Volume One, Chapter Eight: The Beauty’s Intoxication

Zhou Yang followed Tang Yumei out of the room, his eyes widening in shock.

At some point, several male servers had appeared in the private suite. They were dressed in white suit trousers, their chests bare to reveal toned, muscular physiques. With their sophisticated hairstyles and subtle makeup, they were strikingly handsome and pleasing to the eye. One of them was dancing energetically, gripping a stripper pole with seductive movements.

"That dance has no energy!" Sister Laura roared, grabbing two bottles of beer and pouring them over the man’s head.

The beer, topped with white foam, slid down from the man's hair, trailing over his collarbone, across his chiseled chest and abdominal muscles, and soaking into his trousers.

"Now that’s how you do it!" Sister Laura laughed. The precious jade at her neck and the gold jewelry on her wrists shimmered, exuding an aura of immense wealth and arrogance.

The man knelt on the floor like a dog, licking the beer from his body, doing his utmost to please her. It was only then that Zhou Yang realized the women had only been polite to him earlier out of respect for Tang Yumei; what he was seeing now was their true nature.

"I want to sing!" Tang Qian said from the side.

"Stop dancing, stop dancing!" Sister Laura waved at the men. "Your sister wants to sing. Go serve her."

"Sister, I'm here!"

A man in white suit pants crawled over, knelt at Tang Qian’s feet behind her, and gently tugged at her sleeve. Tang Qian sat onto his back with the practiced ease of someone accustomed to such treatment. Another man had already handed her a microphone and knelt to help her select songs on a tablet. Tang Qian sat there with a cold, haughty expression, looking down at everyone like a queen.

Soon, Tang Qian’s melodious voice, like that of a nightingale, filled the suite. All the servers cheered and applauded with sycophantic zeal.

In that moment, Zhou Yang’s worldview nearly collapsed. These boys looked younger than him, likely dropouts who had entered this line of work. Watching them trample their own dignity underfoot left Zhou Yang with a complex mixture of emotions.

Tang Yumei patted Zhou Yang’s shoulder and laughed. "Are you scared by my girlfriends?"

"No, not at all!" Zhou Yang replied, feeling slightly awkward. "Sister Mei, if I hadn't come today, would you have..."

Tang Yumei smiled faintly. "Yes, I would be just like them."

Zhou Yang felt a sudden sense of loss.

"Don't overthink it. We just come here to blow off some steam; there won't be any crossing of lines," Tang Yumei said. "My friends here like to play, but they have their bottom lines. They wouldn't have relations with these male escorts." She leaned in, her lips brushing against his ear, her breath fragrant. "For one, I find them dirty. And for another, they aren't qualified enough."

Zhou Yang nodded, realizing that the women accompanying Tang Yumei were the truly elite, high-society types. The rich women who frequented clubs for men were, at best, unsatisfied socialites; they were nowhere near the same class as these women.

"Zhou Yang, have a drink with me!" Tang Yumei poured two glasses of whiskey and handed one to him.

Zhou Yang took the glass, glanced at the men kneeling around the suite, and asked, "Sister, looking at this setup, do I need to be on my knees to drink this?"

"Hahahaha!" Tang Yumei burst into laughter, her fair hand resting on Zhou Yang’s shoulder, her frame shaking with mirth. "Zhou Yang, why didn't I realize you were so humorous before?"

"I hadn't been this close to you before, so I didn't dare to joke around." That, at least, was the truth.

"Well, be closer from now on!" Tang Yumei scooted nearer, her beautiful legs pressing against his, and whispered with a glimmer in her eyes, "Is this close enough?"

Zhou Yang felt the cool, smooth sensation against his legs, and his heart gave a involuntary jolt.

"Oh ho! You two are out of the room already? Isn't that a bit too fast?" After partying for a while, Laura finally noticed them and flashed a wicked grin. "Young man, were you a bit too excited? Couldn't hold back, could you?" They all assumed Zhou Yang and Tang Yumei had gone to a private room for private business.

"Stop it!" Tang Yumei glared at her. "Go back to your playing."

"Tch, I'm just looking out for your happiness!" Laura rolled her eyes and turned back to the others.

That night, Tang Yumei was very different from usual. Normally, she was just as wild as her friends, but tonight she sat quietly in the corner, drinking and chatting with Zhou Yang.

Late into the night, as the party wound down, Zhou Yang took Tang Yumei back to her villa. She seemed quite happy, having consumed a lot of alcohol. By then, the intoxication had hit her hard; she was drowsy, her speech was slurred, and she needed Zhou Yang’s support to walk.

Zhou Yang helped her onto the sofa, took off her shoes and coat, and brought her a glass of water. "Sister Mei, have some water," he said softly.

Tang Yumei leaned back lazily, her beautiful eyes half-lidded, looking dazed and alluring. "Zhou... Yang!" she murmured incoherently, stray locks of hair clinging to her scarlet lips. The strap of her dress, dampened by alcohol, had slipped off her shoulder, revealing a vast expanse of fair skin, while the hem of her skirt tangled around her long, slender legs. She looked incredibly sexy.

At that moment, Tang Yumei was like a dark rose steeped in fine wine, urgently waiting for someone to pluck her.

"Sister Mei, I'm here!" Zhou Yang hurried over with the water, hoping she would take a sip to dilute the alcohol.

"Zhou Yang!" Tang Yumei reached out blindly, grabbing his lapel and knocking the glass over in the process. The water soaked her clothes, and her thin, silk-like shirt became semi-transparent, clinging tightly to her skin. Zhou Yang slipped and accidentally fell onto her.

A soft sensation pressed against him, and Zhou Yang felt a jolt of electricity run through his entire body. He knew her "condition" was flaring up. The alcohol had dazed her mind, but her body was restless and agitated because of the illness.

Just then, Tang Yumei’s phone rang. Still hovering over her, Zhou Yang reached out with a long arm and grabbed the phone from the coffee table. The caller was her son, Xie Feng. The hateful face of the man who had called him a "green-haired turtle" instantly flashed in his mind. A wicked thought crossed his mind for a split second, but he shook his head, casting the thought aside.

"Sister Mei, it’s your phone!" Zhou Yang sat up and called out to her, but she was too drunk to answer. After calling her name a few times to no avail, he stopped. He didn't answer the call either, simply placing the phone back beside her.

It seemed Sister Mei wouldn't be waking up tonight. Still, her clothes were wet; she would surely catch a cold if she slept like that. Looking around, he found a blanket on the side of the sofa and covered her with it.

As he turned to leave, the phone rang again—Xie Feng, calling once more. Annoyed, Zhou Yang gritted his teeth, picked up the phone, and answered.

"Xie Feng, Sister Mei has had too much to drink and can't answer the phone. Call back tomorrow!"