Outside the private room, Su Meng appeared from around the corner, looked up, and her eyes sharpened instantly. She walked quietly to the door of the private room and asked, "Luna, what are you doing?"
A cold voice suddenly came from behind. Luna, who was outside the private room, was startled and turned to see who was behind her. Recognizing the person, her pretty face became uncomfortable, "Nothing, I wasn't watching anything..."
Luna was the "princess" of private room 606, where the young masters came without requiring her service, instead, it was Sister Meng who personally sent a newly-arrived cleaner into the room.
Driven out of the private room, Luna was naturally disgruntled. There was no one around, so she cautiously pushed the door open a bit to peek inside through the crack. What she saw made her eyes widen, and she silently ridiculed Jian Tong as utterly worthless.
Su Meng let out a cold laugh; she had asked "what are you doing," not "what are you watching." Luna's reaction was like revealing the silver buried here.
"This is none of your business. Go greet customers on the first floor." Luna wanted to say more, but after Su Meng glanced at her indifferently, Luna reluctantly left the sixth floor. Yet resentment brewed within her... Sister Meng was unfair. It was clear that she was the princess of private room 606, yet she was not allowed in to serve the honored guests.
The people who came today were all rich and powerful, obviously not simple. And each one was young and handsome, a great opportunity which Sister Meng gave to this worthless cleaner instead.
And now she had to go down to the first floor to greet the ordinary customers!
Luna left, stomping her feet in dissatisfaction.
Su Meng gently pushed the door open a bit, and what she saw inside made even her, someone used to darkness and revelry, greatly shocked.
Inside the private room
"Crawl faster! You're so slow! Do you still want the money?"
Jian Tong gritted her teeth, biting her lip to divert attention from the pain in her muscles, bones, and tendons, and hastened her pace. Unnoticed by her, her clothes were soaked with sweat.
Ever since she was released from prison, even in the scorching heat of the summer afternoons on the hot asphalt, she remained dry, never breaking a sweat. But now, her clothes were soaked through with perspiration.
"Faster! Crawl over here to the young master," Li Sha laughed as he spoke, and his group of wasteful second-generation friends chuckled along. Under Shen Xiujin's gaze, Jian Tong crawled without dignity to the front of the young master Li Sha, who was only twenty years old. In the darkness, a violent storm brewed in the man's eyes!
Jian Tong!... A blaze of fury ignited in the man's eyes, and there was an unspeakable heaviness in his chest.
Shen Xiujin had never considered why, seeing this woman he despised so much, acting so despicably, so lowly, stirred anger in him.
Nor had he thought about his purpose in humiliating Jian Tong—now that his goal was achieved, why wasn't there a sliver of satisfaction in his heart?
"Lift your head and show your face to the young master." Li Sha's youthful, arrogant, and casual words reached Jian Tong's ears. She remained composed, not angry or annoyed, merely obediently lifting her head like a soulless wooden doll, following each of Li Sha's commands with corresponding actions.
"Holy shit! What the hell is that!" A friend behind Li Sha exclaimed in shock, staring at Jian Tong's eyes as if seeing a monster: "Master Li, this woman doesn't need makeup to look like a clown."
"Master Li, Master Shen was right, fine wine should accompany a beautiful woman, what right does such an ugly woman have to drink wine bestowed by Master Li?" The wasteful second and third generations began their clamorous heckling.
Jian Tong lowered her head and quietly breathed a sigh of relief... As long as they didn't make her drink, anything was fine!
Starting the moment that silly girl died, her life no longer belonged to her. To survive, she couldn't risk drinking alcohol; her damaged kidney couldn't withstand the harshness of liquor.
"No," the young man above her showed a malicious smile: "The young master said he'd gift her a glass, so he will. The young master keeps his word." Standing in front of Jian Tong and looking down on her, he commanded sharply: "The young master gifts you wine, why haven't you lifted your head?"
Seeing Jian Tong motionless, the young man known as Master Li, somewhat displeased, snapped: "I told you to lift your head, are you deaf?" He let out a cold snicker: "Do I need someone to help you?"
Jian Tong, with a hardened scalp, lifted her head, and the next second, "whoosh"—Master Li tilted the glass, and the wine poured all over Jian Tong's face. Caught off guard, the strong liquor splashed into her nose and eyes, causing Jian Tong to cough violently, her face turning pale.
Li Sha set down the glass on the crystal table with a nasty laugh, "But looking at you, it's so disgusting. The only way for the young master to give you the wine is like this."
He then laughed derisively with those around him and casually waved his hand: "The young master keeps his word. You've amused the young master today," he said, tossing fifty thousand yuan to Jian Tong and scornfully commanded: "Take the money and get lost. It hurts my eyes just looking at you."
The money hit Jian Tong's face and fell to the ground. Jian Tong, still on all fours, reached out a trembling hand and grabbed the notes on the floor with all her might.
"Did the young master tell you to stand up?"
Just as Jian Tong was about to move, the young man called Master Li spoke again with a sneer.
Having stuffed all the notes into the oversized pocket of her clown costume, Jian Tong lowered her head, remained prostrate on the ground.
"Hey! Don't forget to wag your tail!"
Jian Tong trembled slightly, then...
Slowly raised her right hand, right leg, left hand, left leg, and then shook her hips...
Amid the full room of jeers, cheers, and whistles, she stealthily made her exit... crawling away on all fours!
And from beginning to end, she never again looked at the man who was shrouded in darkness on the sofa.
...
All sorts of sounds behind her were completely cut off when the door of the private room closed again. At the same time, it seemed that something was taken away from Jian Tong as well.
What it was, Jian Tong herself didn't even know. She vaguely realized that she was no longer the same person she used to be... Actually, it had been different for a long time, and today was just the removal of the last shred of decency.
A hand reached out obliquely toward her: "Let me help you."
Jian Tong recoiled as if burnt and lifted her head, "Sister Meng..." She called out instinctively at the sight of the person before her, but then fell silent. After a moment, Su Meng saw the woman in front of her forced a strained smile and said, "I'm fine."
Su Meng's breath caught for a moment. How could she possibly be fine?
"I'm doing well," the seemingly humble woman said again firmly.
Su Meng's breath caught once more... Where was she doing well? What was well about this situation!
She wanted to roar at Jian Tong in front of her, but the words were stuck in her throat, unable to utter a sound.
"Sister Meng, this money..." Jian Tong leaned against the wall, struggling to keep herself from collapsing, slowly pulling out the money earned from "selling herself" in the private room from the pocket of her clown costume: "Sister Meng, could you please deposit this into my bank account for me?"
Su Meng watched as she pulled out the bank card Shen Xiujin had given her... What could be the reason that would make a person carry this bank card with them everywhere they went?