75: fellow villagers

Inside Lin Xia's apartment,

the sound of water in the kitchen gradually ceased.

Lin Xia dried the last bowl and put it back in the cupboard.

She wore that silk black nightgown; the fabric was thin,

sliding slightly with her movements,

outlining her perfect curves—

her full breasts, slender waist, and those long, straight, beautiful legs.

Li Zhan sat on the living room sofa, his burning gaze following her figure.

His throat tightened; he suddenly stood up and walked silently into the bedroom.

A moment later,

Lin Xia walked out of the kitchen drying her hands, and when she looked up, she froze in place.

Li Zhan stood in the center of the living room, holding a set of her work uniform in his hand.

"Put it on."

His voice was deep and irresistible. "Now."

Lin Xia's fingertips trembled slightly, her lips quivering,

"A-Zhan, I..."

"Put it on."

He repeated, his eyes sharp as knives. "Don't make me say it a second time."

Lin Xia's eyes reddened, her chest heaving violently.

She slowly reached out to take the clothes,

and when her fingertips touched the familiar fabric, she flinched as if burned.

Li Zhan sat back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and lit a cigarette,

his gaze scrutinizing her without concealment.

Lin Xia bit her lip, her fingers trembling as she untied the sash of her nightgown.

The silky fabric slid down,

revealing her fair skin, with only a thin pair of panties covering her last shred of dignity.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, burning with shame.

"Continue."

Li Zhan exhaled a cloud of smoke, his voice raspy.

Lin Xia took a deep breath, tremblingly picked up the set of clothes, and slowly put them on.

The fabric of the clothes rubbed against her skin,

the buttons being fastened one by one, as if redefining her identity.

In a short while, she stood before Li Zhan—

her upper body in a crisp work uniform,

while her lower body only had those thin panties, her long legs pressed tightly together, trembling slightly.

Li Zhan stood up, unbuckling his belt as he walked.

He walked up to Lin Xia and pinched her chin, forcing her to look up.

"Remember,"

his voice was low, "From now on, whenever you wear this outfit,

think clearly about exactly whose person you are."

...

—

The next afternoon

Li Zhan drove the mercedes-benz Tang Shirong had given him when he left to the Heaven on Earth Nightclub in Xiagang.

The car stopped at the main entrance,

he pushed open the car door and casually tossed the keys to the valet who came forward.

Not far away, a man in his early thirties wearing a suit walked over quickly,

his leather shoes were polished, and the gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses was shrewd and reserved.

He was Uncle Jiang's son,

he had come today regarding the nightclub accounting matters Li Zhan and Uncle Jiang had discussed yesterday.

"Brother Zhan."

The man nodded slightly, his tone respectful yet neither humble nor arrogant.

Li Zhan smiled and patted his shoulder. "Brother Jiang, sorry to trouble you this time."

"It's only right."

Brother Jiang pushed up his glasses. "My father specifically instructed me to cooperate fully."

As the two were exchanging pleasantries, a young man in his early twenties ran over,

wearing a shirt and trousers, his hair combed meticulously—

it was A Shen, who had been beaten up last time while protecting Sister Hua; he was now part of the nightclub's management.

"Brother Zhan!"

A Shen stopped and nodded respectfully.

Li Zhan glanced at him. "Where's Sister Hua?"

"Sister Hua went to Nancheng to handle the newly acquired venue; she told me to wait here for your instructions."

Li Zhan nodded and gestured to the side,

"This is Brother Jiang, here to help us sort out the accounts.

Take him to the finance office,

bring out all the ledgers, and don't hide anything.

All finance staff must follow Brother Jiang's arrangements until they learn the new procedures."

"Understood!"

A Shen turned to Brother Jiang and made a gesturing motion. "Brother Jiang, this way."

Watching the two leave, Li Zhan went straight up to the second floor.

The corridor lights were dim, and the sound of music drifted faintly from the various private rooms.

He casually stopped a waiter. "Where's Feifei?"

The waiter pointed to a private room at the end of the hall.

"Sister Fei is in VIP3, interviewing some newcomers."

The corners of Li Zhan's mouth curled up as he walked toward the private room.

Before pushing open the door,

he faintly heard Feifei's voice coming from inside—

"Pull your skirt up a bit higher, let me see your legs..."

—

Li Zhan pushed open the door to the VIP room,

and it immediately fell silent inside.

Feifei was sitting on a leather sofa with her legs crossed, five girls in matching uniforms standing before her.

Seeing Li Zhan enter,

Feifei immediately stood up and walked over quickly in her ten-centimeter high heels.

"Brother Zhan~"

She intimately took Li Zhan's arm. "How do you have time to come over?"

Li Zhan pinched her chin,

"Doing some business, and dropped by to see you."

His gaze swept over the girls standing straight. "Hiring newcomers again?"

In recent years, the nightlife scene in Dongguan had been booming, and countless young girls had moved from factory assembly lines to nightclubs.

By accompanying guests for drinks for a few nights here,

they could earn what would originally take a month of working over ten hours a day,

it was easy and free, and the temptation was simply too great.

Many girls initially came in just to accompany guests for drinks, some even just part-time,

then they were slowly tempted and corrupted by the nightclub environment...

When they first arrived, they were satisfied with the income from accompanying guests,

but later, when they saw other girls making more, they slowly cast aside their reserve and boundaries.

If others can, why can't I?

Feifei pulled Li Zhan down to sit, and the girls immediately straightened their backs.

They were wearing matching uniforms,

low-cut blazers barely covered their full chests, and their miniskirts revealed a vast expanse of snowy-white thighs.

Seeing Li Zhan's gaze sweep over them,

some boldly puffed out their chests, while others shyly pressed their legs together.

Li Zhan's gaze stopped on the plump woman at the far end.

She looked to be in her early thirties and was uneasily tugging at the hem of her skirt.

"Isn't that one a bit old?" Li Zhan asked in a low voice.

Feifei leaned into his ear. "She is a bit older, but her figure is indeed great. Some customers have a taste for that.

By the way, she's even a fellow countryman from Guangxi."

She raised her voice, "Sister Qin, come over and let the boss have a look."

The woman called Sister Qin walked over awkwardly.

She had a charming face, and her black blazer was stretched tight by her full figure, the curves of her hips exceptionally alluring under the miniskirt.

She kept her head down, her long legs in black stockings pressed tightly together.

"Sit."

Li Zhan patted the spot beside him.

To dare enter the nightclub scene at this age, there was surely a story behind it.

But Li Zhan had no interest in knowing;

these days, there were too many injustices to bother with.

He only wanted to see if she could handle the job.

Sister Qin looked hesitantly at Feifei and only sat down cautiously after receiving a nod.

Feifei took the red wine and glasses. "Sister Qin, this is the boss of our venue, Brother Zhan.

Come, pour Brother Zhan a drink.

Just like I taught you earlier."

The other girls also sat obediently to the side,

and the room was suddenly filled with a faint scent of perfume and a tense atmosphere.

Sister Qin's trembling fingers gripped the wine bottle,

the deep red liquid slowly pouring into the goblet...

Just then, Li Zhan's hand suddenly covered her thigh.

"Ah!"

Startled, her wrist jerked, and the red wine immediately spilled onto the coffee table, staining a large area.

"Sister Qin, don't be nervous~"

Feifei chuckled as she pulled out a tissue. "A real customer would be scared away by you."

Li Zhan's palm slowly rubbed the inside of her thigh,

Sister Qin began to tremble all over.

She bit her lower lip hard, the wine bottle shaking violently in her hand as red wine kept splashing out of the glass.

Li Zhan withdrew his hand and put his arm around her waist,

and after rubbing it a few times, just as he was about to move toward her chest,

Sister Qin suddenly sprang up as if she had been electrocuted.

"S-sorry...

I... I'm not doing this anymore..."

Her voice was tearful, her eyes red,

and after saying that, she covered her face and rushed out of the room.

Li Zhan withdrew his hand and shrugged helplessly at Feifei.

Feifei sighed. "I'll go check on her."

She chased after her in her high heels.

The door slammed shut with a bang, leaving the remaining newcomers looking at each other in bewilderment.

Li Zhan picked up the half-spilled glass of red wine and took a sip,

his gaze swept over them,

"Come, continue..."