An hour had passed, and Wang Qian had picked out quite a few things for Zhou Yun, and also casually selected a few clothes for Zhou Yun's mother.
"Is this... really okay?"
Zhou Yun looked at the large and small packages that the sales clerk had wrapped up, feeling somewhat uneasy.
She knew perfectly well what her father did for a living; even if there truly was a sum of money with Ye Xiao, it wouldn't have increased to this extent over the course of five years.
Any single item of clothing here was worth a year's salary of her father's from back then.
"Yunyun, what are you thinking about? It's not like the money is from your brother. It's given to you for free without charge, what's wrong with that?"
Wang Qian said.
Liu Feihong also nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, all of it is free of charge, a gift for you, miss."
With that, Zhou Yun's expression improved a bit, "Well... okay then."
Though she said this, Zhou Yun still returned some of the items, keeping only a few she was wearing and some that she bought for her mother.
Seeing this, Wang Qian also decided to keep just one item for herself and returned the rest.
"We'll send it to their home afterwards."
Ye Xiao instructed, looking at the items that were returned.
"Yes."
Liu Feihong said respectfully.
While Zhou Yun and Wang Qian were selecting items, Sun Anqi had found some ice to apply to her face. By the time she returned, much of the swelling had gone down, and she had covered the slap mark on her face with some foundation.
The group made their way to the parking lot, where the others who had finished shopping had already returned.
"Let's go to Emperor Bar."
As for the incident that had transpired at the Longteng Plaza, she didn't want to bring it up. She still followed behind Ye Xiao, and she didn't ask Liu Feihong any further questions.
This was not someone of her status to converse with. Even if her grandfather came here, he would have to speak politely to Liu Feihong.
The cars started, still with Ye Xiao and two others in the Santana.
Everyone took a few extra glances at the Hermes outfit Zhou Yun was wearing but didn't ask any further questions.
There had been rumors of a wealthy magnate wanting to take care of Zhou Yun. Now, seeing the clothes she wore, they all thought Zhou Yun had given in.
"Boss, do we need to contact someone over at Emperor Bar?"
As he drove, Liu Feihong turned to Ye Xiao, who was resting with his eyes closed.
"Do you think that if you can receive such news, they wouldn't have heard of it?"
Ye Xiao said indifferently.
"That... is true."
Liu Feihong gave a sheepish laugh.
Those at Emperor Bar had an extensive network of information across both the underworld and the mainstream, far greater than his own.
After an hour's journey, the group arrived at Emperor Bar.
Just seeing the entrance was enough to elicit admiration for its luxuriousness from several companions.
"An Qi, happy birthday."
In the midst of everyone's surprise, a boy holding a bouquet of roses hurried from the entrance of the bar towards Sun Anqi.
"Zhao Jiahao, didn't I tell you there was no need for you to come?"
Seeing who it was, Sun Anqi frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.
"What are you talking about? My uncle works here, and out of respect for me, he might give you a discount. Besides, my feelings for you are genuine."
Zhao Jiahao spoke while his gaze occasionally shifted to Zhou Yun, who had changed into brand-name clothes; he appeared quite impressed.
Zhou Yun was previously less notable than Sun Anqi, but now that both were dressed in similar high-end clothes and stood side by side, Sun Anqi had become nothing more than a backdrop to Zhou Yun.
"Yunyun, happy birthday to you too."
Zhao Jiahao smiled at Zhou Yun, but only received a polite smile in return.
Zhou Yun knew how many people Zhao Jiahao had harmed; at school, she never dolled herself up too much, precisely to avoid catching Zhao Jiahao's eye.
With this in mind, Zhou Yun glanced at Ye Xiao standing by her side and, after a moment's thought, took Wang Qian's hand and whispered, "Qianqian, shall we go back first? I want to deliver these clothes to my mom."
Zhao Jiahao had already set his sights on her. Ye Xiao had already helped her once at Longteng Plaza, and if Ye Xiao had to step in again at Emperor Bar, she had no idea how to repay such a favor.
"We're here already, let's have some fun before we go back. We've never been to a bar before."
Wang Qian hadn't noticed the intermittent glances Zhao Jiahao was casting towards Zhou Yun.
"Let's go in and have a look; nothing will happen."
Ye Xiao spoke up.
Zhou Yun could only respond with a wry smile. Of course, she knew nothing would happen; she had heard every word of the conversation between Liu Feihong and Ye Xiao on the road. It was likely that the owner backing Emperor Bar was also this "brother" of hers.
But...
"Let's go! You only get one eighteenth birthday in your life!"
With that, Wang Qian, already pulling Zhou Yun by the hand, caught up with the others who had entered the bar.
As soon as they entered, the manager greeted them, "Ladies and gentlemen, your private room has been prepared."
With the manager personally welcoming them, many customers turned to look.
Seeing the complete set of international brand clothes on Zhou Yun and Sun Anqi, they understood at once.
"Zhao Jiahao, what does your uncle do here?"
Sun Anqi glanced sideways, her own family certainly didn't have the clout to be personally served by the manager of Emperor Bar, and her thoughts immediately turned to Zhao Jiahao.
"He's just one of the board members, holds a bit of shares here, that's all."
As soon as Zhao Jiahao said this, not only did the young men and women with him change color, but even the passing customers looked surprised and curious.
Shares in Emperor Bar were not something just anyone could get their hands on.
Emperor Bar, this place that epitomized opulence, wasn't exaggerating when they said it earned a fortune daily, with net profits at least five million a day.
"No wonder the manager came over personally."
Sun Anqi suddenly understood, her heart filled with some concern as she glanced over her shoulder.
Zhao Jiahao obviously had intentions towards Zhou Yun; if something happened here later, Ye Xiao might not have the power to smooth things over.
It wasn't just Zhou Yun; once inside the private room, even she might not be safe.
Emperor Bar was different from Longteng Plaza. Both places raked in money, but their backgrounds were significantly different. The bar, a place of mixed repute, needed some shady power to keep drunk troublemakers in check.
However, Ye Xiao remained as indifferent as before, walking side by side with Zhou Yun.
This scene made Sun Anqi furrow her brow but she said nothing more.
As they walked, the manager led them to the deepest part of the private room area, where a large door appeared before them.
"The Emperor Suite!"
Three golden characters engraved above the door to the suite shone brilliantly.
The manager took out a key to open the door, then bowed deeply to everyone before leaving.
At this moment, Sun Anqi realized why Ye Xiao was so confident.
Emperor Bar had three top-tier private rooms: the Prince Suite, the Crown Prince Suite, and the Emperor Suite.
The Emperor Suite was a place only used when the Chairman of Emperor Bar entertained guests, not even the board members had the privilege to enter, let alone a mere nephew of one of the directors.
Glancing sideways, Sun Anqi saw someone casually passing by Zhao Jiahao slip a packet into his hand, looking at him with a bit more sympathy.
The slap she received at Longteng Plaza was not unjustified...