Chapter 119

Chapter 119: She's Using My Card to Buy Male Escorts for Tangtang? Underground parking garage. Qin Yan, carrying a chill, pulled open the passenger door of the Cullinan and plopped himself into the seat. "Bro, everything you asked me to do is done. The girl accepted all those handbags and the car." Jiang Shixu's slender fingers rested on the steering wheel, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Did she suspect anything?" Qin Yan answered honestly, "Yeah, she asked if the car was from you. I colluded with Yuanyuan to cover it up. Tangtang trusts Yuanyuan a lot, so she probably won't overthink it." Jiang Shixu let out a heavy "Mm." For a moment, Qin Yan didn't know what to say. Jiang Shixu stared blankly at some point in the void, the car so quiet you could hear the heater's warm air whistling. Qin Yan knew he was thinking about Chu Tang again. He tactfully stayed quiet, not disturbing him. After a long while, Jiang Shixu spoke. "I really want to see her." Qin Yan: "..." "Hold on." Qin Yan pulled out his phone. "Bro's got your back." Qin Yan dialed Chen Yuanyuan's number. "Hey, Yuanyuan, when I was delivering the car to Tangtang earlier, she seemed pretty down—looked like a wilted eggplant, all droopy. She's probably still hurting inside. I'm really worried she'll make herself sick bottling it all up. She doesn't work tomorrow since it's Saturday. How about you get her out tonight and cheer her up?" Chen Yuanyuan's voice came through the phone in protest: "Ugh, Tangtang loves Jiang Shixu so much—there's no way she can just move on that fast. Why should she be the one suffering while Jiang Shixu can just go around with female celebrities like nothing happened? You men are all cold and heartless creatures!" Qin Yan instinctively glanced sideways at Jiang Shixu. He had visibly lost weight over this period. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, clearly from several sleepless nights in a row. Jiang Shixu's love for Chu Tang—others might not know, but Qin Yan saw it clearly. Having been brothers with Jiang Shixu for so many years, this was the first time he'd seen Jiang Shixu care this much about a woman. A man who was usually calm and composed was nearly depressed over a breakup. He was clearly a hopeless romantic at heart, yet forced to bear the labels of "heartbreaker" and "scumbag." Even Qin Yan, as an outsider, couldn't stand to watch it anymore. Qin Yan exchanged a few more words with Chen Yuanyuan, who said she'd invite Chu Tang out for drinks. Qin Yan asked casually, "Which bar are you guys going to? I'll come pick you up later." Chen Yuanyuan didn't think much of it and easily gave up the information, naming a bar. "Alright then, take good care of Tangtang tonight. I'll come get you later. Don't drink too much, or you'll get headaches and stomach aches again." "Fine, fine, I know. You're so naggy." After hanging up, Qin Yan shrugged. "Done. We leave for the 'Night' bar in twenty minutes." ... Originally, Chu Tang had no plans for the evening. She intended to have dinner, curl up at home watching a drama, and then go to sleep. Not long after finishing her meal, she got a call from Chen Yuanyuan asking her to go out for drinks. During the day, Chu Tang threw herself into work, desperately keeping herself busy. Only that way could she have no spare time to think about Jiang Shixu. But once night fell, the longing grew wild, and the suffocating ache in her chest made it hard to breathe. A breakup was like falling seriously ill—incurable by medicine, leaving only alcohol to numb the pain. Chu Tang needed an outlet for her emotions. The white McLaren cut through the winter night's mist like a ghost. The open-air parking lot outside the Night bar was packed with luxury cars. Chu Tang tossed her keys to the valet, stepped up the stairs in her lambskin heels, and walked into the bar. At eleven at night, the nightlife was just beginning. The bar was packed, lights flashing, music blaring, the central dance floor a frenzy of bodies as men and women seeking pleasure swayed pressed against each other. This was a breeding ground for ambiguity and indulgence. Chu Tang walked in, the cacophony of voices and music furrowing her brow. She didn't care much for places like this. "Tangtang, over here!" Chen Yuanyuan waved at her, Zhou Xueluo standing beside her. Chu Tang walked over, and Chen Yuanyuan, familiar with the place, led her to the bar counter and took a seat on a high stool. "Leo, three Mojitos." The bartender smiled in acknowledgment and began mixing drinks with practiced skill. Chen Yuanyuan leaned in and whispered in Chu Tang's ear, "This bartender named Leo is twenty-six and the 'star' of this bar. How about it? Pretty handsome, right?" Chu Tang looked up and sized up the man before her. Not tall—around 1.75 meters—with delicate features, a handsome face, and wavy hair, giving off that Japanese pretty-boy vibe from the movies. Chu Tang casually averted her gaze and replied, "Not bad." Chen Yuanyuan giggled. "Like this type? This is the young puppy I told you about. Half the girls in this bar come here just for him." And right on cue, a girl walked up to flirt with Leo, slapping down a thick stack of red bills. Chu Tang shook her head. "Too many men around me. It's not appropriate." "What's there to be afraid of? It's just for fun, not marriage." Chen Yuanyuan raised an eyebrow. "Why is it that only men get to play around, and we women can't? Jiang Shixu is already out and about with female celebrities, and you're still staying pure for him? Play! Play to your heart's content!" Chu Tang frowned. "I... I'm not interested..." "That's because you haven't experienced the joy of playing." The bartender placed three Mojitos in front of them. Chen Yuanyuan smiled and said, "Thanks, handsome." The bartender met Chen Yuanyuan's gaze and smiled seductively. "No need to thank me, beautiful." The two locked eyes, and an ambiguous spark quietly ignited between them. Chu Tang and Zhou Xueluo exchanged glances, both utterly bewildered, their big eyes filled with shock. They just hit it off like that? After finishing a drink, Chu Tang's gloom only deepened instead of lifting. As the saying goes, "Drowning sorrows in wine only makes sorrow grow." It seemed that saying was absolutely right. Under the influence of alcohol, she seemed to miss Jiang Shixu even more. Chen Yuanyuan tried to console her: "It's okay, girl. If you don't like this one, I'll introduce you to others. Didn't I say last time I'd order you some male models? This bar has plenty of stunning male models. Wait here, I'll go get their manager. Tell me what you like, and I'll order them for you." Chu Tang had already drunk three glasses and was feeling a bit dizzy. Her voice was slurred as she murmured, "No..." Chen Yuanyuan was also drunk and tipsy. The bar was noisy, so she didn't hear clearly. "What? You want some?" Chu Tang shook her head. "I don't like messing around with that kind of stuff..." Chen Yuanyuan: "What? You just like looking at those eight-pack abs?" What was she even talking about? Chu Tang was drunk, her cheeks flushed red, her gaze hazy. Ten minutes later, five male models, all over 1.8 meters tall with eight-pack abs, stood in a row in front of Chu Tang and said in unison, "Sis" Chu Tang was drunk and giggled foolishly. "Hello there." To be fair, they were actually quite good-looking. At the same time, in a dimly lit booth in the bar, Jiang Shixu stared at the payment notification he had just received on his phone, his face dark and grim. "She used my card to order male models for Tangtang?"