Chapter 10: Very Good Indeed

“Hao-ge, still no reply from Zhao Xue?”

The man addressed as Hao-ge sat with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, wearing a floral shirt unbuttoned to reveal a large portion of his chest. He had a trendy “micro-fringe” haircut and was actually quite handsome, but his behavior was anything but appealing.

Lin Hao shook his crossed legs, pulled the cigarette from his lips, exhaled a smoke ring, and then popped it back in. The multicolored lights in the private room were dizzying.

Seeing that Lin Hao didn’t speak, the other person continued: “We’ve all sent messages, and Zhao Xue hasn’t ignored them all. You don’t think she found out, do you?”

Lin Hao sneered: “With that stupid brain of hers?” He scanned the room. “I assume no one was dumb enough to say anything to her face?”

The men and women in the room looked at each other and shook their heads. They didn’t like Zhao Xue—she was stupid, malicious, and always looked at people down her nose—but she was rich. A few flattering words were usually enough to get something out of her. For instance, if they called her for a party, she would 100% foot the bill just for the sake of her “face.”

They mocked her behind her back, but no one was stupid enough to do it to her face.

“I’m heading out for a second,” Lin Hao said, standing up.

In the hallway, Lin Hao took out his phone to try messaging Zhao Xue again. His recent messages had all vanished into the void. He was getting frustrated. Damn, did she really find out? Those idiots talk too much in private. But on second thought, if she really knew, her temper would have made her go ballistic long ago.

He opened the chat with Zhao Xue and typed:

Lin Hao: — Xue-jie, you haven’t been coming to the parties lately. The gang misses you a lot.

He waited for a while, but there was still no response. He tried calling her, but the call was rejected instantly.

Lin Hao kicked the wall in anger, muttering under his breath: “f*ck! That idiot hung up on me!”

He returned to the room full of gloom, unaware that two people were watching this scene from not far away.

Bai Jianming noted the room Lin Hao entered and gave an inscrutable laugh. “Manager Li, I remember you have an employee named Meng Yao here, right?”

Manager Li paused, then quickly recalled: “Yes, Young Master.” He remembered this temporary worker well; though she just started today, she was diligent and quick. Most importantly, she was incredibly good-looking. To be honest, in all his time as a bar manager, he had rarely seen someone that beautiful, though her personality was quite cold.

But how did the Young Master know her? He even named her directly.

“In a moment, when that room orders something, have her deliver it.” “Don’t worry about what happens inside. I’ll take the responsibility.”

Manager Li felt a chill in his heart hearing this, but he didn’t dare disobey.

“Bai Jianming, what took you so long?” Su Xu asked casually. He didn’t particularly like these settings, but he didn’t resist them either.

“Just used the restroom,” Bai Jianming replied with a grin, taking an empty seat.

Su Xu knew it was a lie—there was a restroom inside the private room—but he didn’t press the matter.

Bai Jianming narrowed his eyes: “Maybe Zhao Xue will show up today.”

Su Xu frowned. He knew Zhao Xue had rejected Bai Jianming’s invitation and didn’t understand why he was saying this now. Su Xu opened his mouth to speak, but someone interrupted.

“Su Xu, is that Zhao Xue still pestering you?”

They were all in the same circle and often met at business-related social events, so they were naturally close. Su Xu’s lips curved into a gentle, helpless smile: “You know how much she annoys me. Let’s not bring her up now.”

The person laughed: “Right, no more talk. Let’s play! I lost badly last time; I’m winning it back tonight!!!” Even among the rich second-generation, there was a hierarchy. Su Xu, Bai Jianming, and two others had the highest backgrounds. Since Su Xu showed resistance to the topic, no one dared mention it again, despite his usually “gentle as jade” image.

Meanwhile, in the main hall:

“Room 305 ordered wine. Meng Yao, go deliver it,” Manager Li directed.

Meng Yao stopped what she was doing and gave a faint nod: “Okay.”

She carried the wine, her tall figure looking even more upright in her white shirt and suit pants. To make her work easier, her hair was tied back, but since it wasn’t quite long enough, it formed a small “sprout” at the back, with loose strands framing her face. She hadn’t styled it, yet she looked stunningly beautiful.

With a blank expression and her head slightly lowered, Meng Yao knocked on the door of 305.

The door opened, and the stale smell of cigarettes wafted out. The flickering, colorful lights added an ambiguous hue to the dim room. Meng Yao set the wine down and picked up her tray to leave.

Suddenly, a voice rang out: “Stop.”

Meng Yao didn’t stop her pace. Lin Hao, who had been sitting on the sofa, lunged forward.

“f*ck, I told you to stop!”

At the same time, every man and woman in the room stood up, surrounding Meng Yao. Forced to stop, she raised her head, her dark, bottomless eyes scanning the group.

Someone recognized her: “Holy shit, it’s Meng Yao! Zhao Xue showed us her photo before. She said this is the country bumpkin she hates the most.”

In an instant, everyone understood Lin Hao’s intent. If they helped Zhao Xue deal with someone she hated, maybe she would start talking to them again. Besides, Zhao Xue had said this person was just an orphan with no background.

While they couldn’t compare to Zhao Xue, they weren’t exactly poor—they were just “bootlicking” her because their families had cut off their allowances due to their behavior.

“Grab her,” Lin Hao ordered.

Meng Yao saw the malice in their eyes and knew she couldn’t avoid this. She glanced at the security camera and steeled herself. She didn’t want a conflict; she couldn’t afford the medical bills.

But the others didn’t care. Someone lunged forward, trying to kick Meng Yao in the stomach. They had no fear of a commoner with no backing.

Meng Yao’s tense body reacted instantly, agilely dodging the kick. Someone laughed: “Old Wang, that kick was hilarious.”

The youth called Old Wang grunted. Wanting to prove himself, he leaped over the glass coffee table, knocking over wine and fruit platters, and reached for Meng Yao’s arm.

Meng Yao pursed her lips, clearly unwilling to engage further. She twisted to dodge the hand while pressing the mic pinned to her collar: “Manager, there’s a conflict in 305.”

The mic gave no response. Meng Yao’s heart sank.

“Tch,” Lin Hao frowned, losing patience as Old Wang failed twice. “Useless. A six-foot-tall guy can’t even catch one little girl!”

The rest of the group laughed: “Old Wang, you’re pathetic!” Someone blocked the door, wearing a mocking grin. Their eyes were full of malice, looking at Meng Yao like a rabbit destined to be caught.

“God damn it!” The laughter made Old Wang feel humiliated. He balled his fist and swung at Meng Yao with full force.

Meng Yao stood her ground, a cold light flashing in her eyes. She reached out, caught Old Wang’s fist, and gave it a fierce twist. A sharp scream followed as she nearly dislocated his arm.

Lin Hao spat out his cigarette, his eyes turning vicious. He slammed the table: “Damn it, everyone get her!”

The crowd swarmed. Meng Yao dodged and wove, but she was pushed into a corner, with nowhere left to retreat. Under the dim lights, she looked like a cornered animal.

They thought they could take her down easily with so many people, but to everyone’s shock, it was Meng Yao who remained standing while several others were sprawled on the floor.

Someone clutched their stomach, groaning: “Damn, this woman is strong! Hao-ge, you have to get her for me!”

Lin Hao hadn’t expected them to be so useless. He stared at Meng Yao, and meeting her dark, heavy gaze, he actually flinched. Realizing his own fear, his face turned ugly. Scared of a girl? He rushed her in a fit of humiliated rage.

Meng Yao’s physical strength had reached its limit. Her arms, stomach, back, and cheeks were bruised. Seeing Lin Hao charge, she curled into a defensive stance, then struck his abdomen with her elbow and swept his legs, pinning him to the ground.

She locked his neck with her arm, making it impossible for him to turn over.

“Let me go,” Meng Yao panted heavily, her voice raspy.

Lin Hao’s face was contorted as he thrashed around, unable to break free. He snarled: “f*ck, you dare hit me? You’re dead!!!”

Meng Yao’s eyes were heavy. She couldn’t hold on much longer; she was exhausted and her mind was starting to haze over, so she didn’t notice the person rushing up behind her.

CRASH! A bottle shattered.

Liquid ran down Meng Yao’s cheek. Lin Hao took the opportunity to surge up, finally pinning her down. “Damn, we lost a lot today. I’m making Zhao Xue pay big for this.”

Meng Yao’s mind was in a daze. Her strength vanished, and she let herself fall to the floor. Fortunately, she wasn’t bleeding.

Lin Hao spat on the floor. He knelt down, grabbed Meng Yao by the hair, and forced her head up. Her hair and face were soaked in alcohol, making her look utterly wretched. Her eyelids drooped weakly, and her long lashes were damp with liquid. In the dim room, she looked like a flower on the verge of withering.

Lin Hao waved someone over: “Come take a photo and send it to Zhao Xue. Doesn’t she hate this person? Seeing her like this will definitely make her happy.”

Zhao Xue was currently playing on her phone. With the system and Meng Yao both gone, she was alone in the large villa. Since arriving in this world, she hadn’t touched any messaging apps except for hiring movers at the start.

Today, she was bored enough to look. She opened the app to a string of red notification dots.

Suddenly, a new message arrived. She checked the name: Lin Hao? One of the original host’s “fair-weather friends.”

Zhao Xue raised an eyebrow. This guy had called her not long ago, but she had hung up instantly. She opened the chat.

The first photo that met her eyes made her pupils contract.

Lin Hao: — Xue-jie, look! Isn’t this that Meng Yao you hate? We taught her a lesson for you. — Hahaha, she got beat up pretty bad. Look at the photos, satisfying right? Want to come see her wretched state in person? [Address] — We won’t let anyone who messes with our Xue-jie off the hook.

Zhao Xue: — Very good indeed.

Lin Hao, sitting with his legs crossed, saw the reply and tossed his phone aside with a grunt of satisfaction. “Sweet. She’s coming right now.”

“See? I knew doing this would make her happy. Hahaha, she even said we did a good job.”

Meng Yao lay on the floor, her body feeling cold. Hearing those piercing words, her heart felt chillingly empty.

Zhao Xue… is it really you?