Inside a private room on the seventh floor.
"Have some fish bone soup."
"And a big lobster."
"You must have never tried this before. It's authentic garoupa—the texture is incredible."
Ye Xiong's chopsticks moved swiftly, and in a moment, Wang Tong's bowl was full.
The people around them stared, their eyes filled with scorn for the two who were eating as if they were reincarnated hungry ghosts.
"Brother Xiong, I can get my own food. You should eat too!" Wang Tong said, embarrassed.
"I've eaten plenty of times before," Ye Xiong said, completely indifferent to the surrounding gazes. After all, this is just a dine-and-dash. Who here knows who?
In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.
"Are you full?" Ye Xiong asked.
"Stuffed."
"Let's go!"
Ye Xiong stood, pulled him to his feet, and headed for the door without another word.
Just as they stepped out, they saw Xiao Fangfang walking toward them from a distance, flanked by two security guards.
"Brother Xiong, it's that beauty from before!" Wang Tong pointed at Xiao Fangfang and shouted.
"Get out of here, fast," Ye Xiong urged.
"Why are we leaving? Aren't we going to watch the wedding?" Wang Tong asked, puzzled.
"If we don't run now, they'll catch you and beat you senseless," Ye Xiong said gravely, whispering into his ear, "I don't actually know Yang Xinyi."
"Damn it! I'll settle this with you later!" After learning the truth, Wang Tong made a flamboyant turn and bolted.
That little rascal sure can run.
Facing Xiao Fangfang, Ye Xiong placed his index and middle fingers to his lips, blew an elegant kiss, and then swiftly headed upstairs.
"Catch him, or you're all fired!" Xiao Fangfang seethed. The man had not only freeloaded a meal but had also dared to blow a kiss at her. He clearly had a death wish.
The two security guards hastily gave chase. Their livelihoods were on the line, so they had to give it their all.
The floors below the tenth in the Dongfang Hotel were dining halls and karaoke rooms, while the eleventh floor and above were guest rooms. Reaching the eleventh floor, Ye Xiong took out his iPhone 6 and placed it against the magnetic card sensor of the first room he came to. The phone's screen flickered, followed by a soft BEEP.
"Low-grade sensor," he muttered, pushing the door open and slipping inside.
The two security guards never imagined Ye Xiong would enter a room. After looking around and finding nothing, they continued their chase to the twelfth floor.
Hearing the footsteps fade away, Ye Xiong opened the door to leave, only to come face-to-face with a buxom, infuriated beauty storming up the stairs. Who else could it be but Xiao Fangfang?
Upon seeing Ye Xiong, Xiao Fangfang froze for a second, ready to let loose a stream of curses.
Ye Xiong quickly covered her mouth, dragged her into the room, and kicked the door shut.
Shoving her against the wall, Ye Xiong flashed a charming smile and said with gentlemanly grace, "You have two choices. First, I 'X' you, then I kill you. Second, I kill you, then I 'X' you. How do you choose?"
Xiao Fangfang was on the verge of collapsing, tears streaming down her face. She'd never expected to encounter such a pervert. I'm a lamb being led to the slaughter! Oh, heavens! Is my beautiful life really going to be destroyed like this? I can't accept it!
"Of course, you also have a third option!"
This fiery woman sure is easily frightened, bursting into tears at the slightest scare.
"Stay here quietly. Don't shout or scream, and only come out after I've left."
Xiao Fangfang nodded desperately. Her life was the priority; right now, she would agree to anything.
"See? That's much better."
Just as Ye Xiong was about to leave, the door lock beeped. Someone was coming in.
What rotten luck! Noticing a wardrobe nearby, Ye Xiong quickly pulled Xiao Fangfang inside it with him.
No sooner had they hidden than they heard the door open, followed by the sounds of a passionate encounter.
Peeking through a crack in the wardrobe, Ye Xiong saw a man and a woman getting busy on the bed.
"Wow, a live show. Want to take a look?" Ye Xiong whispered.
Xiao Fangfang shook her head frantically, a mixture of shock and shame washing over her. She couldn't believe her luck could be this bad. She had thought she could call for help when someone arrived, but the newcomers seemed as though they were fresh out of prison, starved for years, and got down to business the moment they walked in.
"This girl has a nice figure."
"That's a difficult position!"
"Huh, what's that move called?"
Ye Xiong provided a running commentary as if he were watching an adult film from the Island Country.
The wardrobe was tiny, forcing them to squeeze together with barely any space. They had to press their bodies tightly against each other just to stay hidden. This was already intensely embarrassing for Xiao Fangfang, but hearing his crass remarks was unbearable. Still, the thought of the mortifying scene waiting for her outside made her clench her teeth and endure it. All she wanted was for time to pass quickly.
Just then, she suddenly noticed a hand had appeared in front of her chest, and her expression changed drastically.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Is he so stimulated that he's going to try something on me?
The space was too cramped. Ye Xiong realized his hand had accidentally landed on her and moved it away, reaching into his pocket instead.
Xiao Fangfang's face drained of color.
"It'd be a shame not to record such a fantastic performance," Ye Xiong said as he pulled out his phone and started recording.
Xiao Fangfang breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, she had thought he couldn't control himself and was about to do something terrible to her.
Five minutes later, the couple finally stopped, and the sounds of them getting dressed filled the room.
"After tonight, will it be hard for me to see you?" the woman asked wistfully.
"I'll find time to be with you," the man said as he dressed. "I should go down first. A lot of people are waiting for me."
"I'm going to take a shower!"
With that, the man left, and the woman went into the bathroom.
If not now, then when?
Ye Xiong stepped out of the wardrobe, and a soft gasp followed him. Standing for so long in the cramped space had made Xiao Fangfang's feet go numb.
"Women are such a hassle," Ye Xiong sighed. Having no other choice, he helped her to the door. "Well, beautiful, adieu."
"Stop right there!" Xiao Fangfang commanded.
Only a fool would stop. Ye Xiong bolted.
Xiao Fangfang was secretly amazed. She was very confident in her looks, yet under those circumstances, the man had actually managed to control himself. A man with such self-restraint was truly rare.
Could it be... he's impotent?
If Ye Xiong knew what she was thinking, he would have gone insane.
He walked to the elevator, where a man in his mid-twenties was waiting. To his shock, it was the same man from the fervent battle in the room moments ago. Dressed up, he looked decent enough, but just before, he had been no different from a wild animal.
Ye Xiong's gaze unintentionally fell upon the man's chest. A red ribbon hung from the collar of his white shirt, emblazoned with two golden words: Groom.
This guy was the young master of Haoyang Group, tonight's groom, He Haodong.
Poor Yang Xinyi!
How could a woman pursued by countless men be so blind? Her groom was cheating on her with another woman on their wedding day. How tragic was that?
Ye Xiong debated whether to tell Yang Xinyi but ultimately decided against it. They were strangers, so why invite trouble? In this world, people are murdered, starved, or framed every day. Compared to that, getting cheated on is nothing. I'm no crusader for justice.
"Finally found you."
The two security guards, having made a loop upstairs, had returned and finally spotted Ye Xiong. They pointed their stun batons at him and ordered loudly, "Don't move!"
Ye Xiong raised his hands.
He Haodong gave Ye Xiong a strange look and frowned. "What's going on?"
"Young Master He, this guy crashed the banquet to freeload," one of the guards reported.
"What should we do with him?" the other asked.
"Break his legs and throw him onto the street," He Haodong said nonchalantly.
"Are you sure you want to do that? You won't regret it?" Ye Xiong's expression turned cold.
Breaking a man's legs over a free meal? That's too cruel. Even the Black Triad Organization isn't this ruthless.
"Break his arms, too," He Haodong added, straightening his collar. He didn't even bother to look at Ye Xiong, as if he were just an ant not worth a moment of his time.
The two security guards approached, pointing their stun batons at Ye Xiong. "You little punk," one said viciously, "you dare freeload at the Dongfang Hotel? Get ready to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair!"
...
Limping to the elevator, Xiao Fangfang saw two security guards lying on the ground with Ye Xiong standing beside them. "What happened to them?" she asked, confused.
"Maybe they fell asleep," Ye Xiong said, dusting off his hands.
"You didn't knock them out, did you?" Xiao Fangfang asked in shock. The Dongfang Hotel's security guards were all retired soldiers. Armed with stun batons, one of them could handle three or four ordinary men. If this man had really knocked them out, just how strong was he?
"I'm a civilized man. I don't use crude methods to solve problems," Ye Xiong said with a smile, then took out his phone. "Here, take a look at this."
He played the video he had recorded, and moans and groans emanated from the phone.
"Pervert! Turn it off!" Xiao Fangfang quickly turned her face away.
"Fine, don't watch. I just thought you'd want to appreciate the groom's prowess."
"What did you say?"
Her eyes fell on the video. Xiao Fangfang instantly flushed with a mixture of shame and fury, the blush spreading to the roots of her neck. She had never seen anything like it in her life, but she had to watch. She had to confirm if it was really He Haodong.
So that's the face women make when they watch these kinds of movies! Ye Xiong found her expression highly amusing.
"You son of a bitch! I'll never forgive you for this!" Xiao Fangfang snatched Ye Xiong's phone. She didn't even wait for the elevator, storming down the stairs instead.
"My phone!" Ye Xiong quickly chased after her.
That phone cost me over six thousand bucks!
"Is now the time for that? My best friend is being humiliated like this by that man, and you have the nerve to ask for your phone back? Do you have a conscience?"
"I can send you the video."
"There's no time!"
"Don't run so fast, you'll twist your ankle!"
Seeing her in those stilettos that were as thin as nails, Ye Xiong was genuinely worried for her.
Speak of the devil. A sharp scream pierced the air, and Xiao Fangfang collapsed to the floor.
"You and your damn jinx of a mouth! Do you ever say anything that doesn't immediately happen?" Xiao Fangfang was in so much pain that tears welled in her eyes. Seeing him just standing there, she roared, "What are you gawking at?! He's kissing Xinyi!"
"So what if he is? They're married. You think they're still that innocent?"
"Xinyi is religious! She's against any physical contact before marriage. Before today, he had never even held her hand!" Xiao Fangfang said.
"That's the best joke I've heard all day."
"Believe it or not, she called me yesterday saying she was already regretting getting married! Now hurry up and help me downstairs!" Xiao Fangfang urged.
"I go through all this trouble for one free meal. You think my life is easy?" Ye Xiong muttered, reluctantly helping her down the stairs.
"I'm warning you, don't get any funny ideas..." Before she could finish, she slapped his hand away. "Where do you think you're putting your hands?" she snapped.
"Sorry," Ye Xiong said. "My eyesight's a little blurry."
Xiao Fangfang was speechless.