Chapter 450 - 278: Men’s Pleasure Castle

Chapter 450: Chapter 278: Men’s Pleasure Castle

Lin Chu smiled, saying he had it all planned out.

Hearing this, Xue Xiaojun couldn’t help but laugh. "You really know how to live. Alright, let’s head to the restaurant first."

"Ting’er, call the restaurant and reserve a private room for us."

He said to the female streamer beside him.

He hesitated for a moment but decided against making introductions.

’This... I’ll let Brother Chu find out for himself.’

’They know how to play their part, and we’ll be drinking later, anyway.’

’With Brother Chu’s status and caliber, I don’t need to do a thing.’

The business of introducing female employees to the boss made Xue Xiaojun a bit queasy. It wasn’t out of some moral obligation to the women—he was a man, too. And what if some damn employee became the "temporary boss’s wife" and started causing trouble, walking all over him? That would be disgusting.

’Of course, if they really hit it off, like two peas in a pod, then I’ve got nothing to say.’

The four of them got into the car.

The branch office’s company car was a Tank 500. Although Lin Chu had gifted plenty of them on his livestreams, this was actually his first time riding in one. The experience was quite nice—the interior was luxurious, and it had plenty of power.

"President Lin, do you have any plans for your itinerary?"

"I’ll prepare in advance."

Once in the car, one of the female streamers drove while the other sat in the passenger seat. Xue Xiaojun and Lin Chu sat in the back, chatting casually.

"Don’t call me President Lin. Call me Brother Chu, or whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m here on a personal trip, just for fun. I’m not going to the office."

"I want to go skiing on Changbai Mountain, then soak in some hot springs. If possible, I’d like to wander around a forest farm out in the wild. If there’s still time, maybe go to the Mohe River to see the aurora, and then head over to Russia across the Heihe River to do some shooting, drive a tank, that sort of thing."

Lin Chu handed him a cigarette and lit one for himself.

’At this rate, the New Year will be here before I know it, won’t it?’

’There’s a line from a poem about how the passing days and nights wear away a person’s life... For me right now, it really is just about killing time, waiting patiently.’

Unlike the past few days in Dali and Lijiang, Lin Chu no longer felt "lost" or empty.

It all came down to one word—wait.

Wait for the LC Retail physical stores to open. Wait for the media branch to expand across the country. Wait for the Security Group to grow.

He didn’t need to worry about a thing.

But this, in a way, served as his "worldly" anchor.

On the plane, Lin Chu had thought of a rather fitting analogy—his current activities were basically a company-paid vacation.

The company was growing, and he was out here having fun.

If anything major happened at the company, he could fly back at a moment’s notice.

Once he dealt with it, he could resume his gallivanting all over the country.

All in all, it was a rather pleasant life.

"Alright, I get the picture."

"So, are you planning to stay for a while?"

After hearing Lin Chu out, Xue Xiaojun had a pretty good idea of what to do.

"Yeah, I’ll just play it by ear for now."

Lin Chu smiled and nodded.

...

When they arrived at the restaurant, Xue Xiaojun pulled two bottles of infused liquor from the trunk.

"Brother Chu, how about we drink this? I infused it myself. It’s been aging for seven years. The base is pure grain alcohol, and I added wild ginseng, a tiny bit of tiger bone, Antler, and mulberry, plus a local herb they call ’Howler’."

Lin Chu glanced at the slightly yellow but clear liquid. When he heard the herb’s name, however, he couldn’t help but laugh.

’Howler?’

’Holy shit...’

’What kind of howling is that supposed to be?’

’Sounds pretty exciting, though.’

He was suddenly reminded of the jar of infused liquor back home, and of the girl who had made it for him, Tangtang. He’d just seen her at the golf club today. She was doing great in the sales department and had already been promoted to manager.

’But his relationship with her had been pretty twisted from the start. She had a boyfriend but still came to him, all for the thrill of it.’

’Of course, he’d found it thrilling at the time, too, but now he didn’t really feel like bothering with her.’

’One of the functions of the golf club was to settle his old romantic debts, to find a place for these women to land.’

’That, too, required patience.’

’To let the river of time and fate flow peacefully to its destined course.’

"Brother Chu?"

"Maybe I should go buy something else, then."

Seeing Lin Chu’s mind wander, Xue Xiaojun thought he was displeased and quickly suggested an alternative.

Lin Chu snapped out of it, smiling as he stopped him.

"It’s fine, we’ll drink this. I just spaced out for a second, was thinking about something else."

"Come on, let’s go in!"

Eating steaming hot goose and drinking the mellow, slightly sweet liquor, Lin Chu chatted idly with the other three. He felt a sort of romance unique to the people of the Northeast. It was bone-chillingly cold outside, but inside the private room, the heat was cranked so high you wanted to strip off all your clothes. The stark contrast created a feeling of bold, hearty comfort.

Though the two girls’ makeup was exquisite, they didn’t quite meet his standards, so Lin Chu didn’t have any other ideas about them.

Still, they made for good drinking companions.

After the meal, with more than half a jin of liquor in his stomach, Lin Chu felt as if every pore in his body had opened up, sizzling and radiating heat. It was an incredible feeling, but he also genuinely felt a bit of that "howler" sensation kicking in.

For a moment, Lin Chu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’Does it really work this well?’

’Baiyun Mountain Pharmaceutical should have come here to do some research sooner... Then they wouldn’t have had to wait for the patent on the little blue pill from overseas to expire before launching their own domestic version.’

The next stop was the bathhouse.

The bathhouse complex before him was like a castle. It was a full six stories high and covered a vast area. Just looking at it from the outside, Lin Chu could already imagine the delights within.

"What’s the plan for the evening?"

"Want to play mahjong?"

"Or play video games?"

"Tingting is a game streamer—she plays battle royales. She also knows how to play pool, and as for cards, she’s an expert. A master of all vices, you could say."

As they reached the entrance, Xue Xiaojun asked with a smile. He had to ask beforehand; otherwise, if Lin Chu wanted to play mahjong later, they wouldn’t have enough players.

Lin Chu ran a hand through his hair, a little surprised. ’He means... they’re both coming in, too?’

But he quickly recovered and smiled. "I don’t know how to play mahjong. Pool is good, and so are video games. Let’s go."

’They say the Northeast is the most gender-equal place in the country. That’s pretty good. As expected of the region that led the nation’s early development.’

Soaking in the tubs, steaming in the sauna, getting a rough but satisfying back scrub from one of the old male attendants—though it was a bit embarrassing—and then blissfully soaking in the hot springs, Lin Chu felt like a traditional Chinese herb being put through every kind of processing method. Afterward, his entire body felt utterly refreshed and clear-headed.

After playing some pool and a couple of rounds of video games, at Xue Xiaojun’s strong suggestion, Lin Chu went up to the sixth floor with him.

And so...

He woke up to find it was already noon the next day.

’This place really is a den of luxury, a place that melts away both your money and your soul.’

’This is too damn fun, isn’t it?’

’Although Lin Chu had been to plenty of high-end spas, he still felt this one ranked number one.’

’The main thing was, it was cold outside, but warm as summer inside. It had everything you could possibly want, which gave it a natural buff, a stat boost.’

「The next day.」

Lin Chu still hadn’t had his fill.

He continued.

’So this is what they mean by being too happy to think of home.’

After staying for nearly a full week, Lin Chu was shocked to discover that the tan he’d gotten on the high plateau had completely faded. His skin was now fair and tender like a peeled egg, and he felt thoroughly hydrated from all the soaking.

’Time to go.’

’Really, it’s time to go.’

’If he stayed any longer, Lin Chu was genuinely worried he’d give in to an impulse and buy the whole bathhouse complex.’

’The temptation was seriously hard to resist!’

’Damn it, I’ve been here a week and haven’t gone anywhere else! I’ve done nothing but eat, drink, and stay here!’

’I feel like I could spend the entire winter here!’

’It feels like my very bones have gone soft!’

...

「One day later.」

「Changbai Mountain.」

「Wanda Ski Resort.」

In the biting cold wind, the ski resort was a blanket of pure white.

Dressed in a full ski suit and goggles, Lin Chu hired two advanced instructors for one-on-one lessons and officially began learning to ski.

’After getting my body all charged up, it was time to get moving.’

’They say skiing is as addictive as diving. One is called the "white poison," the other the "blue poison"—that’s how much joy they can bring.’

’Diving on Bohe Island had certainly been fun. Addictive, even intoxicating.’

’And the "white poison" was a different kind of "high-potency dopamine hit."’

But it didn’t stop there...

’In fact, in many circles, there was already talk of the "three adult poisons": blue poison (diving), white poison (skiing), and green poison (golf)...’

Thinking of this, Lin Chu shook his head with a wry, speechless smile.

’I, Lin Chu, am addicted to all three poisons!’

’No, I should also add the "water poison" of the spas, and "pussy poison"!’

’Let’s just round it up to five poisons.’

Tsk...

’I’m a lost cause.’

...

...