The next morning.
Song Xi woke up feeling sore all over. She tried to stretch her body, only to find herself trapped as if bound tightly by something, unable to move at all.
Who was she?
Where was she?
What was she supposed to do?
A flurry of questions flashed through her mind. As her reason slowly returned, she finally remembered everything that had happened last night.
To be honest, there was indeed pain mixed with a bit of sweetness; the experience was quite good, and the man had put in a lot of effort.
Still, it was her first time after all, and he really had tried way too hard—he had almost worn her to death.
Turning her head slightly, her eyes landed on that devastatingly handsome face. The man’s eyes were tightly closed, and his long eyelashes fluttered slightly with his breathing like soft feathers, lightly tickling the heart.
She quietly slipped away from the man's embrace, picking up the entertainment club's standard uniform scattered on the floor: a super-short skirt, a sleeveless shirt, and a bow tie.
Because of the man's violent movements the night before, the clothes were stretched a bit loose. She could only do her best to smooth them out, then tie her hair into a standard bun and put on a gold mask.
This was the club's standard attire.
After finishing all this, she tried to open the door, clinging mostly to a slim hope.
She had to escape this place!
Unexpectedly, however, the door opened at the first push.
The man who had dragged her into the room last night was standing right outside. Seeing her come out, he was first surprised, then asked anxiously.
"Did you get it done?"
"I... I have to go to work."
Song Xi's face flushed red. At the mere thought of what had happened last night, she couldn't even raise her head to face people, let alone stay to talk. She fled the scene at top speed without once looking back.
Watching Song Xi's fleeing figure, Mu Xi shook his head helplessly.
"Failure is normal, but we're reasonable people. Even if it didn't succeed, you still get hardship pay. Why run so fast?" Too lazy to ponder what the woman was thinking, he turned and pushed open the door to the private room.
The suite was in complete disarray. Walking further inside, Gu Lishang's suit jacket, trousers, and briefs were strewn haphazardly on the floor, and on the white bedsheet was a distinct patch of red blood...
Instantly triggered, Mu Xi rushed over to check on Gu Lishang in the bed.
"Lord Shang, are you alright?"
Gu Lishang, fast asleep: ???
Managing to crack open his eyes, the first thing he saw was Mu Xi's magnified face. Without hesitation, he frowned and kicked the man flying with a single sweep.
"Get lost!"
Mu Xi scrambled up from the floor smoothly, still offering eager concern to Gu Lishang.
"Lord Shang, are you hurt? That woman actually dared to hurt you while you were out of it—she must have a death wish!"
Just waking up, Gu Lishang looked at the bloodstain on the bed, his dark eyes deepening as he spoke calmly.
"That's not my blood."
"Then that means..." Mu Xi stared at the bloodstain, his brain temporarily crashing. It took him a long time to process an utterly unbelievable fact. "Could it... could it be that woman's?"
Gu Lishang didn't answer.
Yet this noncommittal attitude said it all.
Mu Xi's guess was correct!
Mu Xi muttered under his breath, "The mission actually succeeded?"
"Where is she?"
"Just left."
"Left?"
Gu Lishang pressed his lips together, his gaze gloomy as he wondered what was going through her mind.
Pump and dump?
He let out a cold snort.
She certainly followed the "get paid for the job" rule to the letter.
Not daring to guess Gu Lishang's thoughts, Mu Xi simply mused to himself.
That woman's figure and looks were top-notch, though she always carried an inescapable whiff of the demimonde. He had expected Gu Lishang to turn his nose up at such goods, never imagining that the usually prudish Lord Shang actually had a taste for this type.
Yet... the woman had looked like a seasoned veteran, so how could she still be a virgin?
That was too bizarre.
"Get out."
Gu Lishang's voice snapped Mu Xi back to reality.
Right now, Gu Lishang was wearing nothing except the quilt. To be honest, having spent so many years by Gu Lishang's side, Mu Xi had seen him in plenty of outfits, but this was the first time he had ever seen him unclothed.
"If your ears are useless, you can have them cut off."
This renewed warning made Mu Xi realize the gravity of the situation, and he evacuated the private room at maximum speed.
His rate of retreat directly correlated with his life expectancy.
The moment the door clicked shut, Mu Xi let out a sigh of relief.
His little life was saved.
"Mr. Mu, I'm so sorry."
A woman wearing the club's professional attire appeared before Mu Xi, bowing apologetically. "Last night... I'm sorry, I didn't handle things well... I'm really, really sorry..."
Mu Xi glanced at the woman before him. Her clothing, styling, and figure were an exact match for the one who had left this morning, though her temperament seemed slightly different.
Giving it no further thought, Mu Xi simply assumed it was his own imagination. Going from a girl to a woman would naturally alter one's aura somewhat; perhaps she had only rushed off that morning to freshen up, seeing as it was her first time encountering such a situation.
He offered comforting words.
"I know you had no experience, and the process might not have been very pleasant, but the result was good. You did a wonderful job. Here is the two million we agreed on beforehand."
Mu Xi handed a check to the woman, adding a casual reminder. "However, you must ensure that no one else ever finds out about this, understand?"
Huang Liuer was completely stunned.
She hadn't even shown up last night, so naturally, she knew nothing. Even if she wanted to talk, she had nothing to say.
With a two-million-dollar check right before her eyes, her pupils dilated with greed. There was no reason not to take it.
"Understood."
She took the check, clutched it tightly in her hand, and gave a solemn promise.
"Good, you can go."
"Thank you, Mr. Mu."
Clutching the check, Huang Liuer quickly fled the scene.
-
Club backstage.
The night-shift attendants were in the backstage lounge, changing out of their work uniforms while chatting amongst themselves.
The backstage floor manager appeared, roaring fiercely.
"Where is Song Xi? Song Xi!!!"
Hunched in a corner changing her clothes, Song Xi timidly raised a hand, her voice small and frail.
Probably out of a guilty conscience.
"I'm here."
"I told you to deliver a bottle of wine, and you didn't deliver it all night! Where's the wine? Where did you go?! I couldn't find you all night long!!!"
Biting her lip, Song Xi could not produce an answer.
Convinced that Song Xi was deliberately ignoring her, the floor manager grew even more furious. "You vanish the moment you're sent to deliver wine. Where did you run off to slack off?"
"Sister Chen, I'm sorry, there was a sudden accident last night..."
"I don't care about accidents! The fact is the wine wasn't delivered. Your shift pay of 300 and the 8,500 for the wine will be deducted in full! If anything like this happens again, don't bother coming back to work!"
Song Xi's face turned completely pale, leaving her with no room to argue.
It was true that the wine hadn't been delivered, and it was equally true that she had lost her purity.
She was counting on this month's salary to scrape together her tuition fees. With such a massive deduction out of nowhere, her tuition had lost all backing.
Driven by panic, she dug her fingernails deep into her flesh, yet felt almost no pain.
Her world had already collapsed.
Her eye sockets burned fiercely, and tears swirled threateningly in her eyes.
Just as Sister Chen left, Huang Liuer walked into the lounge, a triumphant smile in her eyes as she announced smugly.
"I made a huge score today. Dinner is on me!"