A man sitting beside me asked: "Are these the ones from the film academy?" He muttered something, as if complaining that the number of people brought was too low. The girls were in high demand and were soon pulled to the sides of several men one by one. The men chatted about business for a while before beginning to egg each other on to find entertainment, demanding the girls perform to liven the mood.

"Don't be shy, dancing or singing is fine." At first, the demands were still somewhat reasonable.

Some of the people at the table had drunk too much and were dissatisfied, slamming a stack of cash onto the table: "What's interesting about that? Give us something stimulating to get us hyped up," he said, pulling the stunned girl into his arms and insisting on forcing her to drink from a shared cup.

After a glass of wine went down, he murmured faintly: "Little girl, strip and dance for us. Once you're done, all this money is yours." After saying this, he seemed unsatisfied, tapping the table while swaying his fat head, "How about this, dance on the table."

The girl's face turned red visibly, and after a minute of silence, she clutched the hem of her skirt in distress.

I leaned back against my chair and watched, without feeling much sympathy. Adults—surely they could have anticipated what might happen before coming here. The path was chosen by themselves; no one forced them.

As expected, she quickly let go of her dignity, took off her shoes, and stepped barefoot onto the table. With her dress twirling and spinning, revealing the infinite scenery beneath, she performed a folk dance under the gazes of a dozen men. The men egged her on even more aggressively, naming several girls to take turns performing on the table.

The atmosphere in the room was stoked to its peak.

I had remained relatively calm initially, but in the end, I found it hard to watch, rising to my feet to head to the restroom to escape. As soon as I stood up, Mr. Wang suddenly called me out: "Miss Li, why don't you perform a piece to liven up the mood too?"

As his words fell, others nodded in agreement; after all, in the eyes of these people, I was merely a secretary with a bit of looks.

I froze in place, lowering my head to look at Christian. The man's facial features were indifferent, devoid of any superfluous emotion, and he looked up at me.

"I wonder if Director Christian is willing to part with her, to give everyone some face?"

My body trembled slightly, the sliver of hope in my heart dimming away. Christian said nothing, but his silence had already served as his response.

I was wearing a dress too. I bit my lip and took off my high heels.

Damn it, it’s just being seen when I have a wardrobe malfunction; a few glances won’t kill me.

Chapter 57: A Plaything by Nature

The dance ended with applause erupting one after another. My brain felt muddled, my dignity scattered in pieces, and my strength seemed entirely drained. Yet, the most chilling thing was Christian's reaction just moments ago.

My nails dug deeply into my palms; the only one who could comfort me was myself. What was this? You were never anything more than a plaything by nature.

The stifling room felt suffocating. I found an excuse to leave the table, wrenched my hand away from Christian's, grabbed my bag, and pushed the door open to leave. Stepping out of the villa, tears dripped down onto the back of my hand. It wasn't about being wronged; like those girls, I had no reason to strike a pose of isolated elegance.

It was likely just the stifling feeling, along with the disappointment—disappointment upon disappointment.

I hadn't cried in a long time, and the tears were shockingly salty.

Christian called several times, all of which I muted directly. The number of times I’d dared to hang up on him could be counted on one hand; I must have gone crazy today.

Walking on high heels along the bustling, traffic-filled street, the city night was noisy and bright, gleaming with light. Skyscrapers stood coldly, piercing the clouds, and the giant moon hung low in the night sky, seemingly within reach, yet even on tiptoes, I still couldn't touch it.

Harsh honking pierced my eardrums as a car sped past, splashing standing water all over me. I took off my high heels and hurled them fiercely onto the road. Squatting on the ground, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number.

"Julian."

The voice on the other end was laced with exhaustion, hazy and not fully awake, his tone deep and laced with the displeasure of being woken up: "Who is this?"

I let out a laugh. There was a few seconds of silence on his end before he reacted: "It's you?"

My tone was hollow: "Didn't you want me to keep you company, tonight?"

There was a rustling sound on the other end, like the sound of clothes being put on. Julian didn't hang up, asking: "Where are you?"

I looked up to survey my surroundings. A giant billboard stood by the street, emitting a faint, blue-white light. The surrounding buildings looked somewhat unfamiliar. Squatting where I was, one hand scribbled aimlessly on the ground, I answered blankly: "I think I'm lost."

Julian said helplessly: "Send me your location, wait right there and don't move."

The man's voice possessed a strange sense of stability, dispelling most of the agitation in my heart, shining in like a ray of light.

I let out an "oh." Looking down, I discovered my hands were covered in dust; the concrete ground had been scratched by my fingernails into a gray-white outline, crookedly spelling out Julian's name. Raising my head to gaze at the dim stars in the sky, I blinked, suddenly feeling that things didn't seem quite so sad anymore.

It really is strange. Why wasn't Sera the first person I thought of today, but rather a man I’d only known for a few months?

After stepping out, Julian called me once more, telling me he would arrive in ten minutes. He cautioned: "The neighborhood along those two streets isn't very safe, be sure to pay attention to your safety. Contact me immediately if anything happens."

I thought for a moment, only then realizing with a start that there was a red-light district nearby. I hadn't noticed it before, but now I saw several women hidden in the shadows of the streetlights along both sides of the main road, dressed provocatively, the orange-red glow flickering near their lips as they smoked while awaiting customers.

Looking up again, several ruffian-looking men were whistling and walking in my direction. There were few pedestrians on the road at this hour, so I wrapped my coat tighter, subconsciously walking toward the streetlights, beginning to feel afraid.

One man with braided hair stopped in front of me, sniffing me like a predator catching prey, tilting his head with a grin: "Little sister, how much for the night?"

Chapter 58: Can This Count as a Hero Saving a Beauty

I took a step back, my stomach churning with nausea. Just as I was about to swing a slap, the man grabbed my wrist, snickering: "Don't hit people, what's up? You want to try fighting us with just one person?"

The men behind him stood still, flashing lewd, unbearable grins. The man pulled a few crumpled hundred-dollar bills from his pocket and stuffed them into my chest: "Is this enough to serve us brothers?" As he spoke, his hand with long fingernails reached into my dress.

"Get the hell away from me, you bastard." I don't know where the strength came from, but I bent my leg and kicked him squarely in the crotch. It was a direct hit; he wailed, bending over and curling up in agony.

"Damn it, brothers, get her!" The other side was completely enraged. Several grown men rolled their necks and walked toward me in unison.

Just then, a sports car roared toward us, and I looked back in terror: "Julian, save me!" Julian stepped out of the car, shielding me behind him. The men took one look at the sports car, conservatively estimated at seven figures, swore a curse, and turned to flee.

"Stop right there!" Julian was dressed all in black, blending into the night, his voice unusually icy.

By the time I came to my senses, Julian had already struck a man in the face. The man attempted to resist but was grabbed by both arms by Julian and pressed backward onto the ground. His ruffian friends were instantly stunned, and looking again at Julian's expensive luxury car, they dared not help their companion, choosing instead to scramble away while screaming for mercy.

The entire process took less than three minutes. My legs were still a bit weak until Julian helped me into the car.

"Can this count as a hero saving a beauty?" Julian handed me a bottle of water: "I hate being interrupted while sleeping more than anything. But today, I seem to be in a somewhat good mood."

"What's wrong? You sounded off on the phone." I held the water in my arms and twisted the cap. Julian snatched it from my hands, twisted the cap off, and handed it back: "Speak up, how will you thank me?"

Half a bottle of water poured down my throat, settling the chaotic emotions. The thrilling encounter on the street did nothing to dispel the grievances I had carried away from the private villa. I rolled down the car window, letting the dry night wind blow in, and stared blankly at Julian: "I can sleep with you tonight."

Julian was silent for two seconds. He picked his ear and leaned toward my face: "Say that one more time?"

I repeated it again in a low, pressed tone, meeting his eyes. The man's eyelashes were long, the curvature of his eyes beautiful and tinted with a hint of coldness. His deep pupils were black as ink, seemingly swirling with a vortex that attracted people to lean in.

Christian, aren't you suspicious of me? Then I'll make your guesses a reality tonight. As Julian's cold lips pressed against mine, a sense of vengeful pleasure surged through me.

Julian pressed a hand against the back of my head. The moment the kiss landed, he released me as if electrocuted. He sat back in his seat and let out a laugh: "Wait a while."

He accused: "You aren't sincere."

I tilted my head, gazing at the car roof: "Take me to do something, anywhere is fine, do whatever you want." It seemed that as long as I could escape this place, I could discard all my negative emotions.

The End