Chapter 757

"Don't you dare walk away, you bitch! Stop right there for me! You must stay and play with us until we're finished tonight before you can leave!" Zheng Zheng Tulu sat up straight from the sofa and shouted at Zhao Xue, clearly intending to make things difficult for her.

Zhao Desan glanced at the murderous-looking Zheng Zheng Tulu, handed him a cigarette with a fawning smile, and said with a chuckle, "Director, just let her go. She's already ruined your good mood, and keeping her here would be a real buzzkill. Let President Zhang find you someone new; isn't that right, President Zhang?"

Zhang Zhang Jiayin was feeling quite troubled by Zheng Zheng Tulu's sudden outburst, but Zhao Desan was quite sharp, so he immediately laughed and said, "Yes, yes, I'll arrange for a girl better-looking than her to come over for our Director Zheng right now. Old Zheng likes to touch breasts, so I'll arrange a big-breasted cow for him, haha..." As he spoke, he pressed the call button on the wall behind the sofa, waved his hand at Zhao Xue, and said impatiently, "You can go."

Zheng Zheng Tulu lit the cigarette Zhao Desan had given him, took a puff, and seemed less angry, softening his tone as he said, "You can't leave! You must stay here tonight to keep us company."

Zhao Desan chimed in with a chuckle, "Director, aren't you just asking for trouble and ruining the mood? President Zhang and President Lin invited you out for entertainment tonight; you should be having a good time, there's no need to get angry over a woman."

Zhang Zhang Jiayin and Lin Fa also chimed in from the side, agreeing with Zhao Desan. Lin Lin Dafa, in particular, was worried; tonight was the night Zhang Zhang Jiayin had introduced him to this top official of the Construction Committee. To expand his real estate development business in Xijing City, he needed to build his network, so he couldn't afford to be a poor host on their first meeting. Fearing this small episode might ruin his chance to connect with this contact, he leaned over to Zheng Zheng Tulu's ear and whispered with a sly grin, "Director Zheng, we've had enough to drink. Why don't we go take a bath and get a massage? The girls at those places are there for the taking."

Zheng Zheng Tulu listened, gave a cold, insincere laugh, and said, "It's still early, sit for a while longer. You, come here! As long as we haven't left tonight, you aren't allowed to leave!" he said to Zhao Xue.

Zhao Xue saw that although the old bastard seemed to have calmed down, he clearly wasn't going to let her off so easily. She raised her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly, looked at him with displeasure, and asked coldly, "Does Director Zheng still want me to keep you company? I'll say it again: I will only accompany you in singing and drinking. I won't do anything else. If you have any inappropriate intentions, I will refuse just the same."

Zheng Zheng Tulu sneered, "I've been to this place more than once or twice, and this is the first time I've met a girl as self-righteous as you! Fine, I won't touch you, I'll just drink with you today! I want to see how good your tolerance is! Come here!" Zheng Zheng Tulu ordered her, then immediately instructed Zhang Zhang Jiayin, "Old Zhang, have them send over two bottles of whiskey."

Upon hearing Zheng Zheng Tulu say this, Zhao Desan knew he definitely wouldn't let Zhao Xue go easily. After half a glass of brandy, Zhao Xue didn't look too drunk, but her face was flushed, and it was clear the alcohol was hitting her. He kept winking at her, then leaned close to Zheng Zheng Tulu and said with a smile, "Director, why bother with her? She's too unappreciative. Let me keep you company while you drink; she can really hold her liquor. She can even play finger-guessing games. Xiao Han, come over here and keep our Director company." As he spoke, he turned to call over the girl who had been accompanying him, who was dressed in flashy, revealing clothes. She was quite perceptive and obediently came over, sat down in front of Zheng Zheng Tulu, wrapped her arms around his, and said coquettishly, "I can tell just by looking at you, Brother Zheng, that you're a heavy drinker. I'll keep you company, let's see who gets drunk first." As she spoke, she freed one hand to pour the wine.

Zheng Zheng Tulu remained unmoved by the girl throwing herself at him. He kept a straight face and said to Zhao Xue in a commanding tone, "You come here. No one is allowed to leave tonight until we do!"

Zhao Xue gave him a disdainful glance, thinking to herself, let's see what this old bastard wants! She simply walked straight over to his side and sat down.

Who would have thought this old bastard would suddenly push her forcefully into Zhao Desan's arms, sneering, "Since our little Zhao here is so protective of you, then you can keep him company properly!"

Zhao Desan caught Zhao Xue and glanced at her. He was a bit bewildered by Zheng Zheng Tulu's meaningful words, wondering if he had realized there was some abnormal relationship between him and Zhao Xue. Zhao Desan paused, lost in thought, then quickly laughed and made an excuse, "Director, look at what you're saying. I was just afraid she would ruin your good mood."

"Let her keep you company and drink properly. I saw you staring at her from the very beginning. It's fine, we're all men, coming to a place like this is just for fun, right?" Zheng Zheng Tulu said with a smile, though his eyes emitted a light that Zhao Desan found hard to fathom, as if this matter wouldn't end just like that. Perhaps it was because the moment Zhao Desan and Zhao Xue had looked at each other, they had both lost their composure and begun observing each other intently, and with their eyes exchanging thoughts for a while, the old bastard had sensed they knew each other. The old bastard had always viewed Zhao Desan as his future son-in-law and valued him highly. Logically, he wouldn't let him cuddle and flirt with a hostess in front of him, but now he had generously given Zhao Xue to him and said such meaningful words; clearly, there was more to it than met the eye.

In such a setting, Zhao Desan didn't dare show too much excitement. He slowly moved his body to the side, away from Zheng Zheng Tulu. Observing that Zheng Zheng Tulu and the girl accompanying him were already drinking and flirting, he finally dared to start chatting with Zhao Xue. In this environment, it wasn't convenient to ask sensitive questions like why she was working here, so he just made small talk. Most of it was just him talking to himself, mentioning that he was working in Xijing now, at the Provincial Construction Committee. He asked for her phone number and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, saved it to his phone. He glanced at Zheng Zheng Tulu and the others, who had returned to their rowdy state, and finally felt at ease. He said to her, "That old bastard is the top official of our Construction Committee. Tonight, the boss next to us invited him out. I don't know how you suddenly provoked him."

"Let's not talk about this." Zhao Xue said with a bitter smile. She had grown up and never had a man touch her so indiscriminately. Having received a good education since childhood, she was a very traditional girl at heart. She had only ever had a physical relationship with Zhao Desan once. Meeting him in a place like this was already embarrassing enough; how could she bring herself to say that it was because the old bastard had touched her breasts that she had lost her temper?

Seeing she had her reasons and didn't want to talk, Zhao Desan didn't press her. He opened a bottle of Sprite for her, poured himself a glass of wine, and said, "We haven't seen each other for a long time, and I haven't had any news of you. Come, let's have a drink."

Although Zhao Xue looked like she had drunk too much with her flushed face, she knew clearly that Zhao Desan must be harboring resentment. She just didn't want him to overthink things. They hadn't been in contact for over half a year, and she had only come to work here as a hostess out of desperation. Half a year ago, her family had suffered a tragedy; her mother had contracted a severe case of muscle atrophy and needed long-term hospitalization with expensive imported medication. Her salary at the police station wasn't enough to cover the hospital fees, and she had been driven to a dead end, forcing her to work in a place like this, just hoping to earn enough money to help her mother get better sooner.

With a heavy heart, she picked up the Sprite and clinked it against Zhao Desan's wine glass, took a sip, and set it down. A bitter smile squeezed from the corners of her mouth. She didn't know if it was the chemical reaction of the Sprite and alcohol in her stomach or the effect of the brandy she had drunk earlier, but she felt exceptionally uncomfortable, with a tight chest and shortness of breath. She felt a sense of bitterness that made her want to cry. She kept her head down, her expression looking very heavy, and remained silent.

"Xiao Xue, are you okay?" Zhao Desan lowered his head and asked her in a low voice, "How about... how about you go out first? I'll find time to call you later."