“Jiang Tian, what’s going on with you? Did you become a construction worker?” Zhen Shuai stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
“Jiang Tian is just keeping a low profile, playing the fool to catch the unwary!” Tan Guangxu shot Jiang Tian a deep, meaningful glance and smiled.
In truth, he still couldn’t quite believe it—it felt like a dream. The three great families had been so overwhelmingly powerful; compared to them, the Jiang family had been like a little white rabbit surrounded by fierce tigers and wolves. Yet the Jiang family had staged an incredible comeback, routing the three families completely and sending them fleeing in defeat.
And now, Jiang Tian was no longer that useless, spoiled rich kid, but the crown prince of the Medicine King Group—a completely different person now. He just hoped the bond between brothers wouldn’t change…
Jiang Tian had spent these past few days setting up formations, breaking ground, and tilling fields, so his appearance really wasn’t much different from a construction worker’s—blue work clothes, a hard hat, and plenty of mud spots on his pant legs.
Normally, Jiang Tian would head back to his villa in the city at night to change clothes, but today he was a bit pressed for time, and besides, once they got to the hot springs, everyone would be changing into swimsuits anyway, so he couldn’t be bothered.
“Construction worker it is, then. Let’s go!” Jiang Tian pulled open the car door and got in, smiling lazily.
“Aren’t we picking up Chen Zhenming?” Zhen Shuai asked.
“Jiang Lin and Zi Wei will take care of him on their end. Let’s just meet up directly at the clubhouse…” Jiang Tian said with a smile.
“Whoa, I remember Chen Zhenming’s always had a thing for Jiang Lin, hasn’t he? You don’t think he made his move already?”
Zhen Shuai started the car, wiggling his eyebrows with a mischievous grin: “Guangxu, looks like you’re out of luck—the guy’s a Wall Street big shot!”
“Jiang Lin’s now the VP of Medicine King Group, and I’m just a lowly section-level official. Do I even dare to harbor such thoughts?”
Tan Guangxu looked utterly dejected: “But honestly, you seem to have even less of a chance! You’re practically engaged!”
“And this time, Uncle Jiang got transferred to the provincial state investment company and brought you along as his personal secretary—that makes you a division-level official too!”
Zhen Shuai sped along, laughing: “Throw some business my way sometime, let me make a little money too!”
“Uncle Jiang has high standards—he told me to keep my distance from shady bosses…” Tan Guangxu said with a straight face.
“Hey now, what do you mean ‘shady’? I’m legitimately hurting here!” Zhen Shuai was so mad his nose nearly went crooked.
…
Watching his childhood friends bicker like old times, a rare warmth spread across Jiang Tian’s face. It had been so long.
Soon, everyone arrived at the Bright Moon Mountain Hot Spring Town, located in the eastern suburbs of Jinling, within the bounds of Bright Moon Town.
Bright Moon Town was a county-level city and an old historic town, filled with many Ming and Qing dynasty buildings that exuded an antique charm. Now that the Bright Moon Mountain hot springs had been developed, the place was packed with tourists, shoulder to shoulder.
The three of them quickly entered a star-rated club called “Emperor International,” which offered a full range of dining, drinks, and entertainment.
Emperor International was quite famous throughout Jinling, with seven or eight branches. Jiang Tian had been there a few times before, but he hadn’t expected them to have expanded to Bright Moon Town now.
Inside the resplendent, brightly lit lobby.
Zhen Shuai found the manager and said, “Manager Yang, I made a reservation in advance…” and gave his phone number.
“Oh my, isn’t this Young Master Jiang? It’s been so long since you’ve graced my establishment!”
Jiang Tian was hesitating, wondering if they should find another place.
He knew that places like this offered certain paid companion services, and he didn’t want his reunion with his childhood friends to take place in such a seedy environment.
Suddenly, the female manager across from him looked at Jiang Tian, paused in surprise for a moment, then spoke in a coquettish, teasing tone.
Jiang Tian took a closer look at her and couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh. Well, so much for keeping things clean.
This woman before him—Jiang Tian remembered her as the public relations manager at Emperor International. She wasn’t one of the hostesses in the private rooms, nor was she the madam who managed them. She was a marketing staffer in the club’s sales department, holding the title of PR manager to attract and retain clients. It was considered a legitimate profession.
Even though Emperor International wasn’t exactly a legitimate business, in this regard, they actually demonstrated a level of management that surpassed almost all other dining and entertainment venues in Jinling.
The young woman was wearing a black professional suit with a crisp white wide-lapel blouse. She wasn’t very tall, but with her black stiletto heels, she stood about 1.7 meters, and she walked with a graceful, alluring sway. Her face was fair and delicate—a very attractive and charming woman.
Although she was a perfectly clean and professional woman in a normal job, working in this kind of environment inevitably made her more worldly and savvy than the average woman.
Given Jiang Tian’s temperament in his previous life, he would have been more than willing to invest time and effort into winning over a woman like this.
Jiang Tian remembered that in his past life, at the Emperor International branch on Changhong Avenue in Jiangning District, he had made several moves on this woman. Especially after receiving the order from his grandfather to lay low in Linzhou, he had been feeling gloomy and had thrown himself into debauchery, a form of self-destruction. His hands had wandered onto her body more than once, and although she had pushed him away, her resistance hadn’t seemed all that firm.
Jiang Tian thought to himself that thankfully, his grandfather had kept him on a tight leash back then, and his few visits to Emperor International had mostly been for show—he probably hadn’t gone too overboard.
But now, Jiang Tian had lived two lives, returned after ten thousand years of cultivation, and possessed a tranquil heart and a firm Daoist core. Naturally, he had no romantic or lustful thoughts about this woman. In fact, he couldn’t even remember her name at the moment.
“Haha, so Jiang Tian, you and Manager Yang are old flames! I was worried you wouldn’t like this place!” Zhen Shuai whispered with a knowing wink.
“You really are a shady boss, aren’t you…” Jiang Tian shot him a sharp glare.
Yang Lili looked Jiang Tian up and down a few times, a faintly contemptuous smile curling on her lips: “Young Master Jiang, what’s this about? Have you started working construction, hauling bricks? Dressed all tattered like that? Our renovation and services have been upgraded, you know—top-tier private rooms cost thirty thousand for a single night. Can you even afford that anymore?”
Yang Lili had never thought much of Jiang Tian, who had always been frivolous and handsy with her without ever actually spending any real money.
Now that she saw him dressed like a common laborer, she looked down on him even more and couldn’t resist letting out all her pent-up dissatisfaction.
“Which private room are we in?” Jiang Tian frowned slightly but couldn’t be bothered with her, turning to Zhen Shuai instead.
Seeing Jiang Tian’s displeased expression and Yang Lili’s poor attitude, Zhen Shuai didn’t waste any time and quickly said, “Ruling Dream…”
“Alright, let’s go then,” Jiang Tian said flatly.
Yang Lili was annoyed by Jiang Tian’s cold indifference and let out a sarcastic laugh: “The Ruling Dream room costs over twenty thousand, you know. Dressed like a beggar, can you even afford it? Don’t make me call the security guards to throw you out when you can’t pay!”
Her words were sharp, venomous, and cutting—perfectly capturing the essence of “a heartless actress and a merciless courtesan.”
“Do I even know you? If I ever made any advances toward you before, all I can say is I regret it—my taste back then was terrible!”
Jiang Tian glanced back at her, his gaze indifferent: “Look at you—stumpy figure, like a rotten tree stump.”
Yang Lili was so furious she nearly passed out from that one remark, and she shot back with biting sarcasm: “Hmph, don’t act so high and mighty! You look like a beggar, and you have the nerve to come here and squander what little you have!”
“I’ll spend my money however I please!”
Jiang Tian stood with his hands behind his back, his voice cold: “Know your place. You’re here to serve me—essentially, nothing more than a servant. Watch yourself, or your boss might find out you’re being disrespectful to a guest and slap you right across the face!”
“Serve you? Do you even deserve to be served by me?”
Yang Lili was stunned speechless. Watching Jiang Tian walk into the private room guided by a waiter, she let out a cold snort and stormed off in a huff.
Almost immediately after, another group of people arrived in the lobby.
Surrounded by a crowd of young and middle-aged men who looked either wealthy or influential, a handsome, devilish young man strode in with confident steps.
Yang Lili’s eyes lit up immediately. She hurried over, bowing and scraping, her face beaming: “Young Master Bai, you’re here! I’ll have Young Master Lei, Young Master Yu Qiang, and Miss Xu come down to receive you right away!”
“Forget it, no need to make a big fuss. We’ll just go straight up. I’m here to discuss business, that’s all,” Bai Choufei said with a gentle smile.
“Very well, please follow me!”
Yang Lili flashed a fawning smile, bowed slightly with a gesture of invitation, and obediently led the way.
This was Bai Choufei!
A top-tier young master from Yangcheng. Rumor had it he’d recently hitched his wagon to the legendary Master Jiang, carving out territory and dominating the scene in Jinling.
Now they’d defeated the Nie family’s Qingyun Society and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xu Ruocheng. He now controlled most of the entertainment venues around Bright Moon Town.
Even Lei Ming—the owner of Emperor International and a master of explosive boxing—had to seek his protection, rely on his favor, and watch his every move.
Today, Lei Gang had invited Bai Choufei to dinner precisely to curry favor with him, hoping to secure a sliver of breathing room.
…
Inside the private room.
Before long, Ye Ziwei, Jiang Lin, and Chen Zhenming also arrived.
Everyone knew each other. They set aside work and talked only about childhood memories, quickly bonding over old times.
Soon, the dishes began to arrive.
A waitress brought over a plate of steamed sea bass and said sweetly, “Please enjoy!”
Jiang Tian was in the middle of drinking and bantering with Zhen Shuai when he heard that voice. His heart jolted, and his body went stiff.
Turning his head, he saw Huang Ling’er, dressed in the club’s red vest uniform, setting dishes on the table.
And Huang Ling’er, too, looked at Jiang Tian in surprise.
For some reason, she felt an overwhelming familiarity with him—a dull ache in her chest, a wave of discomfort, her nose tingling with sourness, and tears threatening to spill.
Her mind in turmoil, her hand trembled, and a splash of soup landed right on Jiang Tian’s pant leg.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—I can pay for the cleaning…”
Huang Ling’er had her hair tied in a cute bun. Though the red vest uniform and slacks were made of cheap fabric, they still couldn’t hide her slender, graceful figure.
Realizing she’d caused trouble, her fair face turned as pale as paper. She kept bowing and apologizing frantically, on the verge of tears.
“It’s alright… go ahead and get back to work.”
Jiang Tian waved his hand casually and grabbed a napkin to wipe off the grease stain.
After she left.
Ye Ziwei gave Jiang Tian a puzzled look and asked softly, “That’s strange—why doesn’t she recognize you anymore?”
Jiang Tian leaned in and whispered a brief explanation.
Ye Ziwei was even more incredulous, shocked: “You can do something like that?”
Then she let out a melancholy sigh: “I suppose this is for the best—for her, for Qing’er, and for you…”
“Why would she come to work in a place like this?” Jiang Tian frowned, feeling slightly uneasy.
He had no intention of rekindling anything with Huang Ling’er, but he still wished her a happy life—he didn’t want her to suffer.
Huang Zhihui had won the Nobel Prize in Medicine this year, with prize money in the millions. The salary Jiang Tian paid him wasn’t low either, and with patent royalties, his income this year was well over ten million.
He’d heard that Huang Zhihui had already bought a big villa and a BMW. Huang Ling’er could easily live as a lady of leisure who never had to lift a finger—so why would she work in such a questionable place?
“Let me ask Huang Zhihui…” Ye Ziwei immediately made a call to him.
