Chapter 5: Forget It, Let’s Go Play First
Jiang Qing sat expressionlessly on the edge of his massive, god-knows-how-many square meters bed, eating the Sea Salt Cheese Cake.
As for why he didn’t know how many square meters it was…
Because he didn’t measure it with a ruler, and he didn’t buy the bed himself.
Since the protagonist shou and his older brother hadn’t made contact yet…
Then he would preemptively get close to the protagonist shou. If the guy turned out to be a materialistic person, maybe he could sit across from him and dominantly slap a bank card on the table.
“There is an undisclosed amount of RMB in here. Please leave my brother.”
As for why it was an undisclosed amount of RMB?
Because he needed to create a bit of mystery.
Otherwise, he was afraid that if he exposed the actual number, he would scare the guy away, and that would make him seem a bit too aggressive.
It was definitely not because his cards had recently been frozen and he was afraid of losing face.
Besides, don’t those people whose pockets are cleaner than their faces act with the exact same confidence when they go house-hunting?
He couldn’t lose out on pride.
Just then, Jiang Qing’s phone suddenly vibrated.[My Daily Trouble is Having Too Much Money: Qing! Nine o’clock, the usual spot.]
[My Daily Trouble is Having Too Much Money: Miss you~]
Looking at that tilde, Jiang Qing forcibly suppressed the urge to smash his phone.[Ordinary and Simple is True: Are you sick in the head.][My Daily Trouble is Having Too Much Money: ? Why the sudden name change? Have you achieved enlightenment?]
[Ordinary and Simple is True: Screw you.]
Jiang Qing tossed his phone onto the bed.
The phone bounced on the mattress and the screen went dark. Jiang Qing stared at the ceiling. After a long while, he suddenly let out a sneer.
“Who cares about the plot,” he stretched lazily. “Even if the sky falls down, I’ve got to have my fun first.”
In Jiang Qing’s life creed, “carpe diem” was always ranked number one.
He leaped up from the bed, his bare feet stepping across the carpet.
Humming a tune, Jiang Qing’s fingers brushed lightly across the coat hangers. He pulled out a black silk shirt and picked out a pair of tailored suit trousers for his lower half.
Walking to the accessory cabinet, he whistled in a great mood, casually picking up a few pieces of jewelry he often wore.
Finally, he grabbed the bottle of Frederic Malle Une Rose off the counter and sprayed it once on his wrist, behind his ear, and on his waist.
He grabbed his phone and car keys.
Arriving at the entryway, he snapped his fingers in satisfaction at the reflection in the mirrorβa reflection that practically had “I am very expensive, and very handsome” written all over it from head to toe.
“Let’s go.”
The door slammed shut with a “bang”.
Troubles? What are those? Are they even worthy of following Jiang Qing out the door?
Jiang Qing stepped into his car.
“To ‘Cloud Night’.”
βββββββββ
The roaring soundwaves at “Cloud Night” reached their climax at midnight. The crystal chandeliers rattled amidst the vibrations, scattering fragmented spots of light over the reveling crowd. The air was thick with the distinctive strong fragrance unique to “Cloud Night”.
By the round tables near the dance floor, a girl in a silver sequined short skirt laughed wildly, her body leaning back to the beat. As her elbow swept across the table, half a bottle of liquor tipped over with a crash. The dark amber liquid rapidly spread, dripping onto the carpet and slowly blooming into a thick stain.
Oblivious, the girl merely raised a hand to wipe the alcohol from her lips before turning around to be swept up by the human tide on the dance floor. The sequins crashed against the dance steps of those around her under the play of light and shadow, welcoming even more fervent clamor.
A boy sitting sideways cast a nonchalant glance before continuing to pour wine into the champagne tower.
In the center of the dance floor, the lights at the DJ booth suddenly dimmed. Suddenly, a spotlight hit the girl leading the dance. She tossed her long hair, her skirt fluttering, and the people around immediately closed in, raising their glasses and cheering. Some shoved each other jokingly, while others stood on their tiptoes.
The entirety of “Cloud Night” trembled in the midnight revelry. All repressions and desires were squeezed into the deafening music, strong alcohol, and unbridled laughter.
Right within this chaos, Shen Zhize lounged against the back of the sofa, the dice cup clamped between his fingers spinning rapidly in his palm.
He was surrounded by a group of young men and women. His collar was slightly open, revealing half of his cold white neck, and his messy hair looked somewhat disheveled.
“Young Master Shen, it’s your turn. Don’t dawdle!” A boy with silver-gray hair next to him bumped his arm, causing a few drops of liquor to slosh out of his glass and splash onto the carpet.
Shen Zhize let out a light laugh: “What’s the rush?” As he spoke, his wrist snapped down forcefully. The dice cup slammed onto the table with a loud “Clang,” rattling the nearby wine glasses.
The surroundings instantly quieted down, everyone’s eyes locked onto that black dice cup.
His fingertips rubbed the edge of the dice cup. A moment later, he slowly lifted his hand.
The instant the dice settled, the surrounding crowd erupted in roars of laughter and gasps of amazement.
“Young Master Shen is awesome!”
“Damn! You’re really something, Young Master Shen!”
Shen Zhize raised an eyebrow, grabbed the wine glass beside him, and tilted his head back to down a huge gulp. A droplet of alcohol slid down the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the fabric of his collar, blooming into a small dark stain.
Why isn’t he here yet?
Shen Zhize’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the last bit of alcohol at the bottom of the glass. He tapped his fingers against the table. Tilting his head, he glanced at the watch on his wristβthe hour hand already pointed to nine-fifteen.
He frowned.
That guy always arrived exactly on the dot. Tonight was an unprecedented delay.
The boy with the silver-gray hair leaned in, following his gaze toward the entrance, and laughed:
“Young Master Shen, who are you waiting for? Didn’t Second Young Master Jiang say he’d be here at nine? Could his feet have gotten tangled up by some little beauty?”
Shen Zhize didn’t reply. His peach-blossom eyes half-narrowed as they swept toward the entrance.
Just as he was pondering, a small commotion suddenly arose at the door.
The originally crowded throng subconsciously parted to both sides. He looked up, just in time to see a tall, slender figure walk in through the doors.
Jiang Qing had one hand stuffed into his pocket, his collar casually unbuttoned by two buttons. As if sensing something, his gaze instantly locked onto the round table in the corner. Across the swaying crowd and jumping lights, it crashed straight into Shen Zhize’s line of sight.
He raised an eyebrow. Without breaking his stride, he walked over to the beat. When he passed the dance floor, he even raised his hand and patted the shoulder of a boy who was jeering, causing the boy to turn around and exclaim, “Second Young Master Jiang.”
“Sorry I’m late.” Jiang Qing took a seat in the empty spot next to Shen Zhize, casually tossing his car keys onto the table. He turned sideways, propping his elbow on the backrest of the chair.
“Did I make Young Master Shen wait too long?”
The furrow between Shen Zhize’s brows silently smoothed out. The dice cup at his fingertips stopped spinning, and the corners of his lips hooked up into a faint smile:
“Second Young Master Jiang is putting on quite the airs these days. It actually makes me curious, what was it that delayed you?”
Jiang Qing scoffed. He picked up the wine glass on the table, poured himself half a glass, and tilted his head to take a sip. The alcohol moistened the corners of his lips, and he casually raised a hand to wipe it away:
“What else could possibly delay me besides having fun?” His gaze swept over the dice cup on the table, raising an eyebrow.
“What, you started playing without waiting for me?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” Shen Zhize said with a half-smile. “Was I supposed to make a whole table of people accompany Young Master Shen in waiting for Second Young Master Jiang to grace us with his presence?”
Seeing this, the people beside them immediately laughed to smooth things over: “That’s exactly right, Second Young Master Jiang! Young Master Shen just won a round and was waiting for someone to take him on!”
Jiang Qing set down his wine glass, leaning his body slightly forward. His gaze landed on Shen Zhize’s face, the amusement in his eyes deepening:
“Oh? Well that’s perfect. Let me play a few rounds with Young Master Shen.”
Watching his eagerness, Shen Zhize reached out and pushed the dice cup in front of him:
“I’ll play with you to the end.”
ββββAuthor’s Noteββββ[Let me put on some armor here.
This is my first time attempting this genre.
Because the author is just an ordinary player of Earth Online, whose usual hobby is being a homebody, and whose biggest wish is to find money on the street, I don’t actually know what the lifestyle I’m imagining for Jiang Qing is truly like.
I’m writing based on my own understanding and thoughts.
After all, I’m someone who can get negative numbers when scratching lottery tickets; when playing billiards, my very first break shot sinks the white cue ball straight into the pocket; in five turns, I can call for four fouls; the highest-proof alcohol I’ve ever drank is a cocktail; and the thing I spray the most on my body is mosquito repellent whenever I get bitten. I know absolutely nothing about motorcycles, though I do know a bit about BMW tricycles. So, if I have to write an image of a playful, refined young master, I might not write it completely accurately. If anyone knows more about this stuff, you can let me know if I got something wrong. Of course, if you’re willing to discuss and chat with me about it, I’d practically beg you on my knees. Don’t get too tangled up in certain details. I wrote this by searching for information online piece by piece.
I’m merely guessing what kinds of things and types of people he might like based on Jiang Qing’s personality, but I am not him after all.
Perhaps if it weren’t for Jiang Qing, I would never in my life have learned about these things that I’ve never come into contact with before and likely never will again.
As I said before, read the book just for fun.
I write it casually, and you read it casually.]
Translator’s Note:
- RMB: Renminbi, the official currency of China.
- Peach-blossom eyes (ζ‘θ±ηΌ): A common trope in Chinese web novels to describe eyes that are naturally alluring, slightly elongated, and curvedβoften associated with characters who are very attractive or charming flirts.
- Player of Earth Online: Internet slang for just being a regular, everyday human living in the real world. The author is humbly saying they are not a rich young master, so please forgive any inaccuracies regarding wealthy lifestyles!
- Armor (ηεη²): Slang for “adding layers of armor.” It means giving disclaimers beforehand to protect oneself from being attacked or heavily criticized by readers later.
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