Chapter 23: A Good Place
Chapter 23: Chapter 23: A Good Place
After finishing the barbecue and fully replenishing their stamina, Brother Gan led Zhang Yan to a three-story building with a decidedly retro architectural style. It exuded the charm of a traditional waterside pavilion.
"Five Thousand Years of Chinese Civilization? Brother Gan, are you sure we’re at the right place?" It was no wonder Zhang Yan felt doubtful. The establishment didn’t look like *that* kind of place at all.
"You really haven’t seen the world, have you? Just shut up and follow me."
Perhaps alerted to their arrival beforehand, a fashionably dressed young man came out to greet them with a beaming smile the moment Si Mingcheng stepped up to the entrance.
"Eldest Young Master Si, I thought you weren’t coming tonight. You really kept me waiting! And who might this be?"
"Oh, drop it. You just finished having your fun and came out to get me while you were at it," Si Mingcheng replied. "This is a junior from my university, Zhang Yan. I brought him out to broaden his horizons. Zhang Yan, this is Huo Shaoqi, Eldest Young Master Huo."
"What’s with this ’Eldest Young Master’ nonsense? Since you’re Mingcheng’s junior, you’re my junior too. Just call me Brother Qi."
In truth, as he walked over, Huo Shaoqi had already carefully assessed Zhang Yan’s attire and demeanor, forming a preliminary judgment. His welcoming words were simply a casual way to give Si Mingcheng some face.
"Nice to meet you, Brother Qi," Zhang Yan said.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the group headed inside.
The establishment’s interior was equally steeped in ancient charm. The hostesses were all dressed in elegant qipaos with high slits extending all the way up to their thighs. As the men entered, the women bowed in perfect unison, their sweet, delicate voices chiming out together, "Welcome!"
One could say that before the actual services had even begun, the visual satisfaction was already immense. Or rather, the service had already started the moment they walked through the doors. The space was decorated with numerous bonsai trees and lush potted plants. The steps were made of wood—or at least appeared to be—alongside wooden doors and paper-lattice windows. It truly felt like stepping back in time to ancient China.
"Shaoqi, this is my junior’s first time here. We’ve got to make sure he sees the world. Let Yiyi attend to him tonight. However, you’ll have to collect the bill from him. I’m not treating."
Huo Shaoqi raised an eyebrow. He had personally cultivated Yiyi to cater specifically to Si Mingcheng’s tastes, investing a considerable amount of time and resources into her training. He wondered what Si Mingcheng meant by this. Was this a tactful rejection of the favor the Huo family had asked for?
However, Si Mingcheng’s next words immediately dispelled his concerns. "By the way, Shaoqi, I brought up that business you mentioned last time with my father. He said the deal is viable. The old men can hash out the specifics themselves later. We don’t need to worry about it."
Huo Shaoqi laughed heartily. "In that case, Zhang Yan, you’re in for a real treat today. Yiyi just finished her training. Tonight is her very first time on the job."
"Then I’ll definitely have to look forward to it," Zhang Yan replied.
He was actually feeling a tiny bit nervous. Both the atmosphere and the procedures here were completely different from the information he had looked up online. Every step forward was a step into the unknown. To avoid exposing his lack of experience, he resolved to speak as little as possible.
Huo Shaoqi gave a few instructions to the staff before continuing upstairs with Si Mingcheng. Meanwhile, a hostess in a blue floral qipao guided Zhang Yan to a plush sofa.
She presented the electronic tablet in her hands. "Hello, Mr. Zhang. Yiyi is our establishment’s top-tier care specialist. Per our policy, she can exclusively be reserved by Emperor Level members."
"Emperor Level?"
The hostess swiped to the first page of the menu, displaying the various membership tiers. The ranks ranged from lowest to highest: Wealthy Merchant, General, and Emperor. They required a prepaid deposit or a cumulative spending history of 1,000 yuan, 10,000 yuan, and 100,000 yuan, respectively.
"What kind of service is this expensive?" Zhang Yan murmured to himself.
According to his online research, standard wellness packages usually hovered around two to four hundred yuan. Unlocking additional services required paying for extra time, but even then, the total would rarely exceed a thousand yuan. Spending a cumulative hundred thousand yuan would take months to achieve, even if someone visited every single day. Furthermore, even if one’s wallet could handle that kind of abuse, their body certainly couldn’t.
However, these doubts vanished the moment he swiped to the second page. While there were a few basic services priced in the hundreds—like 398 or 698 yuan—the vast majority commanded well over a thousand. In the massage section alone, a treatment dubbed "Health Regulation and Glandular Anti-Aging" cost a staggering 7,980 yuan for 120 minutes. An exclusive, customized service called "Youth Anew" was even more absurd, priced at 39,800 yuan for 180 minutes.
Although he was deeply intrigued by these "professional" treatments, blowing a hundred thousand yuan just to blow off some steam felt like a rip-off. He was rich now, sure, but he wasn’t about to let himself get played for a sucker.
Just as he was hesitating, a prompt appeared in his mind.
[DING!]
[Reaching middle age brings a wealth of hardships. Occasionally, one must wash away the mud from beneath their feet and massage away the weathering from their face.]
[Reasonable entertainment expenditures will be reimbursed at a multiplied rate based on the Pleasure Value gained (per 100 points).]
[Current entertainment activity evaluated as: Reasonable Entertainment Expenditure. Current expenditure: 0 yuan.]
[Pleasure Value: 10 (Reimbursement Multiplier: 0.1)]
He rejoiced, "I can always count on Brother Tongzi!"
Zhang Yan’s furrowed brows relaxed. He looked at the hostess in the qipao and smiled. "Let’s deposit a hundred thousand first and open an Emperor Level membership."
The hostess’s smile grew noticeably more radiant. Staff earned a handsome commission for every new membership opened, let alone a top-tier Emperor Level membership paid upfront in a lump sum.
The registration process was swift, requiring only his basic information. However, Zhang Yan noticed that a mere pre-deposit didn’t seem to count toward his system’s entertainment expenditure. He figured he would need to actually spend the money on a service for it to count.
Taking back the electronic tablet, he asked, "Do I just select a service from here now?"
"I apologize, Mr. Zhang, but those services are for our standard care specialists. As a top-tier specialist, Yiyi has her own exclusive menu. Please click here."
Zhang Yan did as instructed. The new interface popped up, displaying only a handful of options. The very first category was labeled "Dynasty." Beneath it was a list of historical eras, spanning all the way from the ancient Xia and Shang dynasties to the Republican era and modern times.
Anticipating Zhang Yan’s confusion, the hostess politely explained, "This selection determines the specialist’s attire. You can choose a specific historical period’s clothing, which will, in turn, dictate the content and overall aesthetic of your service."
Put that way, it made perfect sense. He realized it was essentially just high-end cosplay.
As he tapped through the different eras on the screen, corresponding preview images of period-accurate clothing styles appeared. Ultimately, Zhang Yan selected the Tang Dynasty option, specifically the traditional chest-high gown.
"Thank you for your selections. Please wait here for a brief moment while Yiyi prepares. In the meantime, we have a short questionnaire for you to fill out. This will help us choose the most suitable aromatherapy and essential oils for your session."
The whole process was a bit tedious, but given how beautiful and sweet-voiced the hostess was, Zhang Yan patiently humored her and breezed through the questions. The questionnaire consisted of simple inquiries regarding his recent mental state, latest physical examination results, and the like.
Once he finished, the system recommended a custom essential oil blend of ginger, black pepper, and cedarwood, paired with tea tree aromatherapy.
Zhang Yan had no idea what kind of effect that concoction would produce. He simply marveled at how lavishly and tediously the wealthy entertained themselves.
"Thank you for your patience, Mr. Zhang. Yiyi is fully prepared now. The total for this session is 2,998 yuan, which will be automatically deducted from your account balance shortly."