When Li Yuan woke again, it was already afternoon the next day.
Doing the math, he realized he had slept a full eighteen hours!
He lay half-reclined on the bed, squinting at his abdomen.
Interesting.
After a long moment, Li Yuan laughed. He hadn’t even woken up when she had taken everything from him.
That woman’s nerve was a bit too bold.
“Where is she?”
He lazily asked the subordinate beside him.
The boss’s temperament was unpredictable, and the subordinate wasn’t sure if he was in a good mood or not.
With a thud, the subordinate knelt and confessed honestly, “I thought she might be useful, since you haven’t slept through the night in a long time… so I let her go…”
Li Yuan showed no reaction and asked again, “How much did you give her?”
That kind of greedy, calculating woman would surely seize the chance to demand an exorbitant sum.
“She asked for 400,000, I gave her 4 million… This is the business card she left.”
Relieved that Li Yuan wasn’t displeased, the subordinate quickly handed over the handwritten card Rose had left.
The so-called business card was just a piece of paper with “Jiang Xiaoman” written on it, followed by a phone number.
A Chinese national?
Li Yuan narrowed his eyes. Since they had been speaking Vietnamese the whole time, he hadn’t been sure of her nationality, but she really didn’t look like a local Vietnamese woman.
“Investigate this woman.”
As he gave the order, he entered the number into his phone. Unsure of her Chinese name, he simply saved it as “Hundred Bucks.”
This paranoid man was already considering whether this woman, possibly named Jiang Xiaoman, had deliberately approached him.
Who sent her?
What was the purpose?
No matter. He would find out eventually.
Rose knew well that no matter what, she should never pin all her hopes on one man.
As the saying goes, if men were reliable, sows could climb trees.
Rather than relying on Li Yuan, it was better to rely on herself.
She soon got a hard-won opportunity.
Early in the morning, a regular customer personally sought her out, offering her a chance to enter the ‘Upper City District.’
But this time, it wasn’t to serve a man, but a woman of high status and power.
This regular customer was the small-time boss in charge of their area, Brother Bao.
“You just need to give a good massage. If Sister Xue is satisfied, you’ll get plenty of benefits.”
He pulled Rose into a van and drilled the instructions into her.
“Is it the Sister Xue I’m thinking of?”
Rose put on an expression of envy and longing.
“Since you know, do your job well. If you cause me any trouble, you’re dead.”
He sneered, his tone menacing as he warned her.
“Hey, Brother Bao, you know me. I won’t let you down.”
Rose patted her chest confidently.
Brother Bao smiled, tacitly agreeing with her.
This was why he had recommended Jiang Xiaoman: she was pleasant to look at, and most importantly, she knew how to read the situation and would never do anything stupid.
Clearly, this was a sure-profit deal; he could benefit from both sides.
If Jiang Xiaoman gained Sister Xue’s favor, he would have many opportunities.
If Jiang Xiaoman successfully moved out of the ‘Lower City District,’ she would remember his kindness.
Sister Xue, the richest woman in Vietnam, was also a legendary figure and the dream of all women in the Lower City District.
Of mixed Vietnamese-Chinese descent, her real name is Li Xue. Formerly the mistress of Vietnam’s richest man, she earned the nickname “Femme Fatale”—one could say she was the real-life equivalent of Empress Wu Zetian.
After the tycoon’s death, everyone assumed she would fade into obscurity and be driven back to the Lower City District. To their surprise, she successfully seduced the tycoon’s son and convinced him to marry her.
Three years later, the son died in a plane crash while traveling for business negotiations. Li Xue seamlessly inherited the empire built by her two husbands, skyrocketing to become Vietnam’s wealthiest woman.
Many speculated that Li Xue had orchestrated the son’s death.
But without evidence, it was all conjecture. She ultimately became a legend among the “Lower City folks,” simultaneously reigning as the empress who controlled their livelihoods.
After over an hour’s drive, they arrived at an exceptionally beautiful estate.
“I’m Little Bao. Since Sister Xue has been suffering from severe insomnia lately, I know a skilled masseuse and thought she might help alleviate Sister Xue’s fatigue.”
The same Brother Bao who acted arrogantly in front of Rose was now bowing and scraping before these bodyguards.
The guards coldly scrutinized Rose before contacting the main residence via walkie-talkie.
After an anxious five-minute wait, the guard responded, “You’ll need to be searched. If everything’s clear, you may enter.”
Once confirmed they carried no dangerous items, they were permitted entry. Brother Bao was outright denied access, with only a golf cart arriving to transport Rose.
“Do a good job, hear me? I’ll wait for you at the gate,” Brother Bao anxiously reminded her again.
Rose waved her hand dismissively to acknowledge him, boarding the cart with composed detachment.
The ride lasted about twenty minutes before reaching the estate’s main residence.
Throughout the journey, she never glanced around with envy or jealousy, keeping her head lowered as she followed the maid who received her. After changing shoes, she took the elevator directly to Sister Xue’s bedroom.
The sprawling bed—large enough to comfortably accommodate ten people—presented a scene of sensual extravagance.
Now this is living…
Rose’s previously neutral expression finally cracked, revealing unmistakable envy.
“Heh, jealous? Care to join us?”
The nearly-40-year-old woman on the bed chuckled lazily, her beauty undiminished by age.
“No thanks. I don’t eat other people’s leftovers,” Rose retorted with a curl of her lip, her tone dripping with arrogance.
This stunned everyone present. How could this woman—whose clothing unmistakably marked her as Lower City District trash—dare be so insolent? She clearly didn’t know her place.
A flicker of appreciation shone in Li Xue’s eyes as she waved dismissively, signaling her male companions to leave.
“Sister…”
The men hesitated, reluctant to depart. This was their chance to deploy every charm at their disposal—if they succeeded in winning favor, perhaps they too could become the next tycoon?
“Leave. I’m not in the mood today.”
Seeing her expression harden, the men finally took the hint and withdrew, though not before shooting resentful glares at Rose as if blaming her for interrupting their ambitions.
Li Xue picked up a cigar from the bedside table.
Recognizing the cue, Rose promptly stepped forward to light it for her.
“Little Bao tells me you have skilled hands? My insomnia has been relentless lately, and medication takes its toll. I thought I’d try alternative methods.”
“Well, I can’t guarantee you’ll fall asleep, but I’ll certainly do my utmost,” Rose replied earnestly, her voice steady and confident.
This elevated Li Xue’s estimation of her even further.
She admired her arrogance—in that fleeting moment, she seemed to see a reflection of her younger self in this woman.
Having pride is good, but it doesn’t apply well in this cruel society, especially when your status doesn’t match that pride.
She must have suffered greatly, just like I did when I was young…