Half an hour later, Jin Shuhan followed the location sent by Zhou Jie and arrived at a club.
Zhou Jie stood anxiously outside, a cigarette dangling from her lips, as if worried Jin Shuhan might change her mind at the last minute. Seeing Jin arrive as promised, Zhou Jie finally relaxed, smiling as she approached. "Shuhan, quick! The guest has been waiting for a long time... Let me tell you, today's guest is a big spender. If you keep him happy, you won't just make a few thousand, even tens of thousands will be easy!"
Jin Shuhan looked doubtful. "That... that much?"
"Of course! Look at me, dressed head to toe in designer clothes—would I lie to you? Anyone who comes to a place like this is a big boss. Last time, I just lit a cigarette for one of them, and he tipped me twenty thousand!"
Jin swallowed nervously and looked up at the dazzling club, her heart filled with unease. "Zhou Jie, are we really... only drinking with them?"
Zhou Jie grew impatient. "If you don't trust me, then go home. I'll find someone else! Tonight's guest is someone others are dying to accompany! I'm only giving you this chance because I know you need the money... Just don't regret it!"
With that, she pretended to leave.
Jin Shuhan bit her lip hard, grabbing Zhou Jie's arm, stammering, "I-I trust you... But, Zhou Jie, promise me, if the guest tries to... overstep, I-I'll leave, okay? Don't blame me."
Zhou Jie rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine! I already told you it's just drinking. Why are you so uptight? Come on, the guest is waiting."
The two headed upstairs. When they opened the private room door, it was eerily quiet.
Jin stood behind Zhou Jie, peeking nervously inside the room.
In the large room, three young men were seated on the sofa. The man on the far left gestured for silence, while the man on the right beckoned them to enter.
Xue Can, still recovering from his injuries, sat in the middle, talking on the phone with Situwang Jingyao. When Jin Shuhan first laid eyes on him, he seemed familiar. Before she could think further, Zhou Jie pulled her into the room, placing a finger to her lips, signaling her to stay quiet.
"Yaoyao, you're making me really angry... Don't use that old man to pressure me!... Haha, mark my words, one day, you'll be mine!"
After hanging up, Xue Can tossed his phone onto the sofa, trying to suppress his anger with a gulp of alcohol.
At that moment, Jin Shuhan suddenly remembered reading a local news story recently. Xue Can had provoked President Chu at a charity event. But when she tried to find the article again later, it had mysteriously disappeared from the internet.
Before she could dwell on it, Zhou Jie grabbed her hand and led her toward Xue Can. "Mr. Xue, this is my classmate, Jin Shuhan... Shuhan, say hello to Mr. Xue."
Clearly out of her element, Jin bowed awkwardly. "Hello, Mr. Xue."
Xue Can glanced at her briefly, then leaned back on the sofa, lighting a cigarette, his eyes greedily tracing the contours of Jin's perfect figure, his gaze turning increasingly playful.
Zhou Jie, sensing Xue's interest, smiled ingratiatingly. "Mr. Xue, Shuhan here is a first-timer, pure as they come... Shuhan, go sit beside Mr. Xue."
Jin Shuhan hesitated, her nervousness apparent, as she carefully sat beside him.
Xue Can turned toward her, admiring her innocence, his eyes glinting with malice. Casually, he placed a hand on Jin's leg, while his other arm wrapped around her waist.
Jin jolted as if shocked, instinctively shifting away, but then, biting her lip, she stiffly returned to her seat, forcing a smile. "I'm sorry, Mr. Xue..."
Zhou Jie clicked her tongue. "Shuhan, what's wrong with you? I—"
Before she could finish, Xue interrupted, "It's fine. I like this kind... Heh."
Xue smiled, pulling out several thick wads of cash from his bag and tossing them onto the table. "I'm in a bad mood tonight. Make me happy, and it's all yours."
Jin's eyes sparkled as she stared at the money, a glimmer of hope flickering in her gaze.
Zhou Jie glanced at the man sitting on the far right, then turned to her boyfriend, laughing sweetly. "Honey, I'll go find someone for your friend, okay?"
Just as she was about to leave, Xue stopped her. "No need. You sing. It's too quiet in here."
Then, he glanced at Zhou Jie's boyfriend but said nothing, picking up two glasses of alcohol and handing one to Jin Shuhan.
Soon, Zhou Jie's singing filled the room. Jin occasionally sipped her drink with Xue Can. Luckily, the other two men only made her drink once each and didn't press her further.
Only drinking with Xue didn't worry Jin too much. After all, she had a high tolerance for alcohol. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to come here with Zhou Jie in the first place.
However, after drinking a glass of alcohol offered by Zhou Jie's boyfriend, within five minutes, Jin began to feel dizzy, far more so than she should after such a small amount. Her body felt weak and she slumped against Xue Can.
Xue looked down at her, a sinister smile tugging at his lips. "Drunk already?"
Jin tried to speak, but she didn't even have the strength to form words. Her eyes, barely open, caught glimpses of Xue's increasingly wicked grin. Despair surged through her heart.
She had been drugged!
It wasn't hard to figure out—the drink Zhou Jie's boyfriend gave her was tainted. And it wasn't hard to imagine what was going to happen next!
"Zhou Jie... Zhou Jie!"
Jin screamed in her mind, trying desperately to call for her, but the words wouldn't come out.
Xue, now laughing sadistically, brought his mouth close to Jin's ear, whispering mockingly, "Be good. Make me happy, and all that money will be yours! Heh heh heh..."
With that, the monster in him shoved her onto the table. Glancing at his two friends, he laughed wickedly, "Shall I go first?"
The two men, sharing Xue's filthy grin, pulled out their phones, readying their cameras. This wasn't their first time—ten years ago, the three had done the same thing.
Jin's heart sank into complete despair. Her eyelids fluttered, trying to stay conscious. She wanted to fight back, but her body wouldn't respond. She lay there helplessly as Xue slowly unbuttoned her shirt, her tears flowing uncontrollably.
Zhou Jie, gripping the microphone, focused intently on her singing, not sparing Jin a glance. In her other hand, she held her phone, the screen displaying a conversation with her boyfriend:
Zhou Jie: "You're not going to mess with her, right? I'll be mad!"
Boyfriend: "If I don't, I'll be out of place. Xue won't be happy. Be good. I'll buy you that bag tomorrow."
Zhou Jie: "Just this once! Hmph... I want that Coach bag I saw last time."
On the sofa, Jin's phone rang incessantly from her bag, its sound drowned out by the blaring music in the room.