The elevator ascended, stopping at a specific floor.
The doors opened to a grand hall.
Waiters in uniform lined up on both sides, bowing and saying, "Welcome to Jiǔwǔ. Young Master Du, this way please. Young Master Li is over here!"
The waiters, both male and female, were exceptionally attractive and pleasing to the eye, all wearing warm smiles.
They passed through a corridor and entered a lounge area.
From another part of the lounge, singing could be heard, likely from some KTV rooms.
Several figures approached, with Li Qian at the forefront.
"Brother Min, Brother Zhen, Brother Zhuo!"
Dressed in a suit and tie, looking sharp, Li Qian laughed heartily, warmly shaking hands with Chen Fan and Yu Zhen. "You've arrived at the perfect time. It's such an honor you could make it!"
"We promised, Brother Qian. There's no need for such polite words."
Du Fumin chuckled, a hint of subtle mockery flickering in his eyes.
Chen Fan handed over a gift. "Brother Qian, happy birthday."
"Thank you, thank you!" Li Qian accepted the gift and passed it to a subordinate behind him. He then affectionately slung an arm around Chen Fan's shoulder. "It's still early. Come, let's have some fun first."
Yu Zhen asked expectantly, "Brother Qian, what kind of fun?"
"Haha, I guarantee you'll be satisfied, Brother Zhen."
Li Qian said, "Our friendship spans many years. You don't need to be so formal with me. You keep Brother Zhuo entertained."
With that, he led the group through the luxurious lounge area and stopped outside the first private room.
Clear singing could be heard from within, the voice quite good.
Someone pushed open the door.
Chen Fan glanced inside and saw a lively scene: about ten women, dressed vibrantly and exuding charm, were seated around several men, drinking and singing.
The sound of the door opening alerted them. Several women rose, like a flock of swallows, and called out sweetly, "Here's our guest of honor, Young Master Li! Come quickly, Young Master Li, let's have a drink..."
"Hehe, Young Master Li, you've only had a few drinks and you're running off? We still want to drink with you!"
"Young Master Li, come in quickly..."
"..."
For a moment, it felt like falling into a den of courtesans.
Li Qian laughed heartily, unceremoniously patting a nearby woman on a sensitive spot. "Alright, alright. We have important guests today. I'll play with you later."
"Important guests? Let the important guests join us!"
"That's right. With Young Master Li's status, aren't his important guests also our important guests?"
"..."
The women's eyes lit up as they focused on Chen Fan and the others.
Li Qian laughed, pulling Chen Fan back and signaling for his subordinates to close the door.
Chen Fan's face twitched slightly.
"They're all models, specially invited by the club to entertain you."
Li Qian winked at Chen Fan. "Have your fun today. If you don't enjoy yourselves to the fullest, you're not giving me, Li Qian, any face!"
Chen Fan felt rather speechless.
"Alright, I know Young Master Du and Brother Zhuo have discerning tastes. Let's go this way!"
Li Qian added.
They walked down the corridor. This time, Li Qian didn't open each room individually. After passing several rooms, he stopped outside one and winked. "Guess who's inside?"
"Brother Qian, you're still playing coy?"
Du Fumin playfully chided.
"Haha!"
Li Qian pushed the door open.
Inside the luxurious private room, the music was soft. Several women were chatting.
Seeing Li Qian peek in, they glanced over. Without rising to greet him, they appeared rather reserved.
With a "snap," Li Qian turned on the lights and entered.
"Miss Yun, Miss Hua, allow me to introduce some friends."
Walking over, Li Qian said with a smile.
The women stood up.
One of them, a woman with a sweet face, smiled and said, "Then this is our honor. Friends of Young Master Li must surely be extraordinary people, with exceptional backgrounds and origins."
Chen Fan looked at these women, finding them somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.
"Brother Min, Brother Zhuo, you must know them. This is Miss Hua Xiao, who frequently appears in dramas we watch. And this is Miss Lin Zi, a rising star, who stars in the most popular TV series lately..."
Chen Fan finally understood. The four women in this room were likely all celebrities from the entertainment industry.
No wonder their looks and temperament surpassed those of the models earlier.
Li Qian, with a look of pride, introduced Chen Fan and the others to the female stars.
As he introduced them, the eyes of the female stars gleamed.
They had come to Li Qian's birthday banquet with the intention of networking, and the extraordinary backgrounds of Chen Fan and the other two made them particularly interested.
So this was the "program"?
Chen Fan found it quite boring.
"Brother Min, Brother Zhuo, Brother Zhen, you entertain yourselves here for a while. Some other friends have arrived, I need to greet them."
After the introductions, Li Qian said with a smile, "With beautiful women by your side, don't waste the time."
Du Fumin nodded. "Alright, Brother Qian, you go ahead and be busy. We'll sit here for a bit."
"I've left someone at the door. Just call for them if you need anything."
As the host today, Li Qian was indeed quite occupied.
Before turning to leave, he patted Chen Fan's shoulder again and said to the actresses, "Brother Zhuo is my brother. Don't neglect him, ladies."
Chen Fan gave Li Qian a playful glare. "You rascal, go and get busy."
Li Qian laughed and whispered in Chen Fan's ear, "Brother, if you fancy any of them, feel free to unleash your charm and wealth. There are rooms upstairs. You can do whatever you want. Every moment is worth gold."
Chen Fan pouted. He had no interest in such matters.
If it weren't for wanting to see what Du Fumin had arranged and what his brothers would do, he wouldn't have bothered coming.
Li Qian turned and left.
Du Fumin smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, Young Master Yu, please sit. Ladies, please make yourselves comfortable."
"Hehe, with Young Master Du saying so, I'll be truly casual then!"
Hua Xiao winked at Du Fumin and leaned towards him.
Du Fumin smiled nonchalantly and sat on the sofa, not refusing.
Hua Xiao immediately poured a glass of red wine and handed it to Du Fumin, licking her lips. "Young Master Du, meeting is fate. I'll toast you."
Du Fumin took the wine glass, clinked it, and took a small sip.
Hua Xiao naturally drank hers in one go and began chatting intimately with Du Fumin, sitting close to him.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhen was also being forward, sitting between two women, his hands already resting on their laps.
Lin Zi naturally pushed him away slightly, feigning resistance, and offered him a drink. "Young Master Yu, I'll toast you..."
Seeing that both of them were acting with composure, Chen Fan sat down calmly to the side.
Of the four female stars, the remaining one hesitated for a moment before moving closer to Chen Fan and sitting down. She picked up two glasses of wine. "Hello, Mr. Chen. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Chen Fan nodded, took the wine glass, but placed it on the table. "Hello."
Li Qian had introduced her earlier. This woman was Fang Qiong, also from the entertainment industry, reportedly new to the scene, unlike the more famous Hua Xiao and Lin Zi.
Seeing that Chen Fan had no intention of drinking, Fang Qiong was slightly taken aback, and her expression turned a little nervous.
She pursed her lips and said, "Mr. Chen, do you, do you want to sing? I can go and pick a song for you!"
Chen Fan shook his head and said, "Just sit."
Upon hearing this, Fang Qiong became even more anxious and felt quite uneasy.