Chapter 235 - 198: Mountains Beyond Mountains

Chapter 235: Chapter 198: Mountains Beyond Mountains

"Miss Su, Miss Lin, this way, please..."

The manager, Du Zehui, led Su Tang and Lin Qingge out of the elevator. His tone was friendly and polite, and his posture was exceedingly deferential.

"The fourth floor?"

Su Tang took in the luxurious and quiet surroundings, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"This is our group’s VIP reception area."

"It’s normally closed to the public. The VIP rooms are only opened for the group’s distinguished guests or senior executives."

Seeing the confusion in Su Tang’s eyes, Du Zehui explained with a smile.

"I never would have guessed..."

"That there’s a whole other world inside Roar Hall."

Hearing this, a note of awe crept into Su Tang’s voice.

Du Zehui just smiled, saying no more on the matter.

Su Tang and Lin Qingge followed Du Zehui and soon saw a bodyguard, built like an iron tower, standing guard in front of VIP Room A.

"President Zhong, they are friends of Chairman Gu."

Du Zehui looked at Zhong Hua and explained politely, "Chairman Gu just instructed me to bring them up."

"Mm."

Zhong Hua, a man of few words, immediately stepped aside.

"Chairman Gu, I’ve brought your friends."

Du Zehui knocked twice on the door, then respectfully announced to those inside.

The door was soon opened by Liu Nanyi, who was wearing a floral slip dress.

"Tangtang, Qingge, you’re here."

Liu Nanyi was still holding a microphone in her left hand and looked completely at ease.

"Yiyi, I just called you so many times! Why didn’t you pick up?"

Su Tang sized her up. "Qingge and I were worried sick about you!"

As they spoke, the two women followed Liu Nanyi into the room.

In the middle of the sofa, Gu Heng was eating watermelon with his sleeves rolled up.

He was impeccably dressed and his expression was as composed as ever.

"Sorry~"

"I was singing, so I left my phone on the side and didn’t notice~"

Liu Nanyi’s face flushed slightly as she quickly changed the subject. "Tangtang, Qingge, the sound system and mics here are amazing—totally professional-grade. Let’s just hang out with Gu Heng here."

"Is that okay?"

Su Tang was very tempted, but she looked at Gu Heng with some hesitation.

"Didn’t you say you’d sing a couple of songs for me when you came?"

Gu Heng smiled at the two women. "I was watching you downstairs, but you didn’t seem to be doing much."

"Who would have thought Feng Yao’s weirdo boyfriend would bring people in without asking?"

Su Tang sounded a bit helpless. "It was hard to get in the mood looking at that crowd."

"Me too."

Lin Qingge chimed in.

"So, how about here?"

"Sing all you want. Go as wild as you like."

Gu Heng gestured around the room, then asked, "What are you drinking? I’ll have someone bring it in."

"We’ll have..."

The two women glanced at the table and saw two glasses filled with an amber liquid.

"I’ll have some of that foreign liquor with you."

Su Tang, who hadn’t even touched the beer downstairs, now took the initiative to drink hard liquor.

"Then let’s all have some."

Lin Qingge also quietly picked up a glass and murmured in agreement.

’Some things are impossible to do sober.’

’Alcohol can be a great excuse sometimes.’

"Whatever you want."

"Help yourselves."

Gu Heng smiled and reached his right hand across the table for the bottle of Hennessy XO.

Perhaps because it was a bit far, the reach was a little wide, causing the sleeve he had just rolled up to fall back down.

"Gu Heng, why is your sleeve wet?"

Su Tang happened to be sitting to Gu Heng’s right and immediately noticed the large wet patch on his forearm sleeve, so she asked him casually.

"Oh..."

"I was just washing my hands and accidentally splashed myself."

Gu Heng placed the bottle of Hennessy XO in front of Su Tang, gesturing for the two women to pour as much as they wanted. At the same time, he began rolling his sleeve back up, a teasing smile on his face as he looked at Liu Nanyi.

At that moment, Liu Nanyi, who was sitting to Gu Heng’s left, had already gone beet red the instant his sleeve had fallen down.

Gu Heng had indeed just washed his hands. But as for *where* he washed them, and *with what*... only she and Gu Heng knew the truth.

Recalling that image, Liu Nanyi felt so mortified she wished she could disappear.

’But that feeling...’

’I feel like I’ll probably never forget it for the rest of my life.’

"Huh?"

"Why can’t I roll this up?"

Gu Heng feigned confusion, then extended his right arm to Liu Nanyi. "Yiyi, help me roll it up, will you~?"

Liu Nanyi was already beet red, and Gu Heng’s move was tantamount to using an ultimate ability at point-blank range. It nearly sent her fleeing in embarrassment.

"Okay."

Worried that Su Tang and Lin Qingge might notice something was off, Liu Nanyi forced herself to remain calm. But her slightly trembling hands and her eyes, which looked moist enough to spill over, all revealed that her heart was anything but as tranquil as her facade.

Under the circumstances, a task that should have taken just a few seconds—rolling up a sleeve—took Liu Nanyi, in her flustered state, a long while to complete.

"Thanks, Yiyi~"

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow at Liu Nanyi, his eyes brimming with amusement.

"You’re welcome."

Liu Nanyi puffed up her fair cheeks. Towards this "bad boy" who relentlessly toyed with her emotions and heartstrings, she felt not a trace of disgust or resistance, but instead, a growing fondness and fascination.

Bad boys get all the love.

The diligent get nothing.

The smooth-talkers return with everything.

As for the subtle exchange between Gu Heng and Liu Nanyi, neither Su Tang nor Lin Qingge noticed a thing.

Mainly because it never even crossed their minds. After all, who would ever imagine that the large wet patch on Gu Heng’s sleeve was actually Liu Nanyi’s "doing"?