Chapter 110: Clothes Make the Man

The living room fell silent.

Only Shen Mqing raised a hand, pointing at himself in disbelief.

’What is this? In their eyes, am I really that untrustworthy...?’

"I’m a proud member of the Tiger Clan, and this is what you think of me?!" Shen Mqing was shocked.

Unexpectedly, no one answered him.

In truth, Wen Qian didn’t think Shen Mqing was as unreliable as they made him out to be. If he could apply the same dedication he had for original recipe chicken to actual business... he would succeed at anything he did.

Thanks to Shen Mqing’s persistence, the matter was settled.

Shen Mqing was now more determined about this than anyone else. He was desperate to prove he wasn’t just some useless young master.

Although the Little Fox hadn’t appeared at the nightclub that day, he had been targeted because of the Critical Stone incident. It was inconvenient for him to go out, so he could only stay at the villa.

Fortunately, filming for his new project had wrapped, and his agent would figure out how to handle the rest.

Gu Mian was worried about Wen Qian and gave her a dagger before leaving. When Shen Mqing saw the vintage relief carvings on it, his eyes lit up.

He might have been an unscholarly fool, but he knew his valuables... The peach-pink jadeite inlaid on the dagger was extremely rare in the Beast World, and its price was exorbitant.

Ignoring Shen Mqing’s gaze, Gu Mian leaned close to Wen Qian’s ear and whispered, "For self-defense."

Then, he carefully tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Yin Zhi had wanted to find a chance to go with them, but he’d been on the wanted list multiple times, and his face was too well-known. In the end, he could only watch as Shen Mqing drove away from the villa with Wen Qian and Li Jiu.

Shen Mqing’s car was ridiculously flashy—a pink convertible, even decked out with cute decorations. Wen Qian rubbed her temples in resignation. It fit his flamboyant personality perfectly.

The night was black as ink, the neon lights just beginning to glow. A black sedan slowly pulled to a stop in front of a bustling nightclub.

The car’s headlights illuminated the strong profile of a man inside. He wore a sharp suit, his tie slightly loosened, giving him a hint of a rebellious air...

Before they left, Shen Mqing had dressed up according to Wen Qian’s instructions. Now, not only was his youthful immaturity gone, but he even had a touch of a mature man’s tenderness.

’Clothes really do make the man... I have to admit, this woman’s got pretty good taste.’ Thinking this, Shen Mqing couldn’t help but tilt his head and raise an eyebrow at his reflection in the mirror.

"Ahem..." Wen Qian couldn’t help but clear her throat.

’Even with a change of clothes, this kid’s personality hasn’t changed a bit,’ she thought. ’His narcissism knows no bounds. What time is it for him to be checking himself out?’

Sensing Wen Qian’s displeasure, the man immediately sat up straight and turned his head to look at the gentleman in a suit standing outside.

The man outside wore a standard smile as he directed Shen Mqing to park the car.

Li Jiu, who had been hiding in Wen Qian’s pocket the whole time, didn’t dare to peek out. It just nervously pecked twice inside, following her movements.

Wen Qian noticed its little movements and reassuringly patted her pocket.

Today, Wen Qian wore her hair in a topknot, and her striking makeup made it difficult to distinguish her features. She had deliberately extended the eyeliner at the corners of her eyes, completely changing the shape of her normally round, almond-shaped eyes.

The two of them walked into the nightclub side by side. The first thing that caught their eye was an artificial fountain. It was a full two meters tall, with three-dimensional angel figures carved on it.

Wen Qian couldn’t help but take a second look, only to realize these angels were different from the ones she usually saw online. The wings on this sculpture... were much pointier.

A bit like... a Fuyi?

No, this *was* a Fuyi... just stylized to look like an angel.

Wen Qian frowned, not understanding why a sculpture like this would be erected here.

However, before she could think about it further, a guide hurried over.

Wen Qian shot a look at Shen Mqing. He immediately waved his hand at the guide, indicating they wanted to look around on their own.

They entered the elevator and tried to press the button for B1, but nothing happened after several attempts. It seemed that not only had the beast fights been canceled, but the way to the basement level had also been restricted...

But the location Li Jiu sensed was right above the Beast Fighting Arena’s lounge. Although they didn’t know why the blue dot of light up there was slowly moving... it was still worth checking out.

"Is there another way?" Shen Mqing looked at Wen Qian.

Wen Qian looked baffled. "You’re asking me?"

She had only been here once or twice more than him; she wasn’t necessarily more familiar with the place.

Seemingly realizing his question was a bit stupid, Shen Mqing sheepishly scratched his hair. He hadn’t even scratched twice before Wen Qian pulled his hand down. She glared at him with exasperation. "Keep your hands under control!"

’That hairstyle took so much effort; don’t mess it up into a bird’s nest again.’

"Oof..."

The two of them left the elevator again. Wen Qian was sure a place like this had to have a fire escape, but the nightclub was so large they just hadn’t found it yet.

"Do you need any help?" Just then, another guide met their gaze.

Wen Qian froze for a second, hesitating on whether to speak up, when she heard Shen Mqing ask, "Where’s your fire escape?"

"..."

Wen Qian was speechless for a moment. ’He just came right out and asked?’

Apparently sensing this was inappropriate, Shen Mqing added, "I want to have a smoke."

"The fire escape and the smoking area are both up ahead. If you just want to smoke, you can go straight and turn left," the guide said, recovering from his surprise. He paused, then added, "Shall I take you there?"

Waving his hand impatiently, Shen Mqing put on the airs of a rich young master. "No need."

His blunt tone, contrary to expectations, dispelled the guide’s suspicion. Although the man was dressed like a refined gentleman, his every move screamed... new money.

By now, Wen Qian was too stunned by his audacious move to say anything. ’So blunt honesty really is the ultimate trump card.’

They followed the guide’s directions and walked ahead to the smoking area.

The two of them didn’t go in, instead circling around the outside.

They didn’t see the fire escape.

"Did that guy remember wrong?" Shen Mqing frowned.

The surrounding area wasn’t that big, and he had looked in all the rooms.

Wen Qian blinked. After a moment, she said, "Is it possible the fire escape is behind the smoking area...?"

The smoking area looked quite deep; there might be another door inside.

Shen Mqing froze for a second, then nodded forcefully. "Makes sense."

So the two of them pushed through the crowd and headed straight for the smoking area. Wen Qian and Shen Mqing raised their hands to cover their noses and mouths at almost the same time. As expected for non-smokers... the smell was overpowering.

The smoking area in this nightclub wasn’t like those in other places. It was larger, more luxuriously decorated... even the seats were extremely comfortable sofa massage chairs.

Shen Mqing was about to sit down and enjoy one, but before his butt could even touch the seat, Wen Qian grabbed his arm. She shot him a sharp look, and Shen Mqing instantly snapped to his senses, standing up straight like an obedient child.

’Damn it, why am I afraid of a human...?’