Chapter 175: The Willing Fish Takes the Bait

Inside the masquerade ballroom, a tall man walked out; the lighting was dim and hazy, and he wore a black feather mask and a simple black suit, the only highlight being the sapphire tie clip on his tie.

He pulled open the restroom door that had a "Temporarily Out of Order" sign hanging on it, and not a few minutes later, Ling Wu walked in, entered the stall next to him, and tapped on the door panel with a finger, producing a rhythmic sound.

Soon, a black plastic bag was tossed over from the stall Ling Wu was in, containing brand-new clothes identical to the set the man was wearing, along with the same masquerade mask; after changing into the clothes, he left the restroom and successfully disguised himself into the ballroom.

No one noticed that the person inside the same clothes had been swapped.

Ling Wu entered the ballroom.

A beautiful young lady invited him: "The ball is almost over, may I invite you to dance?"

"Apologies." Ling Wu's lips, exposed outside the mask, curled: "I have something to attend to, I might have to leave first."

"Alright, no matter."

He bypassed the bustling crowd and moved away from the ballroom.

Ling Wu sat down at the curved bar nearby, where various liquors were neatly arranged, and the edge of the bar was embedded with LED strips; the stainless steel cocktail shaker in the bartender's hand refracted a unique, cold luster as it shook...

"Young Master, what would you like to drink?"

The bartender asked him respectfully and politely.

Ling Wu sat on the leather bar stool, his toes sliding slightly, causing his body to rotate in small increments; he seemed to be in a very cheerful and bright mood, his black-and-white eyes curving beneath the feather mask: "Anything is fine, you can mix whatever you like."

"But the stronger, the better."

The bartender was momentarily dazed by his smile; even through the mask, he could tell this person had a fine appearance.

Although Ling Wu said it didn't matter, the bartender dared not be casual with these golden-honored and jade-precious young masters; he regained his composure and asked cautiously: "Would a Manhattan be alright?"

Ling Wu nodded.

A Manhattan uses whiskey as a base, mixed with vermouth and bitters; it has a mellow taste and is a drink Ling Wu quite likes.

"That's fine."

The bartender poured the whiskey into a crystal-clear mixing glass, added ice, and began to shake it rapidly with his arm; the mixing glass flew up and down in his hands, and the ice and liquor collided, emitting a crisp and pleasant sound.

Ling Wu propped his chin up in boredom, noticing that the masquerade ball over there had ended.

He calculated the time and took out his phone.

He then clicked into the chat box with Jing Du; the other party had stuffed a business card into his hand at the shooting range last time, and Ling Wu had deliberately left him hanging for a few days before adding him as a friend as if he had just remembered, but there had been no follow-up after the initial greeting.

Jing Du, however, had sent him a few scattered messages.

But Ling Wu's attitude was perfunctory, responding only with "Mm," "Oh," or "Okay," and even after flipping through two pages, he hadn't even gathered ten words.

The bartender placed the drink on the bar and pushed it toward Ling Wu: "Young Master, your drink is ready."

Ling Wu: "Thank you."

He picked up the glass and downed it in one gulp; his crimson lips were dampened by the liquor, appearing crystal-clear under the light strips, and the strong alcohol brought a quick warmth to his stomach; he tugged at his tie, revealing a patch of fair collarbone, his eyes clear as he sent a voice message to Jing Du, his voice intermittent and slightly slurred from the alcohol: "Shao Yu....... I think I'm a bit drunk, I....... I'm at the 1st-floor ballroom, can, can you come pick me up?"

At the same time.

Jing Du, on the rooftop swimming pool, saw the 20-second voice message Ling Wu had sent; he sat up straighter and lowered the volume on his phone.

Clicking on the voice message, he heard the youth's pleasant voice, made slightly hoarse and sticky by the alcohol, the tail end of his words rising slightly as he spoke, like a feather brushing against the tip of his heart.

Jing Du licked his dry lips; he edited "Ling Wu, you sent this to the wrong person" in the chat box, then deleted and typed it again, but ultimately didn't tell Jin Shaoyu, instead sending a message to Ling Wu: "I'm coming to pick you up right now," before hurriedly putting on his coat and leaving.

Yu Shixue and Jin Shaoyu asked him where he was going, but he didn't say.

His figure disappeared very quickly.

When Jing Du found the bar, Ling Wu had taken off his mask and placed it to the side; he was slumped over the bar, resting on his arms, his two long legs placed neatly, and because he was half-slumped, his shirt had slid up at the waist, revealing a patch of fair, luminous skin on his lower back, his waist-to-hip ratio stunning, his lips still glistening with liquor, his cheeks flushed.

Beside him was a man whose face could not be clearly seen, reaching out to touch Ling Wu's face.

"You're so beautiful."

"Will you come with me?"

When Jing Du saw that man touch Ling Wu, he wished he could chop off his hand; he stepped forward quickly, and Ling Wu, unable to shake off the man's hand, was heard saying in a somewhat delirious state: "I already said, I'm not going with you...... Don't touch me! My brother is coming to pick me up soon......."