“Mr. Shen indeed has discerning eyes. I wonder where he found such a sharp-tongued little thing.”
“Mr. Lou!”
His sarcasm clearly angered her. Shen Ping, fearing implication by Song Xi, quickly distanced himself from her, his opportunistic nature evident.
“Please don’t misunderstand, I have no connection with her. I thought she played the pipa beautifully and wished to keep her to show my respect to you. I didn’t expect her to be so ill-mannered. I am truly sorry!” Kuai Shu Ge
Song Xi’s face flushed with anger. So this was Shen Ping’s true intention, a hypocrite!
Given the situation, Lou Yu Ming nodded slightly and sneered, “Indeed, she is ill-mannered, but it’s not a recent development.”
“Why are you just standing there? Apologize to Mr. Shen.”
Shen Ping was somewhat bewildered: “?”
Seeing Song Xi unmoved, Lou Yu Ming brandished his phone as a threat, “It seems I’ll have to call Zhang Qi.”
“I’m sorry!”
Song Xi complied readily. If Lou Yu Ming made that call, she didn’t know how much more trouble she would face.
“Come here,” Lou Yu Ming patted the seat beside him.
Song Xi, having learned her lesson and fearing further trouble from a misstep, obediently moved closer. “Mr. Lou.”
“What should you call me?”
“Little… Uncle.”
Shen Ping’s legs went weak, and he nearly fell to his knees.
Lou Yu Ming’s voice was calm, “My junior is young and ignorant, Mr. Shen. Please don’t take offense.”
With that, he left the private room with Song Xi, disregarding Shen Ping’s pale, trembling face.
After exiting Wei Yin, Lou Yu Ming’s demeanor shifted. He turned and pressed Song Xi against the car window, his face like frost. “Do you know what you were doing?”
Song Xi, with feigned seriousness, replied, “Earning… money!”
Lou Yu Ming looked at her disheveled state, her messy hair, her wine-stained clothes. There was not a single redeeming feature about her.
“Earning what money? Look at yourself! Aren’t you afraid Zhang Qi will kill you if he finds out!”
“How is he any better than me!”
She retorted. Lou Yu Ming suddenly recalled her previous counterattack using the poem “A Song of the Pipa.” He shoved her away. “With all that energy, couldn’t you have done something better than to debase yourself like this!”
Song Xi was stung by his words. “Yes! I am debasing myself. Since Mr. Lou cares so little, why not show some charity to us struggling workers? It would be good karma for your future!”
Her wild accusations were boundless. Lou Yu Ming was speechless and, with a dark expression, uttered four words.
“Hopeless case!”
“Stop!”
He turned to leave, but Song Xi grabbed him.
“Give me the money!”
She argued logically, “I was getting along perfectly fine with Mr. Shen, but because of you, the money is gone, and the drinks were in vain. My entire evening was wasted. You should compensate me for my losses!”
“Let go!” Lou Yu Ming’s brow furrowed with anger.
Song Xi tightened her grip, her other hand latching onto his clothes. “I won’t let go until you give me the money! I worked so hard, and you ruined it all! Do you know how important that money is to me!”
Lou Yu Ming’s face tightened with rage as he pried her fingers off one by one.
“You ungrateful little thing. If it weren’t for me, you would have escaped a disaster today, and you still want to extort money from me?”
“I don’t care!”
Lou Yu Ming’s eyes turned cold. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the car. Unexpectedly, Song Xi recoiled as if shocked, releasing her grip instantly.
“What are you doing!”
Lou Yu Ming’s gaze was chilling, a slight smile curving his lips. “Didn’t you want money? I’ll give it to you.”
His expression was completely different now, and Song Xi detected a hint of danger.
“No need. Consider it my bad luck! Stay out of my business from now on. Mr. Lou, you said ‘it ends here’ in the car last time, and I’ve never forgotten it!”
Her readiness to back down rather unsettled Lou Yu Ming. He took out a card, as if testing her. “Have you thought about it? This card has two hundred thousand. I’m only giving you one chance.”
Song Xi found it incredibly amusing. Just as she was about to retort that he wasn’t the only man in the world, she heard him say slowly, “I’ve already spoken to the owner of Wei Yin. You won’t be able to enter this place, or any other establishment, from now on.”
“You… you’re despicable!”
Song Xi’s small face flushed crimson with anger.
Lou Yu Ming tossed his phone onto the back seat and patted his thigh. “My patience is limited, and I don’t have much time to waste with you. Think it over.”
Song Xi clenched her fists, her teeth biting her lip until it turned white. She looked at him stubbornly, her eyes full of indignation.
Just as Lou Yu Ming was about to lose his patience and close the car door, she blocked it with one hand and squeezed inside.
“Two hundred thousand, not a cent less!”
Lou Yu Ming was pleased and, smiling, pulled her onto his lap. He began to kiss her from the ear downwards. “I keep my word.”