Lin Qiang ignored her and exited the room, heading to the lobby where he found the madam chatting with a server. He checked the business card, which had the name "Fang Qing" on it. Ignoring whether it was real, he approached her directly.
"Ms. Fang, business is good, huh?"
"Huh?" The madam was momentarily confused but quickly smiled, "Boss, just call me Sister Qing. Are the girls satisfactory?"
"Yes, very much so. I have something I want to discuss with you," Lin Qiang said, leading Fang Qing to a quieter corner away from the servers.
Fang Qing chuckled, guessing what he was about to ask.
"I want to take Lele out. Is that possible?" Lin Qiang acted as if he was driven by lust.
"Well..." Fang Qing said with some difficulty, "Lele doesn't go out. You're making things difficult for me."
"Come on, name your price."
This time, Fang Qing was genuinely troubled. "A customer asked before, and I talked to Lele about it, but she only plans to earn some tips and isn't interested in going out."
"How about 2,000 yuan?"
"Ah..." Fang Qing slapped her thigh and laughed, "I'm telling you, Lele is still naive. We have many other sensible girls here. You're young and energetic; they'd all be competing for you. How about I introduce you to a couple more?"
"No, I just want her," Lin Qiang insisted.
"Well..." Fang Qing shook her head, "It's really up to your luck. She doesn't listen to me; the girl is very stubborn."
Lin Qiang finally felt relieved, knowing Ling Lele hadn't been taken advantage of yet.
"How old is she?" Lin Qiang changed the topic.
"Eighteen, I think," Fang Qing replied, her expression slightly stiffening.
"That's not right. She's 16, a high school student at the nearby girls' school," Lin Qiang suddenly raised his voice, questioning her, "You have regulations, don't you? Isn't this a bit too much?"
"Huh? High school student? I really don't know. Everyone here uses fake identities; no one reveals their true identity. So stop guessing," Fang Qing said, spreading her hands.
"I've seen her at school." Lin Qiang closed in on Fang Qing, "To be honest, I know her parents. If you don't want this to blow up, fire her now and I'll pretend I know nothing."
"What do you mean?" Fang Qing frowned, "Are you threatening me?"
"Yes, it's a threat," Lin Qiang nodded.
"Hehe, don't joke around," Fang Qing's face darkened, realizing he was trouble. "Do you think we're scared of threats? Everyone in this business has connections."
"I'm not playing games with you. I know this business better than anyone." Lin Qiang stared at Fang Qing and spoke slowly, "I'm telling you, this girl is here without her parents' knowledge. Her father isn't soft. If anything happens, you'll be the one in trouble."
"Oh, you're really good at talking." Fang Qing looked at him disdainfully. She'd seen many big talkers before. "You keep saying 'her father isn't soft.' If he wasn't, would she be here? Would a rich girl be here? Stop kidding me."
"You're being unreasonable." Lin Qiang waved his arm impatiently. "Is the boss here? I want to talk to him."
"Unfortunately, I'm the boss." Fang Qing smiled playfully, patting Lin Qiang's shoulder. "I suggest you just enjoy yourself. Don't try to be a hero. If you don't want to play, don't come. If you keep bothering me, I'll call security."
Lin Qiang knew that the "security" in such places were usually local thugs or enforcers. Confronting them here would only lead to trouble, especially if you didn't have any fighting skills.
Seeing Lin Qiang's slight hesitation, Fang Qing leaned in close and whispered, "Just so you know, Lele isn't the only student here. If you want, I can introduce you to others. Some are even available overnight."
She then patted Lin Qiang again, advising, "Let's mind our own business. Causing trouble will bring trouble to everyone."
"You're courting death by making money this way. I gave you a chance to resolve this," Lin Qiang shook his head, knowing further conversation was useless. He turned and left, discreetly ending the recording on his phone.
Returning to the room, Ling Lele was drunkenly sprawled on the sofa, her short skirt revealing more than it should.
Zheng Shuai looked at Lin Qiang in a daze, " Boss Lin, I can give you the room tonight and stay in the next one..."
Lin Qiang couldn't help but laugh. It seemed neither Zheng Shuai nor the others recognized Ling Lele, a small blessing. The fewer people who knew about this, the better, or Xia Xin would go mad.
"I... I'm not going with you..." Ling Lele waved her hand weakly, "I want... to go back to the dorm..."
Lin Qiang sighed, relieved that her moral compass was still intact. It was unclear why she ended up like this—perhaps her family was too strict, or maybe her parents were too busy.
He waved his hand, signaling to Xiao Xiao, "Can you and Xiaozao help send her back to the Longyuan Girls' School?"
"Huh?" Xiao Xiao was shocked, "She's a student?!"
"Yes, that's what she said."
"How can this be? She's so young."
"Exactly," Lin Qiang urged, "Don't tell anyone about this, especially not the school. Her reputation is important."
"Alright." Xiao Xiao walked over to Lele and nudged her, "Come on, sis, I'll take you back."
"Uh... I'm so tired..." Ling Lele struggled to get up, staggering and falling into Lin Qiang's arms, "You're bad... tricking me into drinking."
Lin Qiang awkwardly held her, using one hand to take her handbag and secretly dial his number with her phone to save it. "Get some rest tonight. We'll see each other next time."
"No... not next time... I want to go back to the dorm," Ling Lele mumbled, half-punching Lin Qiang.
The group quickly ended their outing and helped Ling Lele out.
In the lobby, Fang Qing saw them and hurried over, frowning at Lin Qiang, "What are you doing? Taking her away?"
"No need for that. My friends are taking her back to her dorm," Lin Qiang gestured to Xiao Xiao.
Fang Qing turned to Ling Lele, "Is that where you're going?"
"Yes... I want to go back..."
Since she wanted to leave, Fang Qing couldn't say much more. She gave Lin Qiang a stern look, "Hope to see you again."
"We'll be back," Lin Qiang pushed past her and walked out.
...
That night, Lin Qiang thought for a long time before stepping out onto the balcony alone and dialing Xia Xin's number.
He decided to take a gamble.
If he lost, he would face Xia Xin's resentment and suspicion.
If he won, he would reopen the door to promotion and regain his former glory.
The bet was on Ling Lele.
Despite it being almost 11 PM, Xia Xin answered the phone quickly.