Li Yan finished washing up, and Zhou Qing left.
Blow-drying her hair, Li Yan asked, "So what are you thinking now?"
Cao Yang just sat there in a daze. He didn't know what he was thinking either.
Li Yan softened her tone. "I'll give you two choices. Either find a job nearby and earn some money before New Year, or I'll buy you a train ticket and you go back home yourself."
"I'm not going back. I came out here to make money."
"That's more like it. Then go look around. Everywhere's hiring."
She said that, then went back to her room and returned with two hundred yuan.
Cao Yang froze. What's that supposed to mean? I only have sixty with her. Why is she giving me two hundred?
Is this hush money?
"Take it! Why are you spacing out?"
"Why are you giving me money? Afraid I'll talk nonsense back home? Is this hush money?"
At that, Li Yan instantly exploded. She threw the money onto the sofa and pointed at him.
"Hush money my ass! My work is perfectly legitimate! I've got nothing to hide!"
"Working at a nightclub counts as legitimate?"
"You country bumpkin! What's wrong with a nightclub? I'm a waitress, not an escort. Your mind is filthy—don't assume everyone else is!"
"Tch." Cao Yang snorted, smirking. Clearly not convinced.
"If it's such an upright job, why did you lie to your family and say you work at a garment factory?"
"You don't believe me? Fine! Didn't you want a job? Come be a waiter at our nightclub. I'll show you exactly what I do every day!"
"I'm not going! I'm not working in that kind of place!" he refused immediately.
Li Yan nearly exploded. She knew she was just a waitress, but this kid kept assuming she was a hostess. He wouldn't believe a word she said, and when she asked him to see for himself, he refused. He only believed the story inside his own head.
"You're going. You must go!" Li Yan grabbed his shirt and shook him, visibly emotional.
Seeing her so worked up, insisting he come see her job, Cao Yang felt a bit shaken.
Did I… misunderstand her?
Normally, realizing he'd guessed wrong should've felt disappointing, but instead he felt oddly relieved. Deep down, he didn't want Li Yan to be a hostess either.
"What about those two guys you had dinner with last time?" he asked. Those two men didn't look like decent people.
"They're mine and Zhou Qing's boyfriends. What about it?"
Hearing they were her boyfriends, the slight warmth rising in his chest immediately crashed into disappointment. His expression darkened again.
"What? Why are you reacting like that just because I have a boyfriend?"
"Oh my god," Li Yan's eyes widened. "Don't tell me—you like me? You're jealous because I have a boyfriend?"
"Who likes you?! Don't flatter yourself!"
Frustrated, Cao Yang grabbed a blanket and lay down on the sofa. "I'm going to sleep."
Li Yan clicked her tongue twice.
Wow, my charm is too strong—this kid's totally fallen for me, she thought proudly. Shaking her head, she returned to her room to sleep.
…
In his dreams, Cao Yang had a fantasy: a stunning beauty dancing for him. Just when it was about to get to the next stage, a violent pounding on the door jolted him awake.
Bang, bang, bang…
Someone was knocking—no, slamming the door.
Cao Yang sat up, alert. There was no way it was Li Yan or Zhou Qing. They had keys. And even without keys, they wouldn't pound like that.
"Who is it?" Li Yan came out of her room.
Zhou Qing also peeked out, sleepy.
The noise was so loud it woke them all.
A voice came from outside:
"It's me, babe."
Hearing that voice, Li Yan lowered her guard—it was her boyfriend, A Le.
She opened the door, and seven men surged in. Every one of them had tattooed arms—dragons, tigers—the look of street thugs.
"What are you doing here?" Li Yan was startled and stepped back.
"Baby… give me money," A Le said, voice trembling, almost crying.
Only then did Li Yan notice his face—swollen, bruised, beaten badly.
The other man beside him—also bruised—was Zhou Qing's boyfriend. Cao Yang recognized them both.
The two men dropped to their knees the moment they entered, begging Li Yan for money.
Behind them stood five fierce-looking men. One of them—a buzz-cut man—was clearly the leader. He looked Li Yan up and down, eyes glinting with lust.
"Little sister, your boyfriend owes us ten thousand yuan. You gonna help him pay it back?"
Li Yan clutched her towel tighter, stepping back again. "I have no money. I'm not paying for him."
The buzz-cut man grinned. "If you're not paying, then we'll just kill him."
"Go ahead." Li Yan stepped back again until she reached Cao Yang's side.
The man turned to Zhou Qing and asked the same question. Zhou Qing gave the same answer.
"You bitch! I spent so much money on you, and now you won't help me when I'm in trouble?!" Li Yan's boyfriend cursed.
The leader kicked him. "Shut the hell up. Next time don't waste my time!"
"Boss, she does have money. She's just too stingy to give it!"
"Well, if she's got money but doesn't wanna help you, we can't force her. We're reasonable people, not some gangsters."
"Boss! She owes me money. If she pays me back, I'll have money to pay you!"
"You know what… that actually makes sense."
The leader turned back to Li Yan. "Little sister, debts should be repaid. If you owe him money, then just pay up."
"I don't owe him anything!" Li Yan snapped back immediately.
"Bullshit! Everything you wear, everything you own—your bags, your gold necklace—I bought all of it! Even this apartment—you're living here because I rented it!"
Li Yan fell silent.
"Well, since that's the case, we need to have a proper talk."
The buzz-cut man chuckled and walked toward her. His four lackeys closed the door and locked it.
Li Yan panicked, retreating step by step.
The leader stopped in front of Cao Yang. "Kid, move."
Cao Yang obediently scooted to the side.
The man smirked, lit a cigarette, and stared at Li Yan. "He owes us money. You owe him money. So just give the money to us directly."
Li Yan shook her head again. "I don't have money. And I don't owe him anything."
"Leave now or I'm calling the police." She held her phone tightly, pretending to be calm.
"And you?" The leader looked at Zhou Qing. She was still in her thin camisole, no bra.
"I don't have money either. And I don't owe them anything." Zhou Qing stood her ground.
The buzz-cut man scratched his head. "They say you owe them. You say you don't. Who the hell am I supposed to believe? This is so annoying."
Zhou Qing and her boyfriend both shouted at the same time:
"They owe us! Make them pay for us!"
The man nodded. "You hear that? I trust them. They won't dare lie to me. You two better pay up."
"No money," Li Yan said.
"No money? That's fine." The man grinned. "You both look pretty decent. Starting tonight, you two come work at our place. Ten thousand yuan isn't much—you'll pay it off fast."
"Boss, if we're taking them to work, why not let the brothers have some fun first?" one of the lackeys said with a filthy smile.