Volume One: High School Days Chapter Thirty-Nine: Ren Xiadong's Nightlife

After a two-and-a-half-hour flight, the plane touched down at Chong City International Airport. The three of them disembarked and took a taxi to the city's most luxurious five-star hotel, booking a presidential suite with two bedrooms, a living room, and a private bathroom. Liu Meng took one room, while Liusheng and Ren Xiadong shared the other.

That very night, there was no time to rest. Ren Xiadong dragged Liusheng out to a nightclub, truly seizing every moment. Liu Meng, exhausted from the journey, retired early and didn't join them.

Once inside the nightclub, the two found the most expensive booth and watched the throng of men and women on the dance floor—heads bobbing, mini skirts, long legs, everything on display.

"Bro, let me show you how it's done!" Ren Xiadong shouted in Liusheng’s ear, the music inside so loud it necessitated yelling.

Ren Xiadong staggered into the dance floor, swaying to the beat. Standing amidst the crowd, he turned and grinned at Liusheng before beginning his rounds of flirtation.

"Hey beautiful, here alone?"

"Get lost!"

"Alrighty!"

He pivoted to another girl.

"My bed can move!"

"Not feeling well lately!"

"Take it easy on the dance floor, don’t want you bleeding out!"

Resigned, Ren Xiadong sidled up to yet another beauty, produced a fifty from his pocket, and tossed it at her feet, giving her shoulder a pat.

"Hey, you dropped some money!"

The girl glanced back at him, then at the floor, and bent down to pick it up. Ren Xiadong, seeing her collar dip, realized she was flat-chested and thought to himself, "Damn, that’s really flat!"

After retrieving the money, the girl stood up, ready to thank him, but Ren Xiadong had already vanished, deciding she wasn’t his type.

Watching Ren Xiadong move from one target to another, stifling his laughter, Liusheng let his gaze wander across the tables. He noticed one woman watching him intently. Liusheng smiled and nodded politely.

The woman whispered something to her two friends, and together they walked over to Liusheng’s booth.

The three women, speaking loudly to be heard over the music, said, "Can we sit here and hang out with you?"

Liusheng smiled and gestured for them to sit. All three were scantily dressed, with fair skin and long legs, and they wasted no time helping themselves to the drinks on the table.

Ren Xiadong returned, disheartened from his repeated failures, his face gray with frustration. Seeing Liusheng surrounded by beauties, he gave a wicked grin and hurried to join them, clinking glasses with each woman.

After several rounds, everyone was a little tipsy. Ren Xiadong took one of the girls by the hand and led her onto the dance floor, the two embracing and swaying together.

In conversation with the other two women, Liusheng learned they were college sophomores, staying in the city for summer jobs. He found their industriousness admirable, forming a positive impression of them.

Glancing back at the dance floor, Liusheng saw Ren Xiadong and his partner locked in a kiss, nearly choking on his drink at the sight. He silently admired Ren Xiadong’s persistence: "Defeat after defeat, yet he keeps going! Clearly, perseverance is key to success."

After leaving the club, the group of five didn’t head back immediately but found a late-night eatery to keep drinking.

During the meal, they learned the three women were students at Chong City Normal University, all from the south, working summer jobs at a karaoke bar as hostesses. This news reminded Liusheng of Xiaoya, recalling her departure as he fell into a daze. Just then, his phone buzzed—it was a message from Ren Xiadong: "Dude! Don’t let such a golden opportunity slip by! Get your act together!"

Liusheng put down his phone and glanced at Ren Xiadong, who was grinning wickedly at him from across the table. Liusheng felt uneasy, convinced the girls worked such jobs only to lessen their families’ burdens, so he shook his head.

Ren Xiadong raised his glass to the three girls, asking, "It’s so late, will your dorms still be open?"

The girl he had kissed earlier replied, "I’ll go home with you, if that’s alright?"

Ren Xiadong winked at Liusheng, who forced a smile and thought, "Are college girls really this open nowadays?"

He recalled his own university days, when it took nearly two years with his girlfriend before their relationship reached that stage—now, women were volunteering themselves.

By three-thirty in the morning, the five were thoroughly drunk, staggering out of the restaurant arm in arm.

"We need to take a cab! You have no idea—locals here can’t go anywhere without GPS!" one of the girls slurred, her voice betraying how far gone she was.

They split into two taxis: Ren Xiadong took the three girls in one, while Liusheng rode alone in the other.

...

"Wake up, kid! We’re here!" the driver said in a thick southern accent.

Liusheng, roused by the driver, stumbled out and promptly crouched down to vomit. Swaying left and right, he staggered to his suite’s door, fumbled out his key card, and entered.

No sooner had he stepped inside than he heard unmistakable sounds from one of the bedrooms. Seeing the strewn clothes in the living room, Liusheng was stunned, thinking, "Ren Xiadong’s really something—handling three women at once?"

He was too drunk to care who or where he was, so he wandered into the other bedroom, flopped onto the bed beside Liu Meng, and fell asleep, paying no mind to her presence.

Liu Meng, restless in sleep, soon threw her arms and legs over Liusheng, who instinctively hugged her close.

Early the next morning, Liu Meng opened her eyes to see Liusheng’s arm draped across her chest. She shoved him away.

Liusheng, still half asleep, rolled aside, muttering with his eyes closed, "Stop it, I swear, I’m done drinking. All the girls are yours."

Liu Meng, gritting her teeth, gave him a hard kick, sending him tumbling to the floor. The shock jolted Liusheng awake. Climbing to his feet, he glanced at Liu Meng on the bed, then checked that he was fully clothed, muttering, "Thank goodness, nothing happened."

"Nothing happened? You snuck into my room while I was asleep, hugged me, and even touched me..." Liu Meng trailed off, blushing.

Sensing something amiss, Liusheng hurried out to the living room. There he saw Ren Xiadong sprawled on a bed with all three girls. Before he could react, Liu Meng came up behind him, staring in shock at the scene.

It was the first time Liu Meng had ever witnessed anything like this. Sensing her presence, Liusheng looked back at her; Liu Meng, catching his gaze, quickly turned away and snapped, "What did you two get up to last night?!"

Liusheng didn’t answer, instead gathering up the scattered clothes and tossing them into Ren Xiadong’s room, closing the door behind him. "Ren Xiadong really has nerves of steel, not even bothering to close the door!"

Liu Meng huffed, "The suite rooms can’t be locked from the inside—perfect for scoundrels like you!"

Liusheng realized she was referring to his unintentional intrusion the night before, so he explained, "I was so drunk, I didn’t even know who I was."

Liu Meng’s anger wasn’t over Liusheng entering her room, but rather what she’d seen in Ren Xiadong’s room. Who could say whether Liusheng had done anything untoward the previous night?

"Not even one of the girls was yours? Or did you and Ren Xiadong split shifts?"

Though Liu Meng spoke sharply, she still poured him a glass of water, knowing how much he’d drunk. With her understanding of Liusheng, if he’d had even a shred of awareness, he’d have slept in the living room before entering her room.

After he finished the water, still reeking of alcohol, she pushed him back into her room to rest. Watching him lie down, Liu Meng said, "Get some sleep. I want to go out this afternoon."

With that, Liu Meng left Liusheng in her room and settled herself in the living room to watch TV.

Around noon, voices drifted from Ren Xiadong’s room:

"Didn’t expect you to be so impressive!"

"It was my first time!"

"What, your first time ever?"

"No, first time with so many at once!"

"You’re terrible!"

"Then let me be even more terrible!"

Indescribable sounds soon followed.

Liu Meng, blushing furiously, quickly turned off the TV and fled to her own room. Seeing Liusheng still sleeping, she woke him up without hesitation.

As he roused, she said, "It’s noon. Let’s get something to eat and go for a walk."

Liusheng got up and left the room, still hearing Ren Xiadong’s ongoing escapades, so he went straight to the shower. By the time he came out, Ren Xiadong and the three girls had emerged as well.

Seeing Liusheng, one of the girls teased, "Why didn’t you join the fun last night?"

Liusheng smiled, "Ren Xiadong was more than enough. I’d have been extra."

The three girls burst out laughing, then turned to Ren Xiadong, "You promised to come support us tonight—you can’t bail! We gave you the address and contact info."

Ren Xiadong escorted them out, assuring them, "Don’t worry, I’ll be there!"

Liu Meng, hearing all this from the other room, stormed out and shouted, "Did I bring you two here to chase girls? Weren’t you supposed to help me unwind?"

Ren Xiadong slapped his forehead. "How could I forget Liu Meng was with us? My reputation!"