’When you put a woman on a pedestal, you’ve already lost her forever.’

Lin Chu sighed. ’It’s a lesson I only learned later in life,’ he thought. He stood up and patted Wang Zhefei’s face. "You idiot. Weren’t you supposed to be paying?"

Wang Zhefei: Zzzz...

Lin Chu took his phone, unlocked it, and walked toward the counter. "Hey, boss! How much is the bill?"

He entered the password. Payment successful.

Lin Xiwan: ???

Lin Chu’s move completely stunned her. ’Is he a man of principle? Or does he have none at all?’

They had agreed his friend would pay, so his friend had to be the one to pay.

Even if he was passed-out drunk, he’d use his phone and password to make it happen.

’He even knows his phone password!’

"You two... aren’t actually a... couple, are you?"

She teased with a smile.

Lin Chu helped Wang Zhefei up, propping him on his shoulder. "That’s right, I’m gay. If you don’t believe me, we can share a bed. I promise I won’t do a thing to you."

Her: ...

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "So what now? Do we take him home? I need to take off my makeup, and I didn’t bring anything with me."

"You’re wearing makeup? I can’t even tell. Your skin is so perfect, it’s practically glowing."

Lin Chu said casually, pulling out his phone to call Zhang Peng. "Brother Peng, come pick me up. I’m sending you my location."

He hung up.

Then he turned to Lin Xiwan. "I have a presidential suite at the Wanhao. Let’s go. It has everything. If you’re not ready to call it a night, we can open a bottle of red wine."

Lin Xiwan chuckled softly. "Isn’t that a little forward? Taking a girl to a hotel on the first night?"

Lin Chu: "I don’t give second chances. Time is precious. If it doesn’t work out, move on."

She placed a hand on his other shoulder, teasing nonchalantly, "So you’re not one for commitment, huh?"

Lin Chu: "This *is* being serious. It’s rude to keep pursuing someone you weren’t into at first glance. That’s just weighing pros and cons. I’m all for burning bright, not some slow, steady stream. Who the hell has a slow, steady stream anyway?"

Lin Xiwan clicked her tongue and nodded.

’This feeling... it’s just right.’

It was as if she’d be missing out if nothing happened between them tonight. She’d probably regret it later, and there would never be another chance.

A confident, assertive, and carefree man was magnetic.

「Soon.」

A Yangwang U8 pulled up. Zhang Peng got out to help with the drunkard. Lin Chu hoisted Wang Zhefei into the back seat, and after a glance, Lin Xiwan got into the front passenger seat herself.

"Is the car going to be okay parked here?"

Zhang Peng glanced at the sports car and asked casually.

Lin Chu laughed. "Just stick a ’for towing’ note with your number on it. By tomorrow, some girl will have added you on WeChat, telling you to come move your car."

Zhang Peng: "Hell, is she asking me to move the car? Or to make a move on her!"

Once in the car, he fastened his seatbelt and smiled at Lin Xiwan. "Hey, Sis-in-law."

Lin Xiwan hesitated for a few seconds before smiling and denying it. "Not yet."

Zhang Peng chuckled. "It’s fine, I’ll just start calling you that now."

Lin Chu squealed with laughter from the back seat. ’That’s Brother Peng for you. A slick, god-tier wingman.’

Lin Xiwan: ...

’These guys really are good friends, aren’t they!’

She glanced back at Lin Chu and asked with a grin, "Wait a minute, boss, you’re not in a gang, are you? The more I look at you, the more you seem like it."

Lin Chu: "Ah, I am. Let me introduce myself again. I’m Pheasant. As in... you know... cock."

The two in the front row stifled their laughter, snickering.

...

「At the hotel room.」

"Bro, I’ll keep an eye on Brother Fei tonight. In case he pukes, someone will be here. You go get some rest."

Zhang Peng helped Wang Zhefei to his own room.

Lin Chu nodded and started walking toward his room, then looked back. "Coming? Or... should I give you a tour of my secret base?"

Lin Xiwan pursed her lips in a smile. "How fun. I’d love to have a secret base like this too."

Lin Chu nodded. "Yeah, it’s perfect for parties."

She remembered their earlier conversation, her face flushing slightly as she cursed with a smile, "You’re so slick!"

The two of them walked into the room.

And for the rest of the night, they didn’t come out.

...

「The next morning.」

Around nine o’clock, Lin Chu woke up and glanced at his phone. He had a lot of unread messages.

He skimmed for the important ones.

A message from Liu Junfeng read: "Fuck, what did you do to Brother Kai? He came looking for me to drink last night, just the two of us at Sky City. He kept asking about you and seemed to be in a really bad mood. He left with a couple of girls afterward."

Lin Chu glanced at it but didn’t reply for the moment.

Further down the list was a message from Li Kai himself, sent in the early morning hours: "About those two things we talked about last night, are we still doing them? I can contact the people for you."

’He’s not calling me Brother Chu anymore.’

Lin Chu thought for a moment, then replied: "Of course we are. We already agreed. Let’s grab lunch today. Peng Bay No.1."

Li Kai replied quickly: "Okay. Twelve noon, then."

He didn’t mention anything besides business, and neither did Lin Chu.

Some things were better said in person.

It was Saturday. When Lin Chu walked out of his room, he saw Lu Ming and Wang Zhefei sitting in the living room, playing a duo queue match of *Honor of Kings*.

Seeing Lin Chu emerge, both of them immediately shot him looks filled with gossip and intense curiosity.

Wang Zhefei deliberately laughed. "Hey, Brother Ming, look at the way he’s walking. Doesn’t he seem like he’s floating..."

Lu Ming played along: "Probably ’cause his legs are weak. The battle must have been too intense."

Lin Chu looked at them. "Fuck off, you two. Don’t be assholes."

’It really was satisfying, though.’

’Beef shank and pork belly... completely different flavors.’

’Who could resist a peach of an ass?’

’Stand up and pound.’

"You’re coming to lunch with me."

After drinking a glass of water and giving them the instruction, Lin Chu went back into his room.

Lin Xiwan was still in bed. When she saw him come in, she instantly pulled the covers over her head, pretending to be asleep.

"Stop pretending. I saw you. I’m having lunch with Li Kai, so don’t come. Go do your own thing," Lin Chu said with a casual laugh.

Hearing that, she suddenly perked up and shot out from under the covers. "Wait, you..."

"I’m going with you!"

Her tone was suddenly firm.

Lin Chu: "What’s it to you? You want to go and provoke him? Stay out of men’s business."

Her: "Aren’t I directly responsible for this? If a fight breaks out, I can at least try to stop it."

Lin Chu: "I’m Brother Pheasant, do I need your help? Just relax."

Her: "Then I’ll call him right now. What, just because he has a secret crush on me, he thinks he has some kind of claim over me? I’m not allowed to sleep with other people? What kind of logic is that? I can ask him that to his face! I used to have a crush on Edison Chen when I was a kid, and I cried when he had his scandal. But what the hell does he have to do with me?"

Lin Chu: ?

’Her logic... doesn’t seem to have any holes in it.’

But then, Lin Chu caught the main point. "No, the core issue is that he and I were friends before this."

She retorted, "So were we! We were childhood friends, even. How did you two meet?"

Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "That group chat of yours. The legendary ’In-Party’ group. We went out for karaoke a couple of times after that."

Lin Xiwan: "Hmm? Where did you go for karaoke? You hired girls, didn’t you?"

Lin Chu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Duh. Of course we did."

It wasn’t a big deal.

She slammed a fist on the pillow. "Then he hired them too! He gets to play around, so why can’t I? What does he have to do with me anyway? What a double standard! Acting like some kind of pure-love crusader. That idiot!"

Lin Chu: ...

He couldn’t help but laugh at her.

’Seriously, though... for a second there, she really did seem like a gang boss’s wife.’

...

...