Chapter 51: Misunderstandings, All Misunderstandings

Seeing this middle-aged woman, Shi Feizhu became even more spirited, pointing at her to show off to Lu Ye and Su Qianqian, “Do you know who this lady is?”

“She’s a VIP at our Feizhu Club, Mrs. Zhou, the owner of Jiabao Pharmaceuticals—a genuine socialite!”

Lu Ye and Su Qianqian both shook their heads. “Have you ever heard of her?”

“No, not at all.”

Not only had Su Qianqian never heard of Mrs. Zhou, but Mrs. Zhou also didn’t recognize Su Qianqian. Earlier, sitting on the backseat of the little scooter, the cold wind had left her cheeks flushed and nose running; the aura of the city’s top beauty was long gone.

Shi Feizhu’s eyes brimmed with disdain. “People like you, from the bottom rung of society, of course you can’t reach her level.”

“Mrs. Zhou, weren’t you going to introduce your friends to get their membership cards here?”

In the beauty business, the main clientele was always these wealthy ladies. Only women of their status could afford to spend thousands, even tens of thousands, every few days without a care.

Knowing Shi Feizhu was using her status to intimidate future competitors, Mrs. Zhou, his friend, gave Lu Ye and his wife a dismissive glance.

“Don’t worry, Boss Shi, they’ll be here soon.”

All of Mrs. Zhou’s friends were of similar standing—these were the future golden patrons Feizhu Beauty Club would rely upon.

Mrs. Zhou sneered, “What a tacky name for a club! It’s obvious you’re trying to ride on the coattails of Yiren Group. Shameless!”

Shi Feizhu chimed in, “I even doubt they have a business license!”

Mrs. Zhou nodded. “Looks like I’ll have to call my husband and have him send someone to investigate this shady establishment.”

Their little performance left Lu Ye bewildered. “What did I ever do to you two?”

Shi Feizhu fixed him and Su Qianqian with a hard stare. “Beauty, it’s not too late for you to regret your choices. Why waste your youth on a deadbeat with no prospects?”

“Mrs. Zhou’s husband is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Once he gets the authorities involved, your club will be finished!”

Even if you have a business license, so what? If your club gets investigated on opening day, what will people think?

Seeing Mrs. Zhou actually make the call without hesitation, Lu Ye, feigning anger and helplessness, cursed, “You wretched pig, you’re just jealous because I found myself a beautiful wife. Is it really necessary to go this far to ruin me?”

Shi Feizhu sneered, “I just can’t stand that a useless man like you ended up with such a pretty woman. What, if you’re unhappy, you can try and take on my club instead!”

Lu Ye suddenly grinned. “All right, you said it. I’ve never heard such an outrageous suggestion in my life.”

Shi Feizhu scoffed, “You? As if.”

At that moment, several Mercedes and BMWs pulled up in front of Feizhu Club.

Mrs. Zhou announced proudly, “My friends have arrived.”

“Boss Shi, let’s head back first. You must treat them well.”

“Of course, and afterwards, we’ll come back and enjoy the show!”

Once they left, Lu Ye and Su Qianqian couldn’t hold back their laughter. With arms around each other, they walked into Yiren Club.

“Wu Qing, why are we holding such a low-key opening ceremony?”

“The two of us just got mocked by the club across the street!”

Wu Qing handed Lu Ye and Su Qianqian some hot tea, smiling gently. “Those gaudy, flashy tricks from across the street are beneath us. Our club stands for one thing—exclusivity!”

“We don’t need to lower our standards to attract the wrong crowd. That would cheapen our brand.”

Lu Ye nodded approvingly. “That makes sense.”

Su Qianqian, thoughtful, nodded as well. “Stick to the high-end route, establish brand value—it’s all about prestige.”

None of her mother’s friends were short on money. What they wanted was exclusivity, to feel above the rest. If this place were cheap, they wouldn’t bother coming!

Su Qianqian laughed. “You’ve picked a great manager!”

Hearing the boss’s praise with her own ears, Wu Qing beamed. “Thank you, madam!”

Besides Wu Qing, there were a few other new employees at Yiren Club. All well-bred young women, exuding a pure and elegant air, markedly different from the brash and gaudy types outside.

Wu Qing really had managed the club impeccably, and Lu Ye was very satisfied.

It wasn’t long before a group of uninvited guests arrived—five or six men in uniforms from some bureau, who announced as they entered, “We received a report that Yiren Club is operating without a license. Show us your business permit and the relevant credentials for your staff. We will conduct a thorough inspection!”

Wu Qing was about to fetch the documents from the office, but Lu Ye pressed her back onto the sofa. “Ignore them, they’re just here to make trouble.”

Shi Feizhu and Mrs. Zhou stepped forward, pointing at Lu Ye. “How dare you! These are investigators from the Industry Management Association. They have the authority to investigate you!”

Lu Ye eyed the group coldly. “Which association? Show me your credentials. If you really are from the Beauty and Health Industry Management Association, I won’t object to your investigation.”

Lu Ye was certain that they had nothing to do with the beauty and health sector. When Yiren Club was founded, all the relevant authorities had been notified in advance. They all knew who backed this club; even if these people had ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble here.

Sure enough, the men exchanged uneasy glances. Then, trying to save face, they insisted, “We’re from the Pharmaceutical Industry Management Association. The beauty and health sector also falls under our jurisdiction!”

“Don’t stall for time. Show us your registration documents and cooperate with our investigation. If you refuse, we’ll have to shut you down!”

Lu Ye waved a hand toward the club entrance, smiling. “Go ahead and try shutting it down in front of me, then.”

“This is outrageous! He’s gone too far!”

“Is there no law? No order?”

Shi Feizhu urged the men on. “If you don’t close this club today, tomorrow he’ll be riding roughshod over you!”

“That’s right! Shut him down!”

The men quickly pulled out a stack of closure notices, ready to paste them on the door.

Just then, a woman’s puzzled voice came from outside, “Honey, what’s going on?”

Before anyone could react, Lu Ye strode to greet a middle-aged couple at the door.

“Aunt Bao, I’ve missed you so much!”

“Haha, little Lu!”

At the sight of Lu Ye, Bao Qianlan immediately let go of her husband’s hand and gave him a bear hug.

“Let me introduce you—this is my husband, Chen Hai, president of the Pharmaceutical Management Association!”

Even though his wife was hugging a young man right in front of him, Chen Hai showed not the slightest displeasure; in fact, he seemed eager to thank Lu Ye.

Ever since Bao Qianlan’s midlife transformation, her looks and figure had improved, her outlook had grown youthful, and Chen Hai had rediscovered the passion of their younger days.

She used to nag him over little things, worrying she was growing old and no longer attractive, but now she was confident, as if she had waved menopause away with a smile.

All this was thanks to Lu Ye—Chen Hai owed him a great debt.

Lu Ye greeted Chen Hai politely, then feigned confusion. “Uncle Chen, why are you shutting down my club?”

Chen Hai was taken aback. “When did I say that? Beauty and health isn’t even under my jurisdiction!”

Lu Ye pointed at the group. “These men claim they’re from the Pharmaceutical Association and were just about to shut down Yiren Club!”

They still had the closure notices in hand, ready to stick them on the door.

Seeing Chen Hai, they stammered, “President Chen, it’s a misunderstanding! All just a misunderstanding!”

Chen Hai frowned, displeased. “Who sent you?”

No longer daring to conceal the truth, one replied honestly, “It was President Zhou of Jiabao Pharmaceuticals. He said this club might be operating without a license and asked us to investigate.”

Catching sight of Mrs. Zhou in the crowd, Chen Hai immediately understood.

“Mrs. Zhou, this was really your idea, wasn’t it?”

Mrs. Zhou trembled, stammering, “President Chen, this… this is all a misunderstanding, yes, just a misunderstanding!”