FY - 45

The days passed uneventfully, and before they knew it, New Year’s Day arrived.

Zhou Yan was in full swing. For a whole month, she had the highest request rate at Candy. Ten out of ten bosses, and then an eleventh one, would choose her. Some were drawn in by her seductive charm, while others came specifically for her reputation. It was the first time she had been so successful in all her years at Candy.

The veterans who had been with her since the beginning had never underestimated her, but they didn’t know what she was capable of when she truly let go.

Not only were the men mesmerized, but putting jealousy aside, the women were also impressed.

Si Wen still came to Candy every now and then, monitoring Zhou Yan and using force to punish anyone with bad intentions towards her.

Zhou Yan crossed paths with him several times, but she would always walk past him, looking straight ahead and not sparing him a glance. She was even stingy with a single look.

Si Wen couldn’t help but stop, but he would not turn to look at her.

If he did, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He would rush over, pin her in a corner, forcefully kiss her, stick his tongue in, and rub her breasts. He would touch her intimate parts, fill her up, and thrust hard until she climaxed before pulling out.

But what right did he have to do that?

Zhou Yan didn’t want him anymore, so what right did he have?

He could only hold back.

He had to hold back. Would he take her to the hospital again? If it were anything else, maybe, but because he was corrupted by drugs, should Zhou Yan suffer for it again? He couldn’t.

He would never make that mistake again in his life.

In the years that followed, he did what he said he would.

________________________________________

In the evening, Candy was booked for a private event.

The boss was a local tile businessman who was among the top dozen or so in terms of assets, but he had a classic “consumer personality.” No matter if he liked something or not, he would pay whatever the price was.

He was the one who had booked Candy to entertain his overseas business partner.

Zhou Yan, as the most talked-about prostitute in Qizhou’s red-light district, was naturally “ordered” to serve as a hostess. The boss even said that if Zhou Yan was to his liking, he would take her home for the night, and Zhou Yan could name her price.

This left Sister Hong in a difficult position. On one side was Si Wen, whom she couldn’t afford to offend, and on the other was the lavish boss.

Director Huang himself came and threw the problem to Zhou Yan, telling her to choose for herself and bear the consequences.

Sister Hong reminded him, “Director Huang, you know Si Wen. He won’t think we’re innocent just because we tried to distance ourselves.”

Director Huang knew this, of course. “Then tell me what to do.”

Sister Hong fell silent.

Director Huang took a puff of his cigar, propped his foot on the table, and gently tapped the surface. “The most appropriate thing would be to tell Zhou Yan to get lost, but look at our situation. After several big nightclubs opened, Candy’s customer traffic was cut in half. Right now, Zhou Yan is the only one who can carry us. If we tell her to get lost, will we be left with nothing?”

Sister Hong was still holding on to Si Wen’s money. “There’s still more than half of the two million Si Wen left with me.”

Director Huang was reminded of this and became even more annoyed. “Fine. We’ll see what happens.”

Sister Hong hesitated for a moment and then left.

She was being selfish, hoping to have the best of both worlds, so she informed Si Wen that Zhou Yan would be hosting that evening.

But she didn’t mention that the boss might want to take Zhou Yan with him for the night.

When Zhou Yan’s shift was over and the boss wanted to take her, he would have to ask for Si Wen’s permission.

If a conflict broke out, it would be between the two of them. Candy would only be a victim of circumstances. No matter who they blamed, it wouldn’t be their fault.

________________________________________

After her shower, Zhou Yan was putting on her makeup in the dressing room. With her natural beauty and skillful makeup, it was a bit of an exaggeration to say she stunned the entire place—after all, it was a top-tier nightclub, and the other top girls and popular hostesses were also first-rate—but she definitely made people stop and look.

By the time she finished getting ready and went to the private room, the boss was already waiting. When he saw her, he immediately smiled a lewd smile.

Next to the boss was his client, an overseas partner with an East Asian face.

A few other girls joined the room. Some stripped naked and danced, others applied imported Thai massage oil to rub the testicles, and some wore rubber gloves to massage the prostate. In a little while, the temperature in the private room had risen by a few degrees.

Zhou Yan was passive throughout the entire time. She could only manage to not show her dislike on her face, but it was hard to say she was enjoying it.

The boss talked to her for a long time, but she only answered him one question at a time, and her replies were always short, leading to an awkward silence. After a few minutes, the boss got tired of her and swapped her with his partner’s girl.

Zhou Yan was swapped to the partner.

This man with the East Asian face looked a bit like a Hong Kong actor, quite charming, but not what you would call handsome. He had dimples when he smiled and asked Zhou Yan, “I know you’re Zhou Yan. You’ve been very popular recently.”

Zhou Yan said faintly, “Is that so?”

“Because you were with Si Wen. Everyone wants to know what kind of woman Si Wen desires.”

Zhou Yan just curled her lips and didn’t say anything.

The man, however, seemed to be opening up. “Aren’t you curious why I know Si Wen?”

Zhou Yan wasn’t curious. “Who doesn’t know Si Wen?”

He smiled. “You love him, don’t you?”

Zhou Yan frowned. “No.”

“The way you said that sounded a bit smug.”

Zhou Yan didn’t say anything again.

The man saw that she was in a bad mood and didn’t tease her further. “My name is Qin Feng. I’m a Chinese-American.”

Zhou Yan feigned politeness. “Nice to meet you.”

Qin Feng glanced around, feeling that the environment was too noisy, and took her hand. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

Zhou Yan’s eyes widened, surprised by his sudden action, and she was led in a daze to a smaller private room.

The door closed, and the laser lights turned on. Qin Feng poured Zhou Yan a glass of wine. “Why did you choose to be a prostitute?”

Zhou Yan always gave the same answer to this question: “Because the money is fast and good.”

Qin Feng handed her the wine. “So, have you ever thought about turning over a new leaf?”

Zhou Yan took it. “Not for now. I’ll stop when I can’t do it anymore or don’t want to anymore.”

Qin Feng sat opposite her. “Are you in dire need of money?”

Zhou Yan: “Yes.”

Qin Feng smiled. “Then be with me.”

Zhou Yan took a sip of wine and held up the glass, looking at the orange liquid inside. “No, thanks. Single customers suit me better. There’s no need to be with one person for too long or get too close. My profession is a fleeting affair. Getting too close or knowing each other too well doesn’t do any good.”

Qin Feng sighed insincerely, as if her words had confirmed his guess. “Tsk, and you told me you don’t love him.”

Zhou Yan didn’t understand why people always had to talk about love when some kind of connection formed between them. She took the bug from under the table, put it in her wine glass, and then spoke again. “You buy something, and after a while, you don’t want to throw it away. Do you think you love it? Not necessarily. When it’s sitting there, you don’t even think about it, but if you throw it away, you’ll feel bad.”

Qin Feng wasn’t paying attention to her words. His attention was completely on the bug. “Isn’t that illegal?”

Zhou Yan closed her eyes. “Not for Si Wen. He’s not interested in what other people are doing. He only listens to me and interferes with me.”

Qin Feng glanced at the door. “Are you saying he’s listening to us right now?”

Zhou Yan guessed, “I’ll count to three, and Sister Hong will push the door open, apologize to you first, then say she needs me for something, and pull me away.”

Just as she finished, Sister Hong pushed the door open, apologized to Qin Feng with a smile, and led Zhou Yan away.

Her movements were seamless and efficient, and anyone could tell she had done this many times before.

Qin Feng’s eyes widened. On one hand, he thought, “Sure enough, Si Wen has a weakness.” On the other hand, he thought, “This woman, Zhou Yan, is not to be trifled with.”

Sister Hong closed the private room door. Standing in the doorway, Zhou Yan understood everything without a word being said.

She looked at Zhou Yan, and after a moment, turned and left.

Zhou Yan took her cigarette pack and lighter from her cleavage, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the wall. She bent her left knee and placed her foot on the wall. She took a deep drag, and the smoke rolled out of her nose, swirling and dispersing in front of her eyes.

Si Wen arrived quickly but walked slowly.

He was like that. His actions made people think he was decisive, but when you looked at him, his indifferent demeanor and movements made you think that no one or nothing could disturb his mind.

Zhou Yan didn’t finish her cigarette. He took it away from her, crushed it against the wall, threw it in the trash can, and then grabbed her wrists. He pushed her into the private room next door, closed the door, and left the lights off, letting his hot breath burn her face.

After holding back for a month, he finally couldn’t anymore.

Zhou Yan didn’t have a chance to say anything. She took out a folding knife from the waistband of her panties and said, “Get lost.”

Si Wen seemed not to hear her, hugging her even tighter. “I’m going to kiss you.”

Zhou Yan refused and slashed his arm with the knife, but it wasn’t sharp enough and only tore his suit.

Si Wen didn’t mind. He leaned in to kiss her, using his tongue to force open her tightly pursed lips.

Zhou Yan couldn’t dodge. She directly stabbed the knife into his shoulder.

Si Wen didn’t react at all, still focused on tasting her soft tongue.

Zhou Yan pushed the knife deeper and also kicked him, which finally made him let go and step back a couple of steps.

Si Wen’s shoulder was bleeding, but his fluttering eyelashes were for Zhou Yan.

Anyone who had the good fortune to see him in his prime, and then saw his current desolate state, would have a broken heart. But Zhou Yan’s face was impassive. She calmly said, “Do whatever you want. As long as you don’t appear in front of me, I won’t care. But if you come near me, I’ll stab you to death.”

Si Wen just looked at her, not saying a word.

Zhou Yan continued to be ruthless. “Don’t get in the way of me finding a new man.”

Si Wen didn’t like these words. He took control of her hand with the knife and pressed his chest against hers.

Zhou Yan, not afraid of death, stomped on his foot. “Someone my age, in his twenties, with good stamina, good in bed, with whom I have things in common, and who is gentle and considerate. It’s hard for me to find someone better than... Mmph.”

Si Wen kissed her again, swallowing her words.

Zhou Yan opened her mouth to let his tongue in and bit down hard until she tasted rust.

Si Wen’s tongue was cold, very cold.

Zhou Yan didn’t care. She just kept biting. When he didn’t let go, she kept kneeing him in the groin.

Si Wen finally let her go.

Zhou Yan opened the door and left. She was tired of talking.

Si Wen followed her out.

After he followed her for two steps, Zhou Yan turned around. “Si Wen, do you think I’m a cat? That I have nine lives? Even if I did, this is the ninth time. What makes you think I’ll always give you a chance? That I love money more than my life? Then you really don’t know me at all.”

“I let you mess with me for more than four years, almost five years. I don’t love you, so why should I keep putting up with you?”

I don’t love you.

Si Wen suddenly felt all his strength leave him.

When he arrived, he thought that although he seemed to be alone, he was actually a one-man army. But the truth was, there was no army, and he was still a lonely man.

Zhou Yan hadn’t finished. Her last sentence was said in a lower tone, but it was ten times more lethal. “Please get lost.”

Si Wen’s jaw muscles tensed. He turned and left.

As she watched him turn, Zhou Yan felt she finally understood the starry sky. It was not beautiful at all. It was a blank piece of paper with too many holes punched in it, affecting the surrounding area. A perfectly good piece of paper was left with only shreds, and when they were pieced together, they became the night sky.

Zhou Yan’s heart had no shreds, only holes. It was almost losing its life signs.

Her fingers twitched, a subconscious act, but she still didn’t call out to him. She lowered her eyelids, refusing to see the sight.

Suddenly, Si Wen turned around, pulled Zhou Yan into his arms, and held her tightly. “It’s okay.”

Tears fell from Zhou Yan’s eyes.

Why didn’t he understand?

It was Qin Feng who came out, giving Zhou Yan a chance to escape from Si Wen. She pushed Qin Feng into the room and locked the door.

She slid down the door, to the floor, and lay on her side.

Qin Feng sat down in front of her, cross-legged. “You love him.”

Zhou Yan took the folding knife and made a cut on her arm. When she saw the blood, she said, “I got a cut. It will heal, but the scar is hard to get rid of. It will take a few summers, or maybe a lifetime, to disappear.”

“In the beginning, I didn’t know, so I just let him cut me a few more times.”

As she spoke, Zhou Yan threw the folding knife away. “Later, I found out. I have to stop the bleeding in time.”

Qin Feng chuckled lightly. “But you can’t be so calculating about something like this.”

Zhou Yan insisted on being calculating.

Qin Feng asked her again, “Why won’t you admit you love him?”

Zhou Yan slowly closed her eyes. “I don’t love him.”

Qin Feng watched her being stubborn. “You don’t?”

“I don’t.”

“Zhou Yan never loved Si Wen.”

Qin Feng sighed. The way she said it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than him.

He took the bottle of wine from the table and drank half of it straight from the bottle. “If you don’t love him, then come with me. I’m pretty rich, too.”

Zhou Yan sat up. “I don’t want to.”

Qin Feng laughed heartily. “Did you ever reject him like you just rejected me, the man outside?”

Zhou Yan didn’t say anything.

Qin Feng opened a bottle of beer and handed it to her. “He doesn’t talk about love, and you don’t either. You’ve really been with him for too long and he’s taught you bad habits. But it’s not all bad. You’ve learned some of his infallible schemes. It’s enough to protect yourself.”

Zhou Yan didn’t say anything.

Qin Feng took out a business card from his pocket. “I’m more honest than you. I like you, and I’ll say it. When you’re ready to start over, come find me.”

Zhou Yan finally reacted a little. “You only just met me.”

“I’m a playboy. I often fall in love at first sight,” Qin Feng said.

Zhou Yan didn’t take his business card. “I’m naturally a bit twisted. I often refuse to play along.”

Qin Feng laughed heartily and clinked his bottle with hers.

That night, they only drank. They didn’t even touch each other, not because Si Wen was outside the door, but because they had so much to say that there was no time for anything else.

Zhou Yan got drunk and told him a lot. She didn’t realize that in every ten sentences she spoke, nine and a half were about Si Wen.

Qin Feng was even more open, spilling all his secrets to Zhou Yan.

How much money he had, how many women, how many he was dating at the same time, and how many illegitimate children he had.

Zhou Yan smashed a bottle on his head. “You’re a real scumbag.”

Qin Feng’s head was bleeding, but he chuckled. “You’re my next target. I’m going to pursue you.”

Zhou Yan put an ice pack on his head and cleaned it up. The cut wasn’t big and stopped bleeding quickly.

She picked up the bottle of wine again and continued to drink. “You don’t like me. You’re just doing this because I was Si Wen’s woman. You want to use me to prove that you can challenge Si Wen’s authority. But I’m Zhou Yan, a person, not an object. Why should I be used as a tool for you to prove yourselves?”

Qin Feng was still laughing. “Hmm, you’re not an object at all.”

Zhou Yan drank and drank until she got sleepy. She climbed onto the sofa. “I’m going to sleep. You can entertain yourself.”

Qin Feng lay down on the coffee table nearby. “If Si Wen wasn’t outside the door, would you sleep so soundly?”

No one answered him. He already knew the answer.

He lay there for a while, then came out. Si Wen was still there.

Qin Feng became serious again and tried to walk past him.

Si Wen wouldn’t allow it. He took a step and blocked his path.

Qin Feng’s serious expression broke, and he smiled. “Don’t be so tense. I didn’t do anything to her. But I can’t promise anything for the future.”

Si Wen’s words were blunt: “You’re the most insignificant among the second-generation rich. Xiao Qin Palace will only last for two more years at most. No matter how many people you con into taking over, it won’t change that fact. Unless I step in. But what gave you the wrong idea that drinking a cup of wine with Zhou Yan could give you leverage over me?”

Qin Feng was stunned, then applauded. “You’re truly unmatched, Mr. Si.”

The Qin family ran a restaurant business overseas, and Xiao Qin Palace was their flagship. The family head had lost the restaurant in a bet, and Qin Feng, the junior, had to come out to find new business. He found many scattered investors, raising tens of millions, but it still wasn’t enough to fill the void.

The gossip about Si Wen losing his mind over a prostitute was rampant in Qizhou. Qin Feng thought he could seize the opportunity and that by controlling Zhou Yan, he might be able to control Si Wen. But...

He was indeed Si Wen. No person or thing could disturb his mind.

Qin Feng decided to be generous. “What if I told you I really like her? A woman in her twenties who’s so perceptive is pretty rare.”

Si Wen threw a punch and pushed his head against the wall. “Go ahead and try.”

Qin Feng was completely dazed, his eyes rolling back in his head a few times.

Was he being arrogant, or had he fallen into a trap?