Chapter Twenty-Nine: Seeking Protection, I’ll Pay More

Sitting on the plush sofa of the Conrad Presidential Suite on the top floor of the Hilton Hotel, Chen Nian felt as if she were in a dream.

She looked at Hua Shi'er, who was sipping red wine across from her, with an expression of utter disbelief. She was particularly struck by the memory of how, when Hua Shi'er had led her to be personally received by the hotel's lobby manager and escorted to the private elevator, Officer Xiao Wang’s expression had shifted from mockery to a complete crisis of faith. The recollection was both inexplicably funny and felt deeply unreal.

Yet, the facts before her forced Chen Nian to accept that the dreamlike experience was, in fact, truly happening. Not far away, the presidential suite’s private butler, dressed in an immaculate suit, was introducing the basic features of the suite to Hua Shi'er.

Located on the top floor of the hotel, the Conrad Suite offered a panoramic view of the bustling city lights of Anqiao through floor-to-ceiling windows. The 220-square-meter space included a living room, bar, kitchen, nanny’s room, study, and a bathroom equipped with a sauna, a whirlpool tub, a walk-in closet, and a private dressing room. Guests were entitled to use all public hotel facilities and were provided with complimentary Hilton breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails.

When the butler reached this part of the introduction, Chen Nian curiously pointed at the wine in Hua Shi'er’s hand and asked, "Is this also provided for free?"

The butler bowed politely. "I apologize, madam, but this bottle of Château Margaux is not included in the complimentary selection."

Chen Nian tentatively asked, "May I ask how much you sell this bottle of red wine for?"

The butler rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking that she was treating their five-star hotel like a neighborhood convenience store. However, as an elite professional trained specifically to serve as a personal butler for presidential suites, he maintained a perfectly unchanged smile despite his internal grievances.

"This 2008 Château Margaux is valued at approximately 7,000 yuan."

Chen Nian nearly fell off the sofa. "What kind of wine is that expensive? Are you people robbing us?"

The butler’s smile remained, though the corner of his eye twitched slightly. He continued his professional introduction: "Respected madam, you may not be aware, but while this wine is indeed costly, it is well worth the price. First, Château Margaux is one of the eight great Bordeaux estates, and 2008 was an excellent vintage. It possesses a refined style, emitting pure, delicate aromas, with great depth and charm."

"Of course, what is most impressive is its powerful impact on the palate; it is rich, full-bodied, and leaves a lingering finish."

Chen Nian listened, dazed. She felt that a single bottle of wine being described with such cultural flair was certainly high-class, but she still couldn't fathom how the stuff was worth over seven thousand yuan.

At that moment, Hua Shi'er called over the butler. "Butler, please bring me a bottle of Sprite. I want to mix it with this wine. What is this stuff anyway? It’s so sour!"

The butler’s smile stiffened. If he hadn't been quite sure of his own hearing, he would have thought he had misheard. Just as he was about to patiently explain the etiquette of wine drinking to the guest, he heard Hua Shi'er say to Chen Nian:

"I just hate all these rules and regulations. Isn’t the point of drinking such expensive wine to enjoy it? With so many rules restraining you, where is the fun?"

The butler swallowed the words he was about to say. *Rich people are capricious; as long as you're happy, sir.*

Hua Shi'er was actually just talking nonsense to ease Chen Nian’s tension. He continued to ramble, "Do you know what I’m proudest of regarding my trick of mixing red wine with Sprite?"

Chen Nian shook her head. The butler, feeling that ignoring a guest would be a breach of etiquette, immediately smiled and said, "It must be the freedom to do as one pleases, without being constrained by convention?"

He was essentially buttering them up; such is the benefit of having money. If someone mixed red wine with Sprite outside, they might be called a bumpkin or a hick, but since they were staying in a presidential suite, surely a wealthy person wouldn't be ignorant of wine—it must simply be "unconventional."

Hua Shi'er signaled for the butler to bring the Sprite, poured it into his glass, and downed the drink like beer. After letting out a fizzy burp, he said with satisfaction:

"What I’m proudest of is that Europeans spent hundreds of years developing a process to extract the sugar from red wine, and I just put it all back in in one second. Tell me, isn’t that impressive?"

The butler nearly lost his composure, not knowing how to respond. He was completely baffled by Hua Shi'er and could only chuckle awkwardly, "Sir, you certainly know how to joke!"

Hua Shi'er was indeed joking; he saw that Chen Nian was nervous and said this to lighten her mood. Look at this girl—she was now smiling so hard her gums were showing.

*Gurgle...* As she laughed, Chen Nian suddenly blushed and lowered her head. She hadn't even finished a bowl of rice at Liu Beishan’s house before Ma Qi disrupted their dinner, and she had been busy at the police station ever since. Her stomach was now making an uncooperative protest.

Hua Shi'er rubbed his own stomach and asked the butler, "I’m a bit hungry. Is there anything to eat at this hour?"

Chen Nian looked at Hua Shi'er with gratitude. His words had undoubtedly saved her from embarrassment in front of the stranger.

As for the requests of presidential suite guests, the hotel naturally obliged. The butler replied that there were dedicated chefs available 24 hours a day to serve them.

Hua Shi'er ordered a seafood set for two and added two Australian lobsters. He had money now; he naturally wanted to enjoy the things he couldn't afford or was too frugal to enjoy before. Anyway, he couldn't take this money with him when he left, so he might as well spend it.

After ordering, Hua Shi'er dismissed the butler. With an outsider present, it was hard for him and Chen Nian to talk.

Sure enough, as soon as the butler left, Chen Nian relaxed and asked curiously, "Where did you get so much money? This presidential suite must cost tens of thousands, right?"

When Hua Shi'er swiped his card earlier, she had been in a state of shock and hadn't heard the exact price, but she knew it couldn't be cheap.

Hua Shi'er smiled. "Not that much. Including the service fee, it was just over twenty thousand. I originally thought it would be over a hundred thousand!"

Chen Nian clicked her tongue. "Twenty thousand is still a lot. And you opened a bottle of wine that cost over seven thousand. By the way, you still haven't told me where you got all this money?"

Hua Shi'er rolled his eyes at her. "Are we that close?"

"Oh..."

Chen Nian realized the truth of that statement. They had only known each other for a few days; it was indeed not her place to ask such questions.

However, she was truly curious. No matter how she looked at him, Liu Beishan didn't look like a rich man. What rich person would live in that dilapidated house or go around stealing mobile phones on the street?

She guessed that either Liu Beishan was biting the bullet to play the role of a big spender and had blown all his savings, or he had won the lottery. But looking at how he spent so much money without even frowning—looking completely calm and nonchalant—it was likely he had won a big prize.

Hua Shi'er didn't know what Chen Nian was thinking. Had he known, he would have remarked that her logical deduction was worthy of a top student who would go on to score over six hundred points on her exams.

His comment, "Are we that close?", seemed to have been a bit stinging, leaving Chen Nian to bow her head in silence, not saying another word.

Hua Shi'er had to make small talk. "There are four bedrooms here. Pick one for yourself after we eat. We’ll stay here for the night, and I’ll take you to school tomorrow morning."

"Oh..."

Chen Nian responded with only a single word.

Just as Hua Shi'er was wondering if he should say something to save the awkward atmosphere, Chen Nian suddenly looked up and asked seriously:

"That day, you said if I gave you one hundred yuan a month, you would protect me. Does that still count?"

After she finished, she realized that he was already so wealthy that one hundred yuan seemed too little, so she added tentatively:

"Can I pay more?"

Hua Shi'er asked with a mysterious smile, "How much more?"

"Two hundred..."

Chen Nian blushed as she said it. This was the absolute limit of what she could afford; any more, and she wouldn't have enough money for food.

Halfway through, she realized it was inappropriate and sighed. "Just pretend I never..."

"Deal!"

Hua Shi'er took Chen Nian’s hand and gave it a pat. "It’s a promise!"

He had been pitting himself against the punks who beat him up, against Ma Qi, and against Boss Wang, all to send a message to Chen Nian: *I can cover you; I can resolve anything.* He wanted her to come to him voluntarily.

Things like this had to be initiated by the other party for him to take action; otherwise, it would be forced, and he might look like a desperate sycophant in her eyes, or worse, someone with ulterior motives.

Sure enough, seeing him cleanly and efficiently handle these matters, Chen Nian realized that blind tolerance solved nothing, and she was finally moved to act.