Chapter 83: Journey to Tiger Mountain

In the end, Yang Chen was the only one left on the street, the dinner that Tangtang had intended to treat him to ended dramatically. However, the poor girl had been through enough already—losing her bag while using the restroom and getting stripped of her clothes. Yang Chen didn't expect her to remember about treating him to dinner anytime soon.

With nowhere else in mind to eat, and seeing that it was getting late, he drove to the Rose Bar. Everything that had just happened felt like it never occurred.

When he arrived at the Rose Bar, there were already quite a few people drinking and chatting inside. Recently, the bar had changed its ambiance, playing Mozart's violin melodies in the hall. Although there weren't many customers, the atmosphere was much better than those messy bars.

What surprised Yang Chen was that Chen Rong, dressed as a waitress, was already on duty.

The girl, as pure as a lily, looked refreshing and bright after her bath, wearing a black and white uniform, shedding her previous dirty and tired look. Especially her youthful and lovely face, as fair as snow and as tender as a flower.

Seeing Yang Chen come in, Chen Rong greeted him shyly, "Brother Yang."

Knowing that Chen Rong was still not used to it, Yang Chen teased, "If Xiao Zhao and the others bully you, just tell me, I'll beat them up for you."

Xiao Zhao and the others immediately protested upon hearing this, "Brother Yang, how could we dare? Little Rong, this is recommended by Brother Yang and personally taken care of by the boss. We're trying to please Little Rong, how could we dare to bully her?"

Chen Rong sweetly smiled upon hearing this, feeling touched, she said "Thank you" before hurrying off to help in the backstage.

Watching Chen Rong's back, Yang Chen also smiled contentedly, then walked into the corridor behind the bar. He wasn't sure what Rose wanted to talk to him about, but at least he needed to have his meal first.

Entering the large bedroom filled with the alluring scent of roses, he didn't see the figure of the beauty.

Yang Chen, with his keen ears, quickly noticed the sound of dripping water coming from the bathroom on one side of the room.

Was she taking a shower?

Yang Chen felt he should carefully inquire if assistance was needed, even if it meant assuming the role of an observer to watch Rose bathe. In any case, Yang Chen felt he had plenty of reasons to go in and watch Rose bathe.

Quietly pushing open the glass door, he was greeted by a misty haze inside, with the mist-covered mirror reflecting soft light, lending an ambiguous yet pristine aura to the entire bathroom. Just as Yang Chen was about to approach the shower cubicle for an irresistible intimate encounter with Rose, he realized something was amiss.

Though the frosted glass shower cubicle was splattered with water, there was apparently no trace of Rose's seductive figure inside...

Tricked?! Yang Chen spun around abruptly, only to see Rose with a mischievous grin standing at the opposite French window, her smug expression resembling that of a successful trickster who had just played a prank on a monkey.

"This woman is becoming less and less adorable," Yang Chen thought indignantly, though he maintained a calm expression on his face. After opening the door to the shower cubicle and turning off the tap inside, he said, "Sweet Rose, I think it's better to turn off the tap after bathing. It's a good habit to save water and electricity."

Rose finally couldn't help bursting into laughter, bending over in laughter before managing to contain herself and saying, "I finally won this time. It seems the best way to deal with you is to use the tricks of teasing a pervert."

"I already said, I'm concerned about water conservation," Yang Chen refused to admit defeat, sitting down on the large bed and reclining, determined to change the subject. "I haven't eaten yet."

Rose didn't point out his bluff either, tapping her chin thoughtfully and saying, "Do you want to try my cooking?"

"You can cook?" Yang Chen was a bit incredulous. A woman from the underworld cooking?

Rose gave him a disdainful look, then walked to a white wall in the room and pushed it slightly. To their surprise, the wall panel turned out to be a well-disguised wooden door.

After opening the wooden door, a seven or eight square meter kitchen appeared, looking like a delicately furnished kitchenette of a small family.

Yang Chen opened his mouth, "How did I not know about this place?"

Rose looked at him with a hint of resentment. "Every time you come, you only do naughty things to me. How would you care about my daily life?"

Feeling embarrassed by her remark, Yang Chen awkwardly laughed. He had plucked this delicate flower himself, but he hadn't really taken care of it much.

Rose stopped teasing him and immediately asked, "Darling, what would you like to eat?"

"Anything, as long as it fills my stomach," Yang Chen had no particular preferences.

Rose's cooking skills were surprisingly decent. When Yang Chen received a plate of beef fried rice garnished with coriander, he immediately dug in with relish.

Thoughtful Rose also brought over a bowl of pickled cabbage and egg drop soup, a simple yet fitting accompaniment for someone like Yang Chen, who was naturally accustomed to hard labor.

After finishing their meal, Rose carefully wiped Yang Chen's mouth with a damp tissue, behaving like a dutiful wife serving her husband, her focused manner almost making Yang Chen's bones go soft.

Then, Rose tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, washing them in the kitchen in a practiced manner, while Yang Chen turned on the TV to watch the news, as if they were an ordinary couple relaxing at home after work, silently understanding each other without exchanging many words.

Once everything was done, Rose closed the kitchen door, as if the time spent over dinner had never occurred.

Slowly, Rose sat down beside Yang Chen, her delicate figure clad in semi-transparent silk pajamas naturally leaning against him, shifting her body to find a comfortable position, quietly accompanying Yang Chen as they watched the news together.

"Thank you," Rose murmured softly after a while.

"What for?" Yang Chen asked.

"I liked the way it was just now, being able to cook for you, watching you finish the food I made, and then cleaning up while you sat nearby watching TV. I could feel you beside me, instead of being alone in the whole house..."

Yang Chen affectionately caressed Rose's cheek. "I liked it too. It would be even better if you cooked more."

"I really hope we could do this every day... even though it's not possible," Rose said.

"I will try to make it possible," Yang Chen said. "I rarely make promises to women, but you should trust me."

"Why do you speak differently now compared to before you accepted me?" Rose gazed at Yang Chen with a hint of bewilderment. "You never used to ask me to trust you, because you never allowed me not to trust you... Are you afraid of me now? Afraid of losing me?"

Yang Chen shook his head slightly, holding Rose's delicate hand in his. "There are no men in this world who are afraid of women, only men who respect their women."

"But those men under my command, they are all afraid of me," Rose stared at Yang Chen.

"Because they are not your men. You are mine," Yang Chen said.

Rose smiled charmingly. "Now, that's more like you."

Yang Chen affectionately pinched the woman's delicate nose. "Alright, I've said what you wanted to hear. Now, it's time for you to tell me what you want to say. I don't believe you called me here today just to hear sweet words from me."

"Not even giving me time to savor it, how disappointing," Rose grumbled, although she ultimately sat up straight and said seriously, "My father sent an invitation, asking me to attend a gathering."

"Your father? Situ Mingze?" Yang Chen asked in confusion. "Haven't you and your father already severed ties long ago? Why does he have the nerve to send you an invitation?"

Rose smiled wryly. "This time is different, there are special guests."

"Who?"

"Zhou Guangnian and his son."

Yang Chen pondered for a moment, recalling the information about the underground world of Zhonghai that he had obtained from Rose before, before remembering who Zhou Guangnian was.

If the Western District was now evenly matched between the Western Alliance and the Hongjing Society, then the underground world of the Eastern District seemed much more peaceful. Because over a decade ago, leveraging smuggling weapons and trafficking drugs, Zhou Guangnian, known as the 'Old Catfish', had already unified the Eastern District of Zhonghai. Over the past decade or so of development and expansion, the former pure underworld leader had become the semi-black and semi-white overlord of the Eastern District. Even the name of his gang, "Dongxing Gang," had been changed to "Dongxing Group."

Zhou Guangnian's direct descendants had already been firmly entrenched in the fertile soil of Zhonghai. Regardless of the Western Alliance or the Hongjing Society, they appeared somewhat immature in front of Zhou Guangnian. Several years ago, when Rose had not yet betrayed Situ Mingze and established the Hongjing Society, the power of the Western Alliance could still rival that of the Dongxing Group to some extent. But now, with the West divided, they appeared fragile and vulnerable before Dongxing.

At this moment, the presence of Zhou Guangnian and his son at the small gathering hosted by Situ Mingze carried significant implications, worthy of deep consideration.

Yang Chen asked with some headache, "What do you want to do?"

"What else can I do?" Rose smiled bitterly. "Although I can choose not to give that person face, the strength of the Dongxing Group is still beyond what we can currently contend with. If we don't attend, it might provoke Dongxing and the Western Alliance to come after us together." Pausing here, Rose looked at Yang Chen and continued, "Perhaps because of you, we can deal with the main threat first, like we did with Chen Dehai in the past. But Dongxing has long become a tightly managed team. Even if Zhou Guangnian and his son die, there will still be a large number of Dongxing members coming after us. We may be fine, but I can't ignore our brothers and sisters below."

"So, you're knowingly heading into the tiger's den?" Yang Chen understood almost immediately.

Rose suddenly gave a strange smile and whispered a few words into Yang Chen's ear.

Yang Chen immediately wiped his forehead and looked at Rose warily. "You won't admit you're a fox spirit, but it seems you've made up your mind to be Wu Song."

Rose hugged Yang Chen's arm and said coquettishly, "Anyway, when the time comes in a few days, you must come with me. I can't be left alone."

Feeling the delicate and soft touch of Rose's chest against his arm, Yang Chen, who was absorbed in some thoughts, felt it was time to do something. He was about to make a move when his phone rang from his pocket.

Annoyed, he took out his phone and saw it was Wang Ma calling. Considering the trouble Wang Ma's calls had brought before, Yang Chen didn't hesitate to answer it quickly.