8: Chapter 8 Paying in Advance

The exclusive elevator door on the second floor had just closed, and the dark gold cabin began to rise steadily.

In the manager's office not far away, the middle-aged Scarred Manager immediately withdrew his gaze.

He turned around, picked up the internal direct line on his desk, and skillfully dialed a number.

"Red Phoenix."

Once the call connected, the Scarred Manager's calm voice came through:

"The three people your subordinates were entertaining just now have been arranged by me into the 'Flower, Moon, and Fullness' private room on the third floor."

A sound of a lighter's flint wheel rubbing came from the other end of the line, followed by a lazy female voice:

"Oh? Lanting Mansion is really making an exception this time."

The Scarred Manager ignored her teasing, his tone revealing a bit of professional inquiry:

"That kid just now on the second floor threw out one hundred thousand in cash without even blinking.

Young Master Wei must have spent a fortune to hire you three.

This Young Master Shen, what exactly is his background, do you know?"

In the third-floor VIP lounge.

Sister Hong held a long, thin high-end lady's cigarette between her fingers, slowly exhaling a cloud of grayish-white smoke.

"It seems this Young Master Shen is indeed not simple, to be able to make even you grant direct passage."

Sister Hong smiled faintly, her eyes narrowing slightly through the smoke: "As for his background, I don't know yet.

However, I will know soon."

She tapped the ash off, her tone filled with absolute confidence: "The ones I sent over this time are all top-tier girls I personally cultivated with great care.

As long as he's a man, I can get his background out of him."

Hearing this answer, the Scarred Manager didn't waste any more words and nodded decisively:

"Since your top-tier girls are going, I will await Sister Hong's news."

Click.

The call hung up.

Sister Hong casually stubbed out the remaining half of her cigarette in the crystal ashtray.

In the clubs of Magic City.

It is indeed rare to find someone who can make the Scarred Manager of Lanting Mansion, known for his ruthlessness, give the green light.

This made Sister Hong, who had seen all kinds of top-tier rich young masters, feel a rare spark of interest.

She prepared to go and see the true face of this "Young Master Shen" herself.

She calculated the speed of the exclusive elevator's ascent, pushed open the door of the VIP lounge, and walked slowly toward the quiet and luxurious corridor on the third floor.

The dim wall lamps in the corridor cast light on her figure-hugging purple cheongsam.

Unlike the girls on the dance floor on the second floor who were deliberately showing off their charms.

Sister Hong's every gesture exuded a calmness and cold elegance that only comes after years of settling in the vanity fair.

Carrying an aura that did not allow for easy offense.

"Ding—"

The elevator arrival chime rang at the end of the corridor.

The dark gold cabin door slid open slowly.

Shen Du, with his hands in his coat pockets, stepped out of the elevator with the three women of varying expressions behind him.

The two met face-to-face in the dim corridor.

Sister Hong's gaze instantly swept up, carrying extreme penetration and scrutiny, directly targeting Shen Du's face.

Attempting to see through this young man's trump cards in the brief moment they met.

However.

The moment their gazes collided in mid-air, Sister Hong's heart sank.

Facing the pressure she intentionally released.

In the eyes of the young man before her, there was not a trace of the nervousness or frivolity that a nineteen-year-old should have.

That gaze was deep and steady, like a seasoned trader who had long seen the life and death of the capital poker table, without a hint of emotion leaking out.

Just this one glance.

Shen Du realized the extraordinary aura and control of this woman in the purple cheongsam.

But he did not waver at all, simply meeting Sister Hong's gaze with a calm expression and passing by her with composure.

Shen Du, with the three women in tow, walked steadily and pushed open the heavy carved wooden door of the 666 "Flower, Moon, and Fullness" private room.

Accompanied by a soft "click".

The private room door closed slowly, completely isolating the corridor's light and all outside scrutiny.

Red Phoenix, who had seen countless people, stood in place and did not immediately take a step.

She turned around and looked at the closed private room door.

On her originally elegant and calm face, a rare, unmistakable gravity appeared.

"Tsk..."

Sister Hong shook her head slightly, her red lips parting slightly, muttering in a voice only she could hear:

"This time, I'm afraid my girls are going to fail.

Young Master Wei's money is destined to be wasted."

In this vanity fair of Magic City, having struggled for so many years, what kind of disguise hadn't she seen?

If the other party was just a poser trying to put on a show.

In the second their gazes met just now, she would have been able to figure out his background.

But that young man just now...

Sister Hong narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind replaying those eyes that were calm to the extreme during their gaze.

To be able to temper that kind of pressure—remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you—at the young age of nineteen.

It is definitely not something that can be faked overnight.

That is a confidence that only someone who has truly held resources and witnessed the intensity of the scene would possess.

Sister Hong took a deep breath, calming the strangeness in her heart, and reached a firm conclusion:

This kid is definitely not an ordinary person.

...

Inside the private room.

The heavy soundproof door completely blocked out the noise from the second floor, and soothing, high-end light music flowed inside the room.

Shen Du stepped into the room without any reserve.

He walked naturally to the central Italian leather seat and sat down, unceremoniously taking control of the entire room.

He leaned back on the sofa in a casual posture.

The three women who had received professional training from Sister Hong immediately gathered around him in tacit understanding.

The mature and sexy women snuggled up to his left and right sides.

And the innocent-looking girl took the opportunity to sit in his arms, soft and boneless.

The girl's fair fingers held the gold-rimmed black card wine menu.

Her body slightly pressing against Shen Du's chest, her voice was delicate and soft:

"Young Master Shen, what shall we drink tonight?"

Shen Du lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping lightly over the wine menu.

He didn't order the Ace of Spades Gold Edition priced at 18,888 yuan, which upstarts love to use to show off.

Nor did he choose the flashy 'Lanting Divine Dragon Set' priced as high as 288,888 yuan.

Those things, in the eyes of true veteran players, are just gimmicks to collect IQ taxes.

Shen Du's slender fingers tapped lightly on the wine menu, and he spoke with composure:

"Bring three bottles of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque.

Also, have the kitchen prepare a serving of wasabi octopus to cleanse the palate."

The innocent girl sitting on his lap had her eyes flicker imperceptibly.

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque, priced at 28,888 yuan per bottle, is not the most expensive on the third-floor wine menu.

But it is definitely not cheap.

Yet it hit the perfect note of 'elegance' that belongs to old-school players.

The girl smiled slightly, a flash of submissive admiration crossing her eyes at the right moment, and said in a sweet voice:

"Young Master Shen is truly thoughtful; I'll have someone bring the drinks up right away."

Having said that, she prepared to get up from Shen Du's arms to place the order at the service station by the door.

Just as she was about to get up.

Shen Du casually pulled out the bank card from his coat pocket, held it between two fingers, and handed it to the girl nonchalantly.

"Settle the bill while you're at it."

Shen Du's voice was calm without a ripple, his deep eyes revealing an unquestionable composure:

"I don't like eating first and paying later."

A light sentence, falling into the quiet private room, was like an invisible heavy hammer.

Originally, the three women carefully cultivated by Sister Hong still harbored a faint, final trace of doubt:

Could this generous young master in front of them just be a poser who emptied his family savings to show off on the second floor and was just forcing it?

Would he find excuses to dodge once it came time to pay?

But at this very moment.

Shen Du's preemptive action of voluntarily asking to pay in advance completely shattered all their psychological defenses and professional arrogance.

The three women exchanged subtle glances, the professional fake smiles on their faces almost cracking.

Unable to hide the shock and amazement rising in their hearts.

They snapped to their senses, completely overturning their original thoughts.

At the same time, they clearly realized:

The man in front of them was simply not prey that they could manipulate at will with beauty, alcohol, and talk.

The "interrogation" task that Wei Ziang had spent heavy money to assign.

In the face of Shen Du's absolute financial backing and unfathomable depth of mind, it was probably harder than reaching the heavens.