Chapter Fifty-Two: The Clever and Mischievous Li Xiaoqing

Among this group, only Hu Erleng had ever been to "Focus," having accompanied a client there. Yang Meng and the others had never visited because the prices were too high, while the siblings Long Teng and Long Xixiang considered the place too low-class.

It wasn’t as though Yang Meng and his friends had never been to a nightclub. In their youth, they’d visited some in the county town. He still remembered the nightclub’s ceiling adorned with a rotating, multi-colored “disco ball.” Only after moving to the city did he realize that disco balls were standard fare for clubs in the eighties. Yet back in their county, that was considered “fashion,” the height of “trendiness.”

Just as they reached the entrance of "Focus," a young man called out to Li Xiaoqing, “Hey, Sister Qing, you’re here! Are you okay after yesterday?”

Li Xiaoqing, brimming with pride, replied, “What could happen to me? Sister Qing has seen every storm imaginable.”

“You’re not going to rest at home for a few days? Aren’t you worried that Brother Chao will come looking for trouble again?” the young man asked with concern.

Li Xiaoqing shrugged. “What’s there to worry about? He’s still lying in the hospital!”

The young man gave her a thumbs-up. “Sister Qing, you’re formidable! Are these your friends? They’re unfamiliar faces—I’ve never seen them before.”

Li Xiaoqing hooked her arm around Yang Meng’s neck. “I met him at the police station. Just call him Brother Yang.”

Yang Meng was a bit embarrassed. “Let go, let go—mind your image, will you?”

Li Xiaoqing hopped onto Yang Meng’s back. “Brother Yang, what’s the point of worrying about image in a place like this? Let’s go—I already booked the BOSS card.”

At this point, Long Teng interjected, “No VIP rooms? Why not just book a VIP suite?”

Li Xiaoqing pursed her lips. “Brother Long, this is a hangout for young people. The BOSS card is the best seat here—there aren’t any VIP rooms. Ah Le, take everyone over; I’ll clock in and change clothes!”

Nightclubs offered different seating depending on spending power: those with less money could sit at scattered tables or the bar, while those with more went for booth seats. The flashiest among booths was the “BOSS booth,” commonly called the BOSS card.

Of course, more upscale clubs offered private rooms, some with VIP suites featuring dedicated DJs, dancers, and servers—places for the wealthy, worlds away from ordinary folk.

Yang Meng and his friends followed the one called Ah Le to their booth. Meanwhile, Ah Le sought out Li Xiaoqing, now changed into fresh clothes.

He pulled her aside. “Sister Qing, who did you bring with you? That guy in the suit immediately asked for six bottles of ‘Highland Knight’ forty-year-old whisky. Where are we supposed to steal that from in a place like ours? Did you see how disdainful he looked? I’ve seen plenty of BOSS card guests, but never anyone like him! These guys are really something else.”

Li Xiaoqing shook her head with a sigh. “Ah Le, do you know what kind of person is the least promising?”

Ah Le didn’t understand why she was asking and retorted, “What kind?”

Li Xiaoqing adopted a mysterious air. “The least promising people are those who see everyone as pretending to be something they’re not. In plain terms, they’ve never seen the world. Did you notice that flat-chested vixen looking girl? Her scarf cost over four hundred thousand. Do you think it’s strange they want to drink good liquor?”

Ah Le was clearly skeptical. “Sister Qing, are you kidding? A four hundred and fifty thousand scarf? Would someone like that spend time in a small place like ours?”

Li Xiaoqing looked at him with an expression of exasperation. “Would I lie to you? If I couldn’t recognize that, would I dare call myself the ‘fashion trendsetter of Focus’? Let me tell you, that guy in the suit and that vixen are both genuine rich kids—the kind you couldn’t hurt even if your knife was sharp.”

Ah Le was stunned. “That rich? Sister Qing, is the guy in the suit your new catch?”

Li Xiaoqing shook her head. “No, no, it’s the one in the jacket.”

Ah Le frowned. “Sister Qing, your taste isn’t great. The one in the jacket doesn’t look like he has money—he looks like a country bumpkin, honestly.”

Li Xiaoqing snorted. “You don’t know a thing. Let me tell you, when I left the police station, I overheard two officers talking. That guy’s a real tough one! He hurt so many people and got arrested, but not even the interrogators dared touch him!”

“Why?” Ah Le asked, puzzled.

Li Xiaoqing explained, “The police didn’t say, just mentioned he has a big background! Think about it: the guy who cracked my head will definitely come back to give me trouble. If I don’t find myself a protector, how will I manage? Turns out, I really found a solid backer—just look at his friends, they’re loaded.”

Ah Le asked curiously, “Then why not go after the guy in the suit? He’s super rich, right? He looks way better than Brother Yang. From what you said, his clothes are so refined—must be expensive, right?”

Li Xiaoqing replied airily, “It’s just a high-end tailored suit, maybe tens of thousands for a set.”

Ah Le didn’t even know where to start—tens of thousands for a suit had become “just that” in her mouth?

Li Xiaoqing continued, “You think I don’t know he’s rich? But he’s hard to target. None of these rich types are easy marks. Compared to them, Brother Yang is easier to handle. But there’s competition—you saw that vixen, right? She’s my rival!”

Ah Le was dumbfounded. “She’s your rival? She’s after Brother Yang, not the guy in the suit? Is she blind?”

“Nonsense! The guy in the suit is her brother,” Li Xiaoqing said.

“Oh,” Ah Le replied, finally understanding. “She’s pretty good! Sister Qing, your rival seems formidable.”

Li Xiaoqing scoffed. “What rival? She’s a genuine lady, not one of those flashy, pretentious types with a bit of family money. Real ladies watch their image in everything, but men—no matter how upright they seem—can’t resist when a woman throws herself at them. If I throw myself harder than her, isn’t it just a matter of time?”

Ah Le gave a thumbs-up. “Sister Qing, brilliant, truly brilliant!”

Li Xiaoqing chuckled. “Sweet talker! My good days are just ahead—stick with me and you’ll eat well and drink better!”

Ah Le nodded. “Sister Qing, I wish you swift success!”

Li Xiaoqing, pleased, declared, “This is a piece of cake. In this world, Sister Qing is fierce and speaks little. Would I ever come away empty-handed?”

Ah Le gave another thumbs-up. “Sister Qing, let me know if you need help!”

Li Xiaoqing grinned. “If I really can’t win him over, just slip something into his drink for me. If a man doesn’t get drunk, a woman has no chance.”

“What? You’re really going all out?” Ah Le was momentarily stunned. “Don’t you hate men touching you?”

Li Xiaoqing laughed. “Depends on the man, right? Like that Brother Chao—looks like a pig, has no real money, constantly pretends to be wealthy, and still wants to take advantage of me? Enough talk, I’ll go keep an eye out—don’t let that vixen snatch my little prize.”

Meanwhile, at the BOSS card booth, Long Teng frowned and complained, “The drinks here are awful—it’s a waste of an opportunity to enjoy good liquor.”

Qi Kun was puzzled. “What do you mean, a wasted opportunity?”

Yang Meng explained, “Long Teng is a legitimate national champion, a professional athlete. He’s disciplined, barely dares to eat anything out of turn, let alone drink.”

Qi Kun sighed in admiration. “No wonder Young Master Long is a champion! He’s tough on his opponents, and even tougher on himself.”

Yang Meng pursed his lips. “Enough with the admiration. His annual liquor budget is way higher than ours. Even if we drank every day, at a hundred a day, we’d spend just over thirty thousand a year. But him? Asking for six bottles of Highland Knight forty-year, market price over twenty thousand apiece, and not available everywhere. Here, one bottle would cost fifty or eighty thousand. Long Teng, don’t take it the wrong way—I’m not mocking you. Honestly, I’ve come to understand something these past days. Before, I’d have thought your behavior was just for show, but now, I get it. If I had that much money, I’d want the best food, clothes, and everything else, too. For you rich types, drinking Highland Knight is as ordinary as regular folks drinking cheap liquor—just a normal thing.”

Hu Erleng laughed. “That’s exactly right. Those who resent the rich are angrier than anyone, but who wants to get rich the most? It’s the ones who resent the wealthy! They spend even more when they have money! We only hear about resentment, never about the rich defending themselves. Not because they’re guilty, but because they couldn’t care less about explaining. They see things clearer than anyone.”

Long Xixiang appraised Yang Meng and the others. “Honestly, you people are more impressive than I expected. At the very least, your thinking is mature.”

Yang Meng smiled. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. We were raised on setbacks—each loss makes you wiser, and after enough, you naturally become mature.”

Long Xixiang covered her mouth, laughing. “What era is this? Is there still so much bullying? That’s a bit exaggerated.”

No sooner had she spoken than a group strode up to them. A bald man addressed Yang Meng and his companions. “Hey, you guys are all unfamiliar faces?”

Yang Meng looked at him, unsure. “What’s the matter?”

“We’re inviting some friends over tonight—how about you let us have the BOSS card booth?”