Zhonghai City, in a room of a modestly small motel, a striking smear of fresh blood adorned the pristine white sheets, unsettling the woman gazing at it.
Her extraordinary beauty, her statuesque figure with golden ratios, especially those long, seductive legs, could probably drive every man in Zhonghai City wild.
Her expression of haughty coldness couldn't hide the pain of lost innocence any longer; tears fell from her eyes as she watched the man seated on her bed.
"Hey, don't cry. What's there to cry about? Sister, it was my first time too. You were the one on top yesterday! I didn't cry, so why are you?"
The seated man, who had a delicate appearance, eagerly spoke to the devastated beauty in front of him. He wanted to get closer, to comfort her, only to be pushed away.
"Ms. Ruyu! What are you doing? I lost my innocence just the same as you, didn't I? And with you being the older woman with a younger man, I can't help feeling like you got the better deal!"
Yi Xiaofei mumbled with his lips pursed, recalling the tempestuous night that had revealed the woman's name.
"Get out! Get out!!"
Yan Ruyu screamed her heart out, her pain stemming not from her body but from her soul. Her chastity, safeguarded for twenty-five years, was surrendered to a stranger, someone she had never even met.
"I will take responsibility for you!"
Yi Xiaofei looked at Yan Ruyu, his tone taking on a subtle change. Having arrived from the countryside to seek out relatives in Zhonghai City, he hadn't expected such an incident to occur.
"I, Yan Ruyu, do not need you to take responsibility for me!"
Rising to her feet, she stared at Yi Xiaofei, still unaware of the young man's name even now, though she wished she could kill him at that moment.
"You're leaving? You don't even know my name. I'm Yi Xiaofei! Since you were my first, if you ever need help in the future, just come find me. I'm sure with your capabilities, you can manage that!"
Yi Xiaofei spoke slowly as he watched Yan Ruyu's departing figure.
"I never want to see you again in my life!"
Yan Ruyu bit her lips, her steps still slightly unsteady.
"That won't do! You can't just leave like that; I paid for the room, and I'm out of money now. We have to at least go Dutch!"
Yi Xiaofei said, causing Yan Ruyu to freeze in place. She'd been intimate with him, and now he wanted to split the cost?
Without another word, Yan Ruyu stepped out of the room and closed the door firmly behind her.
Yi Xiaofei sighed, "Really now, isn't the force of action supposed to be mutual? I was actually the one at a loss; it nearly killed me last night. If it hadn't been for me, no matter how beautiful you were, you would've been dead!"
Yi Xiaofei stood up and stretched, donning a shirt and pants he had bought cheaply from a street stall and tidied up his belongings in the room. He slung a grey canvas bag over his shoulder and left the motel.
...
An hour later, Yi Xiaofei appeared in a restaurant, in front of him stood a bald middle-aged man named Li Qian, dressed in chef's attire.
"You must be Xiaofei!"
"Yep! Big Cousin, I'm Xiaofei. I came to the city to rely on you!"
Yi Xiaofei flashed an innocuous smile.
"The big city is a tough place; coming to me won't do you any good. I can't help you here; after all, even I work for someone else."
"But Big Cousin! I'm out of money! Can I work here?"
"That you'll have to ask the lady boss. But don't worry, with my recommendation and if you're willing to work hard, keeping yourself fed and sheltered won't be a problem!"
Bald Li patted his chest reassuringly, being the only one from the village making it big in the city carried a certain prestige. It would be quite embarrassing if he couldn't help Xiaofei, who would inevitably talk about it back in the village.
"Thank you, Big Cousin!"
Yi Xiaofei chuckled, just as a magnetic female voice resonated from the kitchen.
"Bald Li! What the hell are you doing? Is the kitchen a place for outsiders to just walk into?"
As the voice sounded, Yi Xiaofei's Big Cousin's face changed, clearly someone had snitched. Looking back, he saw an enticing mature figure, one that could instantly arouse aural-fixated men.
When Yi Xiaofei heard the voice and turned around to see the woman, he found her attire quite provocative.
"Lady boss! She's one of us, one of us! This is my nephew from the countryside, here to join me. Lady boss, I was just about to bring my nephew to meet you and see if he could work at the restaurant. As for wages, we can forgo them; providing room and board will suffice!"
Li Qian addressed the boss with a smile, unable to help swallowing nervously while speaking because the lady boss often featured in his dreams—a stunning woman any man would desire.
"Li Qian, what are you talking about, nephew? The restaurant isn't yours to bring in anyone you please! And we don't keep deadbeats around here. What could he possibly do? Even some older women would be more diligent! He looks like he's never had a hard day in his life!"
A man about Li Qian's age glanced at Yi Xiaofei with disdain and sneered. Li Qian, disgruntled, was sure this man had ratted him out. Otherwise, the lady boss wouldn't normally step into the kitchen.
"Young man, what's your name? You're pretty good-looking, how old are you?"
The lady boss asked with a flirtatious smile, looking directly at Yi Xiaofei.
Meanwhile, Yi Xiaofei's right hand reached for an ancient ring worn on his left, engraved with a lifelike dragon. After touching it three times, a faint light flickered and entered Yi Xiaofei's body—an action unnoticed by the bystanders.
Now, as Yi Xiaofei looked at the lady boss, his eyes perceived the silhouette under her clothes.
"Whoa! Can't see this style in the countryside! The lady boss sure has taste!"
His eyes had gained the power of clairvoyance, and he mused to himself. But when his gaze landed on the lady boss's ankle, a smile played across his lips when he saw the sprained ligaments underneath.