The waiter and the male escorts stood outside the luxurious private room. Inside, a woman was sobbing uncontrollably.
From the moment she entered Athena, everyone found her strange. She wore sunglasses and a headscarf, her appearance unrecognizable. Although she ordered a large amount of alcohol, she didn't call for a single male escort. Her only request was not to be disturbed.
After a long while, when Hong Jie had finished attending to other guests, she approached the strange woman's room with a whole box of tissues.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Ah Hui, open the door, it's me."
After three knocks, the noise from inside stopped abruptly. Hong Jie yelled at the waiter and the gawking male escorts outside to leave quickly. Soon, confirming that only Hong Jie was left outside, the door finally opened.
Hong Jie locked the door. This strange guest was Mrs. Su, who had just returned to the country. She had swollen eyes and reached out, and Hong Jie pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.
Mrs. Su leaned on Hong Jie's shoulder. The two seemed to have a close relationship.
Both Mrs. Su and Hong Jie were the same age. One worked hard to make a living as the owner of an entertainment club, while the other, who should have been living as a wealthy socialite at home, was here pouring out her troubles as if she had suffered immense grievances.
Seeing Mrs. Su's dishevelled state, Hong Jie said helplessly, "After all these years, you haven't thought of contacting me, your old classmate, and now you return and cry to me."
Mrs. Su froze for a moment. The tears she had just wiped away flowed again. She hugged Hong Jie and cried even harder.
Hong Jie quickly comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. Tell me whatever is troubling you. Who bullied you? I'll beat them up for you!"
Mrs. Su lowered her head and said, "I should have listened to my father back then. I was blind to marry a heartless man!"
Hong Jie naturally knew who Mrs. Su was talking about. She had also tried to dissuade her back then, but the young Mrs. Su had declared that she wouldn't regret it even if the sky fell!
Look, her prediction came true!
Mrs. Su continued, "Do you know that he now completely controls the group? All the important positions have been filled with his own people. I'm just a sidelined shareholder and the chairman's wife."
Mrs. Su wiped her tears and said angrily, "I tried to guard against everything, but I couldn't guard against betrayal from within the family!"
Hong Jie sighed. Compared to Mrs. Su, who was not in the country, she had often heard about the various misdeeds of this Xu Shuming!
"So what do you want to do? You're not going to stay with him anymore?"
Mrs. Su showed Hong Jie the agreement that Xu Shuming had torn up…
"I tried to talk to him. Look, he even tore up the divorce agreement. He's not going to divorce me."
Hong Jie became even angrier. "I told you long ago not to trust him too much. Now he has power, and he controls the group. You just wouldn't listen to me! Forget it, forget it, stop crying. If you're not divorcing, then just live your own lives!"
"I can't swallow this. Why does he have someone else outside while I'm being despised!" Mrs. Su said timidly, only daring to vent her frustrations here.
But as soon as she said this, Hong Jie became a little displeased.
"Did he say that? Our Ah Hui was the campus belle when she was in school, and she's still beautiful now. He's an old fool! How dare he despise you!"
Mrs. Su pulled Hong Jie, urging her to look at her face properly.
"Ah Hong, look at me, look closely. Have I aged? My hair is turning white here, and here, look here, have I gotten age spots?"
Mrs. Su, from somewhere, had collected advertisements and a pile of medical aesthetic flyers in her bag.
"I heard that medical aesthetics are very effective now. How about I get plastic surgery? If I become beautiful, will Ah Ming take me out?"
Hong Jie looked at her old classmate. Back then, Mrs. Su was a stunning beauty. Love letters were always sent to their dormitory. The proud Mrs. Su was like a beautiful peacock. But now, here she was, constantly complaining about being old and ugly…
These past ten years, Xu Shuming's emotional abuse and mockery had destroyed this woman. No wonder Mrs. Su hadn't contacted her for over a decade. She had been trapped in a solitary world, receiving nothing but the slightest response from her husband day and night, like a wilting red rose without nourishment.
"You've withered..." Hong Jie felt a pang of sympathy for her old friend.
"What?" Mrs. Su asked, confused.
"You need a man."
Mrs. Su felt a little scared. It had been over a decade since a man had touched her. What did that feel like? She had forgotten…
As they were talking, Hong Jie stood up, "Listen to me, starting today, you are no longer Mrs. Su, but the campus belle of our school. Go back twenty years!"
Mrs. Su nervously grabbed Hong Jie's arm. She wanted to stop her, knowing what this club was for. This wasn't why she came to Athena. But Hong Jie had already opened the door and called for the waiters to bring in all the available male escorts for the night. She wanted her good friend to be thoroughly "nourished" by men.
The male escorts lined up at the door. Mrs. Su sat uncomfortably on the sofa in the private room, her eyes not daring to look towards the door. Her palms were sweating, and her heart was pounding.
Hong Jie gestured, and a male escort walked in, standing before Mrs. Su.
The male escort introduced himself, his height, and his weight. If the client had requirements, he would also state his zodiac sign for reference.
"Ah Hui, do you like this one? Look up."
Mrs. Su quickly glanced up. She didn't even notice if she saw him clearly before quickly shaking her head.
"Next, how about this one? Do you like him?"
Mrs. Su shook her head as before.
After the first round, all the male escorts were rejected. Hong Jie helplessly dismissed them.
Mrs. Su tugged at Hong Jie's clothes, "Ah Hong, I can't do it. They're all so young. I… I'm too old to play with them…"
Hong Jie joked, "You're the only rich woman I know who doesn't find any of my male escorts attractive. This makes me even more eager to earn your money."
Mrs. Su quickly explained.
"No, I'm afraid they'll think I'm ugly. Even Xu Shuming doesn't look at me properly anymore. How about you wait until I've had plastic surgery…"
Mrs. Su lowered her head in insecurity. Hong Jie poured her a glass of red wine. As Mrs. Su reached for it, their hands touched, and the entire glass of red wine spilled perfectly onto Mrs. Su's clothes.
"Oh no, don't move. I'll have someone bring you a towel."
Hong Jie opened the door, but when she needed to call for a waiter, no one was outside. After a while, someone finally passed by.
She couldn't see clearly who it was. All the men here were Hong Jie's employees, so she could call any one of them.
"Hey, you, go get a clean towel."
When someone pushed the door open with a clean towel, Mrs. Su's eyes finally lit up. She stared at the young man, lost in thought. Hong Jie quickly picked up on the situation.
"Hong Jie, the towel."
It turned out to be Ou Yunchen, who had just passed by.
Hong Jie pushed him forward. "Yunchen, come here. Let me introduce you. This is my good friend, Mrs. Su of the Su Group."
Ou Yunchen said politely, "Hello, Mrs. Su."
"Hello… you."
Hong Jie, being sharp-witted, immediately said, "Yunchen, I accidentally spilled red wine on Mrs. Su. You handle it. I'll go out and check."
Mrs. Su watched with her mouth agape as Hong Jie gave a few instructions and left.
Ou Yunchen sat next to Mrs. Su. He looked at the nervous Mrs. Su, whose muscles were tense and who barely dared to look at him. This wealthy lady was probably here for the first time.
The red wine stain was very noticeable, spilled right on the left chest area. Her clothes were already sticking to her. Mrs. Su leaned back uncomfortably and took the towel from Ou Yunchen, wiping herself haphazardly.
Mrs. Su: "Thank you. I should go now."
Ou Yunchen suddenly grabbed Mrs. Su, who was about to stand up. His hand tightly gripped her wrist. At this moment, Mrs. Su finally remembered what a man was like.
Ou Yunchen: "Mrs. Su, if my guest leaves within a minute, Hong Jie will scold me."
To a guest like this, who was new and uninhibited, Ou Yunchen had to start with building rapport. After all, too much physical contact might scare off timid guests.
"I'll chat with you, Mrs. Su."
After a brief introduction, Ou Yunchen finally made Mrs. Su lower her guard. He also learned some of the reasons she was here from her.
Mrs. Su said shyly, "You, why are you looking at me like that? Am I ugly?"
"Not at all. On the contrary, I find you very alluring, with a different charm than women your age."
"Really? Truly?"
"If I were your husband, I would be very happy to see your face every day."
Mrs. Su nervously took a sip of red wine. It had been so long since a man had praised her so directly.
Ou Yunchen reached out as if to touch Mrs. Su's lips, but she quickly dodged.
Mrs. Su: "What are you doing!"
Ou Yunchen looked at the woman with a smile in his eyes. He pointed to his own lips.
"Here, there's something here."
Mrs. Su then realized there was red wine on her lip. She gently wiped it off.
Mrs. Su: "Sorry…"
Ou Yunchen understood this rich woman. She was timid and cautious because her husband had long denied her, and she had lost her correct self-judgment. She suppressed her emotions. What she needed now was not a man's care, but a complete release.
"Do you want to play a game?"
Mrs. Su looked at the handsome man with confusion. She was starting to trust him.
"Come with me, I'll take you somewhere."
Ou Yunchen picked up a box of empty wine bottles and motioned for Mrs. Su to follow him. They went out through the back door and into the alley, finding a relatively clean corner.
Ou Yunchen put down the box, took off the suit jacket he had draped over Mrs. Su, and indicated that their game would begin here.
Ou Yunchen held Mrs. Su's shoulders, helped her find her position, and then handed her an empty wine bottle.
"See the wall in there?"
Mrs. Su nodded.
"Good. Now, imagine there's something you don't like in there, and throw the wine bottle at it with all your might. The harder the better. If you want to shout, then…"
Before Ou Yunchen could finish, Mrs. Su, cursing "bastard," threw the wine bottle. With a crash, it shattered.
Mrs. Su took a deep breath and looked at Ou Yunchen.
Ou Yunchen applauded. It seemed he had underestimated the resentment within this rich woman.
Ou Yunchen covered his ears, signaling that he was deaf now and couldn't hear. Mrs. Su could shout and vent her emotions as much as she wanted.
Once, twice… the sound of breaking glass echoed through the alley. It was truly cathartic.
Ou Yunchen leaned against the outer wall, lit a cigarette, and occasionally glanced at the woman going wild inside, smiling. Even the richest women were no different.
After a long time, the noise in the alley stopped. Ou Yunchen called out, "Are you done?" but received no reply.
Ou Yunchen poked his head into the alley and looked at the woman. Her shoulders were trembling, she was covering her face and crying, and the beer bottles in the box were gone.
Ou Yunchen walked over and draped the suit jacket back over Mrs. Su's shoulders. When a woman is vulnerable, a hug is all she needs. The 37-degree body temperature provided enough warmth. She buried her face in Ou Yunchen's embrace, crying softly.
"I actually knew my husband was having an affair a long time ago. I thought it was just for business, that he wouldn't take it seriously."
"But I never expected him to truly dislike me for being old. Even if I get plastic surgery, what good would it do? I'm still an old woman."
Ou Yunchen cupped Mrs. Su's face. He looked at her tenderly and then said words of love that would make a woman's heart flutter with absolute certainty.
Ou Yunchen: "But you've attracted someone who is mesmerized by you."
Mrs. Su: "Will there be such a person?"
Ou Yunchen: "Of course. Only when you believe it yourself will that person come to you."
Mrs. Su rested her head on Ou Yunchen's chest again. Just then, Mo Qingyun, who was dragging a trash bag, walked by. She had been taken in by Hong Jie and stayed at the club as a waitress. Because she couldn't speak well, Hong Jie could only assign her to collect garbage to avoid contact with guests.
Ou Yunchen and Mo Qingyun's eyes met. The fake gentleness that had been on his face instantly turned cold.
Mo Qingyun lowered her gaze. She dragged the heavy trash bag, not easily, towards the alley where garbage was piled. She walked past Ou Yunchen and a few steps further, the trash bag suddenly broke, and countless bottles and cans spilled out. A wine bottle rolled to Ou Yunchen's feet, and he stepped on it.
Ou Yunchen: "Let's go back."
Ou Yunchen didn't look back. He put his arm around Mrs. Su's shoulders and walked back. In the alley, Mo Qingyun squatted alone on the ground, picking up the bottles one by one. She saw the wine bottle standing there, then looked up at the departing Ou Yunchen. She began to ponder what kind of man he was, someone who appeared indifferent yet still offered her help.