"I'm gonna take a little break. You four go ahead and keep drinking."
Seeing Bonnie about to raise her glass toward him again, Zach waved her off gently. He then signaled to the server nearby to open two more bottles of champagne.
Bonnie, noticing Zach had turned down the drink, said nothing. She knew better than to push. After sipping half her glass, she quietly set it back on the table, making no further effort to toast with the other three.
"Zach, is your stomach bothering you?" Siqi asked softly, still clinging to his arm.
"I'm fine," he replied casually. "Just drank a little too fast. I just need to rest for a bit."
"There are still four bottles left—help yourselves. I'll order more if you finish them."
"How about I rub your stomach a little?" Suzie offered, half-joking, half-serious. "I used to get stomachaches from eating at odd hours, and rubbing it always helped."
Zach glanced at her without answering. Instead, he shifted into a more relaxed position, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes.
Taking the cue, Suzie slipped her hand inside Zach's shirt and began gently massaging his lower abdomen with her cool fingertips.
Zach had felt slightly bloated, but with Suzie's delicate touch, a bit of the discomfort began to ease.
While her right hand worked its way across his stomach, she kept her left arm wrapped tightly around his, leaning into him slightly for better balance.
Her low-cut dress, already snug, now pressed firmly against Zach as she leaned closer, making it feel like Zach was getting a massage in two places at once—his stomach and his arm.
It wasn't just the physical sensation. It was the setting that made it feel different.
They weren't in some private room or quiet lounge. This was a crowded, high-energy nightclub with loud music, flashing lights, and other women sitting just inches away.
And yet, in that moment, it felt like everything else had faded. The electronic music softened in the background, drowned out by the sharp focus of her touch on his body.
After a while, Zach suddenly noticed Suzie's hand starting to drift lower across his abdomen.
Unfortunately for her, he'd dressed up a bit tonight—wearing a button-down, tailored slacks, and a belt. She couldn't get her hand any further.
Zach opened his eyes and glanced over.
Suzie was staring calmly toward the dance floor, her expression completely neutral, as if nothing had happened.
Just then, Zach felt the pressure in his bladder build. He stood up and said,
"I'm gonna hit the restroom real quick. You all keep drinking."
A few minutes later, he returned to the booth. Suzie, without missing a beat, slid her hand back under his shirt and resumed rubbing his stomach.
It didn't take her long to notice that the belt, which had been firmly fastened earlier, was now a whole lot looser…
Moments later, Zach drew in a sharp breath and suddenly sat upright.
"Hhss…"
Lina, who was seated on his left, leaned in and asked with concern,
"What's wrong, Zach?"
"All good," he said quickly, brushing it off. Then, as if to shift the conversation, he turned and asked, "Earlier you mentioned that you and Anya are both at the art school. What year are you in, and what are your majors?"
Women could be so different from men in the smallest ways.
For instance, even if their hands were ice cold, pressing them against someone's stomach wouldn't warm them up—not even after several minutes.
"Anya and I are both freshmen," Lina replied, pretending to pout. "I told you that earlier when we arrived. You already forgot, Zach?"
Lina clung to Zach's arm and leaned in playfully before explaining:
"We're both in the dance department. I'm studying jazz dance, and Anya's in classical."
Zach didn't know much about dance, so he didn't think much of it at the moment. He simply replied with a casual nod,
"Dance, huh… So you two must be pretty good at it?"
"It's okay," Lina said modestly. "I've been dancing since elementary school—so, more than ten years now. Anya's about the same."
Though her tone was humble, Lina was clearly highlighting her strengths.
She knew full well that a lot of men loved girls who could dance—especially the kind who were flexible and graceful enough to do things like splits.
It was a definite advantage—dancer's body, and youth. After all, she was a college freshman.
As the saying goes: no one stays eighteen forever, but there will always be someone who is eighteen.
After sharing her background, Lina tilted her head and asked curiously,
"So, Zach, what do you do?"
"Me? I'm about where you are. A senior in college."
"You're in college too?" Lina said, genuinely surprised.
She hadn't expected that. It wasn't that being a student was rare—it was just that Zach's overall vibe threw her off.
He was dressed in a clean, mature style tonight, and she had assumed he was a bit older. The idea that he was just a senior—probably only around twenty-two—took her by surprise.
That would make him just three years older than her.
Honestly, that was even more shocking than if he had already been working. He was casually throwing down nearly $13,000 on drinks while still in school?
What kind of background did he have?
She couldn't even wrap her head around it.
"What? I don't look the part?" Zach asked with a slight smile.
"No, no, it's not that—" Lina waved her hands quickly. "I just didn't expect you to be so young. You're almost my age…"
As she spoke, Lina's gaze shifted slightly and she noticed something off about Suzie's posture across the booth. Zach was clearly focused on their conversation, yet Suzie was still leaning sideways?
Lowering her gaze, Lina suddenly caught on—and her eyes widened as she realized what was happening.
Suzie didn't flinch. In fact, once she noticed Lina looking, she met her gaze without a shred of guilt, even tossing a smug, provocative smile back at her.
Lina nearly choked on the moment. She turned away quickly, muttering to herself in her head:
This shameless woman… seriously? Right in front of everyone?
She felt embarrassed, but not exactly angry. Instead, a wave of urgency hit her.
Just like she'd told Anya earlier—when a man with Zach's looks, money, and charm appears, it's impossible not to be tempted.
She also knew Suzie and Bonnie were probably thinking the same thing. She hadn't worried much about it before—after all, she and Anya were younger, more naturally beautiful, and just as curvy.
How could they compete?
But now, seeing how boldly Suzie was making her move, Lina was getting nervous.
She might be prettier than Suzie, but that didn't matter if she wasn't bold enough to act.
Sometimes, when a man gets swept up in the moment, logic and preference go right out the window.
After a quick second of thought, Lina grabbed Zach's hand and said cheerfully,
"Zach, just sitting around is getting boring. Wanna head down to the floor and dance for a bit?"
It was nearing 11 p.m.—prime time at the club. The bass had kicked up, the tempo had sped, and the pulsing electronic beats were shaking the floor.
The night was just getting started.