Chapter 192: Little Zhu

Platinum Han Palace.
The most notorious money-burning den in all of Xinhai City.

Only when night fell did it truly bare its fang-like sharpness.
Even in broad daylight, it still exuded a corruption that made people avert their eyes.

Luo Shaotian and Lin Yu—one tall, one short—linked arms as they arrived before that resplendently gilded entrance.

Lin Yu’s boldly tailored ink-blue qipao, paired with skin smooth like congealed cream, instantly made her the focus of the entire scene.

Whether it was the valet attendants standing at the door or the men preparing to enter, their gazes were involuntarily drawn to that figure.
Those looks were naked and greedy, like a pack of hungry wolves appraising a prime cut of fresh meat.

“Ugh…” Lin Yu’s stomach churned violently.

Though her exterior was that of a stunning beauty, her core was still a pure-blooded man.
Being stared at by a group of the same s*x with that kind of gaze made her feel a visceral, physiological nausea.

Just then, the large hand that had been resting around her waist suddenly tightened.

“Huh?” Lin Yu instinctively lifted her head.
Beside her, Luo Shaotian was still staring straight ahead, the face behind his sunglasses showing no change in expression.

Yet that bony, well-defined palm had clamped firmly around Lin Yu’s waist, even applying a bit of force as it pulled her whole body slightly into his embrace.

“Phew…” Lin Yu let out a long breath in her heart and silently pumped herself up.
Don’t be nervous—getting nervous would be embarrassing, Lin Yu!

You’re an adult who’s seen big scenes, a true iron-blooded man!
It’s just a few looks—no one’s taking a chunk of flesh off you, so what’s there to be afraid of?

After adjusting her mindset, she did her best to maintain that restrained smile on her face.

“Ah…” The moment they stepped inside, a wave of warmth washed over them.

Completely different from the biting cold wind outside, the interior of this building seemed permanently fixed in an eternal spring.

Lin Yu’s slightly stiff body finally relaxed, and the fine goosebumps on her arms faded away.
Only then did she have the leisure to truly take in this legendary place.

She had to admit, this place really had something to it.
As far as the eye could see was a breathtakingly grand atrium.

The space soared extremely high—probably the height of three floors.
Looking up, the dome wasn’t an ordinary fresco, but constructed from countless fragments.

Colored stained glass pieced together into a massive abstract painting.
Under the illumination of the lights, it cast dazzling, hazy patterns of light and shadow.

A huge vintage crystal chandelier hung down from the dome like an inverted constellation, refracting a decadent glow.
The floor was laid with thick, deep-blue velvet carpeting, silent underfoot.

Embedded in the walls on both sides of the hall were enormous stained-glass murals depicting what seemed to be scenes from ancient myths—sacred, yet tinged with an indescribable eeriness and seduction.

There was no deafening heavy metal music here, only gentle piano notes flowing through the air.
A faint scent of high-end aromatherapy lingered, mingled with the fragrance of flowers and fine wine.

“Hey…”
Lin Yu couldn’t help standing on tiptoe and leaning toward Luo Shaotian’s ear to whisper,
“Didn’t you say this place was a nightclub run by the underworld? Why is it decorated so… so classy? It’s like a church.”

“Heh…”
Luo Shaotian tilted his head slightly, his lips almost brushing against Lin Yu’s delicate earlobe, the warm breath he exhaled making her instinctively shrink her neck.
“Although it’s a money pit in name, taste is still something you have to dress up.”
He lowered his voice as he explained,
“Apparently, the designer of this building was the last disciple of that architectural master back in the day. This kind of style really does wash away a lot of that nouveau riche stench.”

“Huh?”
Lin Yu felt her ear itch a little, but what really left her dazed was the content of his words.
“Who’s that Lloyd guy? The blond big brother from Spy × Family? Designers these days watch Japanese anime too?”

Luo Shaotian fell silent for a second, then sighed helplessly.
“Wright was a famous American architect… the old Imperial Hotel in Japan was one of his representative works.”

He looked with some pity at the girl in his arms who clearly had a face that said I don’t understand, but it sounds amazing, and added another blow,
“Luckily this time I’m playing the well-informed boss… if it were you acting the part, you’d probably blow your cover in two sentences.”

“Hey!”
Lin Yu instantly bristled.
“What do you mean by that?! Isn’t that just a roundabout way of saying I’m uneducated and short on experience?! Isn’t it embarrassing not to know this kind of obscure trivia?!”

She stomped her high-heeled foot lightly in anger, sulking like a little hamster hoarding food.
That look of wanting to rage but not daring to speak up was so cute it made people want to pinch her cheeks.
But considering the current mission status, she could only swallow her anger and silently put this show-off’s behavior on the mental ledger.

Just then, a woman wearing a wine-red gown slit all the way up to the base of her thighs, her figure so sinuous she looked almost boneless, swayed her hips and walked straight toward them.

“Oh my, you two look a bit unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?”
Along with a wave of powdery perfume so strong it was almost choking, the woman had already twisted her way up in front of them.
Her lips were painted a thick red, and her slightly curled long hair hung loosely over her shoulders.

Objectively speaking, her looks weren’t the kind that stunned a room, and the faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes even revealed traces of age.
But that world-weary aura and sharp shrewdness that seeped from her bones, combined with an outfit that showed off her figure to the fullest, gave her a kind of fully ripened allure.

Lin Yu had once heard a saying: women are like wine—the older they are, the more fragrant.
It did seem to hold a bit of truth.

“A friend recommended it.”
Luo Shaotian lifted his chin slightly.
The gaze behind his sunglasses didn’t linger on her at all, his tone carrying just the right amount of arrogance.
“I’m in Xinhai City on a business trip for a while. I heard from a few business friends that this place has wild connections and plays hard, so… I came specifically to see it for myself.”

“Oh~ so you’re distinguished guests who came by reputation!”
The woman’s smile instantly grew even brighter.

She bent forward slightly, deliberately displaying that expanse of pale cleavage and the unfathomably deep valley between, her voice so sweet and sticky it almost seemed to draw threads.

“I’m the duty manager here at Platinum Han. If you don’t mind, Boss, just call me Xiao Zhu~”

“Ugh…”
Lin Yu, standing to the side, felt goosebumps break out all over.
Xiao Zhu?
That voice was practically like sandpaper scraping glass—it made her scalp tingle.

“Tch—”
She rolled her eyes hard internally, while outwardly maintaining the aloof persona of a cold, elite secretary.

“Hm?”
Seemingly noticing Lin Yu’s subtle look, Xiao Zhu suddenly turned around and, without warning, leaned right up in front of Lin Yu.

That heavily made-up face was almost pressed against Lin Yu’s nose, and the intense perfume made Lin Yu nearly sneeze.
“And how should I address this boss here? And this…”

Xiao Zhu’s eyes, thickly lined, swept Lin Yu up and down, a hint of scrutiny and amusement in her gaze.
“And this delicate little sister—what should I call you? Hehehe, you look like a rookie~”

A rookie?
Uh…
A flash of humiliation passed through Lin Yu’s eyes.
Damn it, she really was an old virgin.
Do I seriously give off that kind of vibe?
I turned into a magical girl and still got found out?

“My surname is Luo.”
Luo Shaotian took a calm half-step forward, using his broad shoulder to block Xiao Zhu’s line of sight, his tone indifferent.
“This is my private secretary. Just call her Miss Lin.”

The introduction was simple and direct, without any unnecessary words.
Immediately after, his hand slipped into the inner pocket of his suit.

The next second,
a thick wad of cash was casually pulled out.

Without the slightest hesitation or trace of reluctance,
Luo Shaotian, as if tossing away a pack of tissues, directly stuffed that wad of bills into Xiao Zhu’s ample cleavage.

“Take us around this floor for a bit. I know the rules—this is just a meeting gift.”

“—”
At that instant, Lin Yu, standing nearby, sharply sucked in a breath of cold air, her eyes going wide.
That wad of cash…
Green bills, printed with that old man Franklin’s face…
That wasn’t red Chairman Mao—it was real, honest-to-goodness Amreekan dollars!
Such a thick stack—at least two or three thousand, minimum!

Converted into RMB…
Damn!
That was several tens of thousands of yuan!
And just like that…
Stuffed into that woman’s cleavage?!

What a prodigal bastard!

Even though she knew it was public money, mission funds, as a born miser Lin Yu still felt her heart ache like it was cramping.
Just how much funding had been approved for this mission…?!

If I could skim just a little…
Hehehe…

Feeling that heavy, weighty “sincerity” against her chest, Xiao Zhu’s smile instantly became much more genuine.

She shot Luo Shaotian a flirtatious wink and, in one smooth motion, hooked her arm around his other arm.

“Oh my~ Boss Luo really is a generous man! Don’t worry—since you’re giving me so much face, then tonight… I’ll definitely make sure you get a proper taste of Platinum Han’s specialties~”

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