MGASC -Chapter 215 Our Brother Quan Is Always in High Demand

Jin Quan worked late into the night. Not wanting to go home, he decided to sleep in his office.

But the moment he stepped inside and turned to take off his coat, a strong cloud of perfume hit him in the face. A plump woman threw herself into his arms.

“Brother Quan, I’ve been waiting for you forever. Why are you only coming back now?”

She spoke in a saccharine voice, her hands wandering over his chest. Under the overhead light, Jin Quan recognized her—it was Zhang Qiuhong, the noodle shop owner who had long been trying to seduce him.

“Get the hell away from me! Who let you into my office?”

Jin Quan was already in a foul mood. The pungent scent on her body only made it worse. He shoved her so hard she staggered.

But Zhang Qiuhong had thick skin. She had been eyeing Jin Quan for a long time—bringing meals to his people, buying cigarettes for them. She had finally managed to get a key to his office.

Now, in the dead of night, alone with him—how could she possibly let the opportunity slip?

“Oh, Brother Quan, be gentler. You just got off work—are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you. How about dumplings? They say nothing tastes better than dumplings, and nothing’s more fun than—”

She suddenly caught the cold, sharp look in Jin Quan’s eyes and stuck out her tongue, swallowing the rest of her sentence.

“Brother Quan, wait here. I’ll cook for you!”

She swayed her hips toward the gas stove, but before she could go far, Jin Quan grabbed her arm, dragged her to the door, and flung it open.

“You reek. Get the hell out!”

He couldn’t even be bothered to look at her.

Zhang Qiuhong, however, giggled. She shut the door again and leaned against it bonelessly. “The wilder a woman is, the more interesting she is. Brother Quan, I really do like you.”

As she spoke, she slowly peeled off her sweater, revealing a leopard-print bra underneath. Shamelessly, she rubbed herself against him, her hands sliding up along his thighs.

Feeling something unusual, she slipped her hand into his trouser pocket and pulled out a circular object.

Under the light, her eyes widened several times over as she stared at the gleaming gold bracelet. “Brother Quan, is this the legendary gold bracelet? Oh my, is it for me? It’s so beautiful—I love it! Is this real gold?”

Her eyes glittered at the sight of money. She even lifted it toward her mouth, intending to bite it—after all, she’d heard gold was soft enough to leave a mark.

But before she could, Jin Quan snatched it back.

Furious, he grabbed her by the hair, yanked the door open, and kicked her hard in the backside, sending her flying. “Damn it! I told you to strip? Refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!”

He tossed the perfume-soaked sweater out like trash and slammed the door shut, ignoring her shrill shouting outside.

The bracelet in his hand had been squeezed out of shape. The more he looked at it, the more irritated he felt. He pulled open a drawer and tossed it inside.

…

Zhang Qiao and Lin Tianyue’s wedding date was approaching, which also meant Xia Xia would soon be a hundred days old.

Recently, the restaurant’s business had declined somewhat. It turned out that Yuehaihui, trying to win back customers, had begun imitating Kemanlou by adding live performances.

However, instead of guzheng music, Gu Junye had hired singers to perform popular Hong Kong and Taiwanese songs live.

It was almost the same strategy as Zhang Qiao’s, and the effect was obvious. Regular customers of Kemanlou had gone over to check out the novelty. As their crowd grew, Zhang Qiao’s thinned.

At noon, she came to the restaurant to finalize the wedding banquet menu and review the accounts.

After checking the books, she saw that revenue over the past three days had indeed dropped sharply—from over four thousand down to less than three thousand.

Manager Ren Hong frowned as she analyzed the situation. “Qiao Qiao, I asked some customers. They said our service and dishes are fine, but some of their business partners are Hong Kong merchants, and those people prefer Yuehaihui’s performance style.”

Zhang Qiao remained calm. “It’s fine. Business always has its ups and downs.”

“But…”

Zhang Ling walked over with a plate of freshly steamed pastries. “Qiao Qiao, it’s almost noon. You must be hungry. Try the red bean buns and custard buns I made.”

On the plate were little rabbits, pumpkins, and persimmons shaped from white dough—so lifelike they looked real.

Zhang Qiao picked up the little white rabbit bun. “Sister, you made these? You’re amazing! I’ve always said you’re talented with pastries. They’re so pretty I almost can’t bear to eat them.”

Zhang Ling smiled shyly. “Master Li said I’ve improved quickly too. Qiao Qiao, taste them.”

“Okay.”

While the sisters chatted, Ren Hong excused herself.

At noon, the dining hall was only half full. A tricycle stopped at the entrance to deliver vegetables.

The deliveryman went back and forth several times. As he was leaving, Zhang Qiao stopped him.

“Hey, where’s Brother Quan? I remember he used to come himself.”

“Brother Quan? Ha, probably busy chasing women.”

“Really?”

Zhang Qiao shot Zhang Ling a teasing look. Zhang Ling lowered her head, pretending nothing had happened, still going through the account book.

“Really! Boss Lady, why would I lie? Our Brother Quan is always in high demand. Who knows how many women are after him. The other night, a bunch of us saw a half-naked woman come out of his office. Tsk, that scene was something!”

“Cough, cough…”

Zhang Qiao nearly choked. A half-naked woman? That definitely wasn’t her sister.

Zhang Ling quickly poured her some water. “Qiao Qiao, have some water.”

She took a couple of sips, suppressing the anger rising in her chest.

Too much. That Jin Quan has gone too far!

But after everything she had been through, Zhang Qiao quickly calmed down.

Frowning slightly, she said, “That can’t be right. Are you sure you saw clearly? You can’t spread rumors like that. What if Brother Quan docks your pay? Besides, who messes around in their office? Brother Quan seems like a decent man. I don’t believe he’d let a woman walk out naked.”

The deliveryman was young and now realized he might have said too much. Embarrassed, he said, “Boss Lady, you’re right. It is strange. She came out in her underwear, and I think she cursed a bit outside. But I also don’t think Brother Quan would fancy Zhang Qiuhong. I’ve heard her reputation isn’t great—she’s been with lots of men…”

“Alright, alright. Don’t spread unverified rumors.”

Zhang Qiao dismissed him.

She stuffed a red bean bun into her mouth, thinking about how to comfort Zhang Ling so she wouldn’t feel upset. She thought she probably understood why the two had fallen out.

But before Zhang Qiao could speak, Zhang Ling suddenly burst out laughing.

“Sister, you can still laugh?”

Zhang Ling’s smile didn’t fade. “What, should I cry instead?”

“Sister, that Jin Quan… is he… with you?”

“No such thing.” Zhang Ling denied any relationship with him in one breath and said calmly, “Qiao Qiao, did you hear something? Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

She truly wasn’t too bad. Though she inevitably felt a little disappointed, it hadn’t affected her work. Instead, she had turned that disappointment into motivation and worked even harder.