Chapter 100: Unworthy to Drink with Me

Jing Lingxuan quickly poured himself a bowl as well, raised it, and said, "I also toast Mr. Lu with a bowl."

Lu Ming glanced at the two of them, his gaze slowly sweeping over their faces, then snorted coldly, "Neither of you is worthy to drink with me."

With that, Lu Ming turned and walked away.

Jing Lingxuan and Shi Jianbo’s faces turned pale; the bowls in their hands clattered to the ground. Today, they had utterly lost face.

Just as Lu Ming descended the stairs, he saw Zhu Jianbin, the owner of Drunken Jianghu, hurriedly chasing after him, calling out, "Mr. Lu, please wait."

Lu Ming turned around and saw Zhu Jianbin holding a golden card with both hands, respectfully presenting it before him.

"Mr. Lu, this is our establishment’s supreme VIP card. With this card, no matter who comes to Drunken Jianghu to spend, the bill is waived. Please, you must accept it."

Lu Ming said, "I don’t know if I should accept this."

Unlimited spending with no restrictions on personal use was a huge financial burden for the establishment. If the cardholder wished, they could easily bankrupt the place.

Zhu Jianbin hurriedly said, "Mr. Lu, you are the leader of the Northwest Jianghu and our idol. This is just a token of our gratitude. Please, you must accept it."

Seeing Zhu Jianbin’s sincere demeanor, Lu Ming smiled and accepted the card.

"Thank you very much, Boss Zhu."

"It is I who should thank you, Mr. Lu. It is truly an honor for Drunken Jianghu that you accept this card."

Lu Ming chuckled and waved goodbye.

Judging from Zhu Jianbin’s temperament, Lu Ming decided not to be overly formal with him.

Leisurely, Lu Ming walked past the winding stream and the purple bamboo forest, reaching the parking lot outside.

He got into his eighteen-hand Santana and prepared to go home.

But just as he drove out of the parking lot, he saw Yu Bai and Sheng Siyu standing by the roadside, peeking around nervously.

"What are you two doing?"

Lu Ming stopped the car beside them and asked.

Seeing Lu Ming, they said, "Jing Lingxuan and Shi Jianbo ditched us and ran off. We had no choice but to see if there were any taxis."

Lu Ming smiled, knowing those two had no face left to stay and had slipped away secretly.

He tapped the car door and said, "If you don’t mind, I can give you both a ride home."

Yu Bai jumped up excitedly, saying, "Thank you so much!"

As Yu Bai bounced, the little white rabbit on her chest almost popped out, leaving Lu Ming astonished.

Yu Bai opened the back door and got in, followed closely by Sheng Siyu.

After closing the door, Lu Ming drove toward the city.

The three chatted and laughed along the way, growing familiar. Yu Bai and Sheng Siyu bombarded Lu Ming with questions about how he became so formidable, which gave him a headache, so he made up a casual excuse to brush them off.

Soon, the car was nearing the city. Just as they rounded a corner, suddenly, a police car appeared, and three traffic police officers in uniform signaled for Lu Ming to pull over.

Lu Ming sighed, "This is bad."

Yu Bai and Sheng Siyu also looked anxious. "What do we do?"

"What else?" Lu Ming said with a grimace. "Comply with the inspection."

He pulled over, and a traffic officer approached, saluted, and motioned for him to roll down the window.

Lu Ming complied. The officer handed him a breathalyzer and said, "Blow."

Lu Ming reluctantly blew into it.

The officer checked the reading, then widened his eyes.

"How much did you drink? Your blood alcohol content could knock out a whole bull."

Lu Ming felt awkward. "Just had a few drinks with friends."

"Driver’s license and registration. Get out of the car," the officer ordered, signaling to the other two officers to approach.

One of the other officers, older, asked, "What’s going on?"

"Captain Zhang, this person is severely drunk driving. Take a look," the younger officer said, showing the breathalyzer to Captain Zhang.

Captain Zhang examined the device and immediately said, "Take him to the police car."

The young officer confiscated Lu Ming’s license and registration and led him to the police car to await processing.

Meanwhile, Captain Zhang and the other officer leaned against the window, looking inside the car. Seeing Yu Bai and Sheng Siyu in the back seat, he asked, "Who are you?"

Yu Bai and Sheng Siyu held hands and replied, "We are friends of Lu Ming. We ate together, and he’s giving us a ride home."

Captain Zhang glanced at them, then had the other officer inspect Lu Ming’s trunk.

Finding nothing, Captain Zhang gestured for his subordinates to watch the two women in the car, then returned to the police vehicle.

Lu Ming could tell Captain Zhang was a superior, so he said, "Officer, this is my first offense. Could you go easy on me?"

Lu Ming had no excuse for drunk driving—it was his fault—but such cases were treated strictly and could be troublesome.

He hoped for leniency, perhaps just a fine without administrative penalties.

Captain Zhang lit a cigarette and said, "This is severe drunk driving. Your blood alcohol level is off the charts. According to regulations, you face fifteen days’ detention, a fine, and license revocation."

Lu Ming’s head ached.

The fine didn’t matter much, and revoking his license was no big deal—he could get a new one easily with his connections.

But fifteen days in detention? That was unacceptable. If word got out, Yun Ketian and that woman Qin Lan would never let him live it down.

"Officer, can’t you just fine me? No administrative penalties?" Lu Ming pleaded again.

Captain Zhang pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, let’s discuss and see if it’s possible."

He and the young officer stepped out, conferred by the car, glanced inside again, and returned to the vehicle.

Clearing his throat, Captain Zhang said, "This case isn’t easy."

Lu Ming seized the opportunity, "Tell me how much the fine is. I won’t argue."

Captain Zhang nodded slowly. "Since it’s your first offense, pay twenty thousand yuan, and we’ll skip the administrative penalties."

"Twenty thousand?" Lu Ming was stunned. Normally, fines were only a few thousand, maybe five or six thousand at most. He was surprised at the hefty demand.

Seeing his shock, Captain Zhang’s face darkened.

"You must understand, this is severe drunk driving. You’re facing detention and license revocation. Think carefully."

Lu Ming shook his head, thinking, twenty thousand is twenty thousand. It’s my fault for drinking and driving.

"Alright, twenty thousand it is," he said, waiting for the fine notice.

Captain Zhang glanced at him and said, "Cash only."

"I don’t have that much cash on me," Lu Ming was surprised.

"If you don’t have it, have your friends bring it. Also, you and those two women are suspected of prostitution. Each of you must pay an additional ten thousand yuan fine. That’s fifty thousand total," Captain Zhang said sternly.

Lu Ming’s face darkened immediately. "What did you say?"

He had suspected something was wrong when they insisted on cash payment, but he was at fault and planned to accept the loss and leave quickly.

However, accusing him of prostitution was a step too far. Lu Ming was furious.

Captain Zhang saw the anger on Lu Ming’s face and snorted coldly.

"Think carefully. If you don’t pay, you’ll face fifteen days’ detention, license revocation, and be sent to the station for investigation into prostitution charges. This will be a real mess. Decide wisely."

Lu Ming sneered. He realized these three were here to extort. Otherwise, why check cars in such a remote place?

And insisting on cash was to avoid any trace, so even if you repented later, it would be useless.

He was willing to admit his wrongdoing, but being taken for a fool and extorted, he refused.

Lu Ming said coldly, "Wait here. I’ll have a friend bring the money."

"Good. Hurry up," Captain Zhang said smugly, handing a cigarette to his subordinate. The two lit up in the car.

Lu Ming took out his phone and called Yun Ketian directly.

Once connected, Lu Ming said bluntly, "I got caught drunk driving at Qujiang intersection. They want a fifty-thousand-yuan cash fine. Send it over."