Sun Chong advised him with deep sincerity, “You’ve only recently returned from studying abroad in [Japan], so you might not grasp the full situation. Ma Qiang of the Ma family in the capital was beaten into a pulp by him and didn’t even dare retaliate. And Yang Feng of the Yang family—word is he was beaten into an idiot. The Yang family couldn’t stand up to the Qin faction, so they had no choice but to send Yang Feng overseas.”
Glasses chimed in, “Exactly, Kelong. It’s fine to make friends with this person, but provoking him… it would be unwise.”
Seeing the slightly plump man nodding along, Luo Kelong sneered, “All of you, your perspective is still lacking.”
Just as Sun Chong was about to speak, Luo Kelong waved his hand and said, “You can’t just look at the surface of things, understand? You only see that this Wang Zhuo is currently successful, powerful, and has backing we can’t afford to offend. But haven't you ever used your brains to think—where did his money come from? And whose backing provides his influence?”
Glasses asked, “Isn’t he the spokesperson for the Qin faction?”
Luo Kelong snorted, “That’s right. But do you know whose side my uncle is on? And whose side Qin Xue is on? Why would Qin Xue make him the spokesperson?”
Glasses was instantly speechless. Sun Chong frowned slightly, “Your uncle, he seems to be aligned with Qin Xue…”
“You’re all too dense; I’ll just spell it out for you,” Luo Kelong said impatiently, grabbing his teacup for a drink. “The reason this Wang Zhuo is so rich is because Qin Jingzhong and Qin Xue admire him. They’re originally from the same hometown, and there must have been some relationship before that we aren't aware of. The Qin faction poured all their resources into him, letting him amass so much wealth. In reality, they are paving the way for the future. Once Qin Siqing marries Wang Zhuo, all the wealth accumulated over these years will legitimately fall to the Qin family. Wang Zhuo is, at best, just a live-in son-in-law. Do you get it?”
“I understand now!” Glasses immediately caught on and rushed to say, “That was supposed to be the arrangement, but this Wang Xiaolong got carried away with his success and caused that notorious indecent photo scandal. Because of this, Qin Xue can’t possibly let his daughter marry him anymore. Therefore, his days as the beneficiary representative are coming to an end!”
“Looks like you aren’t completely hopeless,” Luo Kelong chuckled, pointing at him with an expression suggesting he was teachable. “In truth, after the photo scandal broke, Wang Zhuo already fell out of favor. It’s just that the Qin faction needs to maintain appearances for outsiders; they can’t snatch his benefits too quickly. Even though I was abroad, my sister still lives in the Municipal Party Committee compound. She told me firsthand that Wang Zhuo hasn’t had dinner at the Qin house since that incident.”
Sun Chong became animated and asked excitedly, “Does that mean Wang Xiaolong’s prestige is gone now?”
Luo Kelong smiled and nodded, “This is what they call, ‘A phoenix without its feathers is worse than a chicken.’”
“He brought this upon himself…” The youth known as Glasses feigned sympathy, sighing, “It seems his good days are numbered.”
“Kelong,” Sun Chong whispered eagerly, “An opportunity like this doesn’t come often. If you take action against him, you can steal his limelight!”
“Do you think it’s still like elementary school, just standing up and showing off?” Luo Kelong chuckled slyly. “Stealing the limelight aside, keeping a low profile doesn't hurt. But if I give him a call, he won’t dare refuse me. He’ll have to obediently offer up those actresses for us bros to enjoy.”
The slightly plump man, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly lit up, slapping his thigh hard: “Holy crap, awesome!”
Sun Chong and Glasses also looked ecstatic. Getting to enjoy beauties usually only seen in [Japanese] adult films, and stepping on Wang Xiaolong of Jiangzhou at the same time—this was just too satisfying!
“However, this Wang Zhuo does have some capability,” Luo Kelong said, feeling smug internally but speaking with false sincerity, “I don’t know what methods he used to get these beauties into the country. I certainly can’t manage something like that.”
“Who cares how he did it? Won’t he have to give us the first pick?” Sun Chong said with a wicked grin. “If he dares refuse, just have Uncle Luo put pressure on his group’s shipments at customs; see how smug he remains then.”
Luo Kelong nodded smugly, “For something this trivial, I don’t need my father to step in. I can just give a word to his subordinates myself.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Shall we go upstairs and check things out?” the slightly plump man suggested eagerly.
Luo Kelong stood up boldly and gestured grandly, “Let’s go! Tonight’s arrangement is set.”
After entering the hotel lobby, Geng Bin led the way familiarly, quietly explaining to Liu Zhanfu, “Wang Zhuo has a friend named Haozi; you’ve probably met him a few times. He found a professional cosplay studio and ordered a batch of really nice outfits. He notified everyone in the group chat at noon that tonight’s theme is uniform role-play.”
“Damn, you guys are awesome!” Liu Zhanfu was utterly impressed.
“There are four dressed as flight attendants, two as policewomen, plus schoolgirls and nurses,” Zheng Peng chuckled low. “The flight attendants and policewomen are out of your league, but I and Geng Bin will try to arrange the schoolgirls and nurses for you.”
Liu Zhanfu asked curiously, “Why are the flight attendants and policewomen not for me?”
“We’ll talk in the elevator,” Geng Bin clapped him on the shoulder.
The three entered the elevator. Coincidentally, Luo Kelong and Sun Chong’s group of four were also approaching from the other end of the corridor. Seeing this elevator about to ascend, while another remained stopped on the twentieth floor, they hurried over.
Zheng Peng, walking at the rear, saw people chasing the elevator and casually held the half-closed door, demonstrating the excellent quality of helpfulness among contemporary university students.
No one paid much attention to this small detail. Although Luo Kelong’s group offered no polite acknowledgement to Zheng Peng for helping them, Zheng Peng was straightforward and open-hearted and didn't notice the slight at all.
“Dapeng, press the button,” Geng Bin, standing deepest inside the elevator, called out.
“Oh!” Zheng Peng responded, reaching out to press the button for the twenty-sixth floor.
Sun Chong’s finger and Zheng Peng’s reached for the same button almost simultaneously. Both instinctively paused for a split second. Zheng Peng made a gesture with his hand meaning, “You first,” waited for Sun Chong to finish pressing, and then casually reached out, only to discover the button was already lit up—pressed by the other party.
Luo Kelong, noticing this detail, frowned slightly. Meanwhile, not far from him, Liu Zhanfu was quietly asking Geng Bin, “Tell me, why are the flight attendants and policewomen not for me?”
Geng Bin didn’t care that outsiders were in the elevator, thinking they wouldn’t understand what they were talking about anyway. He leaned in and whispered with a smile, “Those two scenes are played out together in one suite. You aren’t familiar with the others, so how could I take you in?”
“You guys play really dirty…” Liu Zhanfu nodded enviously, then asked, “So who gets to capture the nurse tonight, and who plays the middle school girl?”
“Sister Mami plays the nurse, and Senkawa plays the student,” Geng Bin whispered. “You were with Senkawa last time, right? Then tonight, you’ll play the doctor and give Mami an injection.”
Liu Zhanfu’s heart heated up instantly, and he nodded vigorously, “Using the time for an intravenous injection to do the work of a muscle injection—that’s my specialty.”
“Hiss,” Luo Kelong, hearing their conversation, sucked in a sharp breath and turned his face to stare at Liu Zhanfu, rage surging within him!
Ever since Geng Bin pressed the twenty-sixth-floor button moments ago, Luo Kelong had noticed these three youths who looked like college students. After exchanging a look with his companions, he remained silent, waiting to hear what they said.
At first, when he heard about flight attendants and policewomen, he hadn't quite grasped the situation. Later, when he heard, “playing in one suite,” and “who plays the nurse,” Luo Kelong understood what was going on.
Hearing that Mami would be playing the nurse, Luo Kelong’s heart jolted. He exchanged a look with Sun Chong, then heard the skinny kid utter a stream of vulgar comments, specifically targeting his dream lover. A fire immediately ignited within him!
Suddenly glared at by a stranger, Liu Zhanfu turned his head in surprise and asked doubtfully, “What?”
Luo Kelong didn't reply, taking Liu Zhanfu in with his eyes twice—from top to bottom. Half-new, half-old domestic sneakers, a sweat-stinking supermarket-grade cultural shirt, and low-end jeans of an indiscernible brand. This was clearly a poor student who couldn’t even get a girlfriend. And he thought he could give Mami a muscle injection?!
The atmosphere in the elevator suddenly turned bizarre. Luo Kelong’s gaze was laced with contempt and challenge. Although Liu Zhanfu was thin, his actual combat ability was not low; during playground brawls, he was always at the forefront, and his personality was not cowardly. Even though this was a five-star hotel, he knew he was here as Wang Zhuo’s friend and couldn’t back down!
Seeing the other party glaring back with narrowed eyes, Luo Kelong snorted dismissively and asked, “Who are you people?”
Just as Liu Zhanfu was about to retort sharply, Zheng Peng quickly interjected, “Xiaofu, they’re going up to the twenty-sixth floor too.”
Both Liu Zhanfu and Geng Bin were momentarily stunned. Geng Bin sized up the four strangers he’d never met and asked suspiciously, “Are you friends of Fat Long?”
“Fat Long? Don’t know him,” Luo Kelong shook his head impatiently.
Just then, the elevator stopped, and both parties filed out. Geng Bin lightly patted Liu Zhanfu, signaling him not to speak, and gestured for Zheng Peng to lead the way, placing himself behind Liu Zhanfu.
It should be noted here that the structure of this floor separated the area in the middle by a small lounge where the two elevators faced. One side housed some scattered guests, while the other side had been entirely booked by Fat Long. At the entrance to the corridor stood four young men dressed in shirts and dress pants, some standing, some sitting—clearly security personnel.
Seeing these four bodyguards, Luo Kelong and Sun Chong realized they had oversimplified things. They had thought they could just approach someone casually, make a show of authority to scare them, and the person would immediately hand over Wang Zhuo’s phone number and yield with a few threatening words. But bodyguards didn’t care about that. Unless you contacted their direct supervisor through other channels, they wouldn’t cooperate; otherwise, getting any information was impossible.
After exchanging pleasantries with the bodyguards, the three easily entered the corridor. Liu Zhanfu glanced back at Luo Kelong and said quietly, “Is that kid mentally ill?”
“Who cares? Since they don’t know Fat Long, they aren’t one of ours,” Geng Bin nudged him and chuckled, “Let’s stick to our plans and let the idiot, oh, let them go their way!”