Knowing that the message had already been sent out, Cheng Xi bashed her head against the table.
The attendant carefully asked, “Are you alright, Miss?”
“Yes,” she replied haltingly. Hoping against all hope, she asked, “Is there any way Mr. Lu would be unable to receive the message?”
“That’s impossible.” The attendant stuck out his chest, his posture proud. “Our fund transfer system is fully modernized and secure. We’ve never had a problem before.”
Indeed, the fund transfer was surprisingly rapid, and Lu Chenzhou received a notification almost immediately after it was sent through. At that point, the three men were discussing whether or not Cheng Xi had swindled them, and the other two had only mildly criticized Lu Chenzhou for leaving her stranded in the club.
The fund transfer message was voice-recorded, so all three men heard the notification as he tapped on it. “Mr. Lu, at 1:48 AM, you were paid prostitution fees. Please check your account balance.”
The interior of the car fell silent. Xu Po was driving at the front seat, but as soon as he heard the notification, he quickly dialled down the volume. Baldy, meanwhile, was dumbstruck. “What, what, did I hear wrong just now? What kind of fee did you receive, Boss?”
Lu Chenzhou also didn’t hear the message clearly—more precisely, he didn’t dare believe what he had heard, so he tapped the notification again. This time, the interior of the car was silent enough to be alarming; they all heard the phrase “prostitution fee” loud and clear.
Lu Chenzhou didn’t react, but the other two started laughing their lungs out. Baldy in particular, grabbed his phone and started asking, “Who’s this, how much money?” When he saw the amount, he gasped. “Damn, this is a large sum. You’re doing pretty well for yourself, aren’t you, Boss! Is this just for one night?”
Xu Po started laughing even harder, so much so that he had to pull over and stop by the side of the road. He turned to the backseat and asked, “Who’s the brave soul that treated our Master Lu as a prostitute? Let’s see who it is and pay our respects to them!”
Baldy risked batting Lu Chenzhou’s hands away so that he could see his screen, and finally succeeding after a few failed attempts. “Miss Cheng, which Miss Cheng?”
Even after playing a whole night of mahjong with Cheng Xi, he still didn’t know her surname.
Xu Po, on the other hand, praised her. “Damn, she’s quite the character!”
“Do you like her?” Lu Chenzhou raised his head, his expression and tone seemingly indifferent, but his tone notably sinister. “Shall I introduce her to you then?”
All night long, Xu Po had seen him protect Cheng Xi and help resolve her issues.
Xu Po’s smile froze on his face. If Lu Chenzhou was going for someone, then how could he possibly win against him? “Thanks for the offer,” he said seriously. “But I’m going to quit cold turkey this moment!”
Cheng Xi let one of the club chauffeurs send her home. Because it was the weekend, she was supposed to be visiting her parents. However, it was so late and they lived so far away that, by the time she got there, it would probably be early morning, and her parents would be preparing to open their diner. They would surely nag at her if they saw her arrive so late. So instead, she went back to her house.
The apartment that Cheng Xi was staying in was very close to the hospital. Her parents had bought it for her while she was in graduate school. And by the time she graduated with her PhD, her twin brother Cheng Yang had earned enough money to help her renovate it. So even though the decor of the apartment was a bit strange as it was a potpourri of Eastern and Western styles, the workmanship was meticulous and it was a very comfortable place to live in.
She was so tired from the day’s events that she immediately fell asleep right after showering haphazardly. The next day, when she woke up, she saw Lu Chenzhou’s text. “I’ve received the prostitution payment.”
For some reason, Cheng Xi felt like she had been marked by a wolf. She decided to bluntly call him back. With a sincere tone, she said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pulled such a base joke. If it made you uncomfortable, then I apologize.”
Honestly, she herself didn’t know why those words had sprouted from her mouth last night; it was simply too uncouth for her.
Lu Chenzhou was silent for a moment, and then he asked, “How did you win so much last night?”
Cheng Xi was very open about the truth. “My uncle used to cheat in mahjong. When I had nothing to do as a child, I learned some of his tricks.”
Lu Chenzhou laughed without much emotion. After a while, he suddenly said, “Why don’t you become my girlfriend?”
“What?” Cheng Xi stared blankly at the wall in front of her.
“That is, if you feel sorry for me.”
Cheng Xi understood the logic in his words right away. “If you feel sorry for me, then you can be my girlfriend.”
Was he asking her to give herself up for a joke? Cheng Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. She responded, “On the other hand, I think we can be friends. That is, if you’re willing.”
Regarding her response, Lu Chenzhou didn’t reply. Instead, he hung up.
Cheng Xi fell into a daze, clutching at her phone. She had a premonition that Lu Chenzhou wouldn’t be an easy patient to treat. She’d very likely end up with nothing to show for her labor, and even possibly a heap of trouble for herself.