Xue Rui practiced driving all day, not leaving the driving school until dusk.

He was gradually getting used to the driving school’s beat-up cars, and the second part of the driving test was basically no problem for him. The only reason he’d stayed so late was because the young lady found it all very entertaining, and Qiu Mengze had been practicing nonstop.

"Let’s go. My left foot’s about to cramp up," Qiu Mengze said, stretching lazily.

He’d been there from morning till night. Even though they had taken turns driving, he now felt like the sole of his left foot was going to seize up.

Xue Rui nodded. He felt the same way; constantly working the clutch was a real pain...

’For some reason, he suddenly had an urge to go to a club and relax.’

’Right, just for a soak in the tubs and a simple massage.’

’The more he thought about it, the more he craved it. He might as well just take the two of them with him.’

’Of course, he really had used these clubs as places for a quick rest before. They were basically high-end bathhouses, and the experience was always pretty good.’

"Come on, I’ll take you two somewhere to relax," Xue Rui said.

Lin Ruoxi just blinked. She wasn’t as tired as the two guys; she thought driving around in circles was quite fun.

"Where are we going?" Lin Ruoxi asked.

"A health club. You can eat, take a bath, and get a massage," Xue Rui answered honestly.

"Okay." The young lady’s face lit up; she loved eating with Xue Rui.

"Holy shit? A club?"

Qiu Mengze was stunned. ’How could Xue Rui say something like that in front of a girl?’

’The word "club" sounded so seedy, but in reality, the legitimate ones had excellent service and amenities, and the staff was very professional.’

’But he didn’t know the scene here in Hedong. He was worried he’d run into someone he knew, so he’d never gone to one in his past life...’

’Gossip spread like wildfire in a small city. The news could get back to his family in a matter of days.’

’He could just imagine Ren Qunfang’s reaction: "No wonder you’re not in a hurry to get married. So this is where you’ve been spending your time?"’

The three of them hailed a taxi by the side of the road.

Xue Rui offered the driver a cigarette. "Sir, which health club in the city is the biggest and has the best atmosphere?"

’With these kinds of clubs, the more magnificent and larger they were, the more "legit" they appeared on the surface, and the more services they offered...’

’If he was taking the young lady, he definitely had to pick the one with the best environment.’

The driver perked up at the question. "Don’t go to the big ones. Big businesses always rip you off, you know? They promise you this and that, but then it’s all bait-and-switch..."

’Xue Rui’s eye twitched. What the hell was this driver going on about?’

’Thankfully, the two with him didn’t understand the innuendo.’

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. Lin Ruoxi was gently dusting something off Xue Rui’s shoulder.

Even though it was getting dark and the light inside the car was dim, he still got a clear look at Lin Ruoxi’s face. It was a peerless beauty, absolutely breathtaking.

The driver sucked in a sharp breath. Their intimate and natural gestures made it obvious they were a couple...

’This kid has such a beautiful girlfriend; he’s probably not looking for *that* kind of service...’

"Ahem, well, I do know a few places. I’ll take you to the closest one, but it’s a bit pricey," the driver said, changing his tune.

"Okay, let’s go," Xue Rui said.

Soon, the taxi pulled to a slow stop by the roadside.

Xue Rui turned to look and saw a magnificent, gilded building. The sign above the entrance read: Redwood Hot Spring Health Club.

’Xue Rui nodded. This place looked decent enough.’

After paying the fare, Xue Rui led the other two out of the car.

Xue Rui glanced around. The parking lot was filled with high-end vehicles, mostly business sedans. It seemed like a place for business meetings.

He was familiar with places like this.

"Xue Rui, this is..." Qiu Mengze scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

’His dad had warned him never to set foot in a place like this.’

’Besides, just one look at the decor told him the prices inside had to be ridiculously high—far beyond what he could afford.’

"Don’t let the decor intimidate you. It’s nothing special. Let’s go," Xue Rui said, patting Qiu Mengze on the shoulder.

’He felt it was necessary for Qiu Mengze to experience a place like this.’

’His childhood friend always got nervous around beautiful women, overcome by a strange sense of inferiority.’

’He needed to let Qiu Mengze experience what it was like to have beautiful women ask him in soft, deferential tones, "Is the pressure okay?" or "How are you feeling, sir?"...’

’He wanted his friend to realize that the same girls who acted so high and mighty toward their suitors were, in the end, just ordinary people.’

’As for Lin Ruoxi, he’d just brought her along for fun.’

’Anyway, all the young lady ever cared about was food and drinks.’

They walked into the club’s lobby. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, sparkling brilliantly.

’This thing must weigh hundreds of pounds,’ Xue Rui thought, subconsciously glancing up and pulling the young lady a step to the side. ’Wouldn’t it kill someone if it fell?’

’In reality, he knew it was fastened securely, but it was like sitting in a classroom and staring at the ceiling fan, always irrationally afraid it might fall and hit someone...’

The lobby’s decor was extravagant. The ceiling was at least five or six meters high, and the hall was flanked by several large pillars...

Qiu Mengze swallowed nervously. He felt even more tense now that he was inside...

’He actually wanted to leave, but he had a feeling Xue Rui would laugh at him if he did. ’Anyway, Xue Rui’s paying this time,’ he told himself, steeling his nerves and following them in.’

Lin Ruoxi glanced around. She had never been to a place like this before, but she had been to luxurious restaurants, a bank’s VIP lounge, and high-end shopping malls...

Now, faced with all this opulence, she no longer felt any nervousness.

’She had discovered that while these places looked magnificent and were certainly not cheap, they... weren’t as outrageously expensive as she had once imagined.’

’This is the confidence that money has given her,’ Xue Rui thought, stroking Lin Ruoxi’s hair.

’Although she was still normally reluctant to spend money, she no longer became flustered or nervous at the prospect of a large expense.’

...

Several hostesses were standing on either side of the lobby.

A few of them considered stepping forward to greet the group, but upon seeing their ordinary clothes and, more importantly, their young age, they instantly lost interest.

"Hello, welcome."

Whatever they were thinking, they still had to provide the basic service.

The women exchanged a brief glance, as if to ask, ’Who’s going to take them?’

Finally, one of the hostesses put on a polite smile and stepped forward to greet them.

"I knew Xiaoli would go," one of the women whispered.

"Well, she’s the new girl."

"Xiaoli’s just a summer temp. Her family’s probably not well-off, otherwise who would let their kid take a part-time job here?"

...

"Hello," the girl said with a smile.

"Hi." Lin Ruoxi nodded politely and swung her backpack around to her front, getting ready to take out money for Xue Rui at a moment’s notice.

"Sir, do you have a membership with us?" the hostess asked with a smile.

’Out of the trio, only Xue Rui’s gaze was as calm and casual as if he’d just come home. One of the others was looking around curiously, while the third was nervously sizing up the surroundings. It seemed like it was the first time for both of them.’

’That’s why she asked Xue Rui about the membership first.’

Xue Rui, however, paid her no mind, walking straight toward the front desk.

’A membership?’ he thought. ’Places like this are always trying to push you into signing up for one...’

Xue Rui’s heart skipped. He suddenly remembered something—could his old man have a membership here?

"Phone number ending in 8888, surname Xue. Check the remaining balance," Xue Rui said.

’The young woman at the front desk froze. She didn’t recognize this customer, and he was surprisingly young...’

’Most of the clients here were in their thirties and forties.’

But he had provided the information, so she had to follow his request and check. The balance wasn’t considered confidential information.

"Hello, sir. The remaining balance is fifteen thousand..." the receptionist said politely.

’Xue Rui wasn’t surprised. It was probably a place owned by one of his father’s friends.’

’In a smaller city, resources were more concentrated. The people at the very top all pretty much knew one another.’

’His dad’s card wasn’t necessarily funded by his own money; it could have just been part of some business-related favor.’

Xue Rui glanced back at the hostess who had greeted them. "Open a new card for me. Put ten thousand on it."

The hostess was surprised. She hadn’t expected this young customer to have so much money.

In the distance, the other hostesses who had been reluctant to help now wore expressions of regret. The young man had specifically asked Xiaoli to open the card. When a new card was opened, the employee’s name and ID number were recorded, and they would receive an extra commission...

"I’ll just need a name and phone number, please." Xiaoli’s eyes crinkled in a smile. She never thought being proactive would lead to such a lucky break.

Xue Rui glanced at Lin Ruoxi. "Use your name."

"Mm, okay." Lin Ruoxi didn’t object. She stepped forward, filled out the information, and paid with her card.

A few other customers were standing at the front desk, apparently on their way out. They were all in their forties or fifties, chatting idly with cigarettes dangling from their lips.

One of the men chuckled and teased, "Hey, little lady, how come you’re the one paying?"

"Mm, I like spending money on Xue Rui," Lin Ruoxi said, glancing at him after she spoke.

Her words made the men laugh. This girl was amusing.

"This kid’s got it made! Skipped a few decades of hard work right there," one of them joked.

"Xue Rui? That name sounds familiar... Is that Jianfeng’s son?" someone muttered.

’Fucking hell, not another acquaintance,’ Xue Rui thought.

’The worst part was, he didn’t recognize them at all.’

’Small cities had their perks, but running into people you knew everywhere was a real pain...’

The men glanced at Xue Rui, thinking the young man looked familiar.

"Your name is Xue Rui? Is your father Xue Jianfeng?" one of them asked.

"Yes, he is. Hello, sirs. We’ve met before," Xue Rui said with a smile, offering them cigarettes.

’He suddenly lost all desire to be here, but Lin Ruoxi had already paid.’

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the men, Xue Rui became even more convinced that this was a legitimate establishment...

Besides, he noticed that some of the middle-aged men had even brought their wives and children along.

Qiu Mengze had been silent ever since they’d walked in. When he saw Lin Ruoxi pay for the card, he once again felt the urge to back out.

’If Xue Rui had been treating him, he could have been thick-skinned enough to put off paying him back. But this was Lin Ruoxi’s money; he had to repay her...’

Xue Rui saw what was on Qiu Mengze’s mind and patted him on the shoulder. "You can pay me back when you’re earning money in the future. For now, just consider it my treat. Or, if you’d rather, you can just call me ’Godfather’ and we’ll call it even."

Hearing this, Qiu Mengze’s brow twitched. He muttered under his breath, "How can you be so shameless? You’re spending her money and still have the nerve to say you’re treating me?"

Lin Ruoxi’s hearing was sharp. She turned to Qiu Mengze and said earnestly, "I want to spend money on Xue Rui. I’m going to be his sugar mommy."

"..." Qiu Mengze was speechless. ’What kind of love potion had Xue Rui fed Lin Ruoxi?’

’Why couldn’t he ever meet a sugar mommy like that?’

After paying, Lin Ruoxi was given a key wristband and she instinctively fell into step behind Xue Rui.

"Let’s go. This place has specialty hot springs," Xue Rui said, putting an arm around Qiu Mengze’s shoulders and leading him inside.

"Miss, you can’t go with them!" the hostess called out, quickly stopping Lin Ruoxi.