Seeing how the manager behaved, Xia Anxin had already decided she wouldn’t come back after this performance.
But Wen Li had introduced her to the job.
She was afraid that if she went too far this time, she would cause trouble for Wen Li’s friend.
In the end, she had no choice but to agree.
She thought that once the man saw her face, he probably wouldn’t try anything.
She followed the manager into the private room and immediately saw that it was crowded.
Some of the men and women had already had too much to drink. Some were wrapped around each other, kissing noisily; others twisted and flailed as they danced. The room was a cesspit.
When she walked in, several people let out loud whistles one after another.
She frowned, doing her best to hide how she felt as the manager led her over to one of them.
The man wasn’t very old. He looked like a playboy, and his eyes roamed over Xia Anxin from head to toe, so lecherous they seemed ready to strip her bare.
Xia Anxin didn’t know much about the unruly rich young men of Yecheng. If she had, she would have recognized the man in front of her as Ding Xi, notorious in Yecheng for his wild behavior.
The Ding family had seized an opportunity a couple of years earlier and grown rich overnight, making a name for themselves in Yecheng.
As the Ding family’s only son, Ding Xi had quickly made a name for himself in Yecheng for the way he played with women.
The manager introduced him. “This is Young Master Ding.”
The manager gave Xia Anxin a knowing look, glanced at the drinks on the table, and gestured for her to offer him a toast.
Xia Anxin forced a smile, picked up the liquor, and poured a glass for him and one for herself. “Young Master Ding, thank you for coming. This one’s for you.”
She downed it in one go, then turned to leave.
But as soon as she moved, Ding Xi grabbed her by the arm.
Ding Xi gave her a lazy look. “You’re leaving after one drink? Are you messing with me?”
Xia Anxin’s scalp prickled. All she could do was say, “I’m sorry, Young Master Ding. I’m a quiet person and not very good at this sort of thing. I don’t want to spoil your fun. I’ll be going now.”
She pulled free of Ding Xi’s grasp and turned to leave. But after taking only a few steps, she suddenly felt her legs weakening, and a strange heat flared in her lower abdomen.
She froze.
Ding Xi got up behind her, grinning. “Are you feeling… all hot now? Suddenly in the mood to have some fun?”
Xia Anxin frowned and whipped around to look at the drinks on the coffee table.
Then she looked at the people in the room, whose behavior was clearly off. She’d let her guard down.
The manager had already run off.
Still grinning, Ding Xi came toward her. “You’re already here. Come on, have some fun.”
Xia Anxin bit her lip. “Young Master Ding, this kind of thing has to be mutual. What’s the point if you force someone?”
Ding Xi laughed. “Me? I like forcing people. It’s exciting.”
Xia Anxin’s expression turned completely cold. Keeping a wary eye on him, she backed toward the door.
But just as she reached it, Ding Xi gave a look to the woman standing beside it.
The woman slipped behind Xia Anxin and shoved her hard in the back.
Ding Xi had already spread his arms with a grin, waiting for the beauty to fall into them.
But Xia Anxin had seen his signal and was ready.
The moment the woman pushed, Xia Anxin shifted sideways with the force. The woman’s push missed its mark, and she lost her balance, pitching forward into Ding Xi’s arms.
“Ah! Young Master Ding!” she cried, instinctively wrapping her arms around him.
Xia Anxin stamped hard on Ding Xi’s instep, then whipped around, grabbed the door handle, and sprinted outside.
His face twisted with pain. Watching Xia Anxin disappear from view, Ding Xi angrily shoved the woman out of his arms. “Get lost.”
Xia Anxin didn’t know Jinse well. She desperately tried to find her way out, but as soon as she got outside, she lost her sense of direction completely.
Ding Xi was still chasing her from behind. “I’ve taken a liking to you—that’s your good fortune! Stop right there!”
Xia Anxin ran as fast as she could, but the heat inside her grew more pronounced, and her legs grew weaker by the second.
She hadn’t gone far when her legs gave way and she pitched forward.
Just then, the door to a private room opened, and a man stepped out.
All Xia Anxin could see was a pair of gleaming leather shoes.
Before she could even make out who he was, she reached for his trouser leg like a drowning woman clutching at a lifeline and begged, “Please, help me.”
She struggled to look up at him, but the moment she saw his face, she began to tremble uncontrollably and cried out, “A-Ting?”