After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

Hengtai Center is located in the heart of Zhujiang New City, and it's also the place where the so-called "rent-collecting lord" of Yangcheng made his fortune online.

The building covers an area of about 7,000 square meters, with a total of 43 floors, of which floors 41-43 are the private club of the Hengtai Group board of directors, as well as the group leadership's offices.

The entire 43rd floor, excluding the helipad, swimming pool, and golf training field, is Old Xu's personal office, occupying more than three thousand square meters.

The interior is splendidly decorated, with murals of colorful Chinese thoroughwort peaking, and no fewer than ten pure and glistening crystal pendants. Even the imperial courts of ancient times would not have been any different.

To say it's extravagantly luxurious is by no means an exaggeration.

"Mr. Lu, welcome to my office~"

Old Xu, with a smile on his face, confidently led Lu Liang on a small tour of the office while talking about his daily routine.

Although this is his office, it is also his home. In his dedication to Hengtai, he has worked tirelessly, day and night, not knowing how many dawns he's witnessed here.

"It's really tough," Lu Liang laughed it off.

He believed that what Old Xu said was true; when it was busy, one really would lose track of day and night, as he had experienced it himself. But to say it was like that every day was pure nonsense.

Lu Liang was in international markets and was in the office at most three to five days a month, sometimes longer, perhaps seven or eight days, but not every month.

Furthermore, Old Xu was in real estate projects—if he was that busy even ten days a year, it would be impressive. More likely, he couldn't bear to leave.

Here, after all, he was the king of his domain, and just openly, he had eight assistants to serve him and help with his office work.

Who knows how many more there might be out of sight?

However, one thing surprised Lu Liang—everyone was a handsome male assistant.

This was seriously inconsistent with Old Xu's reputation.

"Lu, what suddenly made you think of going to Shenzhen?"

The two had just sat down, intending to chat casually since it was still early.

Suddenly, a small door opened, and several tea mistresses dressed in light blue long gowns, with smiles on their faces and graceful bearing, came over, carrying a complete set of tea utensils.

"I'm planning to go to BYD to talk to Mr. Wang about something."

Seeing the tea mistresses gracefully performing the tea ceremony, Lu Liang's doubts were lifted, and he showed an understanding smile.

It had to be Old Xu who knew how to play the game. The male assistants on the surface were probably the eunuchs by the emperor's side.

If they were all women, it would be easy to get into unnecessary trouble if something unintentional happened or if they were seduced.

Men tend to be more rational, including Lu Liang now, who began preferring male employees.

The idea that women are more meticulous than men is just a concept instilled to promote gender equality.

Except for giving birth, which only women can do, what women can do, men can also do—it's just a matter of appropriateness.

Just like the current tea mistresses, women performing the role may be more pleasing to the eye, but that's about it.

Old Xu looked thoughtful but didn't ask Lu Liang what he was doing at BYD. It was nothing more than discussing new energy, nothing beyond the obvious.

He cheerfully introduced the water for brewing tea and the tea leaves.

Today, he merely wanted to meet with Lu Liang to deepen their relationship.

In making friends, it is best to avoid being superficially friendly while speaking about deep topics.

"Mr. Lu, please."

"Then I won't be shy."

Lu Liang picked up the teacup, tasting the mineral water that cost thousands per bottle, flown in from Switzerland, which wasn't worth anything if not drunk within 48 hours, and the tea leaves that were said to cost millions per pound.

Old Xu, full of anticipation, asked with a smile, "Mr. Lu, how is the taste?"

Lu Liang tasted it carefully and smiled faintly, "It's alright—it tastes like tea."

He genuinely couldn't tell any significant difference, and there was no need to flatter Old Xu deliberately.

If Old Xu's status were higher than his, then today it would be Lu Liang inviting Old Xu to his office in Modu, rather than him inviting Lu Liang to his office in Yangcheng.

Old Xu's smile stiffened momentarily, and then he laughed again, giving a thumbs-up, "Mr. Lu, you're truly authentic."

To ease the awkwardness, he added quietly, "Actually, I can't tell the difference either. It's mainly about being unique."

"Haha..."

Lu Liang burst out laughing. As they conversed, suddenly a male assistant came up to Old Xu and whispered a few words.

Old Xu nodded slightly, turned his head with a smile, and said, "Mr. Lu, it's getting late, how about we go downstairs for a meal? Everything has already been arranged."

"Let's go then."

Taking the elevator down from the 43rd floor to the private club on the 42nd, they were greeted by decor that was just as lavish as the one above, if not more so.

The grand hall was resplendent with lights, circumferenced by Swarovski crystal light strips, and floored with imported marble.

And unlike the 43rd floor's male staff, here, they saw nothing but beautiful female attendants, no fewer than thirty of them.

As Old Xu walked, he explained that the club had a restaurant, cinema, bar, karaoke, bathhouse, and other entertainment facilities—including a special stage for performances.

"Our Hengtai's ethnic dance troupe has performed on the Spring Festival Gala and provincial satellite TV many times, receiving critical acclaim. Mr. Lu, you'll have a good opportunity to appreciate them later."

Old Xu's face was full of smiles as he greeted the security at the entrance and led Lu Liang into the dance hall.

The vast dance hall featured only a performance stage and a single dining table, on which rested bottles of fine, decanted wines.

"Mr. Lu, let's drink to the music and savor the splendor of life."

Old Xu invited Lu Liang to take a seat, clapped his hands, and the lights in the dance hall nearly dimmed completely, leaving only a few above the dining table.

Suddenly, a misty and lingering background music started to play, as if it were reaching out from ancient times.

Lu Liang suddenly looked up to find that three high-definition, oversized screens were positioned directly above the dining table, angled towards the stage to offer a variety of perspectives to enjoy the dancers' movements.

Old Xu's mouth quirked upward as he whispered, "Mr. Lu, this piece is called 'The Peony Hymn,' and it has won multiple international golden awards."

A half-minute intro drew everyone into the atmosphere.

A dozen actresses in light gauzy dresses, revealing collarbones and slender waists, their faces stunning and their manners graceful, stepped out from backstage amidst the dry ice fog, performing a dance entitled 'The Peony Hymn.'

Lu Liang suddenly understood why, a few years back, Old Ma had splurged 1.2 billion yuan investing in Hengtai football and said it was to pay for some 'tuition' to see what the people inside were up to.

Despite having seen the world over the last year, today's experience still shocked him deeply.

Those senior players really knew how to live; not like the younger generation who only knew how to throw flashy parties.

'Beauty like flowers' was no longer just a figure of speech.

A dozen actresses lay on the stage, forming a circle, revealing nearly identical contours of their enticing buttocks, as high-definition cameras above the stage captured the literal 'beauty like flowers.'

As the piece concluded and Lu Liang thought the performance was over, the music suddenly became more vigorous. Slowly, three large drums rose in front of the stage.

In groups of three, hand in hand, the most beautiful actresses stepped lightly as if ascending to immortality upon the drum skins.

Their dance was as vivacious as that of sprites, with feet like hammers striking the drum skins in a beautiful Dunhuang dance piece.

As the music reached an even more intense crescendo, the three actresses swiftly bent their knees and crouched down in an enticing squatting dance.

Old Xu stole a glance at Lu Liang, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile, and discreetly gestured under the table.

This gesture wasn't meant for Lu Liang but rather for the actresses, indicating that they could proceed with the next plan.

When the performance ended and the music stopped, Lu Liang's gaze lingered, unconsciously revealing a hint of regret.

He could suddenly understand why everyone was saying that the aesthetics of Domestic Entertainment had degraded, unable to see what made the pale, young, and thin attractive.

Healthy figures, slender waists, plump buttocks, with a touch of softness—these were the characters embodying the true classical beauty of the East.

The next moment, the actresses who had danced on the drums floated like fairies, playfully handling their water sleeves as they cheerfully approached Lu Liang.

Old Xu introduced them with a smile, "Mr. Lu, these are Qingqing, Xiuxiu, and Jingjing."

"Mr. Lu, Qingqing offers you a toast."

"Mr. Lu, Xiuxiu offers you a toast."

"Mr. Lu, Jingjing offers you a toast."

The three actresses, different in their voluptuous and graceful beauty, had voices rippling like running water, soft and tender.

Just a minute ago, they were dancing gracefully on the stage, showing off their beautiful moves.

Now, they were by Lu Liang's side, giving him the feeling of breaking through a dimensional barrier and seeing his dreams realized in front of him.

One wonders which official could withstand such a temptation.