Chapter 15: The Rumored Partner

Cheng Xi ended up driving Lu Chenzhou inside, for no other reason than his ultimatum. "It's quite a long walk from here. Either you get out of the car and I'll drive myself in, or you can do so."

Cheng Xi's only reasonable choice was to drive him in.

Of course, Lu Chenzhou hadn't lied to her. The front entrance was indeed quite a long distance away from the front door. The path was tortuous, so much so that when Lu Chenzhou finally said, "Okay, this is the place," Cheng Xi was almost about to faint from dizziness. 

At almost the exact same time that they arrived, the main entrance of the mansion opened, and a young man of about thirty years old walked out. He had a light woolen shirt on, which, coupled with his pleasing appearance, gave him a refined air. He walked briskly, and arrived at the door of the car almost as soon as Cheng Xi stopped it. 

Cheng Xi had met him once before; he was the person who had given her the glass of alcohol that had led to her overdrinking.

He was a friend of Lu Chenzhou's, whose name seemed to be Xu Po.

Lu Chenzhou rolled down the window, and Xu Po tilted downwards to look inside the car. He also recognized Cheng Xi, and greeted her first. "Hi, doctor!" And then he grumbled to Lu Chenzhou, "Why did you only get here now? Xie Ziming couldn't wait any longer and already left. How are we going to deal with a missing player?

Lu Chenzhou turned around and asked Cheng Xi, "Do you know how to play mahjong?"

Cheng Xi: "...No."

"Then get off."

"..."

Fine, she'd say 'Yes.' Was that good enough? But it was too late already. When Lu Chenzhou got out of the car, he had also taken the keys with him. If she didn't want to walk all the way back to the hotel, she would have to go inside and play a few games with them.

Xu Po was worthy of being called Lu Chenzhou's friend, given how well he understood Lu Chenzhou's behavior. As Lu Chenzhou walked away, he stayed behind to explain the situation to her. "We're missing a player, but conveniently enough, you're right here. So please, come join us."

Cheng Xi asked him, "Can I refuse?"

"Probably not." Xu Po's tone was tinged with sarcastic humor as he explained, "Generally speaking, anything that Zhou wants to be done, has to be done. Otherwise, everyone will suffer. Aren't you his partner? Don't you know at least this much?"

"..."

In the end, Cheng Xi got out of the car, because she would rather play mahjong with unfamiliar men than walk home alone.

Xu Po consoled her by saying, "Don't worry. Oh, don't be afraid of losing money. If you win, it's yours; if you lose, Zhou's the one who'll pay. Think of it as going through a program with him."

"A program?"

"Yeah, like a computer program. Once you hit the "go" button, you can't stop it. Isn't he just like one?"

Cheng Xi laughed at this comparison; it really was accurate.

By this time, they had reached the doorsteps. As the doors opened and Cheng Xi entered, she finally realized that this wasn't a private manor, but rather a rebuilt clubhouse where the ground-floor living room had been transformed into a large lounge. Beautiful women in cheongsams elegantly walked forward to greet them. "Director Xu…"

Xu Po waved them off lazily before they could say anything else. The women retreated quickly, and Cheng Xi followed him into a room upstairs.

When they walked inside, they heard the sound of running water coming from the restroom to the side. Lu Chenzhou was washing his hands. Inside the room sat a bald man, seemingly overcome with boredom as he listlessly scrolled through TV channels. Upon seeing the two of them enter, he threw the remote to the side, and his gaze landed on Cheng Xi. "Ey, Po, where did you find such a beautiful girl, and when did they start having such innocent girls here?"

Cheng Xi had dressed up for the wedding, but it still seemed rather simple and unadorned to these people. She was dressed in a white sweater and black pants, with a brand new orange jacket draped around her shoulders, culminating in an elegant and refined look. Her face didn't have a single dab of makeup on, contrasting sharply against the rest of the women in the club; it wasn't strange that he would make such a comment.

Cheng Xi remained silent. Xu Po said, "Don't speak such nonsense. This is Zhou's partner."

This time, the baldy started choking in shock. "Damn, Zhou's partner?" His tone was exaggerated. "You're Boss Lu's rumored partner who got drunk after a single shot?"

...It seemed like she had already made a name for herself in a single night. For lack of a better option, Cheng Xi explained herself once more. "Mr. Lu's just joking. I'm not his partner."

But the people who hung out around Lu Chenzhou were probably unlikely to listen to others; or at least, the person in front of her seemed that way. He stood up, circled around Cheng Xi with a look full of interest, and then shouted into the bathroom, "Boss Lu, did you guys just come from Yun Ding Hotel?"

Amidst the running water came an indifferent grunt of confirmation.

"Then you guys are moving rather quickly," Baldy said with a devious smile. "You've remained a virgin all these years, so are you finally unable to control your urges now that you've found someone? How did a fifteen-minute drive turn into a forty-five minute one? You guys couldn't possibly have gone at it on the road, right? Success in love leads to losses everywhere else, you know. Be careful not to lose your pants while gambling today."

Cheng Xi decided to make Baldy eat his words, specifically, to make him lose his pants while gambling.