Ethan Chen understood exactly what Serena He was trying to convey.
"Thanks."
"Do we need to say such things between us?" Serena smiled. "We've been through life and death together, right?"
"Let's go. After The Boss called that meeting, I'm sure plenty of people are waiting for us now."
Just as Serena predicted, when they arrived at the casino, many of the people from the meeting were still there. They pulled Ethan and Serena into drinking, addressing Ethan respectfully as "Brother Yi" or "Brother Chen," all trying to curry favor.
He was The Boss's current favorite! Judging by the trend, he probably wouldn't just be a manager after the new year, but a Vice President!
Even Michael Langford had stayed, clinking glasses with Ethan before leaving.
On opening night, Ethan had only been pleasantly buzzed.
Tonight, Ethan got thoroughly drunk. In his hazy state, he felt a woman sit on his lap.
"Serena?"
That slender waist, those bright, large eyes... incredibly alluring.
"Ethan, don't just sit there. Keep drinking!" Serena looped her arms around Ethan's neck, leaning her whole body against him, and raised her glass to his lips.
Ethan's hands naturally found her waist, feeling its softness and slenderness. A fire ignited in his gut, fueled by the alcohol, making him bolder. His hands began to wander upward.
"We're drinking here, none of that cuddling! Come on, Qingqing, let us sisters have a few more." Serena was pulled away by someone else.
Ethan's reaching hand found empty air. A wave of dizziness hit him, and he leaned back against the sofa. He didn't know how much time passed before the noise around him gradually faded.
A seductive fragrance wafted into his senses, and something soft brushed against him.
"Such a big reaction... do you need big sister to help you take care of that?" A voice purred.
Ethan could feel a hand on his body, fingertips tracing lines that sent tingles across his skin.
"You've had too much..." Ethan mumbled, wanting to say Serena couldn't hold her liquor either, when he suddenly jolted—this wasn't Serena's scent!
He opened his eyes and finally saw who was sitting next to him. It was that flirty young matron, what was her name... Fang Si.
"Sis Fang?" Ethan sat up abruptly.
Fang Si's gaze was heavy with suggestion. Seeing Ethan seemed more alert, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face. "Little handsome, you've had quite a lot tonight. You're so heartless. Someone is worried sick about you, and here you are, fooling around. You almost devoured that female manager just now."
The female manager was Serena.
Ethan rubbed his temples and asked instinctively, "Mulan didn't come with you?"
Fang Si's face was full of mock resentment. "You playboy, you still remember our Lanlan? Because of you, Lanlan has been placed under house arrest. How could she come out to play with me?"
"What happened?" Ethan asked urgently.
"It's all about repaying the debt to your casino. A hundred and twenty million. That Caleb Yuan didn't want to pay, wanted to drag it out. The Hongshun Group behind him didn't care either. And Lanlan's family certainly wouldn't intervene. To put it bluntly, you guys weren't getting that money back."
"But who knew you, you playboy, were so capable? You won our Lanlan's favor in just a day. And after you got hurt by Yuan's men, our Lanlan, under immense pressure, got the money from the Mu family to pay you back. She was so rushed to liquidate assets, she didn't sleep for two days."
Ethan was shocked. So that's why The Boss and Uncle Kun said it was the Mu family's money!
No wonder someone with Mulan's temperament fell asleep so instantly and deeply in the car!
"So what happens now?" Ethan asked quickly. "Does that mean Mulan effectively paid the money?"
"Of course not. The Mu family aren't fools. After the incident, Hongshun compensated the Mu family. And because of the mess Caleb Yuan made, the arranged marriage with the Mu family is off."
"For you, Lanlan offended her family and lost her fiancé. And you? Getting dead drunk, with beauties throwing themselves at you. I really feel sorry for our Lanlan." As Fang Si spoke, her hand drifted towards Ethan's lower abdomen again.
Seeing the woman looked ready to devour him on the spot, Ethan dodged in alarm. "Sis Fang, you don't seem all that sorry for Mulan."
"Why wouldn't I be? Lanlan and I are close sisters. Taking care of a man she cares about is the natural thing to do, isn't it?" Fang Si laughed.
"Sis Fang, there you are!" Serena's drunken voice sounded as she stumbled over. "Everyone's looking for you to drink." As she spoke, she started pulling Fang Si away.
Fang Si covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Little handsome, not only are you afraid I'll eat you, your little girlfriend is too. I promise you, big sister will have her way with you sooner or later." She walked away with a flirtatious laugh.
Ethan wiped a cold sweat from his brow. It wasn't that Fang Si wasn't attractive. On the contrary, she was beautiful, well-dressed, and radiated the charm of a mature woman—definitely a heartbreaker type with no shortage of suitors.
Wealthy, beautiful, great figure, captivating.
The perfect young matron. But precisely because of that, Ethan didn't dare. There was no doubt the man behind Fang Si was powerful. Getting into trouble because he couldn't control his urges would be the height of stupidity.
He went to the restroom to make himself vomit, splashed cold water on his face, and asked a server for some honey water. Finally feeling more sober, he sat in the private room observing. Once he saw Fang Si and her group were leaving, he took the heavily intoxicated Serena back to her room and got her settled.
"What, had so much to drink and still came to take care of me? Afraid I'd get taken advantage of?" Serena's eyes were bleary with drink.
"Don't worry, I know my limits. A man I have no feelings for wouldn't get to lay a finger on me."
"Ethan, I was really happy today."
"Don't go. Let's talk... let's just..." Serena's words trailed off as she fell asleep.
Listening to Serena's even breathing, Ethan pulled the covers over her and placed a glass of water on the nightstand.
He understood Serena's happiness. It was the validation she craved, finally received today.
Ethan was happy too. Because even Michael Langford had proactively come to clink glasses with him!
The next morning, Ethan crawled out of bed, groggy. He went to school, but spent the entire day still feeling somewhat hungover. It solidified his resolve: no more drinking from Sunday to Thursday. At the very least, no heavy drinking.
After school, Ethan got a call from Serena.
"You're awake?"
"Just woke up." Serena's voice still sounded fuzzy. "Drank way too much yesterday. Oh, by the way, you need to go see Autumn today. I mentioned that marker to her while we were drinking yesterday. She didn't give a straight answer, showed no intention of paying up. You'll probably have to go yourself. You're the only one who can make her cooperate now, especially after The Boss publicly backed you in that meeting yesterday."
"Alright, I'll go check it out."
Wade Qi's car was parked nearby. Ethan kept a change of clothes in the car. He changed on the way and headed to The Majestic.
Just as the car was about to pull up at the entrance of The Majestic, Wade spoke up. "Mr. Chen, the people around here don't seem right. The ones who just went in... they don't look like patrons."