Chapter 4: The Red Rose

"Xiao Ai, we're over here."

Qin Xueli waved at her best friend, Ai Qingyue, taking the opportunity to break free from Zheng Qian's grasp.

After greeting her, she didn't take his hand again.

Zheng Qian smiled and didn't say anything.

After they introduced each other, Zheng Qian learned the girl's name.

Her name was Ai Qingyue; she was Qin Xueli's college classmate and best friend.

She was decent-looking and not short.

However, standing next to Qin Xueli, she seemed a bit plain and lacked any real highlights.

This was the secret to a player's date: you always need to find a green leaf to set off the red flower that is yourself.

It was past six, close to seven, and it had already turned dark.

Naturally, Qin Xueli wanted to bring a best friend along to prevent Zheng Qian from trying to take things further or having any improper thoughts about her.

It was just in time for dinner.

Zheng Qian had never been to Joy City before, so he checked for restaurants on his phone and ultimately chose a place with a relatively high average spend per person.

"Zheng Qian, this place is quite expensive. Are you sure?" Qin Xueli reminded him, acting kind.

She had only been there once before, and the two of them had spent over five thousand. It was paid for by one of her previous simps, and she hadn't been back since.

"Yeah, it's fine."

After they were seated, Zheng Qian handed the menu to Qin Xueli and told her to order whatever she liked.

Order whatever she liked? Fine. Since you said that, I'll order whatever I want.

Qin Xueli and Ai Qingyue picked and chose, putting checkmarks on the menu.

Of course, Qin Xueli did consider Zheng Qian's situation, deleting a few of the more expensive dishes that Ai Qingyue had checked. She did a rough calculation to keep the price around nine thousand, not exceeding ten thousand.

Zheng Qian had already spent over thirty thousand on her at the mall. She didn't know how much money he had left, so she didn't dare order anything too expensive.

"We're done choosing. Is there anything you want to eat?" Qin Xueli handed the menu back to Zheng Qian.

Zheng Qian took a look. There were still checkmarks for the items she had deleted. Was she trying to save him money?

The price was well-controlled, not over ten thousand, just over nine thousand.

"Not drinking any alcohol?" He glanced at the beverage section; even a casual bottle cost over a thousand.

"Yeah, let's not. Two bottles of Coke will be fine." Naturally, Qin Xueli wasn't going to order alcohol.

If Zheng Qian insisted on ordering alcohol, it wouldn't matter; Ai Qingyue was there to act as her shield.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. We can order more if it's not enough."

Under normal circumstances, her best friend would absolutely never date someone like him.

Unless Zheng Qian was exceptionally wealthy.

Ai Qingyue noticed that Zheng Qian was carrying quite a few bags in his hands.

Those things must have cost at least twenty thousand, right?

And now, a meal that would cost another ten thousand.

With that kind of money, you could order takeout quite a few times.

It seemed Qin Xueli had hooked another sucker.

"Lili, how did you two meet?" Ai Qingyue asked, curious.

"Coworkers."

Ai Qingyue felt a bit envious. How was Qin Xueli like a magnet, with nothing but rich people around her? And they were all so willing to spend money on her?

She wanted a high-quality guy like Zheng Qian, too.

However, Ai Qingyue knew her place; she knew she was just Qin Xueli's guard. She often attended these kinds of outings, so she didn't dare harbor any thoughts about Zheng Qian.

Zheng Qian also noticed the change in Ai Qingyue's Favorability toward him.

It went from 10 points when they first met, up to 30, and then dropped back down to 20.

After the dishes were served, Qin Xueli and Ai Qingyue snapped away, taking photos, before the three of them finally started eating.

During the meal, they chatted about everyday things.

After dinner, Zheng Qian went to pay the bill.

Taking this opportunity, Ai Qingyue asked Qin Xueli, "Lili, what's your relationship with him? I've never seen him before."

"Hmm, just ordinary friends, don't pay too much attention to it."

In Qin Xueli's mind, Zheng Qian was just a case of retaliatory spending after her recent breakup, so she didn't take him seriously at all.

As soon as Qin Xueli said "ordinary friends," Ai Qingyue understood immediately: she had reeled in another simp.

[Spent 9,657 yuan, system cash back 96,570 yuan, already received.]

Another hundred thousand in the account.

This feeling was too good.

After Zheng Qian finished paying, he returned to the table and checked the time.

"It's only nine."

Naturally, Zheng Qian wouldn't let Qin Xueli leave so easily. It wasn't because he wanted to do anything; it was mainly because the feeling of spending money and earning it back was too addictive.

After thinking it over, he suddenly remembered a place with high consumption.

A bar!

In a bar, just ordering a set of drinks would cost tens of thousands.

"How about we go to a bar?"

Under normal circumstances, after dinner, you'd drop them off at home and the day would end.

But Zheng Qian's sudden suggestion to go to a bar made Qin Xueli increase her guard against him.

[Favorability -5]

Ai Qingyue glanced at Qin Xueli, who didn't seem to want to go, and said, "No, thanks. I have to work tomorrow."

Qin Xueli had called her here specifically for this.

"Isn't tomorrow Sunday? You have to work overtime?"

"Yeah, I have to."

"It's just that I've been under a lot of pressure lately, so I wanted to go blow off some steam."

"That won't work."

"You guys can call a few more friends to come along. It won't be too late."

They could handle shopping and dining, but going to a bar, with a few shots of hard liquor, was a different story, so Qin Xueli refused to go to a bar.

Earlier, Zheng Qian said he had just broken up today and wanted to vent; that was normal and didn't seem fake.

Plus, if they could call a few people to join, the nature of the outing would be completely different.

"Then let me ask if anyone wants to join."

A few minutes later, Qin Xueli said she had invited two friends: "Which bar? They said they'll just meet us there."

Zheng Qian thought for a moment: "Red Rose."

"Okay."

The three of them took a taxi to Red Rose.

[Spent 60 yuan, system cash back 600 yuan, already received.]

At the entrance of Red Rose, two girls with hot figures and skimpy outfits were already waiting.

They were Xinxin and Angela.

When they introduced themselves, they didn't say their full names, and one even gave an English name.

Xinxin was the type with slender, fair legs, but her looks were average.

Angela had refined features, wore black stockings, and was very sexy, but her makeup was very heavy. You could tell at a glance that she frequented nightclubs and bars.

With the four girls standing together, Qin Xueli looked relatively innocent.

The two of them greeted Zheng Qian very politely and enthusiastically.

"Lili, your boyfriend is so handsome!"

"Yeah, a standard hunk."

Handsome?

Dressed like this, even Old Wu and the others wouldn't think he was handsome.

How hypocritical.

The two of them mistakenly thought Zheng Qian was Qin Xueli's boyfriend.

Regarding this, Qin Xueli adopted a non-committal attitude, neither admitting nor denying it.

However, Xinxin and Angela didn't expect Zheng Qian to have high consumption at Red Rose or order any expensive alcohol.

After all, dressed in such ragged clothes, he probably didn't have any money.

Otherwise, would Qin Xueli have called them to introduce them?

She would have hidden Zheng Qian away long ago.

If it were the old Zheng Qian, he wouldn't have dared to come to a place like this or attend this kind of drinking party.

Red Rose was one of the most expensive bars in Yebai, and with four beauties along, there was no way the night would end without his wallet being squeezed dry.

But now, with the system's support, Zheng Qian wasn't afraid of anything. Anyway, the more he spent, the more he earned.

You might have made a profit, but I'll definitely not lose.

Holding this mindset, Zheng Qian entered the bar.

Loud, ear-splitting music, colorful disco balls overhead—the classic bar atmosphere.

Soon, a sales manager approached: "Good evening, have you reserved a table?"

Zheng Qian shook his head.

"Are there five of you? Would you like a booth or an open table?"

He rarely encountered guests with this kind of combination.

Was this a setup for a rich, handsome guy, or a setup for a rich woman?

Either way, it wasn't very normal: four women and one man...

Getting a booth was more expensive than an open table, so Zheng Qian naturally chose the booth.

Hearing Zheng Qian's answer, the salesperson understood; this was his party.

"Alright, please come this way. There is a minimum spend."

After they were seated, it was time to order drinks.

"Bro, what would you like to drink?" The salesperson naturally wouldn't ask the other girls, since they weren't the ones paying, so he asked Zheng Qian directly.

"Do you have any recommendations?"

The salesperson could tell that Zheng Qian was likely here for the first time. But judging by his outfit, he definitely wasn't some rich, handsome guy; he was likely being used as a sucker by these women.

As a fellow man, the salesperson naturally wanted to look out for Zheng Qian a little.

"If you want my recommendation: Tequila Sunrise, Whiskey Sour, Margarita..."

The salesperson still had a bit of a conscience, recommending relatively cheaper drinks to prevent Zheng Qian from being ripped off too much.

"What about an ace of spades?"

The four of them looked at each other; so Zheng Qian really was here for the first time.

The salesperson patiently and detailedly explained to Zheng Qian what an ace of spades was, as well as the "Dragon Set."

"ace of spades Gold, Rose Gold, Violet, Platinum, Green Gold."

"With Black Gold it's 88,888, without Black Gold it's 78,888."

"Three bottles of ace of spades is called a 'Little Dragon Set,' five or six bottles is called a 'Big Dragon Set.'"

"Then let's start with a Big Dragon Set, the one with Black Gold."

"Swipe the card."