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墨書 Inktalez
The beautiful woman gritted her teeth, almost overwhelmed by the impulse to smash a bottle over my head. I remained calm, ready to close my eyes and accept my fate, but unexpectedly, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Although I was just a broke loser, I was the most cultured and respectful broke loser she had ever met.
She huffed and clicked her high heels as she stormed out, slamming the door behind her. I heard her frustrated voice followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Then, with a bang, the door swung open, and five or six burly men entered, surrounding me in a half-circle, each one glaring at me in silence.
I pulled out the few bills I had left in my pocket with a loud slap: "I'm just a broke guy trying to act cool; I never intended to freeload." I said nonchalantly. After eating some fruit and drinking two bottles of wine while keeping her company, this amount should be enough.
The group remained silent until a middle-aged man, presumably the manager, stared at me for a moment before beckoning his men forward to restrain me.
What more do they want? I've already shown them my money!
One of the larger men lunged to grab my throat, but I swiftly executed a shoulder throw that sent him crashing down. Another man received a flying kick to the chest, while a third hesitated just long enough for me to knee him in the stomach, causing him to double over.
But there were too many of them. A hefty guy wrapped his arms around my waist while others surged forward...
The beautiful woman tossed back the bills I had thrown at her: "This little amount doesn't even cover the fruit and drinks; your sister's appearance fee could scare you to death!"
What the hell? I didn't do anything! Are you made of gold or silver?
The manager didn't seem angry; instead, he wore a smug smile. He waved his hand dismissively and walked out, gesturing for the waiter to arrange something outside. Inside the room, those I had just beaten up finally had their chance for revenge. The sounds of their scuffles were drowned out by the soothing music playing in the background.
This is how it goes when you freeload and flirt; after enjoying yourself, they make sure you feel uncomfortable. Not giving you a beating would be an insult to the reputation of Heavenly Abode.
After a long while, the manager returned, and those men stopped their assault, dragging me before him. The beating hadn’t done much damage; these guys were far less ruthless than those club patrons.
"You’ve spent eight thousand eight hundred here," he said. "A beating like that will cover three thousand four in medical expenses. You still owe five thousand four—take your time paying it off... My place has eight floors and sixteen restrooms; you better keep them clean. If anything’s dirty, someone will teach you how to do it... Keep an eye on him." With that, the manager left.
I actually felt more balanced mentally!
It’s only right to pay back debts; although this place is expensive, at least they weren't trying to swindle me on purpose.
After two days of cleaning the restrooms, I realized it wasn’t as terrifying as I had imagined. In fact, it was quite humane—three meals a day were provided. Besides breakfast, lunch and dinner consisted of high-end takeout like roast goose and seafood. Occasionally, when wealthy patrons got drunk and generous, I even received decent tips. Compared to constantly hitting walls in the job market, this place truly felt like paradise.
I was supposed to work for a month to pay off that five thousand four.
Damn it! Is cleaning really worth this much?
I worked eight weekends at Brother Xiong's place every month—exhausted and beaten—and ended up with only two thousand!
A few days later, no one was watching me anymore, but I didn’t want to leave.
The manager's surname was Jiang. He called me over his intercom to his office; he didn’t resemble the man who once ordered his thugs to deal with me at all. When I stood before his large desk, he took a sip of tea and asked casually, “Xiao Hu, how long have you been here?”
"It's been almost a week," I said.
"Can you speak English? A couple of days ago, I heard Foreman mention that you were chatting quite happily with a foreigner who came to visit, and even introduced him to a few escorts?" Manager Jiang asked with a smile.
I chuckled. It was just a matter of working together to swindle a foreigner; there was nothing to be proud of. I replied, "I learned a bit back in school."
"That's great! Talents like you are hard to come by," Manager Jiang praised.
I felt a bit uneasy. Here I was, a psychology graduate, reduced to peddling! If my family and classmates found out, I'd be the laughingstock for life. Damn it, how did I end up in this situation?
The manager continued, "I actually wanted to talk to you a couple of days ago but didn't get around to it. Today I remembered: a friend of mine from Hong Kong called specifically about you. Can you guess why?"
"I... I don't know," I replied, feeling confused.
"He thanked me for one of our employees who found a wallet and turned it in to Foreman," Manager Jiang explained.
I laughed. That wallet was found in a restroom stall; there were plenty of wealthy drunks who lost their belongings there—watches, phones, wallets—it happened all the time. I chuckled but didn't say anything.
This left the manager, who was used to the harsh realities of life, puzzled. He stared at me, unable to understand why someone would turn in a wallet containing over ten thousand Hong Kong dollars. After a pause, he directly asked, "Can you tell me why? You could have easily walked away with it. Honestly, no one here really cares about you; they just want you to learn a lesson."
"For no reason at all. If it were tips from guests, I wouldn't hesitate; but if it's a guest's lost wallet, I couldn't take it without feeling guilty," I said.
It didn't sound like a lie, but it was hard for him to believe it was the truth. Manager Jiang continued teasingly, "Honesty is worthless here. I've seen everything from my subordinates except for someone being honest."
"If being poor leaves me with only this one virtue, then I wouldn't want to sell it short... Manager Jiang, honestly, I didn't think too much about it; I just felt that if it wasn't mine, I shouldn't take it," I recalled the intense internal struggle I had when deciding whether to turn it in. In the end, I did hand it over because I worried that if it belonged to someone important and I kept it, my life would be in danger.
Manager Jiang didn't catch on to my concern. He smiled, always thinking this cleaner was different—he spoke foreign languages well and had a sweet tongue; he could read people better than Foreman could and even managed to swindle foreigners effectively. The most admirable thing was that he kept himself clean; there were no rumors about him having an affair with the lonely girl from the nightclub. With his looks, those desperate girls would surely pursue him.
What he didn't know was that it wasn't that I didn't want to; rather, I couldn't get over that psychological barrier.
"Go collect your bonus from finance and wear Foreman's uniform the day after tomorrow. Help out at the front desk," Manager Jiang said after staring at me for a moment before promoting me directly. However, he didn’t see my surprised expression; instead, I gasped as if startled and stood there speechless, nervously looking at him.
"What's wrong?" the manager asked.
"I... I'm just a fresh graduate; maybe you should let someone else do it..." In my panic, I stuttered.
"It doesn't matter; degrees aren't worth much anymore—talent is what counts," Manager Jiang waved his hand dismissively.
I turned around resolutely and took a deep breath, patting my anxious heart. I really wanted to shout: You're my kindred spirit!
Before long, when I received a thick stack of cash, I remembered that I'd graduated just half a year ago. Unable to help myself, I began comparing Foreman's high salary with the difficulty of finding work. It was such a complex emotion—I struggled internally while silently reminding myself: I'm a psychology graduate; I absolutely cannot be defeated by sweet temptations or indulge in the decaying bourgeois comforts...
"Xiao Hu..." came a sultry call.
Sister Qiu came up the stairs, her eyes sparkling and her red lips slightly parted. She wrapped her arm around me and sweetly invited, "It's rare to have a few days off, let's go shopping together."
"Oh dear, I'm working," I weakly refused.
"Come on, you mentioned Foreman, so what work is left? By the way, they're going to give you a bonus, treat me to a meal!" Sister Qiu laughed, playfully poking me with her delicate finger. I awkwardly dodged.
In this small place, there were no secrets. Everyone already knew that the manager had a soft spot for me, the cleaning guy they picked up. I was well-liked; every day, the women passing by the restroom would tease me, playfully pinching my cheeks and asking in a flirtatious tone, "Xiao Hu, are you clean yet?"
I never expected that night a pretentious rookie would somehow end up in the Foreman position. Sister Qiu occasionally glanced at me with my fair skin and confident stride, her gaze carrying something different. When I caught her staring intently at me, I quickly pulled out all the money I had on me and handed it over. "Sister Qiu, this is all I have... that night I really wanted to pretend to be a rookie and go back to my hometown."
A thick stack of cash—tips and bonuses—had accumulated quite a bit. But unexpectedly, Sister Qiu frowned at the money and continued to look at me directly. Feeling embarrassed holding the cash, she suddenly smiled, snatched it from my hands, and stuffed it back into my pocket. She patted my cheek and said with a laugh, "Now I believe you're that honest fool who doesn't take what isn't yours... Come on, let's go shopping."
As we descended the stairs, facing the security guard's slightly odd gaze, Sister Qiu intentionally held me tighter. Passing through the lobby, she loudly declared, "Water Brother, tell them Xiao Hu is mine; don't get any ideas about my husband."
The bodyguard chuckled; those women who had no place to throw their money often spent it on a pretty boy like me. He congratulated me with a smile. I stammered in response and stumbled for no reason while walking, which made Sister Qiu laugh heartily.
I felt awkward and tried to reassure myself: I must hold on; I must remain untainted by this mud.
Stepping outside revealed a clear sky. A few steps away, I noticed Sister Qiu leaning against my shoulder again. The sight of two attractive individuals drew many envious glances. In that moment of stunning beauty, it seemed to restore my confidence lost over the past six months. When Sister Qiu looked at me again, I said seriously, "Sister Qiu, even though I'm fair-skinned, I'm not a pretty boy; you can't support me."
Sister Qiu was taken aback, blinking her beautiful eyes as if seeking an explanation. She had said that casually without meaning it seriously. Seeing this young man so earnest made her think she had hurt his pride. But I continued more seriously, "I could consider supporting you."
"You support me?" Sister Qiu laughed, her whole body shaking with amusement.
"I can't support you for a lifetime, but for one day should be fine? Whatever you buy today will be on me," I said apologetically since I felt guilty about enjoying free meals and wasting emotions.
Sister Qiu stopped laughing and stared at me blankly with dreamy eyes. Her chest rose and fell as she parted her ruby lips as if touched by my words. Suddenly she pulled me in and kissed me deeply without caring about my struggles—right there by the roadside under the sunlight amidst the bustling street.
Someone save me; I'm about to completely fall apart.
I silently screamed in my heart while holding onto this charming sister, lost in her fragrant kiss...
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