It was a solo shot. In the picture, a youth in a short-sleeve shirt was smiling brightly in front of a Gothic building.
This picture was taken when An Xiaoyan arrived at A University from his home. It was in front of the university's library. When he'd printed it out, he'd framed it. Before going to jail, he'd stuffed it inside his pocket to keep it as a memory. Now, it really was a memory.
Before leaving, An Xiaoyan still had something to do. He went to find Dong Zi for the first time.
Dong Zi happened to be at the warehouse. Seeing An Xiaoyan, he hurriedly came out to welcome him.
"Brother, you came just as I finished work." As he spoke, he took out an iced beer from the fridge for An Xiaoyan.
"I need your help with something." An Xiaoyan placed the beer on the table. He didn't feel like touching it.
"What is it? I'll do whatever I can."
"I know you work in the streets. I can't persuade you to leave the life, but I'm sure you have connections. I want to ask you to help me watch over someone."
Dong Zi stopped drinking his beer. Since when did An Xiaoyan know about protecting someone? Was it a man or woman?
"Sure. Brother, just tell me and I'll do it."
"A girl called Ye Qing. She's a cashier at Joy Market."
This confused Dong Zi even more. She was just a cashier. Did An Xiaoyan like her?
"Brother, is something going on? Why do I have to protect her?"
An Xiaoyan didn't want Dong Zi to get involved with his private matter with Gu Jun. The fewer people who knew about it, the better.
"She's just a girl. If something happens, I won't be able to protect her, but you should have more connections than me, so I have to bother you about it."
"No, you're not bothering. If you're asking me for help, it means you think I'm a close friend. Don't worry. I'll definitely protect her."
An Xiaoyan felt much more relieved after getting Dong Zi's promise. Dong Zi was young, but he was still reliable.
With the last thing taken care of, An Xiaoyan had no more concerns. Gu Jun never had any reason for doing things. He didn't need reasons either. An Xiaoyan only had to do whatever he wanted.
After arriving at the clubhouse in the morning, An Xiaoyan stood outside and looked up at this place that came to life at night. He would be here from now on.
He didn't have time to study the place yesterday. Today, he saw the words on it: Night Charm Luxurious Clubhouse.
It was morning, so there were only workers at the clubhouse. When An Xiaoyan walked in, he looked side to side. A fashionable middle-aged man walked over as soon as he entered.
"An Xiaoyan, right?" The man's arrogant tone made An Xiaoyan feel like he was lower class.
"Yes."
"Follow me." This man was the manager in charge of the clubhouse's workers. Everyone called him Manager Nian.
An Xiaoyan clutched the bag in his arms. The cold sweat on his palms dampened the bag's straps, but he didn't care. He hugged the bag even tighter in fear that it would fall if he loosened his grip.
Manager Nian made various turns in the hallway and took An Xiaoyan to a room. "You'll live here from now on. Take a nap. Someone will tell you the rules at night. Don't think about trying anything. Nothing escapes my eye."
Mr. Gu had specifically asked for this An Xiaoyan. Manager Nian didn't know what this quiet man had to do with Mr. Gu. All that mattered was that Mr. Gu told them to take care of him. He didn't actually like taking in unknown people. He didn't know if the man had any diseases. This was a high-class clubhouse, after all, not a random salon.
When Manager Nian saw that An Xiaoyan just stood at the door without going in, he opened the door and pushed An Xiaoyan in. "We work night shifts here. Rest up now. If you fall asleep while working, you'll have it coming!"
An Xiaoyan was pushed into a dark room. It took a while for his eyes to get used to it. The light peeking in from the curtains reminded him that it was still day-time outside.
Someone inside the room sensed that someone had entered, but he just turned around, not wanting to take a look.
There were three beds lined up in the room. Two had lumps on them. An Xiaoyan crept to the wall, placed his bag at the foot of the bed, and lay down without daring to take off his clothes.
He didn't feel like sleeping after getting in bed. An Xiaoyan didn't know what he would face when darkness fell. It felt like a rock was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. His heart pounded and cold sweat dripped down on forehead.
After who-knew-how-long, An Xiaoyan was woken up by blinding light. He sat up, squinting. He was met with two bare backsides.
The two men sensed that the person on the bed had woken up. They turned around and glanced at An Xiaoyan who'd pulled his blankets up.
"So that was you last night." One of the men glanced at him before turning back to the mirror to put on makeup. They were used to these things. The manager just put newbies into rooms with open beds.
"Hurry up, put on makeup and change. We need to group at 6:30," the person changing on the side reminded. "Oh right, your clothes are over there. Put on some makeup. People here like pretty faces. You can earn more if you're pretty."
Each word was like a needle pierced into An Xiaoyan's heart. He started regretting the reason he chose to come here. Why did he allow Gu Jun to control him? Then his parents' weathered faces appeared in his mind. It's okay. It's just drinking. I'll just pretend it's water.
Gu Jun went to the VIP room very early. All the dinners in a row soured his mood. Chen Chen sensed that Gu Jun was frustrated and knew that he wasn't interested in these dinners. However, he had to do this in his capacity as the patriarch. He couldn't lose to Mr. Gu Jing.
"Is everyone here?"
"Missing one," Chen Chen said.
"Who?"
"The boss of Southern Real Estate."
Gu Jun redid his tie. The main purpose of this dinner was to deal with Southern Real Estate. If he could buy this lot at a low cost, Gu Jun would have one more advantage over Gu Jing.
The real estate industry of the Gu family seemed weaker these recent years. The price of land skyrocketing was fatal to families like the Gu family that weren't too involved in real estate. If Old Gu wanted to choose an heir, getting a lot of land would definitely make him happy.
"Is the contract written?"
"Of course." Chen Chen kept the contract with him, just in case. However, there was something he still didn't understand.