Chapter 86: An Exciting Show
“Well said,” Lu Liang responded, his face showing approval as he clapped in agreent.
During the stock market crash, making money required clever strategies. Teli A had all the prerequisites to beco a "demon stock."
The Wen Zhou Gang wanted to take over, but they needed to offer a token of good faith—letting Lu Liang earn a round of profits first so that he wouldn’t sabotage their plans.
If Lu Liang disagreed, they could dump all the shares they had acquired this week as soon as the market opened on Monday. They might lose a few million yuan in the process, but business requires give-and-take—sotis sacrifices need to be made to gain rewards.
If Lu Liang agreed, he could freely sell off his shares next week, with the Wen Zhou Gang taking over completely and orchestrating a high-level handoff of control.
Now it all ca down to whether Lu Liang was greedy or willing to share the profits from this stock rally.
Wen Chao was elated but maintained a humble smile. “Mr. Lu, this is just my personal humble opinion.”
“It’s getting late. Head ho early and co in early Monday morning.”
“Thank you, Mr. Lu. Have a great weekend. I’ll take my leave.” Wen Chao was polite as ever.
Lu Liang nodded with a smile, saying nothing further as he organized the docunts and seals before locking them in the safe. He locked the office and was the last to leave the building.
Around noon, Liu Mingxuan called and invited him to dinner that evening, hinting that his wedding date had been finalized.
They t at a Hunan cuisine restaurant they used to frequent, ordering three or four stir-fried dishes and four or five bottles of beer.
“Don’t forget to co this weekend. It’s at the Indie Hotel, a luncheon.”
Liu Mingxuan handed over an invitation card, explaining that he was planning two wedding ceremonies—one in the city and one back in his hotown.
He sighed with mixed emotions. “Over the years, I’ve given out at least 80 or 100 red envelopes at other people’s weddings. It’s about ti I started getting so back.”
If he only held the wedding in his hotown, most of his city friends likely wouldn’t attend. Collecting gifts without hosting a banquet made him feel awkward, so he discussed it with his family and decided to hold two ceremonies.
Browsing the invitation card, Lu Liang laughed and teased, “Didn’t you used to say you never expected to recoup those red envelopes?”
“Well, plans change faster than you expect.”
When they talked about the wedding arrangents, even soone as straightforward as Liu Mingxuan seed a bit embarrassed. “I asked my cousin from the hotown to be my best man.”
Lu Liang could guess what was on his mind. “We have that custom in my hotown too—people who’ve been married or divorced can’t serve as the best man.” ᚱаΝƟβĘ𝙎
Liu Mingxuan breathed a sigh of relief, scratching his head as he took a sip of beer. “To be honest, I never thought I’d get married so soon.”
“You reap what you sow,” Lu Liang said bluntly, not holding back in his teasing.
There’s a reason for the saying “Don’t dip your pen in the company ink.” Fool around all you want elsewhere, but ssing with soone you know from your hotown? That’s just asking for trouble—you’ll have people banging down your door, forcing you into marriage.
Liu Mingxuan hesitated as if wanting to say sothing but only sighed and changed the subject. “That guy online—Lu Liang—is you, isn’t it?”
Lu Liang smiled and nodded. Liu Mingxuan froze, as though the confirmation was stuck in his throat. Guessing was one thing, but having it confird was entirely different.
He suddenly had a hundred questions to ask, but what ca out instead was, “Let check out your Weibo DMs. Do you really have that many… spicy photos?”
Lu Liang casually handed over his phone. “There aren’t many nude photos left—they’ve all been blocked. But there are still plenty of racy photoshoots.”
“B-A-G! This is practically being served up on a silver platter, and you can resist?” Liu Mingxuan grumbled indignantly.
Lu Liang had truly beco the person he envied the most: wealthy, famous, and surrounded by a constant stream of young won eager to throw themselves at him.
Smiling mischievously, Lu Liang decided to provoke his long-ti friend further. He opened Li Xiaong’s Weibo. “Recognize her?”
Having been divorced once, Lu Liang took relationships lightly. Even with Su Wanyu, he rely enjoyed the feeling of dating.
As for Li Manli, an influencer he’d cultivated, she felt more like a project to him—a work he could show off with pride, like a piece of art.
“You’re a beast, aren’t you? Isn’t she only eighteen or nineteen?” Liu Mingxuan’s eyes widened—he clearly recognized her.
Recently, PandaTV had been making waves, trending on social dia every day, and preparing to launch a variety show called Goddess Arrives.
Li Xiaong, one of the platform’s leading beauties, had beco widely known. Rumors even suggested she was Wang Xiaocong’s new girlfriend.
“She’s nineteen, but not quite twenty yet.”
“I’m done drinking. I’m going ho to sleep,” Liu Mingxuan said, unable to handle the emotional blow, as he prepared to settle the bill and leave.
Lu Liang, still smiling mischievously, called after him, “There’s an exciting show tonight. Don’t you want to co?”
Liu Mingxuan stopped in his tracks, visibly conflicted. “I’m a soon-to-be married man. I’ve already decided to settle down and live as a respectable citizen.”
Lu Liang asked, “Got your marriage certificate yet?”
“Getting it on Monday.”
“Then you don’t have it yet,” Lu Liang replied, putting on a serious expression as he counted on his fingers. “Today’s Friday. Tomorrow, Saturday, you’ve got the rehearsal. Sunday is the wedding, and Monday you’re registering the marriage. Tell —how much ti do you really have left?”
Liu Mingxuan started to waver, his expression turning peculiar. “Why do those words sound so familiar? I feel like I’ve heard them sowhere before.”
Lu Liang smiled without saying a word—because three years ago, Liu Mingxuan had said those exact words to him.
“Is there really an exciting program?” Liu Mingxuan asked skeptically, recalling how last ti it had just been singing and a foot massage.
“It’s definitely worth it. The question is, are you coming or not?”
“Well, I guess I’ll risk it and go along with you.”
Around 9 p.m., at the Sheshan Clubhouse.
Liu Mingxuan stumbled out of the therapy room, clutching the wall for support, his face contorted in pain. “This is what you call an exciting program?”
He had always heard people joke about “aching so bad it hurts the balls,” and tonight, he finally understood what that ant. He felt like his “eggs” were about to shatter.
“You’re so weak from just a bit of pressure? You really need to take better care of yourself. Isn’t this exciting enough?” Lu Liang said disdainfully, conveniently forgetting that when he’d first tried this, he hadn’t been any better off—he’d even been mocked by Old ng for being too weak to handle it.
“Does it even work?” Liu Mingxuan asked, rubbing his sore back.
“It helps a little.”
“Then I might as well do a full therapy course.”
Tempted by the idea, Liu Mingxuan thought, “What’s a little pain now if it ans future happiness?”
Lu Liang smirked mischievously. “Feeling weak?”
“Don’t talk nonsense—I’m as strong as an ox!”
“Next ti, then. Rushing things isn’t always good.”
By 10 p.m., Liu Mingxuan decided to head ho. His fiancée had a bit of a controlling streak, and he expected her to call soon to check on him.
Lu Liang smiled but didn’t try to stop him. Instead, he called over the clubhouse’s concierge manager to arrange a driver to take Liu Mingxuan ho.
Once you’re married, or even planning to marry, it’s best to prioritize harmony. As a friend, Lu Liang didn’t want Liu Mingxuan staying out too late and causing unnecessary conflict with his fiancée.
However, for Lu Liang, Friday nights at 10 p.m. marked the beginning of Magic City’s nightlife, and he was in no mood to sleep.
He called Xiao Wang, who told him he was at a nightclub having fun. Lu Liang decided to join in on the excitent.
In the past, Lu Liang hadn’t been into clubbing. Later, he realized it wasn’t that he didn’t like it—it was that he hadn’t been in a position to enjoy it.
Nightclubs are the epito of the raw pursuit of pleasure and gain. If you’re broke and can’t lower yourself to provide others with emotional value, you naturally beco invisible in the crowd.
But things were different now. With money and fa, gorgeous won lined up to shower him with attention, hoping to win a single smile from him.
Occasionally indulging in a bit of clubbing, letting the adrenaline flow, was good for both body and mind.
In the early hours at TAX Bar.
The thunderous sound system roared, and the dance floor beneath the neon lights was filled with people of all kinds, dancing passionately to release their emotions and stress. As the music reached its peaks, their movents beca more and more uninhibited.
Xiao Wang suddenly pulled Lu Liang aside and gestured toward the dance floor with his chin. A masked woman was dancing gracefully, her figure srizing and curvaceous.
“Your ex-girlfriend?” Lu Liang asked with a smile as he followed the direction of Xiao Wang’s gaze. Her body was indeed stunning, with curves in all the right places.
“No, I don’t recognize her, but I know she’s a celebrity,” Xiao Wang said with absolute certainty.
“The lights are dim, and she’s wearing a mask. How can you tell?” Lu Liang asked skeptically.
Xiao Wang seed to reclaim so pride, grinning as he said, “Take a guess—am I going to tell you?”
“You think I’m a kid? I’m not playing guessing gas,” Lu Liang snapped, rolling his eyes. He raised his glass and walked over to the girl. “Hi, mind if I get to know you?”
“Sorry, I don’t know you,” the girl replied, her voice cool, with a slight Cantonese accent.
“From HK? Fellow friend,” Lu Liang said in awkward Cantonese.
The girl’s eyes curved into a crescent moon as she laughed. “You can’t even speak properly.”
“I can understand it, just not speak it well. My friend bet you’re a celebrity, but I guessed you’re not.”
Lu Liang glanced toward the second floor, where Xiao Wang was leaning on the railing, raising his glass with a mischievous smile.
The girl looked surprised. “Then you lost.”
“It’s a bit crowded and noisy here. Would you join upstairs for a drink? That way, I can lose gracefully,” Lu Liang suggested. He was genuinely curious—standing this close, he couldn’t tell which celebrity she was, so how had Xiao Wang figured it out?
The girl glanced up at Xiao Wang again, then smiled and nodded. “Sure.”
Following the stairs by the dance floor, they made their way to the private booth on the second floor.
Xiao Wang raised his brows and grinned, as if saying, “Bro, you’ve got skills.”
Lu Liang smiled without responding. He could tell this girl was hardworking and ambitious.
The fact that she was willing to co upstairs was entirely due to Xiao Wang’s reputation.
Lu Liang liked won like her.
Because whatever Xiao Wang could offer her, Lu Liang could offer as well.
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