Chapter One: Living with the Young Lady

White mist filled the small room, where a pink electric water heater was plunged upside down into a bottle, producing a steady “pop-pop” as boiling water bubbled over and splashed out.

Beside this makeshift boiling station, a milky white lounge chair cradled a stunningly beautiful woman, her allure heightened by the pink silk nightdress that clung tightly to her radiant, tempting figure. The low neckline dipped towards the chair, revealing a stretch of snowy skin, and the contours of her shapely chest loomed tantalizingly, a deep crimson valley boldly on display.

This sultry beauty, completely absorbed in the pages of a magazine called “Virtual World,” seemed lost to the world, her delicate face tinged with a soft blush, utterly focused.

She was, without question, my boss—Lin Xu, the owner of a small, somewhat clandestine foot massage parlor in the city.

Why call it “underground”? Because in this city, such parlors are as common as grains of sand; dozens line every street. Yet, their true hours begin only after eight in the evening, operating as legal businesses that prefer to shun the daylight.

Owners share an unspoken understanding: doors open after eight, awaiting clientele. By ten, when the police have retired home to their wives, each parlor seats its hostesses in bathrobes on the lobby sofas. Passersby can’t help but notice, through the wide glass doors, the gleaming white limbs within—those with baser intentions might even stoop to glimpse the color of a hostess’s underwear.

Under such seductive circumstances, men returning late with weak self-control rarely resist the urge to step inside and experience the skills of the hostesses. Of course, there are always those who press themselves against the glass, drooling, content to look for free.

Our own parlor wasn’t exactly big, but not small either. Excluding Lin Xu, we had five hostesses, one genuine foot therapist, and myself—the only male employee. My responsibilities were simple: all the heavier, rougher work fell to me. Sometimes, I even washed the hostesses’ clothes—after all, they served the clients, and I served them. Luckily, none had made any excessive requests of me, at least not yet.

Besides all this, I bore another great responsibility: attracting customers.

No doubt, recruiting customers is illegal, so I always acted with the utmost discretion. In a good week, I might bring in one or two people—once, I went an entire month without a single catch.

Counting the days, I had worked here nearly half a year, earning just enough to keep from starving but never enough to feel full. Lin Xu treated the staff decently, sometimes joking around with us. As for why she chose this line of work, that remained a mystery.

Glancing at the steaming electric heater, I set aside my copy of the “E-Sports Guide” from my spot on the other lounge chair.

“Lin, you can take it out now—the water’s all over the place!”

Silence.

“Lin, if you don’t pull it out soon, it’ll break!” I called out, raising my voice.

Still nothing.

“If you don’t take it out now, it’ll go soft!” I practically shouted.

At last—a plush pillow crashed into my head. Lin Xu shot me a glare, her elegant eyes flashing. “If something needs pulling out, do it yourself! It’s not mine!”

Damn! I suddenly remembered—I’d bought that heater with my own money.

After a glance at her book, Lin Xu addressed me. “Hey, Lin Fan, go wake up the girls. I have something to discuss with everyone. You should listen too—it could affect our future.”

I nodded, not knowing what was going on, but did as she asked, heading off to rouse the still-sleeping hostesses.

In the break room, five or six girls sprawled across the beds, only one of them—Xue Han, our foot therapist and the only one not a hostess—maintained a hint of modesty, sleeping in the innermost spot.

“Hey, all of you, get up!” I called.

“Lin Fan, are you trying to get yourself killed? You ruined my dream!” came the immediate retorts.

My status here wasn’t high, so the girls often shot back at me.

“The boss wants to talk. Anyone not there in five minutes gets fined five hundred!”

A flurry of chaos erupted. The girls didn’t even bother with bras, each wrapping themselves in a blanket and rushing to Lin Xu’s room.

I frowned—Xue Han, sleeping at the back, remained motionless, only clutching her blanket tighter to her chest, her delicate face blooming with a bashful flush.

“Xue Han, aren’t you coming to the meeting? Aren’t you afraid of the fine?”

I wasn’t opposed to beautiful women, but Xue Han’s beauty made me uneasy; since she wasn’t a hostess, I could only look from afar. The others, well, if I didn’t flirt with them, they’d flirt with me—after all, I wasn’t bad-looking myself…

Xue Han bit her rosy lips and whispered, “Could you… step out a moment? I’m not dressed…”

I froze. Did she really sleep with nothing on? She must have been corrupted by the others!

“Hurry up, it’s important…”

I quickly closed the door behind me. I didn’t know why, but whenever I faced Xue Han, I felt uncomfortable—not like a lovesick boy, but as if she simply didn’t belong in a place like this.

And what about me? Why was I here?

I shook my head, refusing to dwell on it—some things are better left unsaid, lest even the pleasure of admiring beauty is lost.

Pouring myself a glass of water at the dispenser, I gazed out at the endless stream of pedestrians. This bustling world seemed to have abandoned me…

“Aren’t you going to the meeting?” Xue Han’s voice was sweet, girlish.

I turned to see she’d donned a pale yellow nightdress. Even in the loose garment, her figure was full and upright, brimming with vitality. Her delicate frame, snowy skin, and lively, beautiful eyes gave her a soft, dewy charm.

Perhaps I stared too long; Xue Han blushed deeply, glared at me, then hurried toward Lin Xu’s room.