Chapter 723: Threshing Wastrels
Changxi City was not a first-tier or second-tier city, but the construction and development of the cities in the Southern Region were still thriving and prosperous. The entertainment establishments here were comparable to Shanghai’s, and the Red Pavilion was a large-scale entertainment center with a variety of leisure and recreational facilities.
At the fitness area.
Han Qingwu had taken off her coat and put on a black vest and sweatpants. The fighting match tonight was very important to her, and she did not dare to slack off, so she did warmups ahead of time, adjusting her body and mind to the best condition, as it was her very purpose of coming here.
Punching out with a thousand pounds striking power was not an issue with her current strength. After the training she had with the expert from the Everlasting Feast Hall, coupled with dozens of matches she had gone through in the underground fighting arena, she could be regarded as a battle-hardened fighter now. While standing in front of the dumbbells, her movements looked very casual and she did not appear to struggle even with the heaviest dumbbells.
“Brother Chong, there’s quite a belle here, and she got a darn great body!”
At the access to the fitness area’s entrance, two young men came in with a towel, one of them, whose nose was sticking out and had a monkey-like face and sweat on his forehead, looked at Han Qingwu exercising and his eyes suddenly lit up, blowing a whistle and grinning.
Zhou Chong raised his brow. After observing Han Qingwu a couple of times, he then nodded and said, “The best quality indeed. Great front and awesome back, added with a darn great body. Chen Shuai, wanna gamble with me to win that belle today?”
“You want to gamble?” Chen Shuai rolled his eyes. “Do you think I’m a masochist? Every time we play this game I always lose to you. The darn Heavens were really unfair to me. How the hell did they name me Shuai (handsome) but did not give me at least a proper face?”
Zhou Chong smilingly said, “You can’t eat with good looks alone, though. You know, although one’s looks are the first thing women see, a few of them are kind of content with men’s inner looks. So maybe… that belle is an exception, a special case like I said, no? Alright, 100 stakes, man. Do you dare to bet with me?”
Chen Shuai blanked and immediately frowned, “You really want to play big, huh?”
Zhou Chong smiled and nodded in response.
Thinking for a moment, Chen Shuai then seemed to be ready to risk everything and said, “Fine, let’s play! Who’s afraid who, huh? Worse come to worst, I’ll just pass through the month broke. No big deal. You just wait here, buddy. I’ll definitely win this game and come back with that belle.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Zhou Chong folded his arms while smiling.
Chen Shuai sorted out his clothes and let out a confident smile. After coming to Han Qingwu’s side, he tried hard to impersonate a gentleman and said, “Care to chat, beauty?”
Han Qingwu only cast a sidelong glance at him and directly treated him like air. She had good looks and stature and was often approached by men who wanted to talk to her, hence the choice she opted the most when facing these type of wastrels was to ignore them.
As though having expected such a result, Chen Shuai did not seem to be disheartened. Instead, he moved closer to Han Qingwu and said, “Beauty, I’m betting with my buddy whether I can take you with me. The stake is 100. As long as you’re willing, how about we share half of the booty?”
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A disgusted look flashed in Han Qingwu’s eyes, and she still did not respond.
Chen Shuai frowned. He thought about it and quickly added, “That 100 stake I told you is actually 1 million. I know I’m not a handsome guy and only a few women find me to their liking. But since I have taken the gamble, could you at least help me win it this time? As long as you’re willing to cooperate with me, I’ll give you 500 thousand yuan.”
“Scram!” Han Qinwu only spat out a word indifferently.
Chen Shuai’s expression froze and stared blankly at Han Qingwu for a long while. While suppressing his anger, he said, “Do you know the Bitao Group in Changxi City? I’m the son of its chairman, Chen Shuai. As long as you’re willing to play this game with me, I’ll give you the full 1 million bet prize.”
“Scram! Don’t make me say it the third time,” said Han Qingwu coldly.
Chen Shuai gasped for breath. He did not expect this woman to not know chalk from cheese, so greedy and insatiable. 1 million yuan to act for a few minutes, yet she did not give him face at all. If not for the gambling with Zhou Chong, he would directly thrash this bitch.
“You really don’t know what’s good and bad. Offending me will not end up in a good way if you seek a living in Changxi. I’ll give you one last chance before I turn around and go back to my buddy. If you still refuse, don’t blame me for ignoring any decorum.”
With that said, he turned away with anger.
Finally, Han Qingwu looked at him and secretly lamented inwardly that there really were too many trash in this world. If it wasn’t for her unwillingness to have more troublesome matters come to her, she really wished to paint this trash’s ugly face with her soles.
Nearby, Zhou Chong watched Chen Shuai smilingly, who came back alone and intentionally spat out his contempt, “Well, well. Seems like your looks and inner handsomeness are not working, eh buddy? How is the feeling of coming back with your tail between your legs? Doesn’t it feel great?”
Out of shame, Chen Shuai and growled, “This fucking bitch is too arrogant. I would have already trashed her if she was not a woman. Bah, forget it. If you got the ability, you try.”
Zhou Chong blew a whistle as he came to Han Qingwu and smilingly said, “Thanks a bunch for that, Beauty.”
“Scram!” Han Qingwu growled without lifting her head.
Ugh… The smile on Zhou Chong’s face froze instantly and his brain unable to send an impulse to react. This is out of the script I just wrote! She should be asking why I thanked her. How can she…
Thick-skinned as he was, the embarrassed expression on Zhou Chong’s face only lasted for a few seconds before receding like a tidal wave. He then touched his nose and said with a dry smile, “Coming across someone is something preordained by fate, Beauty. Don’t be so fast rejecting people. Alright, let me introduce myself. I’m Zhou Chong, a junior of the Zhou Family in Changxi. May I have the honor to invite you to dinner after you finish working out?”
“I don’t give a damn of what dogs or cats you are,” said Han Qingwu coldly. “Scram if you don’t want to get into trouble. There’s no way I’m interested in some coxcomb like you.”
“You…”
Never in his dreams did Zhou Chong ever imagine that he would be rejected this ruthlessly. One must know that by virtue of his handsome looks, famous brands he wore from head to toe, and coupled with the status of the Zhou Family in Changxi City, his adventure in picking up girls had been a walk in the park.
But today… how could this special situation happen?
As much as he wanted to unleash a tantrum, Zhou Chong was a man who had a tender heart for the fairer sex, and rarely got angry at them. Therefore, he could only suppress his discomfiture inside and walked back toward Chen Shuai crestfallen.
The latter was immediately ecstatic, and the anger he had after getting thrashed by Han Qingwu dissipated a lot upon seeing Zhou Chong coming back with a black and blue expression. A mocking expression appeared on his monkey-like face as he teased, “Holy cow, how come Young Master Zhou came back alone with a dejected face? You always brag and boast that you’re a Casanova in picking up hot chicks, and yet you were just thrashed by that beauty?”
Zhou Chong was so vexed that his nose felt noxious. In the past, he always hugged a belle back and showed it off to Chen Shuai, enjoying to watch the guy’s envious and jealous expression. But now he was mocked by him, making his anger towards Han Qingwu more intense.
His face turned ashen. He did not even reply to Chen Shuai, but turned his head and waved at a nearby attendant. After the attendant came over, he said, “I’m gonna give you a task. Keep an eye on that woman. Wait until she finished exercising, and then find out after she leaves whether she has friends here. That’s right. Don’t forget to take some pics of her. It will be useful to me.”
The attendant apparently knew who Zhou Chong was, as he quickly nodded and said, “Rest assured, Young Master Zhao! I’ll do it will!”
Zhou Chong nodded and took out his business card and stuffed it into the attendant’s hand before turning away.
Inside the teahouse.
Tang Xiu was savoring his tea while reading a book and enjoying his short tranquil time. He did not speak, and neither did Ji Mu. Although the latter was a bit bored, he just sat on his chair trying to sense the flow of qi inside his body. Since he obtained a cultivation technique, most of his time was spent on feeling the qi flow inside his body. He wanted to become an expert and also a cultivator, and thus was willing to work himself to death.
In a blink of an eye, it was already six in the evening. Han Qingwu was finally back from the fitness area. Since the fitness area had its own bathhouse, she had already cleaned herself up and changed her clothes.
“Alright, let’s go!” Said Han Qingwu.
Tang Xiu looked at the time and asked, “How long does it take to get to the fighting arena from here?”
“I don’t know the specifics.” Han Qingwu shook her head. “But it’s already six, only two hours away from the match. But as a participant, I must be there half an hour earlier.”
“There’s no need to rush,” said Ji Mu quickly. “It will only take 40 minutes from the Red Pavilion to the Emerald Resort by car. Anyways, Miss Han, you spent half the afternoon working out, would you like to have some food first? I went to the dining area half an hour ago and already prepared a meal for us.”
“This…” Han Qingwu hesitated.
Tang Xiu got up and said, “Let’s head there and have something to eat! You need the energy for the match tonight.”
In the dining area.
Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai were with a pretty woman each, and merrily ate and drank. Since their “endeavor” in chasing a beauty was completely crushed, the duo called two call girls they used to play with to vent their crestfallen mood.
Suddenly, Zhou Chong’s phone rang.
“Yo, how is it?” He answered the call and asked lightly.
The voice of the attendant he met in the afternoon came out of the phone, “Young Master Zhao, I’m the attendant in the fitness area, Xiao Liu. I’ve just accomplished what you tasked me! That beauty went to the teahouse after she finished exercising. I didn’t dare to approach closer, so I only saw her meeting two men there, and they are now heading to the dining area.”
“Got it. I’ll gift you something later,” said Zhou Chong before hanging up. A cold light flashed in his eyes as he pushed the woman in his embrace and said, “Continue your meal. I gotta make a call and go out.”
“Got it!” Chen Shuai nodded. Suddenly, his expression moved and he hurriedly asked, “Hey, Zhou Chong, was it that attendant who called you to report what you asked him to do in the afternoon? Do remember to call me if there’s a good play to watch!”
Zhou Chong hesitated for a moment before replying, “Then come with me. I wanna see who could be so capable to tame that bitch.”