaking, Shāng Xiǎojūn turned to the others. "Thank you all for preparing this gathering for me today. I remember the kindness of my brothers and the camaraderie we've shared over the years.
In the past, we just wanted to eat well, eat our fill, make some money, and have plenty to spend. Our ideas were simple, and our goals were the same. But now we're all grown up, and everyone's situation is different; what we pursue has also begun to diverge.
I understand all of this. So, our transport team, although it was just established recently, I've thought about it. Everyone has contributed money and effort, so we need to divide it properly and not be so haphazard about it, lest we shortchange everyone in the end.
Tomorrow afternoon, please keep your schedules free. Come to the office, and I'll draft a contract, calculate everything, and distribute it to everyone." Distribute, distribute what?
Everyone was stunned, not quite understanding Shāng Xiǎojūn's meaning. Shāng Xiǎojūn didn't explain anything and left directly. Three young men immediately followed him.
"Brother, did something happen?" They stopped Shāng Xiǎojūn outside as he was about to ride his bike. Shāng Xiǎojūn: "It's nothing, really.
I just have some other ideas." "What ideas? Brother, no matter what you do, I want to follow you."
"Yeah, Brother. If it weren't for you, no one would rent vehicles to our transport team. You've worked hard to set everything up from scratch.
What shares do we need? As long as we get some money every month, that's enough for us brothers." Shāng Xiǎojūn looked at the few of them and smiled, "It's fine, it's just about clarifying the shares; it has nothing else to do with it.
After all, I can't have you following me for nothing like this." Shāng Xiǎojūn rode away. Meanwhile, back in the private room at the Dance Hall, Zhōu Guìshēng sat in silence, holding a cigarette.
Beside him, a brother asked, "Brother Guìshēng, what does Brother Jun mean? Is he really going to give us shares?" Zhōu Guìshēng's expression was solemn.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette before slowly recovering. "Perhaps." If he really was going to divide the shares, it would be a good thing.
He was just afraid that person had other intentions. After being together for so long, Zhōu Guìshēng knew very well: Shāng Xiǎojūn always gets his revenge... The next day, when Dù Juān woke up, Shāng Xiǎojūn was already there.
He didn't come upstairs to knock but waited for her outside. Dù Juān, carrying her washbasin and cup, was preparing to go wash up when she looked up and saw a tall figure outside, nearly startling her. "What's wrong with you?
You came and didn't even knock, just standing out here." Shāng Xiǎojūn had initially thought it was still early and there was no rush, so he figured she could sleep in. Unexpectedly, what came out of his mouth was, "Afraid you'd sleep like a pig and wouldn't hear."
Dù Juān: "..." In her past life, he had no women around him, and there was probably a reason for that. Dù Juān ignored him and let him stand outside while she tidied up, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed her clothes.
The outfit she wore was the new one she had bought at the mall yesterday. A red velvet long dress, form-fitting with a deep V-neck, cinched at the waist, tight on top and loose below, with a wide skirt. Dù Juān hadn't tried on this dress yesterday; she had just held it up to compare.
She hadn't expected it to be so revealing. Seeing herself like this again, Dù Juān felt a bit self-conscious. But upon thinking about it, there was nothing to it.
Young girls walking around everywhere bared their shoulders and arms; besides, this only showed off her figure. And because she wore a white shirt underneath, her neck wasn't even exposed. "There's nothing to it; I'm just not used to wearing such pretty clothes all of a sudden."
Dù Juān patted her face, relaxed her mindset, and then braided her hair in front of the mirror behind the door. Perfect, she could go out. Dù Juān picked up her packed belongings and said to Shāng Xiǎojūn, "I'm ready, let's go."
She didn't leave her things in the room; she would have the staff store them. Shāng Xiǎojūn was leaning against the wall, idly looking around. When he heard her, he turned, and his entire being froze.
She was glowing. Dù Juān, with her hair freshly cut and in new clothes, was glowing. The radiance stung his eyes and warmed his chest.
Something inside his chest began to boil, like a group of rabbits hopping and thumping incessantly. Damn it, after a night passed, he thought he wouldn't be nervous seeing her again, but it was a rare encounter. Who would have thought there would be another sudden blow?
Shāng Xiǎojūn immediately hit the emergency stop button in his mind, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his restless heart. She's just a woman. How beautiful could she be?
At most, she'd be an equal match for him. Was it that serious? Shāng Xiǎojūn kept feeding himself the odd thought that no one was better looking than himself.
With this effort, his mood did indeed improve a bit. But who could have imagined that when he opened his eyes again, he would see Dù Juān tilting her head and leaning towards him? The little rabbits that had just calmed down started leaping frantically again.
"What are you doing?" Shāng Xiǎojūn, startled, quickly stepped back a couple of paces. Dù Juān: "?"
"I was about to ask you what you're doing! You were clutching your chest just now, looking like you were in pain. I thought you were unwell."
Did her heart have an attack? Was she? Did he show it so obviously?
Shāng Xiǎojūn quickly shook his head. "I'm fine." He then took the things from her hand, and they went to the service desk together.
The kind auntie at the front desk was almost blinded by the sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman. Hearing they wanted to store their belongings, she repeatedly assured them that everything would be kept safe and they could go about their business with peace of mind. Outside the Guesthouse, the two found a place nearby for breakfast.
It was a small roadside stall, with tables set up outdoors. Shāng Xiǎojūn went to pay and get the bowls and plates, while Dù Juān sat at the table for a moment. In just this short while, many people nearby cast glances their way, including those buying food and drinks, as well as passersby.
There were men and women, children with schoolbags, and elderly ladies carrying baskets, ready to go grocery shopping. She was simply too beautiful. On this drab street, that splash of red was the most dazzling scenery in the human world.