CHAPTER 150: CHAPTER 150: SEEING SOMEONE CLEARLY FOR FIVE MAO (50 CENTS)

While Jin Xinqiao was deep in thought, Tong Dongnuan shot Xia Liang a sidelong glance. She actually went up and requested the song "Brothers, Give Me a Hug."

Since Xia Liang had just sung, no one else dared to follow his act. Tong Dongnuan successfully grabbed the microphone and handed it to him. "One line each," she said, just as the intro finished playing.

Tong Dongnuan lifted the mic and sang, "Brother, you’ve gotten thinner..."

Although Xia Liang knew she had a good voice, he was still a little surprised. It couldn’t be helped; who would have thought the usually brash and careless Tong Dongnuan could sound so pleasant?

After Tong Dongnuan finished the first line, Xia Liang immediately followed. "The dust of your journey can’t hide..."

Although the two of them sang beautifully, everyone else in the private room looked on with grim expressions, clutching their chests as if in pain.

My god! Singing with a girl, and such a beauty at that, you pick "Brothers, Give Me a Hug" instead of a love song? Are the well-fed truly oblivious to the hunger of the starving? Is this really how you’re going to play this?

All the men present, including Luoyang, wanted to drag Xia Liang off the stage and take his place. But after comparing their own voices to the pair’s, they decided against embarrassing themselves.

Once the song ended, they put down their microphones. Finding it all a bit dull, Xia Liang and Tong Dongnuan joined the group playing dice. Jin Xinqiao didn’t know how to play but went over to learn.

Watching from the side, Luoyang gritted his teeth. He ordered the song "A Little Sweet" and walked toward Jin Xinqiao with the microphone in hand.

"Xinqiao, it’s been a while. How about we sing a song together?"

Jin Xinqiao naturally knew this was a popular duet for couples. Under Luoyang’s expectant gaze, she simply shook her head. "No, thanks. I can’t sing, my voice is terrible. I’d rather just play games with them."

With that, she rejoined the dice-rolling group.

Rejected again!

Seeing the looks from those around him, Luoyang clenched the microphone tightly, his face burning with humiliation. He’d lost count of how many times he’d made a fool of himself that day.

He sat back down on the sofa, growing angrier the more he stewed on it. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as a plan formed in his mind. With a wave of his hand, a lackey scurried over. After Luoyang whispered something to him, the man and another associate snuck out of the private room.

Everyone assumed Luoyang had just gone to the KTV’s store to order more drinks, so no one paid them any mind. Luoyang did indeed go to the front desk, just as they’d guessed. He ordered drinks, but this time, he didn’t pay. Instead, he and his two underlings each grabbed two cartons of Chunghwa cigarettes and ordered several bottles of expensive red wine, charging everything to the room’s tab. He then casually turned off his phone and walked out the door.

Meanwhile, the others in the room remained oblivious. When the red wine was delivered, the high-spirited crowd didn’t think twice. The bottles were placed next to Tong Dongnuan, so everyone urged her to open them. She didn’t hesitate, promptly pouring drinks for the entire group.

After a few more rounds, midnight came and went, bleeding into the early hours of the morning. With the wine finished, the group prepared to leave, but they were stopped by a waiter as soon as they stepped out the door.

"Hello, your total for tonight comes to five thousand two hundred yuan. Who will be settling the bill?"

Only then did it dawn on them.

"What the hell? Five thousand two hundred yuan?"

"Hey, where’s Luoyang?"

"Wasn’t he just here a moment ago?"

"Right? Where did he go? Wasn’t he paying?"

"Yeah! Does anyone have his number? Give him a call!"

"Never mind Luoyang, how come Lin Ye, his sidekick, is gone too?"

Listening to their chatter, the waiter’s expression soured. "The men you’re referring to left some time ago. They also took six cartons of Chunghwa cigarettes, saying it should all be charged to your tab."

His words sent the group into an uproar.

"Bullshit! He was supposed to be treating us!"

"We’re screwed! Five thousand two hundred! Who here can afford that besides Luoyang?"

"Maybe we should pool our money?"

"My phone’s dead, and I don’t have a single cent on me."

Hearing this, the waiter’s face darkened further. He whispered into his microphone, "We have people here who aren’t planning to pay."

A moment later, a squad of security guards arrived. The waiter then turned his attention back to the group. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are all adults here. This is Splendor Entertainment City. I trust you’ve heard of our reputation. It would be best not to cause trouble."

At his words, everyone’s faces went pale. The waiter wasn’t making empty threats. Everyone in Qingyun City knew Splendor Entertainment City was the largest venue of its kind. Forget skipping out on a bill; no one even dared to get drunk and disorderly here.

Suddenly, an idea struck someone.

"Right! I remember now! It was Tong Dongnuan who opened the wine!"

"Exactly! If she hadn’t opened it, we wouldn’t have drunk it!"

"Yeah, then we could have refused to pay for those expensive bottles!"

"I’m not paying a cent. Tong Dongnuan poured the wine, so she should be the one to pay for it!"

Instantly, everyone seemed to find an outlet, directing their collective fury at Tong Dongnuan.

"What the fuck? You... you people!"

Tong Dongnuan’s face flushed red with anger. They were the ones who had urged her to open it. Now, this same group was shifting all the blame onto her, unwilling to contribute even a single cent. She was furious. Although she now ran a chain of bubble tea shops and was somewhat well-off, all her capital was tied up in purchasing ingredients. Frankly, coming up with such a large sum on the spot would be difficult. Seeing everyone’s detached, ’not-my-problem’ attitude made her feel helpless. But at the end of the day, she was the one who had opened the wine.

Hmph. A bunch of shameless jerks, she thought, looking at them with contempt. With that, Tong Dongnuan prepared to take out the card she used for purchasing her business’s raw materials.

But just as she pulled it out, a hand gently pressed hers down.

"No need. I’ll take care of it."

Hearing the voice, Tong Dongnuan looked over. It was Xia Liang. He flashed a smile at her, then took out his phone to make a call and stepped to the side.

Watching Xia Liang bizarrely make a phone call, everyone was stunned, wondering what trick he had up his sleeve.

"What’s Xia Liang doing now?"

"He just said he’d take care of it? Don’t tell me he’s actually going to pay five thousand two hundred yuan?"

"Isn’t Xia Liang a delivery guy? Where would he get that kind of money?"

"Tch! What a poser. If it weren’t for him, Luoyang would never have left! I wouldn’t be in this humiliating situation!"

Stepping into a corner, Xia Liang dialed a number.

On the other end of the line, Wen Qiang, the manager of Splendor Entertainment City, stared at the caller ID with a look of utter astonishment. If any outsider had seen this, they would have been flabbergasted. As the manager of Splendor Entertainment City, Wen Qiang was a powerful figure in Qingyun City, with connections in both the criminal underworld and legitimate society. Yet today, a single phone call had elicited such a reaction from him.

Only he knew the truth: this call was from the true, behind-the-scenes owner of Splendor Entertainment City.