When Zhang Wei saw the man standing in front of him, he immediately sensed trouble coming his way.
The man was neither particularly tall nor short, and the strong smell of alcohol coming from him suggested that he had already consumed quite a lot before approaching Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei knew that he had to handle the situation carefully. The last thing he wanted was to attract unnecessary trouble.
"Good evening, sir. You must be enjoying yourself tonight. It seems you've had quite a bit to drink," Zhang Wei greeted him.
He deliberately spoke loud enough for a few nearby guests to hear. At the same time, he maintained his feminine demeanor, subtly acknowledging that the man was clearly intoxicated.
"I've been a loyal guest... of the King's Hotel... for four years, but... this is my first time... seeing a lady as beautiful as you," the man slurred.
His drunkenness was evident from his appearance and the way he struggled to complete his sentences.
Zhang Wei was about to excuse himself and leave the gentleman alone when the man suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Sir, would you care to dance?" Zhang Wei asked, deciding to lead the situation in a different direction.
He guided the drunken gentleman toward the dance floor.
"It's my pleasure... beautiful lady," the man replied, barely managing to form a complete sentence.
Wanting to impress Zhang Wei, the gentleman immediately kissed the back of his hand after receiving it.
Zhang Wei then called over one of the butlers and whispered his choice of music. He also instructed the staff to move the tables aside to make room for dancing.
Once they reached the center of the restaurant, Zhang Wei turned toward the guests and announced:
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I invite you to bring your partners to the dance floor? Let the music begin!"
He delivered the invitation as though he were the lady of the house herself.
The gentlemen readily accepted, especially since their female companions were eager to be entertained.
Before long, the entire restaurant had transformed into a grand dance floor. The music was perfect for waltzing, and even the crowd surrounding the chess match gradually dispersed to join the festivities.
Back at the chess table
Lau Mei and Liu Yang were still engaged in their chess match.
At first, Liu Yang had been confident that he would win. However, after their wager was finalized, the game gradually began turning in Lau Mei's favor.
He was now regretting the deal he had made, realizing that the terms were not nearly as advantageous to him as he had initially thought.
Meanwhile, Lau Mei secretly smiled whenever she noticed his increasingly unpleasant expression.
Acquiring a shipping company is no easy task. It requires considerable resources, and opportunities like this rarely come along. But acquiring the Liu Company? That's like catching a huge fish! Almost all the major imports and exports pass through their shipping network.
She felt as though she had killed two birds with one stone.
Not only had she attended the date arranged by her mother, but she had also stumbled upon an opportunity to acquire a valuable business investment—or, more accurately, win a rather profitable gamble.
It must have been her lucky day to encounter such an opportunity!
She had always lived by a personal motto:
Determination and perseverance, with a pinch of luck, are the keys to success.
And, of course, there was her second motto:
What Lau Mei wants, Lau Mei gets!
Back at the dance floor
Zhang Wei was still dancing with the drunken gentleman. However, he was becoming increasingly irritated.
His original plan had been to make the man dizzy through dancing until his drunkenness finally caught up with him, causing him to stumble and roll around on the floor.
Unfortunately, the gentleman seemed to have an unusually high alcohol tolerance. Despite being heavily intoxicated, he could still keep up with Zhang Wei's movements.
Worse still, he began making inappropriate advances during their dance.
At one point, he deliberately placed his hand on Zhang Wei's buttocks.
Zhang Wei's patience was rapidly running out. He was practically fighting the urge to unleash his true personality and teach the drunken gentleman a lesson.
Meanwhile, Lu Ting had just returned after receiving a phone call.
He had already confirmed that Zhang Wei's date had arrived. However, what greeted him was an unexpected sight.
His friend was dancing gracefully with a drunken gentleman, moving with such elegance that anyone would have mistaken him for a professional dancer.
But as Lu Ting approached, he realized that his friend was actually being harassed.
Instead of immediately intervening, however, Lu Ting secretly took out his cellphone and found a discreet place from which to record the scene.
He laughed so hard that he had to cover his mouth to keep himself from attracting attention.
He had just realized that Zhang Wei's feminine appeal was practically limitless. The drunken gentleman genuinely believed that the beautiful lady in his arms was a real woman!
What made Lu Ting laugh even harder was the way the gentleman kept pinching Zhang Wei's buttocks as though he were testing whether it was real.
Meanwhile, Zhang Wei repeatedly tried to move the man's hand back to his waist, maintaining his elegant smile throughout the ordeal.
Lu Ting eventually focused his camera on Zhang Wei's face, capturing every expression of restrained frustration.
Zhang Wei, on the other hand, was doing everything in his power to maintain his composure and preserve his feminine demeanor.
He was desperately trying to shake off the drunken gentleman without ruining his carefully crafted disguise.
Once Lu Ting had recorded enough footage, he quietly approached a butler and whispered instructions to change the music.
"Oh... The music has changed," Zhang Wei remarked in a feminine voice.
A sudden idea struck him, and he continued dancing.
"Ouch!!!" the drunken gentleman exclaimed.
Despite the pain, he endured it and continued dancing with Zhang Wei.
"Oh... I'm terribly sorry! I accidentally stepped on your foot. I'm not very familiar with this kind of music. We can stop if you'd like," Zhang Wei apologized, deliberately putting on a sorrowful expression as tears welled up in his eyes.
The same scenario continued for several minutes.
Zhang Wei repeatedly stepped on the gentleman's feet, each time apologizing with an innocent expression.
Eventually, the man could no longer tolerate it.
"Are you stupid?! Don't you know how to dance properly?!" the drunken gentleman shouted angrily.
Both of his feet were now numb and swollen from being repeatedly stepped on.
The other guests immediately stopped dancing and turned their attention toward the commotion.
"I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry," Zhang Wei pleaded, his eyes still filled with tears.
"Enough! I can buy as many ladies like you as I want!" the drunken gentleman declared arrogantly.
He raised his hand, preparing to slap Zhang Wei.
However, before he could strike, someone suddenly kicked him from behind.
The drunken gentleman lost his balance and landed heavily on his knees.
Standing before him was a man wearing a royal-green three-piece suit and a pair of glasses.
The man looked down at him and spoke authoritatively.
"Apologize, or you'll lose everything."
The drunken gentleman struggled to get back on his feet. However, he eventually remained kneeling as he faced the man in the green suit.
"Why should I?! She's the one who stepped on my feet several times! I have absolutely nothing to apologize for. If anything, she should be the one apologizing to me!" he declared proudly.
"You asked for it," the man in the green suit replied.
He then turned toward Zhang Wei and politely asked, "Beautiful lady, could you please call your bodyguard?"
Zhang Wei simply snapped his fingers.
Immediately, the man in black appeared.
"Do you have the evidence?" the gentleman in the green suit asked Lu Ting.
"Yes, I do," Lu Ting replied.
Although surprised by the question, he quickly confirmed it.
"Please show it to the butlers and the guests here," the man in the green suit instructed, casting a cold glance at the drunken gentleman.
Once the guests had watched the footage of the man's inappropriate behavior, the Head Butler of the King's Hotel stepped forward.
"As the Head Butler of the King's Hotel, I regret to inform you that you are no longer welcome on our premises. You have violated the establishment's rules."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Rule Number One: All loyal guests of the King's Hotel must respect one another's rights and dignity.
"Rule Number Two: No one is permitted to use their social status or influence to intimidate or look down upon others within the King's Library. We believe that every guest deserves equal treatment and respect."
Upon hearing the announcement, the drunken gentleman felt both embarrassed and frightened.
He had heard rumors about an unspoken rule among the King's Hotel's loyal guests:
Once someone is proven guilty, everything they possess can be stripped away. No one shall be spared.
He also knew that the hotel's most influential guests took this principle seriously.
The guests of the King's Library began casting contemptuous glances at the drunken gentleman. Some whispered among themselves, while others simply shook their heads in disappointment.
Before long, they quietly dispersed, leaving him to face the consequences of his actions.
A few hotel security guards soon arrived to escort the drunken gentleman out.
Surprisingly, the man simply stood up as though nothing had happened and walked away with an air of confidence.
He continued walking until he had completely left the hotel premises.
Just as he was about to get into his car, his phone suddenly rang.
He answered the call, only to hear his secretary's panicked voice.
"Sir! All of our investors have withdrawn their investments! What should we do?!"
"What?! Call them immediately! Convince them to reconsider!" the drunken gentleman ordered.
He was about to end the call when his secretary spoke again.
"Sir, I've already tried contacting them several times, but they all gave me the same response."
The secretary paused before repeating their exact words:
"'Once someone is proven guilty, everything they possess can be stripped away. No one shall be spared.'"
The drunken gentleman froze.
Upon hearing those words, he immediately rushed back toward the King's Hotel, desperate to plead for forgiveness.
Unfortunately, the security guards stopped him at the entrance.
He had already been banned from entering the establishment.
That was when he finally realized that the so-called unspoken rule of the King's Hotel was no mere rumor.
He also remembered the words of the man in the green suit.
Apologize, or you'll lose everything.
For the first time that night, the drunken gentleman understood the true meaning behind those words.
And he regretted everything he had done.