Chapter 356 — A Target in Mind

"Ha ha, Brother Lin here is our guest today — why don't you take a look first, Brother Lin, and see if any of them please you?" An Liwen nodded at Wei Zhao, signaling that he should have first pick.

"Oh — may I pick two?" Wei Zhao asked after a glance.

"Of course, no problem at all!" Su Taizao nodded again and again. He had been worried earlier that Wei Zhao might not pick anyone at all; now, never mind two, the man could take the whole lot and it would be fine. The more the messier, and when it was shown to Gu Pengzhan, all the more convincing it would be!

"That's wonderful, then!" Wei Zhao said with a smile. "But to be honest, these few — none of them have really caught my eye."

Wei Zhao's words made An Liwen and Su Taizao frown. Wasn't this Wei Zhao a little too picky? These five girls might not rank among the supreme beauties of the age, but with careful makeup and dressing they were first-rate beauties all the same — and Wei Zhao actually hadn't taken a fancy to any of them?

Was his standard truly that high, or was he doing it on purpose?

Be that as it may, An Liwen had no choice but to have Manager Yang bring in replacements. Putting on a show of anger, he said, "Manager Yang, what's the meaning of this? Is it because I, An Liwen, haven't come for a few years, so you don't give me any face anymore? Fobbing off goods like these on brothers of mine?"

"This... I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..." Manager Yang was sweating buckets. "I'll go and change them right away!"

These five girls really were not the top-tier stock of the Starlight Splendor Hotel. Since Su Taizao had said earlier only that he wanted a few good ones to entertain a guest, Manager Yang had reckoned these five were quite enough and hadn't given it much thought!

Little did he expect that this guest would turn out to be a挑剔 one, and that he would end up provoking Young Master An as well. Truly a case of more loss than gain. He hurriedly led the five girls out of the private room.

From Manager Yang's expression, An Liwen could tell at once that these five were certainly not the best stock, and that this Manager Yang had been holding something back. He could not help but shoot Su Taizao a reproachful look: how could the man be so unreliable in handling such a thing?

Since Wei Zhao spent all his days in the company of Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu, his standards were bound to be uncommonly high. Bring him ordinary painted dolls and powdered commonplaces, and how could they possibly catch his eye?

"My apologies, Brother Lin, for the embarrassment — this Manager Yang really is incompetent at his work!" An Liwen could hardly blame Su Taizao, so he could only lay the fault at Manager Yang's door.

"It's nothing! Let's wait and take another look!" Wei Zhao shook his head slightly, secretly amused. Even if you brought me a heavenly fairy, I still wouldn't look twice.

After a while, the door of the private room was pushed open again. This time Manager Yang entered with three girls who were plainly a cut above the previous five.

"Young Master An, Young Master Lin — how about these?" This time Manager Yang was brimming with confidence. He had brought out several of the hotel's top draws; if the young gentleman still could not choose, then one could only say that this Young Master Lin had no eye for quality.

"Oh, let me see!" Wei Zhao raised his head with perfect composure and let his gaze travel over the three girls Manager Yang had brought. He had to admit that all three were of the very finest stock. Wei Zhao sighed inwardly — why did they have to go into this line of work?

But Wei Zhao was no savior, nor did he care to involve himself in such matters; every person had troubles of their own, and it was impossible for him to understand them one by one. After pretending to examine the three girls most carefully — just when Manager Yang was certain Wei Zhao would keep one, or two, or even all three — Wei Zhao spoke: "Ah, still no good. Manager Yang, are you holding out on me?"

"Eh?" Manager Yang was taken aback, and at once somewhat displeased. "Holding out? What, Young Master Lin, still none of them suit your eye?"

By now even An Liwen and Su Taizao felt Wei Zhao was being overly fastidious. Was the fellow only going through the motions to fob them off? Did he in fact not want a girl at all?

An Liwen grew quietly suspicious, yet he could not voice it — what if Wei Zhao really was that particular?

"Brother Lin, don't tell me none of them have caught your eye either?" There was a note of interrogation in Su Taizao's voice now, for even he had been stirred by these last three girls — and Wei Zhao actually hadn't taken to them?

"Ahem... very well, then I'll speak plainly! Manager Yang, I've heard that Starlight Splendor has two top draws — a pair of twins? Called Xuexue and Huahua?" Wei Zhao put on a show of displeasure. "I have long admired their fame. Surely that's not just a rumor?"

Wei Zhao's words stunned Manager Yang, and An Liwen and Su Taizao as well. Manager Yang was stunned because it turned out Wei Zhao was not being picky at all — he had had a target in mind all along. Perhaps out of regard for appearances he had not named it directly, but had hinted through this dissatisfied air that he should be brought something better... As for An Liwen and Su Taizao, having not come here to play for many years, they had long since lost track of who the top draws were, so when Wei Zhao uttered those two names, they thought to themselves: so the fellow is a connoisseur after all!

What delighted An Liwen and Su Taizao most was that Wei Zhao had not been deliberately playing them for fools — he had had a target in mind from the start. Perhaps he had been too embarrassed to name it outright before, but under Su Taizao's pressing, he had finally come out with it!

But that is no problem—this is easy enough to handle. So long as Wei Zhao names them, we are set!

"Manager Yang, those two, Xuexue and Huahua—are they the top girls here?" An Liwen asked, looking at Manager Yang with a cool, lukewarm tone. He was somewhat annoyed. Even if he had not come for a few years, he was still one of the Four Young Devils of Songshan! A young master of high repute in Songshan City! And this Manager Yang actually dared to slight him—he had already asked for a change of girls, yet the man still dared to hold them back in secret. That was far too little regard for him, was it not?

Seeing that An Liwen was angry, Manager Yang's heart gave a jolt; he knew the man had misunderstood, and he hastened to explain: "Young Master An, please do not be angry. Xuexue and Huahua are indeed our top girls here, but they have already been booked away by other guests for a heavy sum..."

"A heavy sum? Hmph—bring them over, and I will pay a heavier sum! Is it not just money? This young master has plenty!" An Liwen grew urgent at once. After so much trouble Wei Zhao had finally set his sights on someone, and now these girls had been booked away by others? How could that stand?

"That—that is hardly in keeping with the rules, is it?" Manager Yang sighed inwardly. Songshan City today was no longer the domain of you young masters of the Four. Though each of your families has its own backing, a formidable presence has now arrived, one no weaker than your houses—and it was he who booked Xuexue and Huahua tonight. Could I possibly go and call them back?

"Brother An, why not let it go? Since Manager Yang is so hard-pressed, we can speak of it another day," Wei Zhao said then, putting on the air of a good-natured peacemaker as he spoke to An Liwen.

Yet the more Wei Zhao said so, the more An Liwen felt he had lost face! He was one of the Four Young Devils of Songshan, after all—was he to fail even to secure a top girl?