Chapter 344: The Crushed Empty Bottle

Chapter 344 -267: The Crushed Empty Bottle

A question mark, an image.

It was as if to say: That’s it?

Gu Heng: If you come pick me up, I’ll go home with you.

Jiang Ruan: And if I don’t?

Gu Heng: Then I’ll just go home with them, of course~

Jiang Ruan: Fine. Send me your location.

Gu Heng: Platinum Association, VIP Lounge.

Jiang Ruan: I’ll head over in a bit.

Gu Heng: Okay.

After a brief exchange, Gu Heng put his phone down.

Although the private room was filled with a lively bevy of beauties, Gu Heng found it hard to muster any interest in the girls before him.

The reason was simple: the girls had too much of a worldly, jaded air about them.

Even the part-time university students sitting beside Gu Heng and Wan Jiakai couldn’t avoid picking up that air after frequenting places like this. At most, they just had a little less of it than the full-time girls.

These girls were able to work at a high-end establishment like the Platinum Association, earning two thousand yuan per session. Their looks and figures were impeccable, and none of them were shorter than 168 cm.

In the dimly lit environment, combined with their exquisite, full-face makeup, none of the girls would rate below an 8 out of 10. A very select few could even touch a 9.

To the average person, every single one of them was a great beauty.

But in Gu Heng’s eyes, even the prettiest one among them was still lacking something.

Playing along for the night was fine, but if it was about getting into anything deeper, he’d rather pass.

He was picky; no cheap thrills, only the finest catches.

With Gu Heng’s current wealth and social status, he wasn’t so desperate that he couldn’t be selective.

“Come, let’s have a drink.”

Gu Heng raised his glass, his gaze sweeping over Wan Jiaze and the others.

“Thanks for having us, Ah Heng!”

“Wishing you a new year that’s better than ever, filled with success and overflowing with wealth, Ah Heng!”

Wan Jiaze held his glass in his left hand, supporting the base with his right. Subconsciously, he had already placed Gu Heng on a very high pedestal. Sun Ye, Gao Wei, and the others chimed in with their agreement, also offering their well wishes to Gu Heng.

As Gu Heng and his friends raised their glasses, the other girls in the room didn’t just watch. They all raised their own glasses, moved to the nearest guest, and knelt before Gu Heng’s group to offer a toast.

The group downed their drinks in a lively toast. Then, with everyone egging him on, Wan Jiaze was the first to grab the microphone. He sang a classic oldie by Li Keqin, “Red Sun,” kicking off the night’s festivities.

「…」

“If we can’t meet again with reddened eyes~”

“Can we still meet with blushing cheeks~”

“Just like that hasty year~”

“When we carved that beautiful lie of being together forever~”

The liquor was strong. After several group toasts at the beginning, the buzz from their first round of drinks, which had started to fade, came rushing back.

Wan Jiakai, who had been shy and nervous at first, started to get into the groove under the influence of alcohol.

He sang Ku Junji’s version of “That Hasty Year” with particular captivation.

“So, what do you think?”

“I did a pretty good job on that song, right, buddy?”

“I was on key, wasn’t I?”

Wan Jiakai sat back down and looked at Gu Heng, asking smugly.

Seeing Wan Jiakai’s cocky expression, Gu Heng couldn’t help but let the corner of his mouth curl into a smirk. He gave Wan Jiakai a mysterious-looking wave.

“What’s up?”

Wan Jiakai looked confused and leaned in closer to Gu Heng.

“You sang great~”

Gu Heng said quietly, “It’s just that the song didn’t go off-key, but she ran off~”

In an instant, Wan Jiakai’s smug expression froze on his face.

“You motherfucker, you just had to touch a sore spot!”

Wan Jiakai’s defenses crumbled. “You’re going too far, man!”

With that, he sat down resentfully.

Thinking about the song he just sang, Gu Heng’s words, and then looking at Dian Dian’s face which so closely resembled Xu Ruo’s, he couldn’t help but pick up his phone and open Xu Ruo’s Moments.

Ever since they broke up, Wan Jiakai had blocked Xu Ruo’s Moments to avoid looking like a clown. This was actually the first time he’d opened it since their split.

Xu Ruo’s Moments feed looked extremely active. In fact, she had just posted something five minutes ago.

In the photo, she was crouching on a beach with her hands outstretched, full of seashells, a bright smile blooming on her pretty, innocent-looking face.

“Oh?”

“Missing your ex-girlfriend?”

Gu Heng leaned over for a peek and teased Wan Jiakai.

“When we were together, she might not post on her Moments for half a month. But now that we’ve been broken up for a month, she’s made over ten posts in this short time.”

He paused for a moment, his expression turning serious. “Do you think it’s possible… that she’s posting all this specifically for me? To get my attention?”

Gu Heng looked at Wan Jiakai’s dead-serious expression and was truly at a loss for words.

“Are you kidding?”

“Dude, it’s not like we were drinking fake booze.”

“How are you already starting to hallucinate?”

Gu Heng shook his head and gestured to the girl beside him, named Xiaoyu. “Here, why don’t you analyze this girl’s behavior for this gentleman.”

“Ah…”

“Chairman Gu, should I tell the truth?”

The girl glanced at Wan Jiakai, looking a little apprehensive.

“You must tell the truth!”

Gu Heng nodded. “Say whatever’s on your mind. Don’t hold back!”

“Sir…”

“We girls usually only start posting on Moments more frequently when we meet a guy we’re interested in, to get his attention. And haven’t you noticed that a lot of your ex-girlfriend’s recent photos are solo shots in scenic places?”

At this point, she added timidly, “Haven’t you ever wondered… who’s taking these pictures for her? Who’s going to these places with her?”

As the girl finished speaking, Wan Jiakai looked like he was about to fall apart.

“Buddy, you’ve seen taxis on the street, right?”

“When a taxi has a passenger, it’s quiet.”

Gu Heng took a deep drag from his cigar, and the rich smoke slowly drifted out as he spoke. “It’s only when the taxi is empty and looking for a fare that it lights up that bright red ‘For Hire’ sign. So, by my analysis, there’s an eighty percent chance you’re now ‘the ex.’ Xu Ruo has probably found someone new.”

Hearing this, Wan Jiakai froze completely.

Suddenly, he zoomed in on the photo Xu Ruo had just posted on her Moments a few minutes ago. In the reflection of her sunglasses, he could faintly make out the figure of a rather burly man.

Hard evidence!

Xu Ruo had a new man!

In that moment, Wan Jiakai was utterly disheartened.

He mechanically reached out and pulled a tissue from the box on the table.

“What?”

“Shedding tears for love?”

“Can’t you have a little spine, kid!”

Gu Heng asked suspiciously, “You’re over here wiping one tissue after another, and she’s over there wiping one after another… What, are you trying to feel involved?”

“What the fuck do you mean, feel involved!”

“I just spilled a drink on my pants, I’m wiping it off!”

Wan Jiakai rolled his eyes. “And another thing, Gu Heng, is your mouth laced with poison? You won’t be satisfied until you’ve stabbed my heart a hundred times tonight, will you?”

“Ever hear of collapse therapy?”

Gu Heng chuckled in response. “Tonight’s theme is breaking you down to build you back up.”

“You don’t know shit!”

Wan Jiakai glared and yelled, “Don’t you know a person who’s been hurt is like a crushed empty bottle? No matter what you say or do, you can’t make it whole again!”

“Oh?”

“Is that so?”

“You want a crushed empty bottle to get back its shape? Isn’t that easy?”

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the two girls beside Wan Jiakai who looked so much like his ex. A smile played on his lips. “Do you two know how to do it?”

“Big brother~”

The two girls caught Gu Heng’s meaningful glance and immediately understood. “If you want a crushed bottle to get its shape back, you just have to blow in it, right?”

After speaking, the two girls each took one of Wan Jiakai’s hands. They slowly stood up from the sofa, their glistening eyes fixed on him, their expressions full of ambiguity and allure.

Wan Jiakai: “???”

Wan Jiakai: “!!!”

Just as Wan Jiakai stood there, dumbfounded with his heart racing, the two girls gave a slight tug and pulled him up from the sofa. Then, like a marionette, Wan Jiakai was led by the hand toward the hidden lounge suite inside the private room…