There’s an old saying that goes, "A man isn’t bad, a woman won’t love him." Of course, this kind of ’bad’ doesn’t refer to despicable morals but to breaking away from the traditional image of a good man—being dominant, understanding humor, yet cold, and so on. Such traits often make a guy extremely attractive to girls.
Yusuf Zuck was just that kind of bad boy. Being with him, one could feel an unconventional dominance that everyone around him could sense. Even with this dominant aura, he didn’t lack integrity.
He was the type of man who seemed very bad, seemingly unrestrained, yet was full of a sense of justice and strength.
Whether it was Ruth Wilcox or Ember Vance, or even the rich girl Mia, when they were with him, they could all clearly sense his uniqueness.
And it was this uniqueness of his that made people overwhelmingly fond of him.
Ember Vance found herself unable to break away. She might have known what she was doing, yet also didn’t because she was already confused.
As she hazily made her way back upstairs with Yusuf Zuck, she felt as if she were floating, almost as if she could take off flying. She had never felt this way before because she had never been in love, never had a man touch her chest, nor kissed a boy.
It was all novel, thrilling, nerve-wracking, and her blood was boiling, a feeling so exhilarating she couldn’t help wanting to scream out loud.
Yusuf Zuck introduced Samuel Ross and Dream Morrow to Jerome Hart among others. Nevertheless, Samuel was also quite shocked at this moment; he recognized Ember Vance, the fierce police woman who would point a gun at someone’s head at the slightest provocation. And yet, there she was, sitting next to Yusuf Zuck like a little kitten, her cheeks flushed as if she were drunk, and her eyes slightly glazed.
What happened to this woman? What happened between her and Yusuf Zuck?
In his wildest dreams, Samuel Ross couldn’t have guessed that Yusuf Zuck had so effortlessly captured the heart of the young policewoman.
Once everyone had arrived except for Paisley Kirk who was on night duty that evening, their task, as per Yusuf Zuck’s orders, was to protect Sara Zuck round the clock. Paisley, Samuel, and Dream had nothing to complain about; first, they were brothers now, and second, Yusuf really took care of them, giving them tens of thousands with little consideration. With such brotherhood, they couldn’t be anything but fiercely loyal.
Once the drinks and dishes were served, Yusuf Zuck suggested having some white liquor, with the ladies free to choose red wine or soft drinks.
Ember Vance didn’t drink, possibly due to her work, so she had a soft drink, while the young nurse Paisley Kirk also opted for cola.
It was the first meeting between Jerome Hart, Samuel Ross, and Dream Morrow, so naturally, they had to drink a bit. Dream and Samuel saw Jerome as a guest who had come from afar and therefore felt obligated to accompany him well on behalf of Yusuf Zuck.
After eating and drinking for a while, Dream Morrow and Samuel Ross began to egg Jerome Hart into a drinking challenge, to which Jerome gladly accepted, responding to each toast with a smile and a swig.
During this time, Yusuf Zuck served dishes for both Ember Vance and Paisley Kirk. Paisley was pleasantly surprised, while Ember’s face beamed with happiness.
As the alcohol went round three times and various flavors passed the palate, Ainsley McCann’s group at another table settled the bill and left. However, only the other women and men departed, and Ainsley, as agreed, joined Yusuf Zuck’s table.
"Let me introduce everyone here," Yusuf Zuck stood up along with the others and introduced, "Ainsley McCann, air hostess, a Mongolian beauty."
"You all seem to be having such a great time drinking. Count me in!" Ainsley chuckled with a mischievous smile; she was a girl that naturally knew how to enliven the atmosphere with her vivacious personality.
"A Mongolian beauty, nice! I’ve heard that Mongolian women can really hold their liquor. Beautiful, dare you drink?" Dream Morrow and Jerome Hart both wore impish grins. Drinking with just the guys indeed lacked excitement, but now that a beautiful woman was joining in, they were ecstatic.
"Haha, I’m more afraid you guys won’t keep up. Bring on the drink!" Ainsley extended her hand, took the Maotai bottle that Dream passed to her, and poured herself a generous measure in a small cup.
"To new acquaintances, this cup’s for everyone." After saying this, she raised her cup and downed it in one go.
She handled the small cup without even pausing for breath, the liquor sliding straight into her belly.
Dream Morrow, Samuel Ross, and Jerome Hart didn’t hold back either. When a pretty girl raises a toast, and she herself had downed her drink, they naturally followed suit.
Yusuf Zuck had already had a cup before, and now that everyone else was drinking, he too felt obliged to empty his cup.
"The second cup I raise to everyone," Ainsley lifted a second cup. There wasn’t any particular reason, it was simply a toast to all. Then she drank again.
"Babe, you can’t just knock them back like that. Have some food." Yusuf Zuck was feeling a little woozy. Was Ainsley McCann for real? Could she handle so much alcohol?
"It’s fine, the liquor’s not strong—just 38 percent. It’s like drinking water. Drink up, everyone..." Ainsley urged Dream Morrow, Samuel Ross, and Jerome Hart to keep drinking.
"I’m going to hit the restroom first." Samuel Ross was the smartest. Seeing Ainsley down two shots as if it were water, he realised he was no match for a Mongolian lady. Continuing to drink would mean the men would end up under the table, so he made a discreet exit.
Dream Morrow and Jerome Hart didn’t have as many tricks up their sleeves and couldn’t accept being outdrunk by a woman, so without a word, they drank!
Yusuf Zuck decisively dropped out too, claiming he had to drive later.
Dream Morrow and Jerome Hart accused Yusuf of being less of a man than the women, heaping scorn upon him at the table.
Ainsley was sitting next to Ember Vance and Paisley Kirk, so she also made a symbolic effort to chat with them occasionally.
And so, with Ainsley alone, and Dream Morrow and Jerome Hart together, the trio began to drink one round after another.
Yusuf could only see the number of empty bottles on the table increase and felt Dream Morrow’s and Jerome Hart’s speech getting increasingly slurred.
By the time they’d downed twelve bottles of Maotai, Dream Morrow couldn’t drink any more. Full of bravado, he gave Ainsley a fist salute: "Granny, I’m beaten, truly beaten. If I drink any more, I’ll vomit blood. That’s nearly four kilos..." Finishing his words, he got up and left.
"Where do you think you’re going? Come back and drink, giving up isn’t an option..." Ainsley shouted.
Dream Morrow waved his hand and quickened his pace, dashing into the restroom.
And once in the restroom, he started throwing up big time, cursing Samuel Ross as a bastard for not having the brotherly spirit and for bailing out on his own first.
Jerome Hart was determined to fight till the end, set on outdrinking Ainsley. Remarkably, he could still keep going.
Of course, even though Ainsley’s cheeks were flushed, she remained very lucid, not showing the slightest sign of being drunk.
"Alright, that’s enough for today. No one’s allowed to drink anymore." Yusuf knew that if they continued, Jerome Hart would end up embarrassing himself by vomiting on the table. Those Mongolian women were just too tough; it scared him just watching them. Today, he had his eyes opened to how well Mongolians could drink—their reputation was well deserved.
Not giving them a chance to continue drinking, Yusuf settled the bill and then dragged Jerome off with him.
As the group descended downstairs, Jerome, feeling the breeze, threw up too. Ainsley laughed heartily beside him.
Samuel Ross ran over from the car, having been waiting downstairs after making his escape.
"Take Jerome and Dream home. No work tonight. And the three of you aren’t allowed to go anywhere else either."
"Got it. We’re off then. Damn tough Mongolian woman!" Samuel muttered under his breath. Dream was so drunk he could hardly stand. There was no way they could work tonight, so it would have to wait until tomorrow.
"Ainsley, you get in my car with Paisley. Ember, be safe driving home. I’ll send someone for you tomorrow."
Ember Vance nodded, watching Ainsley and Paisley Kirk get in the car before she approached Yusuf and whispered, "You be safe too. If you run into a DUI checkpoint, call me right away. And... and... don’t fuck around with the two of them outside, get home early." She wanted to tell him not to mess around with Ainsley and Nurse Paisley, and she still had no clue what was his relationship with the two women, she hadn’t had the chance to ask.
Seeing her concerned and fidgety expression, Yusuf couldn’t resist the urge to touch her, but with others watching, he didn’t dare. So, he lowered his voice and leaned in close to Ember’s ear: "Don’t worry, after I get them home, I’ll come to your place."
"Ah..." Ember was stunned, and Yusuf winked at her before quickly getting into the car.
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PS: Four more updates for monthly passes! Continuing with four more updates tomorrow, thank you all.