Returning to my senior year of high school before college, I became addicted to dating.

The older woman looked at the disco sign and began to feel uneasy.

She'd never been to a disco, but she'd heard of MARS Disco, the most expensive place in Jiamusi, bar none.

I heard that a bottle of beer there costs thirty yuan, so the Cheers combo that this brat ordered probably won't be cheap either.

"Um... little brother..." The older sister leaned over, about to say something, but Lin Feng interrupted her with a raised hand.

"Let's go inside and talk."

He pushed open the door and went in. The receptionist was a young man with dyed yellow hair, wearing a floral shirt and an earring. He looked like a veteran of the nightlife scene.

"Welcome to MARS! Sorry everyone, we are not open for business yet. You can come back after 8 PM."

Lin Feng waved his hand and said, "Let's reserve a good table in advance and get a Chivas Regal 21-year-old set meal. Pay first."

The young man's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly bowed and said:

"Okay, sir, the Chivas Regal set meal, 1680 yuan."

"The set meal includes a bottle of Chivas Regal 21-year Royal Salute, six bottles of black tea, six bottles of green tea, 12 bottles of Budweiser beer, two fruit platters, four plates of dried fruit, and four plates of nuts."

"Is there anything else you need?"

The older sister's legs went weak, and she almost couldn't stand up.

1680? Just for a drink?

Tiger, standing nearby, was dumbfounded, while the two girls covered their mouths in surprise; they hadn't expected it to be so expensive.

Raymond Lam waved his hand: "Nothing else is needed."

The young man bowed and asked, "Cash or card?"

Lin Feng pointed to the older woman: "Ask her, that's where she spends her money."

The young man looked at the older woman again, bowed once more, and asked again.

The older woman gave a stiff, fake smile, helped the bald man next to her, and whispered:

"Little brother... you pay for this, I'll pay for the hotel later."

The bald man's face turned green: "Sis! I kept shaking my head on the train, but you insisted on agreeing! And you just said you'd pay for it, how could you..."

The older woman grew anxious, her voice turning shrill: "Get the hell out of here! You're involved in this bet too! If you hadn't been so talkative, would this have even happened? I'm just standing up for you, aren't I? Hurry up!"

The bald man reluctantly took out his bank card from his pocket.

The young man at the front desk took the card, and the POS machine beeped, and 1680 yuan was gone.

The bald man stared at the screen, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.

His monthly salary is only 1200, and this means he lost almost a month and a half's salary.

When he took the card back, his hands were shaking like someone with Parkinson's disease.

Lin Feng took the reservation card, smiled, and patted the bald man on the shoulder: "Thanks, brother. I'll treat you to drinks another day."

The bald man glared at him, too angry to speak.

Tiger was laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh.

"Haha... Brother Feng, you're so mean!"

Sun Xiaoli and Li Na covered their mouths and laughed. They exchanged a glance and whispered, "Lin Feng is such an interesting guy..."

----

After leaving MARS Disco, Lin Feng checked his phone.

"The last stop is the Jiangtian Hotel." He glanced at his older sister as he said this.

My older sister is already failing; her legs are weak.

Jiangtian Hotel is the most expensive hotel in Jiamusi, and it opened this year. It is located in the most bustling area of ​​the city center.

Lin Feng parked his car in the underground garage, and the group took the elevator up to the lobby on the first floor.

The lobby was decorated in a lavish style, with crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and genuine leather sofas; it looked expensive.

The receptionist was a pretty young woman in a uniform who spoke gently.

"Hello, welcome to Jiangtian Hotel. How can I help you?"

Lin Feng walked over and said with a smile, "Book two presidential suites."

The receptionist paused for a moment, then looked Lin Feng up and down.

A young man of eighteen or nineteen, dressed plainly, didn't look like someone who could afford to stay in a presidential suite.

"Sir, our presidential suite is 1888 yuan per night, or two rooms for 3776 yuan. Are you sure you want to book?"

The older sister, listening from behind, gasped in shock:

"1888? Are you kidding me?! That's enough to rent a large three-bedroom apartment in downtown Jiamusi for two months!"

The young woman at the front desk kept her smile perfectly still.

"Hello ma'am, this is the price for our presidential suite. If you think it's too expensive, we also have standard rooms for a little over a hundred a night. Would you like me to upgrade you to a standard room?"

The older sister looked at Lin Feng with pleading eyes, her voice trembling with tears: "Little brother... you young people don't need to stay in such nice rooms, why waste this money! How about we get two double rooms?"

Lin Feng waved his hand: "Sis, our bet is for the presidential suite, so we have to stick to the bet. There's no room for discussion."

He paused, then added, "You two are a civil servant and a big boss, respectively, why would you be short of this little bit of money?"

"Besides, you're both over forty years old. You're not going to try and renege on your promise, are you?"

He turned to look at Sun Xiaoli and Li Na: "These two young ladies are witnesses; we have a bet."

The two little girls nodded quickly: "Yes! We are the witnesses!"

The older sister's face flushed red and then turned pale, her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

She really wanted to run away, but she had already said it, and the two little girls next to her were staring at her with wide eyes.

Northeasterners can lose anything, but they can't lose face.

The older woman took a deep breath and held onto the bar.

"Open...open two rooms." She squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, her voice barely audible.

The receptionist confirmed: "Two presidential suites, 3776 yuan. Would you like to pay by card or cash?"

The older woman took out her bank card from her bag, her hands shaking so much she could barely hold it.

"Beep... 3776 yuan consumed."

The notification sound of a successful card swipe was exceptionally clear in the lobby.

The older woman stared at the POS machine, feeling like the sky had fallen.

The buffet cost 752, the disco 1680, and the hotel 3776, totaling a whopping 6248 yuan.

In a third-tier city in 2006, this was definitely half a year's salary for a middle-class person.

And this money wasn't even spent on herself, but on strangers. The more she thought about it, the more she felt cheated, and she felt tightness in her chest and shortness of breath, as if she was about to die of anger.

Bald men are similar; their faces are as white as paper, and their lips are purple.

Lin Feng took the room key and nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, thank you for your hospitality, you two scoundrels."

"It's dinner time now, we're going to have a seafood buffet, and after that we'll go to a disco. You two can get lost now."

This final blow was like a knife piercing their hearts. Just as the older woman was about to start cursing, her phone suddenly rang.

She took it out and saw that the screen displayed "Husband".

Her face changed instantly, and her fingers trembled as she pressed the answer button.

"Feed...husband..."

The voice on the other end of the phone displayed the roar of a dragon:

"Fuck you! Wei Shufen, you spendthrift woman!"

The sound was so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire lobby, and even the young woman at the front desk was startled.

"What the hell are you doing with my card? I just received a text message saying I spent 752 yuan at the Wanbin Seafood Buffet! And now I've spent another 3776 yuan at the Jiangtian Hotel! Are you fucking crazy?!"

The older woman turned pale and quickly explained, "Honey, it's not what you think... Please let me explain."

The voice on the other end of the phone was like thunder: "Wei Shufen, what the hell are you doing here?! I work so hard to earn money, and you're out in a hotel with some gigolo, spending three thousand seven hundred a month?!"

The older woman was on the verge of tears: "Honey, let me explain! It's a misunderstanding..."

The person on the other end of the phone grew increasingly angry: "Misunderstanding my ass! Wei Shufen, I'm telling you, we're getting a divorce tomorrow!"

The older sister was completely stunned. She suddenly turned around and grabbed Lin Feng's trouser leg.

"Brother! Please explain this to me! I beg you!" She was in tears, no longer caring about saving face.

But her calling him "brother" was an admission of guilt; her mind had just gone blank, and she hadn't thought about it at all.

"Beep beep beep...!" The phone call ended.

The older sister stood there dumbfounded, completely bewildered.

Tiger gave a thumbs-up from behind:

"Brother Feng, you're so sarcastic!"

Lin Feng patted his pants and waved to the two girls: "Let's go eat seafood."

He turned and left without looking back.

Sun Xiaoli jogged a couple of steps to catch up, her eyes sparkling: "Lin Feng, you're amazing!"

Lin Feng smiled but didn't say anything.

The four got into the car. The Audi A6's engine roared to life, and it slowly drove out of the parking lot.

Outside the car window, the night view of Jiamusi shimmered under the neon lights.

In Jiamusi in 2006, the night was just right.

Jay Chou's "Nocturne" was playing in the car. Raymond Lam was humming along to the music, one hand on the steering wheel.