Chapter 123: Do You Have Any Paper Over There?

Back in the office, Su Qianqian saw Lu Ye sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed in meditation. He opened his eyes only when he heard the door open. He held his palms in front of his chest, forming a Bagua seal, then slowly retracted them and exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Hoo..."

Su Qianqian asked, "What are you doing?"

"Practicing."

Since his last fight with Ivanka, Lu Ye had realized he was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well. He had foolishly believed himself invincible, relying on the skills he’d honed on the battlefields of the Middle East. Little did he know that if he had been even slightly less careful in Japan, he would have died under Ivanka's blade. If Ivanka could beat him to such a miserable state, not to mention the "Queen" who had sent Ivanka fleeing while coughing up blood, his mother’s level of mastery was clearly several tiers above his own. And then there was Ivanka’s husband, that officer named Max; he was likely no pushover either. After the Japanese ordeal, Lu Ye had been using all his spare time to train.

Su Qianqian asked curiously, "Is sitting cross-legged like that called training? Don't you need to hit sandbags or a wooden dummy or something?"

Lu Ye smiled and explained, "What you're talking about is the training method of the external schools, like Meng Meiren. They focus on technique and strength. What I practice is internal cultivation, what’s known as refining Qi."

Su Qianqian nodded as if she understood. "Is it like that Nine Yang Divine Art Zhang Wuji uses?"

Lu Ye tilted his head, thinking. "The Nine Yang Divine Art cultivates a masculine, fiery energy. What I practice is the exact opposite. This technique is more feminine and yielding; it was passed from my mother to my sister, and then to me."

Su Qianqian asked, "Oh? And what is the name of this technique?"

Lu Ye pursed his lips, feeling a bit embarrassed as he spat out four words: "The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra..."

Pfft.

"Hahahaha!"

Su Qianqian burst into uncontrollable laughter, never expecting that the little rascal was practicing such a martial art.

Lu Ye pouted. "Don't laugh! My 'Saving Lives and Healing the Wounded Fist,' 'Bringing the Dead Back to Life Kick,' 'Longevity Fist,' and 'Restore My Beauty Fist' are all derived from the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra."

Whatever the name, as long as it worked, that was all that mattered. After the laughter died down, Su Qianqian said, "Wan Quan invited me to dinner in three days."

"You didn't agree, did you?"

Su Qianqian nodded. "I did!"

Lu Ye pretended to be jealous and huffed, "I don't approve."

"Don't you want to come with me and score a free meal?"

"Scoring a free meal is fine, hahahaha."

"You jerk!"

...

Three days later, after work, Su Qianqian and Lu Ye arrived at the Mingzhu Hotel. The hotel was owned by the Yiren Group and had replaced the Hilton as the most luxurious in the city. Located in the prime district of the newly developed Jiangbei area, it had only recently opened.

Wan Quan had meticulously styled his hair back and was wearing a striking formal suit. He sat with his back to the entrance, at a table by the window—a table reserved for couples. Su Qianqian pointed him out to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye immediately scoffed, "Damn, what a hypocrite!"

Su Qianqian was taken aback. "President Wan seems quite refined. He was very gentlemanly the other day, keeping his distance and avoiding any inappropriate words or actions."

"That was just to fool you. Look at the table he picked."

Su Qianqian took a closer look: "A table for two?"

Lu Ye sneered at Wan Quan's back, "This hypocrite is playing hard to get. He’s giving you a good first impression, intending to lure you in and flirt with you slowly."

Su Qianqian wasn't stupid; she realized it immediately. "I'll keep my guard up from now on. Let's go over, sign the contract, and leave!"

Seeing Lu Ye nod, Su Qianqian took his arm and walked over. "President Wan, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Wan Quan turned around with a practiced, dashing flair, ready to present a Blue Enchantress rose, only to freeze! A man he didn't recognize snatched the flower with a look of pure intoxication, batted his eyelashes, and purred, "Oh, how annoying! Who gives a flower to someone they've only just met?"

Su Qianqian bit her lip to hold back her laughter, her shoulders shaking.

*You little brat, back to your usual antics, huh?*

Wan Quan’s face twitched as he struggled to maintain his composure. "President Su, who might this be?"

Su Qianqian smiled. "My apologies, I forgot to introduce him. This is my husband, Lu Ye. Honey, this is President Wan of the United Group."

Lu Ye smiled. "Hello, President Wan. I was just joking earlier, don't take it to heart. I'm actually not into men."

Wan Quan’s mouth twitched again. He hadn't expected Su Qianqian to bring her husband. The original plan was ruined, but it didn't matter—he had a Plan B. Over the past three days, he had asked Shen He to investigate. Su Qianqian’s husband was just a gigolo who lived off his wife, running a place called the Yiren Club that catered to wealthy older women. Shen He’s exact words had been: "Su Qianqian’s husband is basically a male escort."

Wan Quan didn't take him seriously at all. Not only was he the young master of a hidden martial arts family, but his status as a branch manager of the United Group was enough to crush Lu Ye a thousand times over. A little bit of coercion and bribery would be enough to make him crawl away from Su Qianqian.

Wan Quan decided to give him a hard time. "Mr. Lu, I only invited President Su, so I wasn't expecting you."

"The table I reserved isn't really big enough for three. Could you..."

Before he could finish, Lu Ye sat down right across from him, patted his lap, and smiled at Su Qianqian. "Wife, come here!"

Su Qianqian laughed shyly and obediently sat on his lap. Lu Ye then smiled at Wan Quan. "We're a married couple, we don't mind squeezing in. You two go ahead and chat, don't worry about me."

Wan Quan was even more frustrated now. *Damn it!* Not only had his trap failed, but he’d also been forced to watch them act like lovesick fools. He had no choice but to say, "President Su, is that comfortable? Shall we move to a larger table?"

Su Qianqian shook her head with a smile. "No need, my husband's lap is quite comfortable. President Wan, did you bring the contract?"

Wan Quan forced a smile. "Of course, I brought it." He pulled a stack of documents from his bag and handed them to Su Qianqian. She leaned into Lu Ye’s embrace as she carefully reviewed the contract, and once satisfied, they signed and stamped it.

Soon after, the waiter served the meal. Wan Quan had ordered Western cuisine—two portions of sirloin steak. Clearly, he hadn't planned for Lu Ye.

Wan Quan smiled apologetically. "Mr. Lu, I ordered this in advance, so..."

Lu Ye waved it off dismissively. "President Wan, you’re so thoughtful! How did you know we were both trying to lose weight? One portion between the two of us is already plenty."

With that, he picked up a knife and fork, cut the steak into tiny pieces, and began feeding Su Qianqian, one bite after another, right in front of Wan Quan.

*Damn it, stop feeding me this crap!*

However, Wan Quan wasn't foolish enough to humiliate Lu Ye in public; he knew that would make him look like a small-minded villain. In that regard, he was much sharper than the usual arrogant rich kids. No matter how much Lu Ye and Su Qianqian flaunted their affection, Wan Quan just smiled, even though he was gritting his teeth with hatred inside.

After the meal, Lu Ye burped and said, "Wife, I'm going to the restroom."

Su Qianqian nodded as she stood up from his lap. Seeing this, Wan Quan stood up too. "Funny, I need to go as well. Let's go together, Mr. Lu."

Lu Ye smirked inwardly. *Knew you’d follow.* "Sure, let's go take a dump together!"

Wan Quan blinked. "You need to use the toilet?"

"Yeah, what about you, President Wan?"

"I... I do too!"

Lu Ye threw an arm around Wan Quan’s shoulder as they walked to the restroom. They each took a stall, separated only by a partition with an open space at the top and bottom.

Wan Quan endured the stench and asked, "Mr. Lu, if I may be blunt, do you really think you're worthy of President Su?"

Lu Ye, while straining, grunted, "Ugh... hmm..."

"President Wan, that’s a low-quality question! If a man as outstanding as me isn't worthy of her, then who is?"

*Thump!*

A splash echoed from the next stall, followed by a wave of stench that made Wan Quan’s eyes water. *That’s it, I’ve had enough!*

"Lu Ye, I’m warning you: get away from Su Qianqian immediately, or I’ll make you regret it!"

Lu Ye’s cheerful laughter came from the next stall. "President Wan, do you have any paper over there?"

Wan Quan paused, turned his head, and checked the dispenser. It was empty—just a bare cardboard roll.

"Damn it, no paper?"

Lu Ye said, "It's fine, I have some here. I'll lend you some. Just reach your hand through."

Wan Quan pinched his nose with his left hand and reached his right hand through the gap at the bottom of the partition. Lu Ye slapped a wad of paper into his hand.

But... why was it so sticky?

"So sorry, President Wan. I actually finished my paper too. This is just some I already used, but make do with it, okay?"

Wan Quan vomited on the floor right then and there, roaring, "I'll kill you... you disgusting piece of filth!"

"Lu Ye, I'm going to kill you!"