At this moment, in the lobby downstairs, Kong Lili’s gaze inadvertently shifted, catching sight of a familiar figure.
"Manager Kong, what are you looking at?"
Kong Lili smiled faintly. "Mr. Li, I think I just saw a younger relative go upstairs."
The pot-bellied Mr. Li chuckled scornfully. "Do you even know what kind of people are allowed in the private rooms upstairs? A younger relative? If you had a relative with access to the second floor, would you still need to drink with me?"
The mockery in his tone was undisguised.
Kong Lili’s face turned pale, but she quickly plastered on a servile smile. "I must have been mistaken, then. Come, Mr. Li, I’ll drink this whole glass. You can’t go back on that order you promised me just now."
The man sneered, his finger landing on Kong Lili’s waist. "Such a schemer. When did I promise you anything?"
Kong Lili cursed inwardly. This old bastard, taking all the advantage yet refusing to commit even slightly. If she couldn’t seal the deal on this order, her monthly performance would bottom out, and she’d be left to starve.
Gritting her teeth, Kong Lili decided to go for broke. She leaned closer toward him, her cheek almost brushing his chest.
"Mr. Li, you really love to tease me."
Mr. Li’s face twisted into an oily grin.
Finally finding a chance to escape, Kong Lili rushed into the restroom, gagging herself to induce vomiting until she nearly brought up stomach acid.
She stared in pain at the person in the mirror, her eyes filled with exhaustion and resentment.
Grabbing some tissues, she furiously scrubbed at the spot where his hand had touched her, her expression one of utter disgust.
Suddenly, her movements stopped as that familiar figure she had seen earlier flashed through her mind.
It looked a lot like Zhou Qin’s good-for-nothing niece.
She still hadn’t recovered from the scolding that girl had given her last time.
But after going home, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
She was just a brat, barely knowing a thing, who had somehow picked up a few tricks and dared to threaten an elder.
Truly, a child born with no upbringing.
Later, she had gotten in touch with Zhou Qin, constantly egging her on to stir up more trouble. It was even her who advised Zhou Qin not to get a divorce no matter what.
If it meant giving that damn girl a hard time, she was more than happy to do it.
More importantly, seeing Zhou Qin in misery made her feel better about her own life. At least then, she didn’t think hers was all that bad and could barely keep going.
Unfortunately, whenever she tried calling Zhou Qin afterward, she could never get through.
Could she have run off with her lover?
Kong Lili sneered. What a waste of a good hand.
She squinted her eyes. She was almost certain—just now, that person was Shen You’an.
Shen You’an had gone up to the second floor, accompanied by some young man. Mr. Li had said it himself: the second floor was exclusively for the rich and powerful.
That cheeky girl certainly knew how to climb the social ladder.
At that moment, the ringtone from her bag suddenly went off.
Kong Lili acted as if she hadn’t heard it.
Only when it rang a second time, did she irritably snatch up her phone. Without even glancing at the caller ID, she picked up and spat venemously:
"What the hell do you want!?"
On the other side of the line, a calm but mechanical male voice responded patiently.
"Is this Miss Kong Lili?"
For some reason, the tone sent a chill down Kong Lili’s spine, freezing her in place and suppressing her temper.
"Do you know Zhou Qin by any chance?"
Kong Lili immediately became cautious. "Who are you?"
"There’s no need to worry, Miss Kong. Several months ago, Miss Zhou pawned an item at our pawnshop. The deadline to settle the remaining balance has arrived, but we’ve been unable to reach her. Do you happen to know her current whereabouts?"
Kong Lili’s eyes suddenly lit up. "What did she pawn?"
"That is Miss Zhou’s private business. Only she can come in person to retrieve it."
Kong Lili responded firmly, "I’m Zhou Qin’s cousin. Of course, I know where she is. She even told me she’d pawned a jade piece recently, but she broke her leg and can’t leave the house. She asked me to collect the remaining balance on her behalf. I was just about to look for you, but here you are, calling me first."
There was a slight trace of hesitation in the voice on the other end. "Very well. I’ll send you the address. Come by tomorrow."
After hanging up, Kong Lili slapped her hands together with glee.
A long time ago, Zhou Qin, drunk and slurring, had once confided in her about something mysterious: she’d stolen a piece of jade from her sister-in-law’s coffin. It wasn’t ordinary, Zhou Qin had said, and someday, if life got too hard, she could pawn it off for a huge sum of money.
Kong Lili had scoffed at the time, utterly dismissive.
But later, the more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became.
She had met Zhou Qin’s brother-in-law a few times. With his looks and presence, Kong Lili would bet there wasn’t anyone else in all of Qingzhou quite like him.
For some inexplicable reason, he had set his sights on Zhang Yun, that fool.