Volume One: High School Days Chapter Forty-Two: The Breaking Point

Let us continue the story.

Once again, Liusheng found himself at Xiaoya’s workplace, driven by his longing to see her. There, fate arranged another encounter with Mr. Huang, the very man who had quarreled with Liusheng during their last meeting.

“Hello, Mr. Huang!” Liusheng greeted him.

The lighting in the private room was dim, so Mr. Huang hadn’t noticed who the guests inside were. But as soon as he recognized Liusheng and his companion, he barked loudly, “What the hell are you two poor students doing in a place like this? Do you have any idea how much a single bottle costs here? You’re still trying to chase after my woman? With that puny build of yours, can you even handle these girls?”

Though Mr. Huang didn’t dare to use his fists, his tongue was as vicious as ever. Glancing at the bottles on the table, he sneered, “Do you know what this table of drinks is worth? With the way you two look, you clearly can’t afford it. Bow to me three times, and I’ll settle the bill for you tonight!”

Ren Xiadong could barely contain himself and was about to stand up, but Liusheng stopped him. Liusheng then said, “Fine, but at least let us drink our fill first, right?”

“Haha, as long as you bow, drink as much as you like! I’ll even pay for the girls to keep you company,” Mr. Huang replied, gloating inwardly: “Damn, money really does talk.”

Liusheng exchanged a glance with Ren Xiadong, who instantly understood. He walked over to Mr. Huang, pulled him aside, and instructed Xiao Li, “Come, keep Mr. Huang good company—after all, he’s our host tonight.”

With that, Ren Xiadong stepped out of the room. Moments later, a group of beautiful women poured in.

Without even looking, Liusheng ordered, “All of you, stay and keep Mr. Huang company.”

The women, delighted by his words, swarmed around Mr. Huang. Then, four waiters entered, each pushing a cart overflowing with bottles of expensive liquor, none priced below several thousand, some over ten thousand.

Liusheng nodded approvingly. “Open them all! Tonight, drink to your heart’s content. I mean everyone—drink as much as you want.”

The room erupted in excitement. These women were used to being here, but rarely did anyone order such extravagant drinks. They were eager to try these costly foreign spirits, curious about their taste.

Meanwhile, cold sweat poured down Mr. Huang’s face. He hadn’t anticipated that these two students could be so cunning. He tried to count the bottles in the carts, but there were simply too many for his dizzy eyes to keep track.

Soon, everyone in the room was holding a bottle, dancing and drinking straight from the neck.

“Mr. Huang, a toast to you—you’re truly a tycoon, letting us drink straight from ten-thousand-yuan bottles!”

“That’s right, Mr. Huang, here’s to you!” echoed another.

The roomful of beauties toasted Mr. Huang, some so impressed by his supposed wealth that they pressed themselves against him, eager to offer themselves. But Mr. Huang could think only of the eventual bill.

As the revelry reached its peak, more waiters entered, accompanied by the KTV’s owner, each holding a glass.

With a smile, the boss said, “Mr. Huang, enough is enough—no need to go overboard, but a man of your stature comes here for fun. Since you’re so generous tonight, I’ll double the tips for all the girls—on me. You won’t pay a cent.”

Mr. Huang was speechless. The alcohol alone was worth at least three million, and yet the girls’ fees were negligible!

All the waiters raised a glass to Mr. Huang.

“Take good care of Mr. Huang and his two young friends,” the boss instructed. “Serve them well and you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”

With that, the boss exited, leaving the room in chaos as even more girls, finished with their own shifts, joined the party just to taste the expensive liquor.

Before midnight, there was no longer any space for Liusheng and Ren Xiadong in the largest private room. Reluctantly, they stepped outside, watching the wild scene through the doorway.

Xiao Li, tipsy, squeezed out after them and said to Liusheng, “Xiaoya’s had no luck—missing out on you. I’m only telling you this because I’m drunk. Every time Xiaoya gets wasted, your name is the only one she calls. I can tell these past days how much you care for her, too… What a pity!”

This time, hearing Xiaoya’s name did not pain Liusheng like before. Instead, he felt a dull ache, a weakness that left him with no desire to speak.

At one in the morning, Liusheng surveyed the floor littered with bottles, summoned a waiter to tidy up, then said, “Bring another cart!”

Mr. Huang, who had been slumped in his seat, nearly slid to the floor in fright. The waiter glanced anxiously at Mr. Huang, but Liusheng threw an arm around the waiter’s neck and barked, “Well, go on then!”

Soon, two more carts of premium liquor arrived, and at Liusheng’s signal, every bottle was opened. By this time, every beautiful woman in the KTV had crowded into the room, all for the same purpose: to drink the best wine.

By two o’clock, not a soul could drink another drop. The cashier approached Mr. Huang and said, “Mr. Huang, our finance department needs to settle the bill. The boss says to waive the small change—just pay five million.”

Just then, Liusheng and Ren Xiadong strode in. In front of everyone, Liusheng called out, “Mr. Huang, you have my respect. I’ll bow to you right now—three loud and clear prostrations!”

Liusheng was the kind who could bend or stand tall as needed. Why bother with a fight? Watching Mr. Huang suffer was far more satisfying. Five million spent, and if all it took was bowing three times, so be it!

But before Liusheng and Ren Xiadong could kneel, Mr. Huang had already dropped to the floor, kowtowing repeatedly and begging, “Gentlemen, I was wrong! I take back what I said about paying the bill—just pretend I was talking nonsense!”

“Oh, come on, Mr. Huang, a big boss like you can’t go back on your word, can you?” Ren Xiadong said, watching Mr. Huang grovel.

Mr. Huang crawled to Ren Xiadong’s feet and clung to his leg. “I thought it would just be a few hundred thousand. I never dreamed it’d be five million! Selling my whole company wouldn’t cover that!”

The cashier, witnessing this, ran out and soon returned with the boss and every waiter, all armed and ready.

“I heard someone can’t pay their bill. What’s going on, Mr. Huang?” demanded the boss.

Mr. Huang, terrified, crawled to the boss and pleaded, “They ordered the drinks, not me! I never asked for so much!”

The boss turned to Liusheng and his companion. “So, who am I supposed to collect from?”

The girls, seeing the boss’s anger, quietly slipped away, wanting nothing to do with the trouble.

Surveying the chaotic room, Liusheng’s face grew serious. “I can pay you right now.”

The boss’s demeanor changed instantly. Smiling obsequiously, he sidled up to Liusheng. “I would never have guessed, at your age, you’d have such means. May I ask, young sirs, whose family are you from?”

From Liusheng’s accent, the boss guessed he was from the north, and so addressed him accordingly.

Liusheng walked over to Mr. Huang, crouched down, and said, “Ever heard of not judging by appearances? I let the last incident go, and yet you came looking for trouble again.”

Then, turning to the boss, still crouched, he added, “I’ll pay the bill—on one condition: I don’t want to see Mr. Huang walk out of here.”

The boss hesitated. Liusheng claimed he could pay, but there was no guarantee. If he crippled Mr. Huang now and Liusheng turned out to be bluffing, it’d be hard to get the money out of Mr. Huang later.

After a moment’s thought, the boss said, “I get what you mean. But first, settle the bill!”

Liusheng stood, lit a cigarette, and took a hard drag. “I’m Liusheng, owner of Liuyao World Animation Company.”

The boss was visibly excited. “You’re Liusheng, the author of ‘Legend of the Ancients’?!”

Liusheng nodded without a word.

The boss hesitated no longer. He grabbed a club and struck Mr. Huang. The waiters, seeing their boss act, launched into action as well, raining blows from all directions onto Mr. Huang!

Mr. Huang’s screams echoed through the entire KTV, making all the girls hiding in other rooms tremble in fear.

When Mr. Huang finally fell silent, Liusheng said, “Enough. Someone’s going to die if this keeps up.”

“Are you satisfied, Mr. Liu? If not, just say so and we’ll continue!” the boss offered.

Liusheng looked to Ren Xiadong. “Mr. Ren, have you had your fun?”

“The vice president of Liuyao World Animation, Ren Xiadong?” the boss exclaimed.

Liusheng teased, “I didn’t expect Mr. Ren to be so well-known.”

The boss hurried to flatter them, “Naturally—your right-hand man, a celebrity in the business world. Who doesn’t know your names?”

Liusheng said nothing more, simply handed over a card. “Here’s the password. When you’re done, bring it straight back.”

The boss ran the card himself and returned it with the utmost respect. To the staff, he said, “Whenever Mr. Liu comes, show him every courtesy.”

Liusheng shook his head at the leftover drinks. “I like to keep things low-key. Just treat me as any other guest. It’s a real shame to waste all this liquor—find us another room, we’ll keep drinking.”

The boss dared not neglect him—a legend in the animation world was not someone to cross.

In the new room, Liusheng and Ren Xiadong didn’t order any girls. The two of them drank alone, and in the privacy, Liusheng poured out all his pain and longing for Xiaoya to Ren Xiadong.

Ren Xiadong wisely kept silent, knowing that what Liusheng needed was simply a listener.

That night, Liusheng got drunk again. Unlike the night before, when he had drunk himself unconscious and Ren Xiadong had to carry him home, this time he remained lively, restless, and hard to manage.

Helpless, Ren Xiadong called Liu Meng, and together they managed to get the unruly Liusheng back to his place.

The moment they entered, Liusheng threw his arms around Liu Meng, calling Xiaoya’s name over and over.

“All right, time to sleep,” said Ren Xiadong, worried for Liu Meng’s feelings as Liusheng clung to her, calling her Xiaoya. He tried to pull him away toward their own room.

But Liusheng refused to let go, treating Liu Meng as if she were Xiaoya, insisting he wanted to sleep with her.

Seeing this, Liu Meng said to Ren Xiadong, “Let him sleep in my room. He’s so drunk, he probably won’t try anything.”

As she helped Liusheng to her room, Ren Xiadong called after her, pulled a “square circle” from his pocket, and said, “Better safe than sorry.”

Liu Meng turned back, her face instantly darkening with anger. “Get lost!” she snapped.

Ren Xiadong gave an embarrassed grin and was about to put it away when Liu Meng snatched it from his hand, then led Liusheng into her room.

Only then did Ren Xiadong, standing alone in the hallway, finally realize what had just happened. He muttered under his breath, “That’s all I can do to help you two.”