Although Zhao Hu and I were close friends, this was my first time coming to this bar.
So I wasn't very familiar with the prices of the drinks here.
At the bar, when I asked about the prices, I found out they were ridiculously expensive.
The cheapest bottle of red wine cost over five hundred yuan.
Faced with a distinguished guest like the boss's wife, a bottle priced at just over five hundred yuan was obviously not worthy.
I gritted my teeth and bought a bottle of red wine that cost around fifteen hundred yuan — already the limit I could afford.
Although I couldn't recall the name of the wine, at least I got to be a little extravagant.
When I returned to the table carrying the red wine, I found the boss's wife and Zhao Hu chatting happily.
Occasionally, the boss's wife would burst into a tinkling laugh, resembling that of a little girl.
Every woman has a childlike side, and the boss's wife was no exception. Perhaps this was the time she felt happiest.
I could easily imagine that over the years, living with Zhang Zhiyuan hadn't made the boss's wife very happy.
I called a nearby waiter over to uncork the red wine and pour a glass for each of us.
Then I raised my glass and said, "Let's toast to this moment."
Zhao Hu was a rough and careless guy; he didn't understand the deeper meaning in my words. He simply downed his glass of red wine in one gulp.
A bottle of red wine only yielded a few glasses; if he drank like this, I would eventually go broke paying for his drinks.
Besides, the wine was for the boss's wife. Once she had finished it, everything would be easier to handle.
My thoughts might have seemed a bit devious, but wasn't this a win-win outcome?
Once I won over the boss's wife, my life at Xingchang would become much easier—I wouldn't have to worry about Zhang Zhiyuan scheming behind my back.
At that moment, the boss's wife also showed generosity, raising her glass and finishing it in one drink.
I hurriedly refilled her glass while only pouring half a glass for Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu didn't understand why and seemed a bit resentful about the unfairness.
In his eyes, going to a hotel with the boss's wife was already a done deal, so there was nothing to worry about.
But he didn't know about the relationship between me and the boss's wife. I understood that I needed to give her a graceful exit, so if this matter ever leaked out later, she'd have some explanation.
Women can be hypocritical that way — they clearly want something but pretend not to care. Those pure-hearted young boys often get tricked.
Only veterans in love can seize the moment and strike directly, making a woman fall madly in love.
When I first pursued Lu Wan, I got turned down many times. But in the end, I still won the beauty's heart.
After two glasses, the boss's wife's face flushed, looking even more alluring. She rested her beautiful face in her hands, looking somewhat tipsy.
That was a signal telling me the time had come.
I said to the boss's wife, "How about we find somewhere to rest?"
She replied, "Sure!"
Zhao Hu knew how to win the boss's wife's favor and immediately moved to support her.
Since they'd done this kind of thing before, they showed no awkwardness in their affectionate gestures.
Just as we were about to leave the bar, suddenly a tall man blocked our way.
The man had a face full of coarse features, looking very fierce, with a dragon tattoo on his arm — clearly a gangster.
I was puzzled—why was he blocking us? Did he think he had a say if I took a beautiful woman to a hotel?
But the truth was not what I thought because Zhao Hu suddenly said, "Third Brother, what are you doing here?"
I immediately understood this man had come looking for trouble with Zhao Hu.
Since I got married, I hadn't kept in touch much with Zhao Hu, so I didn't know what kind of trouble he'd gotten into.
Third Brother stared furiously at Zhao Hu and asked, "Kid, when are you going to pay me back the money you owe?"
I immediately realized this was a loan shark come to collect a debt.
I had long known following Zhao Hu never led to a good outcome, and sure enough, trouble had found him.
I had no idea how the loan sharks had tracked Zhao Hu down here, but one thing was clear—his days were going to be hard.
"Third Brother, can you give me a few more days? As you know, I'm short on cash right now. It's really difficult," Zhao Hu pleaded desperately.
Having grown up with Zhao Hu, I'd never seen him beg like this before.
But just as Zhao Hu finished speaking, the loan shark slapped him hard across the face.
"You son of a bitch! You dodge your debts and have the nerve to ask for more time? Impossible!"
Then his attention shifted to the boss's wife.
I had to say, the boss's wife looked stunning tonight. Though she was middle-aged, her mature charm still strongly attracted men.
Third Brother clearly took a fancy to her, because instead of roughing Zhao Hu up further, he asked, "Kid, is she your girl?"
To my surprise, Zhao Hu suddenly showed some spine and replied, "No, she's my buddy's."
No sooner had he said this than Third Brother slapped her hard across the face.
"You bastard! I've been watching you for a while. If she's your friend's girlfriend, then why were you holding her waist just now?"
Indeed, when we were about to leave, Zhao Hu had tried to show affection by putting his arm around the boss's wife's waist.
We had never expected this would bring us such serious trouble.
Then Third Brother suddenly grabbed the boss's wife's delicate hand and said, "Beauty, if you spend the night with me, I'll leave Zhao Hu alone."
Hearing this, my scalp nearly exploded—I knew things were about to get very bad.
Though experienced, the boss's wife turned pale with fright.
I knew now was my moment to step up and protect her. With this favor owed, even if I didn't sleep with the boss's wife, Zhang Zhiyuan wouldn't be able to get back at me.
But although I was tall and strong, I wasn't confident dealing with a gangster.
As the boss's wife struggled desperately, Third Brother tightened his grip on her hand. I could even sense he intended to pull her into his arms.
Looking at the boss's wife's expression, I knew she was unwilling.
In truth, I knew she came from a wealthy family and had always been virtuous.
Probably because Zhang Zhiyuan had neglected her for too long, she came to the bar looking for some excitement.
But bars were places full of mixed company — all kinds of people.
As a man, if I didn't act now, then when?
Just as I raised my fist to strike Third Brother, Zhao Hu suddenly grabbed a stick and hit Third Brother hard on the head.
I was stunned.
No one knew where Zhao Hu got the stick, and frankly, no one cared now.
Zhao Hu said, "You take her away. I'll handle this here."
In a rush, I picked up the boss's wife and rushed outside.
Once we reached a safe place, I put her down.
Only then did I realize that holding the boss's wife felt really nice.
"Zhao Jian, thank you!" the boss's wife said as soon as she spoke.
I smiled and said, "Boss's wife, you should go home now. I still have other things to do."
She understood what I meant—she knew I was going back to rescue Zhao Hu.
"Alright, go ahead. Don't worry about me; I'll get home safely."
I softly acknowledged and turned back toward the bar.
Entering, I saw Zhao Hu pinned to the ground, blood streaming from his head and coloring his face red.
When he saw me, Third Brother waved his hand, and three or four young men quickly encircled me.
Faced with this situation, I had no choice but to back down.
Third Brother came over, patted my shoulder, and asked, "So, are you going to pay off his debt?"
I thought for a moment and asked, "How much does he owe?"
Third Brother said, "One hundred and eight thousand yuan."
My heart jumped—it wasn't a small amount.
Though I was close with Zhao Hu, I wouldn't blindly take on his debts.
I said, "Can you give a few more days? He's been short on cash lately."
As soon as I finished, Zhao Hu took a heavy kick to the head.
It seemed triad members didn't negotiate. The only way to save Zhao Hu now was to pay off the debt.
In Zhao Hu's current state, he probably couldn't gather the money himself—now it was up to me.
I thought of Gu Xiaofei. She needed my help right now; maybe she could help with this.
So I dialed Gu Xiaofei's number.