Lord, give up! Madam has too many vests

Chapter 383 Tongtian Pavilion

"This is Tongtian Pavilion, a private club that has sprung up in Xingzhou in recent years. I heard it has a special background, and ordinary people can't get in at all." Qin Shi frowned slightly as he looked at the tightly closed door of the club. "Why would Cheng Lingling come here alone?"

Qin Shi was about to contact Cheng Fei when he checked his phone again and found that it had no signal; clearly, the phone was being blocked.

"It's all my fault...it's all my fault!"

Qin Shengsheng's voice trembled with anxiety, and she spoke incoherently, "Lingling came here to help me get revenge! She called me before she got out of the car and said that Liu Shiyu and her agent had pulled her aside, saying that they wanted to meet some big shots in the film and television industry who could pave the way for her in the industry..."

As she spoke, she clenched her fists, her voice filled with regret: "My studio had some problems before, and I had a really bad falling out with Liu Shiyu. I heard that she spent a lot of money to suppress the negative news at the time. Lingling knew that I had been wronged and had been trying to find an opportunity to help me get revenge."

Yan Lan remembered that Cheng Lingling became a well-known supermodel during her university years thanks to her excellent qualities.

In the past two years, she wanted to switch to the film and television industry. Coincidentally, she and Liu Shiyu were in the same entertainment company. Tonight, Cheng Lingling couldn't resist the urge to help Qin Shengsheng get revenge, so she agreed. However, she didn't expect that after drinking the water handed to her by Liu Shiyu's agent, she would soon feel something was wrong.

Sensing something was wrong, she took advantage of the other party's inattention and hurriedly called Qin Shengsheng for help.

Yan Lan frowned. If it were someone else's situation, she might hesitate a bit, but Cheng Lingling was her student, and they had dealt with each other several times. She was simple-minded, and now that something like this had happened, she really couldn't just stand by and watch her die.

As soon as they reached the door, they were stopped by two security guards in black uniforms.

The security guard's sharp gaze swept over Qin Shengsheng and Yan Lan, finally landing on Qin Shi behind them. His tone was icy cold: "Sorry, uninvited guests are not allowed to enter the club."

Qin Shi's face darkened, and he was about to reveal his identity when Yan Lan gently tugged at his wrist.

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Yan Lan. Seeing her look at him, signaling him to calm down, he swallowed the words he was about to say and silently shut his mouth.

Yan Lan knew that even if they forced their way in using Qin Shi's identity, this place was so big, and there might even be secret rooms. Finding someone would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and it would be very difficult to find Cheng Lingling quickly.

This might alert the enemy and make them more prepared, making it even more difficult to rescue Cheng Lingling then.

"We came at the invitation of a friend. You should know Empress Liu, right?"

Yan Lan stepped forward, her back straight, her tone instantly becoming distant and aloof, her eyes carrying a hint of superior composure, as if she were truly a distinguished guest attending the banquet.

As she spoke, she turned to look at Qin Shi, her tone deliberately cold, as if she were dismissing someone unimportant, "You can go back first. We'll call you to pick us up when we're done."

Qin Shi paused for a second, then immediately understood Yan Lan's intentions. She was deliberately pretending that "he was just a bodyguard" to lower the security guard's guard first, and then find an opportunity to take Qin Shengsheng in to find Cheng Lingling after he "left".

Qin Shi's heart tightened instantly. She was clearly planning to sneak in by pretending to be a "VIP female companion"!

However, Tongtian Pavilion has a complicated background, and there are people inside who are trying to harm Cheng Lingling. It would be too dangerous to let Yan Lan and Qin Shengsheng go in alone!

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, even just to be allowed to come in with him, but Yan Lan seemed to have already guessed his thoughts. She grabbed Qin Shengsheng's wrist and walked straight into the club without pausing for a moment.

The two security guards at the entrance, having seen many beautiful women coming and going, glanced at Yan Lan and Qin Shengsheng.

One had a cool and aloof demeanor, exuding an air of nobility, while the other was bright and capable, clearly of extraordinary birth. Both were strikingly beautiful and indeed seemed to be companions brought by the guests who had booked the venue for the night. My previous wariness dissipated considerably, and I stopped trying to stop them, gesturing for them to enter.

After watching the two figures disappear through the club's entrance, Qin Shi didn't actually leave. Instead, he quickly circled around to the side of the club, his eyes fixed on the walls and windows, pondering how to quietly follow them in and protect their safety.

Qin Shi walked quickly along the outer wall of the clubhouse, his eyes constantly scanning the surveillance cameras on the wall. Soon, at the corner of the side building, he found a blind spot in the surveillance cameras that was blocked by the air conditioner unit.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took two steps back to gather his strength, then with a long stride, his body moved as nimbly as a gecko, his fingertips precisely gripping the edge of the windowsill.

With a slight exertion of his arm, he easily leaped onto the windowsill, which was more than two meters high.

Before landing, he made only a very soft sound, then quickly ducked and slipped into the dark building, groping his way into the clubhouse along the dimly lit corridor.

"Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law, I'm a little scared." Qin Shengsheng gripped Yan Lan's wrist tightly, her teeth chattering slightly with nervousness, her voice extremely low, and even her steps were a little unsteady.

Yan Lan looked around. The interior of the club was far more luxurious than the exterior. The walls were covered with dark gold wallpaper, adorned with delicate crystal patterns.

A huge European-style chandelier hung from the ceiling, its lights deliberately dimmed to create an exceptionally private atmosphere.

Faint laughter could be heard from the private rooms on both sides of the corridor from time to time. People passed by in an endless stream, mostly men in sharp suits, their sleeves reeking of alcohol.

The beautiful women accompanying them were either dressed in fitted evening gowns or chic Chanel-style suits, with exquisite makeup.

As Yan Lan and Qin Shengsheng walked by, many male guests couldn't help but look at them with undisguised scrutiny. Some even stopped and raised their glasses at them, their lips curling into ambiguous smiles. Qin Shengsheng felt a tightness in her body and subconsciously hid behind Yan Lan.

The two women were like prey that had strayed into a hunting ground. The gazes of the male guests around them were like those of greedy beasts, fixed on them with covetous eyes, as if they would pounce on them at any moment and devour them completely.

What's even more unsettling is that since they entered, they've searched the entire hall and corridors but haven't seen Cheng Lingling anywhere.

"Liu Shiyu..."

Yan Lan suddenly lowered her voice and gestured towards a spot not far away.

Following her gaze, Qin Shengsheng finally spotted a familiar face.

Liu Shiyu walked out of a private room with a smug smile on her lips. She glanced back at the room with a malicious look in her eyes.

"The female lead in Director Liu's next film is mine." Liu Shiyu scoffed at the air, her arrogance barely concealed. "Cheng Lingling, you and Qin Shengsheng dared to team up to bully me before, causing me to transfer schools. Today, I'll make sure you're completely disgraced!"

As she spoke, she raised her hand and tapped her phone's photo album, where several photos of Cheng Lingling were prominently displayed.

In the photo, Cheng Lingling's eyes are unfocused and she is clearly not in a good state of mind. She is surrounded by several strange men. Some of them put their arms around her shoulders, while others offer her wine glasses. The gestures are intimate yet jarring.

In fact, from the very beginning, Liu Shiyu deliberately orchestrated for Cheng Lingling to join her entertainment company.

Knowing that Cheng Lingling wanted to change her career path, and knowing that Director Liu had a leading role in a big production, she deliberately used "matchmaking" as bait to lure Cheng Lingling to Tongtian Pavilion.

She deliberately had someone add drugs to Cheng Lingling's water.

After Cheng Lingling drank the water, she gradually became confused. She then deliberately left under the pretext of "going to the restroom," leaving Cheng Lingling alone in the private room full of male guests.

Director Liu had long coveted Cheng Lingling's looks and figure, and seeing that she was out of her mind, he immediately had wicked thoughts.

Liu Shiyu returned at the perfect time, pretending to "bump into" the scene. While feigning to stop her, she secretly recorded videos and saved photos, waiting to release them later to make Cheng Lingling a complete plaything.

"Let's go quickly! Lingling must be in that private room!" Qin Shengsheng looked at the private room and was about to rush over, but Yan Lan gently pulled her back and shook her head.

"Don't be impulsive." Yan Lan's voice was very low as she quickly scanned the waiters at both ends of the corridor. "Something's wrong with this club. Not to mention the security guards at the door, look at those waiters who just passed by. They stood properly and had wary eyes. They were obviously professionally trained and not ordinary club staff. If we rush in now, even if we find Lingling, there's no way we can escape from here with her and you."

Qin Shengsheng calmed down and followed Yan Lan's gaze.

Sure enough, she noticed that while the waiters seemed to be serving tea and water, they were actually keeping an eye on people coming and going, their expressions revealing a subtle wariness. She immediately lost her earlier impulsiveness and anxiously asked, "What should we do? We can't just stand by and watch Lingling get into trouble!"

Yan Lan didn't speak, her gaze falling on the bar not far away—there were more than a dozen uniquely designed masks, some with delicate lace and others with retro feathers, presumably for guests to use when the club held dances.

She walked over quickly, picked out two masks that covered most of her face, and handed one to Qin Shengsheng: "Wear this to reduce other people's attention. Let's find a chance to get close to the private room, see what's going on inside, and then figure out how to save Lingling."

As soon as Yan Lan finished speaking, soothing dance music suddenly filled the dance floor, and the lights became even dimmer and more hazy.

As the dance floor swayed with people, Yan Lan subtly adjusted her direction, keeping her eyes fixed on the bar counter. Taking advantage of a moment when she turned around, she slowly moved closer to the bar.

On the other side, Liu Shiyu was in an exceptionally good mood because she had secured the lead role in Director Liu's new film. She walked to the bar in her high heels, picked up a glass of mixed blue cocktail, took a small sip, and her eyes were full of pride.

"You must be Liu Tianhou? I'm your fan!" A slightly excited voice suddenly rang out beside me.

Liu Shiyu turned her head and saw a female guest wearing a feather mask walking quickly over, her tone full of excitement. It was Yan Lan, who was wearing a mask.

Liu Shiyu casually brushed her long, wavy hair aside, raised her chin slightly, and nodded gently with her usual arrogance, too lazy to say anything more.

"This is my first time visiting a place like Tongtian Pavilion. I never expected to be so lucky as to meet you here!"

Yan Lan deliberately lowered her posture, her tone full of "admiration," but her eyes were secretly watching Liu Shiyu's reaction.

"You're a new recruit under Manager Lin, aren't you?" Liu Shiyu looked her up and down, her tone carrying a hint of disdain. "You don't know any manners at all. You can't just chat with the guests here. Don't talk nonsense to outsiders either, lest you cause trouble. And don't say you've seen me here before."

After saying that, she looked away and turned to leave.

She came here tonight to build relationships with Director Liu and other important figures, and she didn't have time to waste on this "newcomer" whose name she didn't even know.

Yan Lan was about to use her "fan" status to follow Cheng Lingling and try to get more information about her when a man in a suit suddenly stood in front of her.

The other person bowed slightly, making a standard gesture inviting someone to dance, their eyes conveying an undeniable sense of refusal.

Yan Lan's heart sank. She knew the rules of the club. If she refused the invitation to dance, it would inevitably arouse suspicion, and she might even be targeted as an "unusual person," making it even more difficult to find Cheng Lingling then.

Just as she hesitated about how to respond, a hand with distinct knuckles suddenly reached out and firmly grasped her wrist. Immediately afterward, a familiar male voice rang out, carrying an undeniable firmness: "I'm sorry, she's my date, so I'm afraid she can't dance with you."

Yan Lan turned her head and was stunned. Through the simple black mask on the other person's face, she saw Qin Shi!

Before she could react, Qin Shi took the opportunity to put his arm around her waist, and with a little force, turned her around to avoid the male guest, and glided lightly into the depths of the dance floor.

"How did you get in? Did no one see you?" Yan Lan's pupils contracted slightly in surprise at his sudden action, and she lowered her voice to a very low level.

Qin Shi tightened his arms, pulling her closer to his chest, his nose almost touching the top of her head. With a hint of ambiguity in his voice, he whispered in her ear, "You climbed over the wall. It's easy to find in the blind spots of the surveillance cameras. By the way, guess who I just saw?"

The man's warm breath brushed past her ear, carrying a faint scent of aftershave. Yan Lan's heart skipped a beat, her earlobes instantly flushed red, and even her fingertips felt a little hot.

Before she could even sort out her thoughts, she heard Qin Shi slowly utter three words, his tone carrying a hint of gravity: "Liu Jinnian."

At this moment, in the VIP room on the top floor of Tongtian Pavilion, the crystal chandelier was only half lit. Under the warm yellow light, Liu Jinnian sat back in the leather sofa, a glass of red wine between his fingers.

Across from him sat a woman in a red velvet gown, her makeup exquisite, holding a matching wine glass. Upon hearing this, she smiled and gently clinked her glasses with his, the glass sides making a crisp sound as they touched. "The club's profits have been very good lately."

Liu Jinnian took a sip of red wine, his gaze fixed on the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window, his tone flat and devoid of emotion: "Well done, I knew I didn't save the wrong person."