The luxury of Haojue Club once again left everyone in awe.
Of course, the luxurious decor of the club was just one aspect; the main point was that such a luxurious club belonged to Yang Hao.
In other words, his identity was not limited to just being the president of the Jiangcheng Newspaper Group—his properties were abundant, and perhaps he was even wealthier than they had imagined.
Once inside the private room, Wang Changda, Fang Lelin, and others immediately turned into karaoke kings, belting out one nostalgic old song after another from the luxurious sound system.
But truth be told, old songs really have their charm, tunes like “A Spray of Plum Blossoms” and “Sailor” for example.
Yang Hao wasn’t good at singing and rarely sang; while everyone else was singing their hearts out, he took Wang Xueru to an empty private room next door and started playing cards.
When Huang Qing heard that her boss had taken Wang Xueru into an empty private room, she quickly called Ye Wei over, and the two of them took turns standing guard outside the room’s door. The purpose was to prevent anyone from disturbing the boss’s good time while also helping set the mood.
Huang Qing still remembered when she sold her coffee shop to Yang Hao, he also brought that beautiful married woman, Wang Xueru, to play cards in the coffee shop’s private room.
This boss seemed to have a particular fondness for private rooms, whether it was a coffee shop’s private room or the club’s; both had witnessed his encounters with the beautiful married woman.
“Qing, have you noticed that our Mr. Yang seems to have become even stronger!” Ye Wei said enviously.
“Maybe.”
Huang Qing was smoking at the moment. She blew a puff of smoke at the transparent glass of the room door, letting the boss inside know someone was outside.
In reality, the soundproofing in Haojue’s private rooms was excellent, and under normal circumstances, you could hardly hear any noise from inside while standing at the door.
But the battle inside seemed particularly intense at the moment, and Huang Qing and Ye Wei could still vaguely hear the sounds made by the beautiful married woman.
“I can’t even imagine how enjoyable that must be!” Ye Wei leaned back against the wall, unconsciously crossing her legs tightly.
“Why don’t you give it a try?” Huang Qing blew out another puff of smoke.
“You think I don’t want to? The boss doesn’t fancy me!” Ye Wei sighed in frustration, then added, “Qing, you should go instead!”
“When it’s your turn, make sure to tell me all the details—better yet, record it for me to see.”
“Scram~”
Huang Qing glared fiercely at Ye Wei: “Record it? What nonsense are you thinking of!”
“Well, at least an audio recording is okay, right?”
“Just to hear the sounds can’t be too much!” Ye Wei coaxed, wrapping her arm around her best friend’s and acting coyly.
“I don’t have that kind of fetish!”
Huang Qing declined again.
“Then oral narration is okay, right?”
“That’s my bottom line…”
Ye Wei said while shaking her best friend’s arm, her curiosity about the boss’s capabilities in the room was brewing, given her vast experience with men.
Huang Qing responded with silence: “Did I ever say I wanted something to happen with the boss?”
“Qing, stop resisting. Sooner or later you’ll be Mr. Yang’s!”
“And sticking with the boss isn’t bad at all, certainly better than your crappy ex-boyfriend…”
“Uh, sorry, let’s not talk about him!”
Ye Wei knew she had misspoken and hastily shut her mouth.
However, she was quite talkative by nature and after a short pause, she began again: “By the way, Qing, your parents have been pushing for you to enter into a marriage alliance with the Zhao family, haven’t they?”
“I think if you were with the boss, your family’s difficulties would be resolved, and you wouldn’t need to marry into the Zhao family!”
“That guy from the Zhao family looks so unimpressive; just thinking about sleeping with him makes me feel sick, let alone you, Qing…”
The three-year mask incident had halved the Huang Family’s assets. Normally, for a wealthy family like the Huangs, losing half of their assets would still leave them well-off.
But Huang Qing’s father developed a gambling addiction during his idle years and lost nearly two modest goals’ worth, nearly depleting the family’s fortune.
Before the mask incident, the Huang Family’s total assets were around five hundred million. After halving, that left around two hundred and fifty million. Then her father lost two modest goals, and on top of that, her brother had squandered tens of millions over the past few years.
The Huang Family was now barely holding onto a shell, owing nearly one hundred million in bank loans. With the bank loan nearing its due date, if they couldn’t secure funds in time, they would have to liquidate the company and their properties to pay off the debts.
After everything was settled, the Huang Family would be impoverished, possibly even in debt by twenty or thirty million, as the prices during court auctions would always be lower than the market value, especially in an already gloomy economy…
Ye Wei’s words struck a chord with Huang Qing; she could have categorically refused her family’s arranged marriage, but they were counting on funding from the Zhao Family. If that fell through, the family would face the risk of bankruptcy.
Huang Qing herself might live selfishly, but what would happen to her parents, brother, and grandparents, the whole family accustomed to luxury, was uncertain.
As Huang Qing was lost in her thoughts, her phone suddenly rang; it was her mother calling.
A bitter smile appeared on Huang Qing’s face.
It was like talking about Cao Cao and Cao Cao showing up.
Her mother calling at this time was most likely about the arranged marriage.
“You keep watch; I’ll take a call.”
Huang Qing gestured to Ye Wei then stepped aside to answer the phone.
“Qing, come home tomorrow.”
“Your dad has something to tell you.”
As soon as the call connected, Huang’s mother got straight to the point.
“Can’t he just tell me over the phone?”
“I’ve just taken over the club. There’s so much to do, I can’t leave!”
Huang Qing tactfully refused.
“You should still come back once!”
“Some things are better discussed in person,” her mother insisted.
“If it’s about getting engaged to Zhao Jinlong, let’s not even talk about it, I haven’t decided yet!”
That Zhao Jinlong was just a little over 160 centimeters tall, but he weighed more than 180 pounds, virtually a walking gas cylinder come to life.
Although he was ugly, he had always coveted Huang Qing’s beauty because they had grown up in the same circle. He never had the chance before, but now that the Huang Family had fallen on hard times, Zhao Jinlong saw his opportunity. As an only child, he badgered his parents with tears, tantrums, and threats until they agreed he should marry Huang Qing.
As long as the Huang Family agreed to marry Huang Qing to him, the Zhao Family would invest a hundred million into the Huang Family’s company.
Besides, they would also offer a dowry of 18.88 million!
For the Huang Family, this was an opportunity to save themselves.
With a hundred million in investment, the company would be able to survive the crisis. With the alliance of the Zhao Family, it wasn’t impossible for the Huang Family’s company to regain its former glory.
“What’s there to think about!”
“If you keep thinking, our family will go bankrupt!”
At that moment, Huang Qing’s father, Huang Dazhong’s voice came through the receiver.
Huang Dazhong had made his fortune early on by running entertainment venues, with no formal education, relying solely on having lots of brothers. Although he later became a big businessman, he still couldn’t speak without swearing.
Huang Qing understood her father’s temperament well because she had inherited most of his genes. So, faced with her seemingly irascible father, she was very calm.
“Dad, it’s not like I don’t want to help the family. You know what that Zhao guy is like, don’t you?”
“It’s just a hundred million, I’ll figure something out!”
“You’ll figure something out?”
“What can you do? It’s a hundred million, not ten million, not just a million!”
Huang Dazhong retorted irritably.
“Anyway, give me a few more days!”
Huang Qing glanced in the direction of the private room where Yang Hao was, silently contemplating Ye Wei’s suggestion.
She didn’t know how much she was worth to that Mr. Yang, but it was worth a try.
Just as Ye Wei had said, following Yang Hao was much better than being with that possessed gas cylinder!
“I would like to give you time, but the bank won’t give me any!”
“Come home tomorrow!!”
Huang Dazhong ordered and then the sound of him swearing and walking away could be heard through the receiver.
“Qing, you understand your dad. He doesn’t want to marry you off to Zhao Jinlong either.”
“But the family really is in trouble right now. If the company goes bankrupt, it’s not just about our family’s survival – those old employees who have followed your father for years will also be in a tight spot!”
“Your dad has called everyone he could ask for help these last few days. Those who used to be as close as brothers are now of no help when we need them the most…”
“So, this is a last resort!”
On the phone, Huang’s mother sighed and explained.
“I understand, let’s leave it at that for now.”
Huang Qing hung up the phone directly. She knew her father well; if there had been any other way, he wouldn’t have come to this.
Huang Dazhong had always doted on his daughter greatly, and from her university days, Huang Qing had started her own businesses, not without experiencing losses over the years.
The so-called business prodigies are indeed rare, practically as scarce as hen’s teeth; most people learn from their failures, gathering lessons and accumulating experiences before they gradually succeed.
Therefore, having multiple chances to try and fail is vital, and this is why ordinary people like Yang Hao often can’t recover from a single failure!
If it hadn’t been for the System’s assistance, Yang Hao would probably still be miserably delivering takeouts now!
So to say, Huang Qing being who she is today cannot be separated from her family’s support.
This Miss Color was also someone who valued family and loyalty; naturally, she wouldn’t stand by and watch her family go bankrupt.
“Was that a phone call from home again?”
Back at the entrance of the private room, Ye Wei asked.
“Yeah.”
Huang Qing nodded and listened carefully again, the room was very quiet.
“It should be over; roughly fifty minutes,” Ye Wei said while keeping track of the time, enviously drooling over her thighs.
Huang Qing remained silent and lit a cigarette for herself once more. Soon after, the door of the private room opened, and Yang Hao and Wang Xueru walked out, one after the other,
“How’s business lately?”
Yang Hao asked casually. Knowing that Miss Color and Ye Wei had been outside the room the whole time as the atmosphere team, he wasn’t surprised to see them.
“Pretty good, but there’s room for improvement,” Huang Qing replied.
“Hmm, keep it up.”
Yang Hao nodded and prepared to take Wang Xueru back to the gathering.
But at that moment, Huang Qing called out to him, “Mr. Yang, I have a work issue to report to you. Is that okay?”
Yang Hao looked at Huang Qing, having entrusted all of the club’s work to her because she had an “S-level” loyalty, and he was very reassured.
So, when she said she had work to report, it felt off, like there was something else.
“Okay.”
Yang Hao nodded and then said to Wang Xueru, “Xueru, you go back first.”
“Mm.”
Wang Xueru responded and went back inside the private room alone.
“What’s the matter, tell me.”
Yang Hao didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly.
The usually straightforward Huang Qing seemed a bit conflicted at that moment. She looked at Yang Hao, took a deep breath, and then finally spoke, “Mr. Yang, how much do you think I’m worth?”