After hanging up the phone, it was getting late, and Song Qiao returned home.
Wei Feng and Chen Chen had already left, leaving only Gao Meng sitting on the sofa, idly scrolling through her phone.
After resting for some time, Gao Meng's body had almost fully recovered.
Seeing this, Song Qiao teased her a few times.
"Yo? Not sleeping this late, waiting for your master to come back together?"
Gao Meng put down her phone and glared at him, exasperated.
"Waiting for you, my foot! I'm not sleeping because I'm not tired yet!"
Due to her injuries, Gao Meng had been confined to her home for the past few days.
All she did was play on her phone and sleep, which was incredibly boring.
Song Qiao chuckled dryly, quickly washed up, and returned to his room to rest.
*Ring ring.*
The phone rang again. Song Qiao casually picked up his phone from the bedside table and answered.
"Who is it? So late."
"It's me, why are you sleeping so early?"
The voice was Deng Yihan's. Song Qiao sat up in bed and asked,
"What do you need me for? Is there any news from Nanyang?"
Deng Yihan had been asked to keep an eye on the situation in Nanyang for Song Qiao.
This girl was very dedicated to her tasks and never took them lightly.
She would report to Song Qiao at the slightest hint of trouble, and this call was for that very reason.
She briefly informed Song Qiao about the situation in Nanyang and reported on Li Bingqing's recent actions.
Then, she excitedly thanked Song Qiao, her voice filled with unconcealed happiness.
"Thank you, Song Qiao."
Song Qiao knew she was referring to his help in escorting Deng Hui.
Indeed, if it weren't for Song Qiao and his companions,
facing the 'Shan Shui' team dispatched by the Guo family,
Deng Hui would not have survived in such a perilous and fierce battle at that time.
So Song Qiao didn't stand on ceremony and instead said righteously,
"A verbal thank you isn't enough, is it? Where are the selfies I asked for?"
"That brat Deng Hui agreed readily, but he didn't deliver when he got back!"
On the other end of the line, Deng Yihan pouted shyly.
A beautiful blush appeared on her cheeks where they met her neck, making her look exceptionally alluring.
Deng Yihan brought her lips to the phone's microphone and suddenly said with a shy, blaming tone,
"You hooligan! Check your phone."
Hearing her shy tone, Song Qiao lowered his head to look at his phone with suspicion.
He saw a message waiting in the notification bar at the top of his phone.
"Could it be!"
His trembling hands gently tapped, and a very stunning photo appeared before his eyes.
Her long, straight legs were encased in black, lettered, sexy stockings.
His eyes followed the stockings upwards to her smooth, fair thighs.
The picture extended all the way to the top of her thighs.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, a glimpse of spring from a short, narrow skirt was revealed.
It was the kind of thing that couldn't be shown without blurring.
"Ho ho ho..."
Song Qiao stared at the photo, his eyes instantly becoming infatuated.
Heat spurted from his nostrils, burning him with an unbearable itch.
He praised her sincerely, "Not bad! You're indeed beautiful!"
"Consider it a reward for you, have fun with it!"
On the other end of the phone, Deng Yihan's pretty face was already burning with embarrassment from shyness.
Fearing to say anything more to Song Qiao, she quickly hung up.
Song Qiao looked at the photo Deng Yihan sent a few more times and silently tapped the save function.
While admiring it, he repeatedly nodded in praise, saying,
"Ah, it's really good! I need to find a way to get two more."
"No! I need to find a way to ask her out again!"
Song Qiao was lost in his delight, completely forgetting that he was staying at Gao Meng's place.
His little disciple was just next door!
Soon, Gao Meng heard the commotion and pushed the door open, looking at Song Qiao lying on the bed and saying irritably,
"Master, what are you going crazy about in the middle of the night?"
"You keep saying 'not bad, not bad.' Didn't you say you were going to sleep?"
Seeing Gao Meng come to him, Song Qiao wasn't flustered at all, grinning and brushing it off,
"Master saw a funny video, it's really good, let me watch it again."
"Tch~"
Gao Meng pouted. She knew her master, this sly dog, usually only watched indecent things.
She couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore and closed the door, returning to her own room to sleep.
However, before leaving, she reminded him to be quiet.
It wasn't until noon the next day that Song Qiao lazily climbed out of bed.
At this time, Jiang Rou, Li Chong, and Tao Jia were already waiting at the doorstep.
This scene startled Song Qiao, who looked at the three of them and asked in confusion, "What's going on, you guys?"
The three exchanged glances, looking at Song Qiao with disbelief.
It was Jiang Rou who first broke the awkward silence, reminding him,
"Leader, didn't you say yesterday that you were going to attend Cheng Dong's daughter's birthday banquet?"
"I did say that, didn't I?" Song Qiao scratched his head, looking puzzled.
"Could it be today?"
Jiang Rou nodded, and Song Qiao finally realized.
"Alright then, let me wash up and we'll go."
After a quick wash, the four of them set off together.
The birthday banquet was held in the wealthy district of Modu, in the same neighborhood as Madam Shen.
In a villa, Song Qiao truly witnessed the grandeur of this birthday banquet.
Besides the luxurious decor, all sorts of expensive foreign wines and food were placed everywhere.
They were as common as cabbage in a market.
There were dozens of desserts alone that Song Qiao couldn't name.
The expensive fireworks at the entrance were set off one after another, just emphasizing the extravagance.
Besides these, a birthday cake was also indispensable.
At the center of the first floor, facing the door, a large cake about 3 meters tall, including its stand, was very eye-catching.
"Rich people really know how to have fun. How many people would it take to eat such a big cake?"
Song Qiao tilted his head back, looking at the large cake, and couldn't help but complain.
The others nodded in agreement.
Song Qiao shifted his gaze from the cake and noticed a portrait on a poster next to it.
It was of a girl wearing a pure white dress.
Her face was pure, her eyes were like paintings, and her features were three-dimensional and exquisite, a standard beauty.
There was no need for Jiang Rou to introduce her further; he could tell from the text on the poster.
This was the protagonist of the birthday banquet, Cheng Dong's daughter, Cheng Ran.
Song Qiao's eyes appraised the girl in the photo, his eyes brighter than ever.
As Jiang Rou had said on the way, she was indeed Modu's top beauty!
As soon as he saw a beautiful woman, Song Qiao couldn't help but stop and look at her for a while longer.
Once he started looking, he became somewhat entranced.
He held his chin, turning it at different angles to examine her carefully, and nodded frequently.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad."
He looked like an artist admiring a masterpiece.
This made the people beside him feel a bit awkward and embarrassed.
But they dared not speak out of anger.
However, Song Qiao didn't get to admire her for too long.
Just as he was changing the position of his right hand on his chin for the sixth time,
trying to appreciate the portrait from a different angle.
He suddenly felt a slight bump on his elbow.
He didn't pay it any mind at first, as accidental bumps were common at such lively gatherings.
But the person opposite him was not pleased.
"Are you blind! Do you know how expensive this outfit is?"
"If you crease it, you'll never be able to afford it in a lifetime!"
A scolding voice came, and Song Qiao frowned and turned to look.
He saw a noblewoman wearing an expensive dress.
She was holding her forearm and glaring at him through gritted teeth.
Afraid of causing trouble for Song Qiao, Tao Jie quickly stepped forward to mediate.
He looked at the noblewoman with a fawning smile and said, "I'm truly sorry, Madam Shi."
"Mr. Song didn't notice just now and accidentally bumped you."
"I apologize on his behalf, please don't be angry."
The woman addressed as Madam Shi glanced disdainfully at Tao Jie, her eyes immediately showing contempt.
"Oh, who do we have here trying to be a peacemaker? Isn't this Tao Jie?"
Tao Jie quickly bowed slightly to her and said with a respectful compliment,
"Madam Shi, you have a good memory!"
"Then, would you give me some face today and let this matter go?"
"Hmph!" Madam Shi snorted, looking Tao Jie up and down contemptuously.
"When Tao Fan was still around, I would give you not just one face, but ten or eight."
"But now, what do you even amount to?"
"Are you worthy of speaking to me?"
At these words, the smile on Tao Jie's face froze.
His hands also had nowhere to go, unsure of what action or expression to adopt.
Madam Shi, seeing his awkward predicament, mocked him with disdain.
"Oh? You can't take it? But what can you do if you can't take it?"
"If you have the guts, tell your dad to crawl out of his grave!"