"Pfft..."
Before Zhou Jinting and Qin Yanzhi could respond, Zhong Pei sprayed out a mouthful of champagne.
The young man was extremely embarrassed, "Sorry..."
He kept apologizing, honestly saying, "Second Brother Fu, that line is so cliché. If you use that to chase girls nowadays, you'll get rejected."
Fu Hanjiang: ??
Zhou Jinting and Qin Yanzhi exchanged glances and then burst into laughter, "Haha!"
"Oh my." Zhou Jinting patted Fu Hanjiang's shoulder, "Second Master Fu, getting dissed by a kid, can you believe it?"
"Get lost."
Fu Hanjiang chuckled, brushing away his friend's hand.
He glanced back at the stage. He really felt a sense of familiarity, but he just couldn't place it...
The performance ended, Sheng Xiangsi removed her hat, placed it on her chest, and gave a slight bow to the audience.
Someone in the crowd started to shout.
"Don't just take off the hat! Take off the mask too!"
"Yeah! The dance was great, and the body is amazing, but what about the face?"
"Come on!"
"..."
No matter how the audience jeered, Sheng Xiangsi just smiled it off, bowed again, and turned to head backstage.
"Hey! Why is she leaving?"
"Don't go! If you won't take off the mask, at least do another dance!"
Sheng Xiangsi didn't look back, leaving the noise behind her.
Back in the dressing room, Manager Wu soon came in, his face full of smiles.
The first thing he did was praise her, "Xiangsi, your sexy jazz dance was absolutely fantastic!"
Sheng Xiangsi stood up, modestly smiling, "Manager Wu, you're too kind. I was just dancing normally."
"No need to be modest!"
Manager Wu waved his hand grandly, "Just as I expected, everyone outside is asking about you. I told you, you would be an instant hit!"
"So, Manager Wu..."
Sheng Xiangsi asked, "I really don't need to dance again tonight?"
According to the initial plan, Manager Wu had said one performance was enough. But he also mentioned that depending on the crowd's reaction, adjustments might be needed.
But since she had already finished her performance and there was no second outfit prepared, it seemed they were sticking to the original plan.
"Yes, no more dancing tonight."
Manager Wu confirmed her guess, "If you go out again tonight, the mystery we built up will be gone! We need to make them want more, and not get it. What do you call this?"
"Scarcity marketing." Sheng Xiangsi replied with two words.
"Exactly!"
Manager Wu clapped his hands, laughing, "So tonight, you can go home early. There's nothing else."
Huh? Sheng Xiangsi was surprised and felt a bit embarrassed, "But I only danced one number."
"That's enough."
Manager Wu told her, "In the beginning, one dance is fine to maintain the mystery. Later on, when you reveal your face, things will get busier, and you'll need to be ready for that. Of course, by then, besides your base salary, you'll also get other commissions. Just wait a bit longer."
"Yes, I understand."
Sheng Xiangsi nodded, "Thank you, Manager Wu."
"No need to thank me. It's your talent. Do well!"
"Yes, Manager Wu."
After sending off Manager Wu, Sheng Xiangsi sat down to remove her makeup.
She thought that with this schedule, she would only work a few hours each night at Misé, performing one dance. Including rehearsal time, the physical strain was minimal.
It seemed she could find a part-time job during the day.
The more she could earn, the better.
After removing her makeup and changing into her own clothes, Sheng Xiangsi left the dressing room.
With her bag on her shoulder, she walked straight out.
"Wait! Miss, up ahead!"
Hmm?
Sheng Xiangsi turned around curiously, looking behind her. A few steps away stood a young man.
Nearly six feet two, slender build, not too old, with very handsome features, exuding a sunny boy-next-door charm.
Sheng Xiangsi pointed to herself, uncertain, "Are you calling me?"
"Yes."
The young man walked a few steps closer, raising his hand, holding a key pouch, extending it to her, "Is this yours?"
Sheng Xiangsi looked down, "It really is."
She patted her bag, "How did it fall out?"
"Here." The young man smiled, handing it to her, "Be careful, don't lose it again."
"Thank you, thank you so much." Sheng Xiangsi smiled sincerely, genuinely thankful. Losing the key pouch meant she wouldn't be able to get into her home tonight.
Hiring someone to unlock the door would cost quite a bit.
"You're welcome."
The young man stared at her face, feeling a sense of familiarity. Without thinking, he blurted out, "Have we met somewhere before? You look really familiar."
"?"
Sheng Xiangsi was taken aback, then chuckled, "Sir, your pick-up line is a bit outdated."
"I..."
The young man was stunned, his face instantly turning red.
He shook his head and waved his hands, "You misunderstood! I really meant it, you look really familiar..."
Sheng Xiangsi didn't need his explanation. She raised the key pouch in her hand, "Thank you. Goodbye."
She smiled, turned, and walked away.
"Hey..."
The young man watched her back, knocking his head.
"Why say such a truthful thing! It's strange if she believes it! I just said Second Brother Fu's line was outdated, and now it's my turn."
Such a pity.
This girl was so beautiful.
Was she a guest here, or an employee? Would he see her again?
...
The next morning, before dawn, Sheng Xiangsi woke up—her period had started, and the pain in her stomach woke her up.
She never had this problem before.
After giving birth, she couldn't even ensure their basic needs, let alone proper postnatal care.
As a result, her body suffered.
Since then, every month, she experienced severe pain. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to it.
During these days, she tried to avoid dancing and cold water, just enduring it until it passed.
Sheng Xiangsi got up, applied a heating pad to her clothes, which helped alleviate the pain a bit.
Although she didn't have to dance today, she had something important to do.
Today was her grandmother's birthday.
Since returning to Jiangcheng, she had been busy and hadn't had time to visit her grandmother's grave.
She thought today, on her grandmother's birthday, would be the right time.
It's customary to visit graves early in the morning. Before eight o'clock, she left the house.
Just as she got in the car, her phone rang.
Seeing the name 'Fu Hanjiang', she couldn't help but frown as she answered, "Hello, what's up?"
On the other end, Fu Hanjiang felt inexplicably annoyed. She used to cling to him—now listen to her tone, it seemed like the roles were reversed!
"What, I can't call you without a reason?"
"I didn't mean that."
Sheng Xiangsi tolerated his bad temper. How did she ever like someone like him before? He was just a hothead.
She asked, "So, what's the matter?"
"Meet at the civil affairs bureau at three this afternoon."
It was about getting the divorce certificate; Sheng Xiangsi understood instantly.
But, today?
She was in a bind, "Can we do it another day?"
"What?"
Immediately, Fu Hanjiang was angry again, though he didn't lose his temper, he mocked, "Another day? Which day?"
Realizing he misunderstood, Sheng Xiangsi quickly said, "Tomorrow? Can we do it tomorrow? Just postpone it by one day."
"Hmph!"
Fu Hanjiang saw through her trick, "Postpone one day, then another day? I think you don't intend to go to the civil affairs bureau at all."