Chapter 88

"Um, this tomato and egg soup is pretty good," Xia Yunjie couldn't bear to disappoint Shen Liti, so he pointed to the soup and praised it, but in his heart, he recalled what Shen Liti had said earlier, thinking that at least the tomato and egg soup wasn't a complete failure, since he had added an egg to the instant noodles.

"Isn't it great! What about the others? Braised carp, stir-fried pork with green peppers, and this garlic oil wheat vegetable!" Shen Liti proudly raised her chin upon hearing this and then pointed to the other three dishes with great anticipation.

"Ahem, they're all pretty good. But isn't the carp a bit burnt?" Even though Xia Yunjie had learned to bluff a bit, he still couldn't lie with a straight face and asked cautiously.

"You don't understand, my mom taught me. If you fry the carp a bit more in the oil, the surface will be extra fragrant. Don't believe me? Try it?" Shen Liti said proudly, and then she picked up a piece of fish with a burnt skin and tried to feed it to Xia Yunjie.

Xia Yunjie almost spat blood on the spot. Some people do like to fry the carp a bit more, but this was way overdone.

Seeing Shen Liti about to put the fish in his mouth, Xia Yunjie quickly moved his mouth away and said, "That makes sense, have you tried it yourself?"

"No, I was waiting for you to come back and eat together, right?" Shen Liti said matter-of-factly.

Xia Yunjie was quite moved by this, but looking at the blackened piece of fish in front of him, he didn't have the courage to take a bite. He quickly thought of an excuse and said, "I've been busy all day, I'm so thirsty. I'll try the soup first."

Among the three dishes and one soup, only the tomato and egg soup looked the most refreshing and presentable.

Without waiting for Shen Liti to react, Xia Yunjie hurriedly took a spoon and scooped up some soup. He couldn't afford to wait any longer, or Shen Liti might have forced the blackened fish into his mouth.

Sure enough, when Shen Liti saw Xia Yunjie about to drink the soup, she stopped and looked at him expectantly.

Xia Yunjie secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then took a sip of the seemingly refreshing tomato and egg soup.

Immediately, Xia Yunjie froze, staring straight at Shen Liti. He hadn't expected to still be unable to escape his fate. This wasn't a refreshing tomato and egg soup; it was like seawater from a silver beach, bitter, salty, and extremely flavorful. He wondered how much salt and MSG she had put in.

Seeing Xia Yunjie staring at her with wide eyes, Shen Liti raised her chin and said, "How is it? Shocked, right?"

Xia Yunjie nodded and said, "Yes, I'm shocked. Have you tried it yourself?"

"No! I was waiting for you to come back and eat together, right?" Shen Liti said matter-of-factly again.

Xia Yunjie was so moved that he rolled his eyes. After a while, he said, "Come, come, you try a sip too!"

"Isn't it great! Actually, when the chef herself cooks, it's definitely... ugh, ugh, too salty, too salty!" Shen Liti first looked very pleased and scooped a spoonful, but then she jumped up in a hurry and ran to the kitchen to drink a lot of water.

When she came back, Shen Liti's face was a bit red, and she glared at Xia Yunjie before picking up her chopsticks to try the other dishes.

As expected, Shen Liti almost fainted from the "poison" of her own cooking.

Seeing Shen Liti's dramatic expression, Xia Yunjie felt a bit sorry for her and comforted her carefully, "Actually, the rice today is pretty good, just right in texture."

Saying this, Xia Yunjie exaggeratedly shoveled several mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

"Ha ha!" Seeing Xia Yunjie eating plain rice, Shen Liti, who was feeling quite defeated, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Are you a pig? You can eat plain rice so happily. Hurry up and make me some fried rice, I'm starving!"

Saying this, Shen Liti got up and snatched the chopsticks from Xia Yunjie's hand, then pulled him to the kitchen.

Xia Yunjie had no choice but to laugh and get up...

When Xia Yunjie arrived at the bar, it was already quite late. He hurriedly greeted a few close colleagues and then went to the changing room to change into his work uniform, then started his busy work.

Around nine o'clock, the tall hostess Liu Ke walked up to Xia Yunjie, looking hesitant.

"Is there something, Liu Ke?" Xia Yunjie asked curiously. Because of their different roles, Liu Ke rarely came to him during work hours.

"Brother Jie, can you go with me to Dongkai Hotel later? A sister is having a birthday, and she insists I attend," Liu Ke said.

"Would it be appropriate for me to go to your sister's birthday?" Xia Yunjie was a bit hesitant.

Liu Ke looked even more hesitant.

"Brother Jie, Keke wants you to be my protector!" Just as Liu Ke was hesitating, Wu Yuxi suddenly appeared and said with a smile.

"But..." Xia Yunjie was still hesitant. He didn't mind being Liu Ke's protector, but he was reluctant to drink and chat with a group of strangers.

"Brother Jie, please. My sister's friend circle is a bit messy, and I'm a bit worried, but I can't refuse," Liu Ke, seeing that Wu Yuxi had already spoken, stopped being coy and directly grabbed Xia Yunjie's arm, pleading in a sweet voice.

"Are we going now?" Liu Ke's words made it hard for Xia Yunjie to refuse, especially since he was also a bit concerned.

"Thank you, Brother Jie. Yaqing has called me several times already," Liu Ke smiled happily when Xia Yunjie agreed.

"I'll let Sister Yan know," Xia Yunjie nodded and then went to inform Zhu Xiaoyan.

Dongkai Hotel wasn't far from the bar, about a fifteen-minute bike ride.

On the way, Liu Ke told him about her sister.

Liu Ke's sister, Zhao, had once been a worker at a clothing factory in Jiangzhou City, living in the same dormitory as Liu Ke, in the bunk above her.

At the time, both were first-time workers far from home. The clothing factory was their first job, and they lived in the same dormitory, so they had a deep bond and cherished their friendship. Even after they both left the factory, they still kept in touch.

"She now works at the Charm Silver Seat KTV in Dongkai Hotel, with a high salary. She has suggested several times that I quit my job at the bar and work there, but I didn't dare to go," Liu Ke said.

Hearing this, Xia Yunjie understood why Liu Ke wanted him to accompany her. Zhao Yaqing likely worked as a KTV hostess, and these places were mixed, with friends of varying backgrounds. Liu Ke was a bit worried about going there at night.

"But, Yaqing is different from others. She only sings and drinks with guests; she doesn't do that kind of thing," Liu Ke added, seeing Xia Yunjie's thoughtful expression.

Xia Yunjie smiled but didn't respond.

Everyone has their own way of living, and every profession has its own struggles. As long as she didn't steal, rob, or harm others, even if Zhao Yaqing occasionally sold herself, Xia Yunjie didn't feel he had the right to look down on her.

This was her chosen path!

Moreover, in today's restless society, people's values have changed, and it's common to mock poverty but not prostitution. Even if Zhao Yaqing had fallen into this, it wasn't that strange, just a bit sad.

As they spoke, they arrived at Dongkai Hotel.

Under the night sky, the 36-story Dongkai Hotel was brilliantly lit. This was Xia Yunjie's second visit to Dongkai Hotel.

The first time was at Shen Ziliang's invitation, and this time it was to accompany Liu Ke to a sister's birthday party.

The Charm Silver Seat KTV was on the eighth floor of Dongkai Hotel.

When the elevator stopped on the eighth floor and the doors opened, they faced the KTV's lobby.

The entire lobby, except for the clear marble floor, was almost entirely golden. The smooth marble reflected the crystal chandeliers and walls, making the entire lobby look opulent and grand.

At the entrance of the lobby, two rows of beautiful women stood.

The women wore tight white mini-dresses, like the palace maids in the movie "The City of Gold," each showing a bit of their ample, snow-white cleavage and white thighs.

Although Xia Yunjie had seen some scenes in the bar, this was his first time in such a place, and he felt his breathing pause, feeling very uncomfortable.

Liu Ke was also a bit nervous and subconsciously tightened her grip on Xia Yunjie's hand.

"Have you reserved a private room?" A hostess in a high-slit cheongsam approached and asked softly.

Xia Yunjie looked at Liu Ke, who replied, "I have a friend already there, room 825."

The hostess nodded and said, "Please follow me." She made a gesture to invite them in and then led the way, her high heels clicking and her tight cheongsam-clad hips swaying.

As they walked down the corridor, they occasionally saw people leading groups of women dressed in flamboyant outfits into private rooms. Through the open doors, they could see the women lining up in front of the guests.

Although Xia Yunjie had never been to such a place and had never called a hostess, he had seen similar scenes on TV and could guess that the women entering were hostesses, and the men in the rooms were there for entertainment.

As for their identities, Xia Yunjie didn't know, but they were likely not ordinary workers like him, who couldn't afford such luxuries and didn't have the courage.

When they pushed open the door to room 825, Xia Yunjie was stunned!

The large room was filled with women, all heavily made-up and dressed in revealing outfits.

At a glance, all he saw was white skin, white thighs.

The women, probably not expecting a man to walk in, stared at him as if he were an alien, making Xia Yunjie almost turn and leave.

This was too much!

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