Volume 1 Chapter 46: Ambush at Home

The affluent lady in the red qipao placed two hundred yuan on the table and batted her eyelashes at me.

"Pick me up and spin me around three times, and this money is yours."

"Hahaha!"

The ladies burst into laughter, and one of them chimed in with a shrill tease, "Cui Juan, you must weigh at least a hundred and fifty catties. Don't break the young man's back."

"Nonsense, I'm only a little over a hundred and thirty!"

"Handsome, you'd better hold on tight then, don't drop her on her backside," another lady egged on.

In places like a KTV, guests always made somewhat excessive demands. Seeking fun and thrills was just a way for them to release physical and mental pressure.

Looking at the money on the table, I was tempted.

Since I was a waiter, cooperating with the guests in playing a few games was part of my duty.

"Alright!"

As soon as I agreed, the ladies immediately started applauding in unison, instantly livening up the atmosphere.

The red-qipao-clad lady stood up and stepped forward. I wrapped my arms around her waist and the backs of her knees, lifting her up with a heave.

She didn't stand on ceremony either, immediately looping her arms around my neck.

She was terribly heavy, and her pungent perfume almost made me pass out.

Holding my breath, I spun around in place with her three times before gently setting her back down.

"I want a turn too!"

"I want to play!"

The ladies were quite capricious, successively placing money on the table and waving their fair, plump hands at me.

I picked each of them up one by one and spun them around continuously, almost tripping a few times. Their laughter grew louder, while I broke out in a sweat from exhaustion.

"Handsome, your face is all red. You aren't still a virgin, are you?" teased a round-faced lady.

"You can tell just by looking at him, he's just a kid, about the same age as my son."

"How did your son do on the college entrance exams?"

"Good for nothing, probably only good enough for a third-tier university!"

...

University?

Hearing those three words made my mood plummet instantly.

If it hadn't been for Xu Li and Qin Shaohu scheming against me and ruining my exams, I would probably be eagerly awaiting my acceptance letter from a prestigious university right now!

Satisfied with my performance, the ladies pooled together a thousand yuan in tips.

Smiling, I collected the money and put it in my pocket, and they enthusiastically invited me to drink with them.

After downing a bottle, the red-qipaoed lady made an even more outrageous demand.

She wanted me to take off my shirt and dance for them.

If I danced well, they would throw money at me; the longer I danced, the bigger the reward.

They were treating me like a plaything to be toyed with at will, which made me feel deeply humiliated, and I refused.

"My apologies, ladies, but I really don't know how to dance."

"Just wriggle around a bit, that's all."

The red-qipaoed lady dismissed my concern casually; they weren't actually there to watch dancing, they just wanted to see me shirtless.

Just as I was wondering how to handle the situation, Fu Xiaoya from the lobby, noticing that I had been in the private room for a long time without coming out, pushed the door open and walked in.

Seeing my flushed and awkward expression, she knew something was wrong, frowned, and asked, "What's going on?"

"We want the handsome young man to dance, is there a problem?" The red-qipaoed lady glanced over with disdain.

"A strip dance, and there's pay involved."

Another woman laughed uninhibitedly and pulled a stack of cash out of her bag.

"I'm sorry, this is a legitimate KTV, and we don't provide that kind of service," Fu Xiaoya refused with a cold face.

"What a buzzkill!"

Muttering under her breath, the red-qipaoed lady's expression turned very ugly.

"Xiaoyan, you go on out first!" Fu Xiaoya raised a hand.

I hurriedly got up and walked out. After waiting outside for a long time, Fu Xiaoya finally emerged from the private room, looking somewhat exhausted.

"Sister, how did it go?"

I felt deeply remorseful for messing things up on my very first day as a waiter.

"Everything's settled. Sometimes you just have to show a bit of spine with them, otherwise they'll walk all over you."

Fu Xiaoya let out a cold hum, then warned me with a stern expression.

"Kid, you must remember this: never mess around with any female guests. You're a man; if they turn around and accuse you of sexual assault, dragging you down to the police station, you'll never clear your name."

Cold sweat broke out all over me, and I lowered my head in shame, promising repeatedly that I would never do anything out of line.

"Sigh, honestly, you shouldn't be in a place like this."

Fu Xiaoya sighed. "It's all because of our families that things turned out this way."

"Sister, things are bound to get better and better."

As I spoke, I took out the thousand yuan in tips I had just earned and placed it in Fu Xiaoya's palm.

Han Feng had just announced the rules, and I couldn't break them right off the bat.

"Heh, you made this much without even taking your shirt off!"

Fu Xiaoya finally smiled, handed the money over to the cashier, and instructed them to log the commission under my name.

I went back to work, weaving through one room after another.

Keeping busy made me feel fulfilled and helped me forget my troubles, allowing me to interact with the guests much more calmly.

Before I knew it, it was the middle of the night.

"Xiaoyan, go home and get some sleep!"

Fu Xiaoya chased me off.

There were many guests tonight, and some hadn't had enough fun yet, still tirelessly belting out songs.

The KTV's operating hours were extended by two hours, and the dedicated Fu Xiaoya had to stick it out until the very last moment of the shift.

I chose to walk home, facing the cool night breeze as I trudged down the deserted streets.

There were no lights on inside the house, and it seemed unusually quiet.

Xu Li didn't seem to be home. With my paralyzed father bedridden, she had completely let loose and lost all inhibitions.

Whatever, let her be; I had no desire to interfere.

Just as I stepped onto the stairs, Xu Li's bedroom door was suddenly flung open.

Liu Ziven rushed out accompanied by two bulky thugs, followed closely by Xu Li with a dark expression.

A heavy sense of foreboding washed over me, and I bolted up the stairs blindly.

"Little bastard, don't run!"

Liu Ziven roared. One of the thugs sprinted after me, lunged forward, and locked his arm around my neck, choking me until I could barely breathe.

In that critical moment, I suddenly remembered the combat techniques Old Hei had taught me.

I leaned my body backward and thrust my elbow straight back, striking the thug squarely in the ribs.

Agh!

The thug let out a miserable scream, instantly releasing me as he doubled over in pain, unable to straighten his back.

I rushed wildly into my own room and hastily bolted the door.

Bang, bang...

The people outside hammered furiously on the door, making the very walls shake.

"Xiaoyan, open the door."

Xu Li's voice came through.

"Come out and explain yourself to President Liu. Where on earth did you go today? Did you rob him?"

Xu Li was going too far, wicked to the core. She had actually brought Liu Ziven to the house and set an ambush just to catch me.

Trembling with rage, I couldn't help but curse at the top of my lungs.

"Xu Li, you ungrateful bitch, where I go is none of your business."

"Calm down, robbery is a serious crime. Beg President Liu for forgiveness right now," Xu Li continued to shout.

"Zhou Yan, I see you in there, don't even think about denying it!" Liu Ziven yelled along.

"Go fuck yourselves, I don't know what you're talking about, a bunch of shameless, colluding scum."

I kept on cursing. Even if I were beaten to death tonight, I would never admit to it.

If a robbery charge were truly pinned on me, it would mean prison time, and my youth would be utterly ruined.

Crack!

I heard the sound of a cleaver chopping into the door.

Immediately afterward, the blade of the cleaver poked through a crack in the door, prying furiously at the bolt.

What should I do?

Panic gripped me instantly.