Chapter 445 - 228: Chance Encounter in a Lounge Bar (Part 2)

Chapter 445: Chapter 228: Chance Encounter in a Lounge Bar (Part 2)

"Brother Cheen, what do you think?" Su Chen asked, turning his head to look at Xiao Chen beside him.

Xiao Chen shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, why not? It’s my first time in Irkutsk, too. We can look around later and experience the nightlife here."

"Alright. Let’s find a hotel to stay at first." Since Xiao Chen had spoken, Su Chen didn’t insist on rushing to the farm.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei immediately turned and went back into the Northeastern restaurant. Su Chen and Xiao Chen weren’t surprised; as someone who had been here for many years, they knew he was going to ask the owner about local hotels.

Chen Fei left quickly and returned even faster, gone for less than a minute.

"That was fast?" Su Chen asked, looking puzzled.

"Uh... Sir, there’s only one five-star hotel in all of Irkutsk City. As for the others, the restaurant owner said they’re basically like the guesthouses back home—maybe even a little worse."

It wasn’t just Su Chen; a flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Chen’s face as well. They never would have thought a city with a population in the millions would have only one five-star hotel.

"Let’s head to the hotel. Chen Fei, you lead the way!" Without dwelling on the issue, Su Chen gestured for everyone to get in the cars.

The five-star hotel Chen Fei had mentioned wasn’t far from the restaurant, only a few hundred meters away.

When they arrived at the five-star hotel and saw its underwhelming exterior and rather small entrance, they were all stunned into silence.

Including the lobby on the ground floor, the hotel was only five stories tall.

Su Chen finally understood what Chen Fei had meant earlier when he said the other hotels were worse than guesthouses back home.

They had initially thought the "five-star" rating was just for show, but they realized how mistaken they were the moment they stepped inside.

The interior was like a magnificent palace, looking exceptionally lavish under the brilliant lights. Furthermore, the glass display cases lining the lobby showcased a dazzling array of luxurious jewelry. This five-star hotel truly lived up to its name.

The prices weren’t cheap, either. They booked two top-tier king suites and three double rooms, costing a total of over two hundred thousand Rubles, which was more than twenty thousand in conversion.

In Irkutsk, this was considered an extremely extravagant expense.

After all, the average local income was just over eighty thousand Rubles, or about sixty-five hundred in Huaxia currency.

No wonder the hotel staff’s eyes glinted strangely when they saw Su Chen swipe his card.

After getting their key cards, they took the elevator straight upstairs. They weren’t all on the same floor; Chen Fei and his four men got off on the third, while Su Chen and Xiao Chen continued to the fifth.

Interestingly, Su Chen’s and Xiao Chen’s rooms weren’t adjacent; they were on opposite ends of the fifth floor.

CLICK. Su Chen opened the door to his room and inserted the key card into the wall sensor. The lights immediately came on.

Compared to the extravagant lobby, the room was much more understated. Su Chen glanced around. It was still quite spacious and had its own private bathroom.

The bathtub was particularly large—big enough for two or three people, Su Chen noted. There was also a massive, floor-to-ceiling one-way mirror facing the street below.

Before Su Chen could investigate further, he heard a knock on the door.

"Are you settled in? Wanna go check things out?" Xiao Chen asked the moment the door opened.

"Let’s go!" Su Chen was also curious to see what an evening in Irkutsk was like.

The two of them didn’t take the whole entourage, just calling on Chen Fei to drive. After asking the front desk for recommendations on fun places in the city, the trio drove straight toward the suggested 130 Kvartal.

Despite its evocative name, 130 Kvartal wasn’t some kind of red-light district. It was a block lined with classical Russian-style architecture and one of the few dedicated nightlife and bar areas in Irkutsk City!

"I’m surprised it’s this crowded at night." It was already dark by the time they reached 130 Kvartal, and they saw plenty of people walking toward the bar district.

The bars here weren’t like the loud dance clubs back home; they were more like lounges where people could listen to music, chat with friends, and enjoy a drink.

After strolling around for a bit, they found a lounge with a pleasant atmosphere and went inside. A waiter immediately approached to greet them.

Su Chen, who knew next to nothing about alcohol, naturally left the task of ordering drinks to Xiao Chen.

Su Chen had expected to act as a go-between, but to his surprise, the waiter was conversing with Xiao Chen in a flawless Northeastern dialect.

Out of curiosity, they asked and learned that he was a college student. He happened to have a roommate from Northeast China and had picked up the fluent accent in less than two years.

On the waiter’s recommendation, Xiao Chen ordered three low-alcohol cocktails.

"Sir, quick, check your seven o’clock. A real beauty!" Chen Fei said to Su Chen, a wide grin on his face.

"’Seven o’clock?’" Su Chen didn’t get it for a second, but when he saw Xiao Chen turn to look over his left shoulder, it clicked.

"Well, what a coincidence," Xiao Chen said, a suggestive smile spreading across his face as he got a clear look at the beauty Chen Fei had pointed out.

"Uh... no way. What are the odds?" By then, Su Chen had also seen who Chen Fei meant. It was the beautiful saleswoman who had given him her number when he bought the car that afternoon.

She was sitting at a table in the corner with another woman who had a killer figure. Their cheerful laughter was attracting quite a bit of attention.

Xiao Chen nudged Su Chen’s shoulder, a wicked grin on his face. "Those two look pretty fresh. Not planning on going over to, uh, ’network’?"

"Get out of here. Am I that desperate?" Su Chen retorted, bumping the leaning Xiao Chen away.

He said that, but his curious gaze drifted back toward the two women in the corner.

Xiao Chen and Chen Fei exchanged a look, both with wicked smiles. After a silent, knowing glance, Chen Fei seemed to make up his mind, decisively getting up and walking toward the corner.

The maneuver was so swift that Su Chen didn’t have time to react. By the time it registered, Chen Fei had already reached the two women and was pointing toward Su Chen while miming a toast.

A moment later, Chen Fei walked back looking as smug as a triumphant general, with the two beautiful women following close behind. ⅇℯ𝚕.

It was only then that Su Chen noticed how sensually they were dressed. Both wore lacy, semi-transparent burgundy dresses that perfectly highlighted their curvy, hourglass figures.

"Какое совпадение—увидеть тебя здесь (What a coincidence, seeing you here)!" the saleswoman, Eliza, greeted him enthusiastically.

"It certainly is a coincidence!" Su Chen replied with a smile, standing up. Since Chen Fei had already brought them over, he could hardly tell them to leave. ℯ

Seeing that Su Chen hadn’t invited the women to sit, Xiao Chen, who was beside him, quickly kicked Chen Fei and shot a look at the empty seats.

Chen Fei immediately gestured for the two beauties to sit down.

Whether intentionally or not, the two women sat down, sandwiching Su Chen between them and pressing in very close.

Su Chen was about to ask them to scoot over, but their table was set up with two long sofas. Xiao Chen and Chen Fei had already squeezed onto one together, leaving Su Chen to "enjoy himself" alone on the other.

Seeing the grins on his friends’ faces and the women’s enthusiastic demeanor, Su Chen decided not to overthink things. ’When you’re out to have fun, you should have fun.’ He took the initiative and started chatting with them.

Su Chen soon learned that both were fourth-year students at Irkutsk National Research Technical University, working part-time while finishing their studies.

The two introduced themselves: the saleswoman was Eliza, and her best friend was Lilith. Both were around 22 years old. Interestingly, both women also managed to casually, yet pointedly, mention that they had never been in a relationship.

Xiao Chen and Chen Fei, sitting to the side, didn’t understand Russian. Since they couldn’t serve as verbal wingmen, they decided to provide support through action. They called the waiter over and ordered a dozen bottles of the lounge’s best alcohol.

Soon, under the influence of the alcohol, Eliza and Lilith loosened up considerably. Even Su Chen’s hands, at some unknown point, had found their way beneath the table.