Chapter 37

Sally .

Zhen Zhen woke up . Her whole body ached . She could smell smoke before she opened her eyes .

‘If you’re awake, get out of bed,’ Sally said . She lit another cigarette and smoked . ‘You cost me money to save you . You have to work off your debt . ’

Zhen Zhen opened her eyes . A woman dressed in a skimpy outfit with thick makeup was sitting on the bed next to her .

‘Where am I?’ Zhen Zhen asked .

‘You’re lucky I saved you at the bottom of a cliff,’ Sally said . ‘This is my brothel, Dui Lan . You can call me Sally . ’

‘Thank you for saving me,’ Zhen Zhen said .

‘Don’t thank me too soon,’ Sally said . ‘I’m not a compassionate charity worker . You owe me money for buying your medicine . You have to work for me to pay me back . ’

Sally hit the jackpot when she found Zhen Zhen . Zhen Zhen was going to help her take her rival Lily down a notch .

‘What type of work?’ Zhen Zhen asked .

‘Anyone who walks through my door, can’t walk out without my permission,’ Sally said . ‘I’ll look after you if you’re an obedient worker . Dui Lan isn’t an ordinary brothel . It’s a brothel for rich guests . If you make my guests happy, you won’t need to worry about money . ’

Zhen Zhen knew if she wanted to find a way to contact Yue Gu Zai then she needed to act obedient to convince Sally to trust that she wouldn’t run away .

‘In two days, you’ll be fit to work,’ Sally said .

After Sally left, Zhen Zhen inspected her injuries . She was lucky she survived the fall with minor scratches . She wondered if Yue Gu Zai was looking for her .

Zhen Zhen slowly got out of bed, and she searched the room for a phone or a computer . There was no device for her to contact Yue Gu Zai . She walked to the door, and carefully opened the door . Two guards were standing outside the door .

‘I need to go to the toilet,’ Zhen Zhen lied .

‘There’s a toilet inside the room,’ one of the guards said .

Zhen Zhen closed the door . She couldn’t contact Yue Gu Zai and she couldn’t go outside to find help . She laid on the bed and slept because she needed strength to escape .

For two days, Sally fed Zhen Zhen and let Zhen Zhen recover .

On the third day since Zhen Zhen met Sally, Sally gave her a dress that looked like a student’s uniform .

‘Put the dress on,’ Sally said . ‘You don’t suit wearing skimpy outfits like me . Our guests have a range of tastes . Some days they like meaty dishes, and on other days they like vegetarian dishes . I’ll let you serve the guests wine first to pique their taste buds, and I’ll fetch a good price for you . ’

Zhen Zhen was relieved . She had time to find a way to contact Yue Gu Zai to save her .

‘Sally the guests are here,’ a brothel worker said .

‘Get dressed and line up outside to greet the guests,’ Sally said . ‘If you get chosen, you’ll serve the guests wine . Don’t do anything to offend them or anything to embarrass me . ’

‘Yes Sally,’ Zhen Zhen said .

Zhen Zhen changed into the dress . Then she walked outside and stood in a corner . Five women were chosen to serve the guests . Unfortunately, she was one of the five women chosen .

Zhen Zhen followed the women into the private and dimly lit room, and the door was firmly shut after all the guests entered the room . Three women sat between the six men on the sofa, and one woman knelt on the floor and served wine to the men . Zhen Zhen quickly knelt on the floor and served wine to the men too so she wouldn’t draw attention to herself .

One fat man was drinking wine and talking to the youngest man . Although the youngest man had a woman under his arm, he looked disinterested .

‘Mr Yan, I need to make a living,’ Mr Huang said . ‘My goods have been sitting in a shipping container for two months . ’

‘What’s the rush?’ Yan Fen asked .

‘Mr Yan, my brothers and I need money to eat,’ Mr Huang said . ‘You can use your connection to Ni Sheng to convince the Hong group to release my goods . ’

Zhen Zhen heard the fat man mentioned Ni Sheng, and she accidently spilt wine on the fat man’s hand .

‘You clumsy bitch!’ Mr Huang said .

‘I’m sorry,’ Zhen Zhen said .

‘Saying sorry isn’t enough,’ Mr Huang said . He lifted Zhen Zhen’s chin to see her better under the dim light . ‘You have a good body . ’

Zhen Zhen wanted to push the fat man’s hand away from her chin . But she smiled at him to save her life .

‘I’m a new worker,’ Zhen Zhen said .

The other five women thought Zhen Zhen was an unlucky woman to offend Mr Huang on her first day working at the brothel . Even under Sally’s protection, Mr Huang wouldn’t be lenient on Zhen Zhen .

***

End of Chapter Thirty-Seven