**31**

This clubhouse is decorated in a lavish and magnificent style; no matter who steps in, they can’t help but think of the phrase “debauchery and extravagance.”

However, today was probably the quietest day since its opening, with no drunken revelers, no bursts of laughter drifting through the air, and no tangled bodies in debauchery.

But with a command from the director, the silence was instantly broken.

Extras disguised as waiters, guests, and heavily made-up ladies emerged from every corner, and with decadent music flowing from the private rooms, another night of glitz and glamour began.

The lighting in the private room was dim, and the whiskey in the glass reflected a mesmerizing glow in the flickering light of the screen transitions.

Each person had a lady sitting beside them, pampering these guests comfortably.

The one next to Ruan Yinmeng was a regular customer, said to be in the building materials business, and quite generous with spending.

Men who throw money around in places like this do it for comfort—both to save face and to feel good inside.

He wrapped his arm around Ruan Yinmeng’s shoulder, his body pressed closely against hers, his eyes constantly slipping into the gap at her chest. When he smiled, his face was slick with oil.

Ruan Yinmeng was very experienced in dealing with such customers. If she was asked to smile, she smiled; if she was asked to act coy, she acted coy. Customer first—no matter what kind of customer came to her, she could handle them properly.

She giggled and brought the wine glass to the man’s mouth.

The man drank the wine from her hand, putting on a suave demeanor.

Throughout the evening, cups were pushed and exchanged; bottle after bottle on the table was emptied. Men and women in the private room were all entwined, whispering close, revealing their true, unsightly selves.

When the man made an inappropriate move, Ruan Yinmeng gently slipped away while pouring the wine.

The man, now drunk, grabbed her without care and shouted, “I don’t care, you have to stay with me tonight!”

His outburst was sudden, but no one was surprised; coming to this place and having a few drinks, anything reckless could happen.

Everyone started to cheer and make a fuss.

Ruan Yinmeng was pulled by him, obediently leaning against his body, raising her hand to tap little by little on his chest: “I do want to, but tonight it’s really inconvenient to go out.”

The man’s soft fingertips tracing her made her whole body go weak, but as soon as she spoke, his mind heated up and anger flared.

Ruan Yinmeng glanced at his expression, soothing him softly and gently. If it were usual times, this would have passed, but the man had come at least five times this month, each time she had turned him down with one excuse or another.

This pent-up anger in his belly could no longer be easily dismissed.

He came here to spend money and act like a big shot, not to be a lapdog under someone’s skirt.

The man sneered coldly, staring her down: “You’re going tonight, whether you want to or not!”

That group of drunken drunks, upon hearing this, seemed to hit a nerve and went wild, shouting, “Let’s do her right here!”

Ruan Yinmeng was truly a bit flustered at this moment, but the smile on her face did not fade as she flattered and flattered, “Mr. Zhou, you can choose wherever you want, but tonight is really inconvenient. Another day, I will definitely…”

Before she could finish speaking, she was suddenly pushed onto the sofa.

Ruan Yinmeng had seen all kinds of situations and it was not the first time she had refused a guest. Many years ago, she had struggled countless times, but it was useless. Once a person falls into the mire, it’s not so easy to get out.

But unlike before, she now knew how to protect herself.

She opened her mouth to speak, seemingly in a soft voice, but actually laced with barbs, directly provoking the man’s anger.

No disturbances were allowed in the club; if things escalated, someone would definitely come.

The man indeed got angry and raised his hand to strike.

Ruan Yinmeng was prepared to endure some physical pain, but the slap never landed. The supervisor, hearing the commotion, rushed over, followed by a group of various women who immediately stepped forward to hold the man back.

“She’s really not available to go out tonight. There’s no need for you to take it personally. Look here, we have all kinds.” The supervisor smiled along, gesturing to the young ladies, who skillfully approached to calm him down.

Surrounded by so many gentle and beautiful women, the man’s anger finally subsided somewhat, but he still had no intention of letting go of the person who had embarrassed him.

He pointed coldly at the wine on the table: “Drink all the wine, and tonight’s matter will be over.”

There were still three unopened bottles of foreign liquor on the table, all quite strong. An ordinary person would be overwhelmed after one bottle; drinking three would surely mean a trip to the emergency room tonight.

The supervisor gave Ruan Yinmeng a look, hinting that she should soften her stance and not go against her body.

But Ruan Yinmeng just smiled, walked over, and picked up the wine: “It’s right to punish me for spoiling Mr. Zhou’s mood. I’ll apologize and make it up to you. Please calm down.”

After speaking, she drank the entire glass of wine in one gulp. Her lips, stained with the wine, looked even more red and alluring. She smiled and poured another glass, continuing to drink without pause.

Her fair, jade-like neck tilted back, and beneath the thin layer of skin, faint blue veins were visible, giving off a unique fragile beauty. Her throat moved slightly as the liquor slid down smoothly,

Everyone in the private room stopped what they were doing, all unconsciously looking at her, closing their mouths, and falling silent.

No wonder Ruan Yinmeng’s reputation was so renowned. She was truly different from others—gentle yet coldly elegant. The same tacky makeup looked anything but vulgar on her face; instead, it unintentionally revealed a hint of cool detachment, making people feel that even though she had long since fallen to selling smiles and flesh, the proud spirit within her still remained.

She drank three whole bottles, all down with graceful composure. When the liquor was finished, the man’s face showed an awkward expression. The woman in his arms suddenly lost all interest, and he felt a bit regretful.

But he said it himself, with so many people watching, it would be inappropriate to go back on his word.

He laughed softly, his voice gentle: “You really are something… Go get some rest, I’ll come find you next time.”

Ruan Yinmeng smiled and said goodbye to everyone.

Outside the private room, the dazzling lights cast overlapping shadows. She walked to the restroom, using her fingers to induce vomiting, trying to throw up all the alcohol she had consumed, but after retching for a long time, she barely brought anything up.

The intoxication had already spread, but thanks to the burning, scorching pain in her stomach, she managed to stay conscious.

Footsteps came from behind, and a tissue was handed to her from the back.

Ruan Yinmeng looked back and saw it was the supervisor; she took the tissue.

Tsk. Why bother?” The foreman stood by with arms crossed. “A whole month without a client, are you really planning to quit?

Ruan Yinmeng said nothing. She flushed the toilet; stomach pain accompanied by dizziness made her lean against the wall to keep steady.

“Which man is it? Is he reliable?” the foreman asked again. She had seen it all—when a girl wants to go straight, there are only two reasons: either she’s reached an age where she has to find another way, or she’s fallen for someone.

Those in the first category wouldn’t stop taking clients; on the contrary, they’d make the most of their youth, taking more customers to earn some savings.

Ruan Yinmeng was obviously the latter; only when one has feelings for someone would they desperately and futilely cling to chastity like this.

The bathroom light was much brighter. The cold light from the chandelier shone down, and Ruan Yinmeng frowned in discomfort. The skin on her chest was as white as snow, flushed with the redness brought on by alcohol—both fragile and alluring, sparking all kinds of fantasies.

The supervisor watching couldn’t help but blush deeply and quickly looked away.

Ruan Yinmeng still said nothing. Unlike the other colleagues who chattered away to keep warm in groups, she rarely spoke, never mentioned her experiences or past, and never talked about what she wanted to do in the future.

The future, ah, this word is truly beautiful, especially for those deeply stuck in the mire, it is like a garden in the sky. Most have talked about it—wanting to return to their hometown, to have children, to have a home, to earn a lot of money.

Wishes are always varied, but ultimately, they all want to have a harbor to dock at.

Only Ruan Yinmeng never mentions it, as if she is a person without a future.

The foreman always thought she should be the type of person who was the most clear-headed, someone who would never be moved by those fleeting, elusive feelings like passing clouds. She would earn more money, and when youth faded and she could no longer continue in this line of work, she could take that money and start a small business or do something else—anything to live a stable and secure life.

But now, looking back, she didn’t know which man it was—whether it was someone she met in the pleasure quarters where a pretend relationship turned real, or someone outside with whom she had fallen in love.

She naturally assumed it was a man; in the eyes of the world, a woman whose life was as fleeting as a floating duckweed always needed a broad shoulder to lean on.

The burning in her stomach grew more intense, and she felt like she could collapse to the ground at any moment.

But Ruan Yinmeng still had the mood to smile. She glanced at the supervisor, feeling an impulse to ask: what if it were a girl? A seventeen-year-old girl who hadn’t yet experienced the complexities of life, a girl as pure and brave as the bright moon, a girl who would recite beautiful poetry by her side.

But in the end, she didn’t say it. For one, she was afraid of causing unnecessary trouble and bringing problems to Chi Sheng; for another… she actually never thought about having any long-term entanglement with Chi Sheng, not even now did she dare to imagine it.

It was just that Chi Sheng was sincere and genuine toward her, and she had nothing to repay her with. Instinctively, she thought that at least while she still appeared before her, she had to keep this moment of purity, which was the only respect she could give Chi Sheng.

And respect, such a precious thing, is not something given lightly; inevitably, it requires some cost.

Ruan Yinmeng felt her whole body go limp, her stomach aching intensely.

“Have you really thought it through? You don’t know anything, and at your age, what can you do if you leave here? That little money you have… probably won’t last long, right? Many people leave the shore only to come back again, and by then their value will have plummeted. Think carefully, don’t end up regretting it…” the foreman kindly advised.

But before she could finish persuading, the person in front of her collapsed. The foreman quickly caught her and urgently called for help outside.

In the last moment before Ruan Yinmeng lost consciousness, what troubled her most was that Chi Shengbai would be kept waiting tonight.

The filming of this scene was not going smoothly; there were still many shots to be reshot until the evening.

Shen Yizhi was worried about Ning Zhi. In the afternoon, her assistant informed her that Ning Zhi had a fever, probably because of the day’s scenes, being drenched in rain and exposed to the sun.

Meilan looked around; the shooting intensity today was too high, and everyone in the groups showed signs of fatigue.

She simply dismissed everyone, deciding to continue tomorrow.

Shen Yizhi asked for a leave on behalf of Ning Zhi, and Meilan readily agreed.

The shooting progress was much better than planned, and there was plenty of time, so taking a day or two off was no problem. Besides, they still had to make up for today’s scenes tomorrow, and most likely, Ning Zhi wouldn’t have any scenes to shoot.

Shen Yizhi went straight back to the hotel and contacted his assistant via WeChat on the way to ask about Ning Zhi’s condition.

The doctor has already seen her. The fever isn’t high. Just take some antipyretics and rest well. There’s no need for an IV drip.

Shen Yizhi saw this message and breathed a sigh of relief, but the next one immediately made her tense up again.

But she refuses to rest properly, and won’t listen to the doctor’s advice.

Shen Yizhi frowned and was about to look up Ning Zhi’s number when she noticed an unread message from “Orange.”

Not resting properly and chatting with online friends made Shen Yizhi even more displeased. She opened the social app and saw that the chat window with Puppy was pinned at the top.

How have you been recently? What have you been busy with?

There was only this one message, sent a little after two in the afternoon.

Shen Yizhi was pondering how to reply to her, hoping to get her to put down her phone and go to sleep, when Ning Zhi happened to send a message as well.

Are you really busy, or did you delete me because we haven’t been in touch for too long?

I’m a bit troubled. If you have time, could you listen to me?

Shen Yizhi lost all his temper because of her soft tone.

“No time is fine too, just ignore me, anyway, I just wanted to find a place to talk.”

Ning Zhi said again.

Paired with her avatar, it was a pitiful little dog.

What else could Shen Yizhi do but reply, “Go ahead.”

Then she switched to WeChat, asking the assistant to keep a closer eye on Ning Zhi, make sure she drinks water, and check her temperature.

She searched for dessert shops, carefully read the reviews, compared them, and chose one with a good reputation, directing the driver to turn there.

While Shen Yizhi was filming, Ning Zhi was thinking about her.

She scrolled through Weibo and saw a trending topic: How are the first batch of same-sex couples who got marriage certificates doing now?

Ning Zhi clicked in and found that same-sex marriage had been legal for half a year.

The news had a collection of interviews, featuring the first couple to register their marriage, a pair of women, confidently holding hands in front of the camera.

The most beautiful form of love makes people very envious.

Ning Zhi recalled the day she and Shen Yizhi got their marriage certificate.

They were actually the first couple, the first same-sex partners to register their marriage in their small hometown county.