Winfred ignores her and looks at the rest of his clients in the booths. "Sorry, guys. She is called away.
But she will be back in a second. Just a second."
Left in the dark, Eunice is dragged to the second floor by Winfred. The doors of the private rooms here
are designed to face the wall. She is brought to one in the middle, which should be the most exclusive
one of the bar and she is usually not allowed to visit.
"Why do you bring me here?" Eunice is confused.
Winfred pushes her inside and whispers, "This is your chance to earn some cash. Seize it!"
With that, Winfred retreats and closes the glass door. Everything outside goes silent and misty. Having
cold feet, Eunice watches as a man gets up and slowly walks towards her under the dim light,
aristocratic as she remembers.
His pungent smell of perfume nearly renders her breathless.
Ryan looks down at the woman's flustered face, which looks innocent compared with her revealing
outfit.
Moving his eyes, he suddenly stretches out for her chest. Eunice blanches with shock. "What are you
doing?"
Ryan pretends not to hear her. Lifting his hand again, he procures a small square box. He looks at her
with contempt and says, "Are you selling condoms here?"
Like a cat that is stepped on the tail, Eunice snatches the condom box and says, "Don't touch my
things!"
"Didn't you hear your manager just now? I want your stuff."
Eunice has been selling adult goods at the bar for months, and she hopes that someone would buy
them as soon as possible every night. However, when her wish is about to come true, she feels her
cheeks burning hot.
She tells herself that it is not the time to be shy. Taking a deep breath, she hands him the basket. "30
boxes. 2,400 yuan. Do you want to pay in cash or by credit card?"
Ryan snorts, taking out a stack of money from his wallet. Without counting it, he throws it into her
basket. "Keep your goods, and no need for the change."
Eunice's gaze falls on the bill notes scattered on the products, and she feels the urge to argue.
However, with the hospital fees coming into mind, she lowers her eyes and forces an unnatural and
unsightly smile, saying, "Thank you."
Life has tied her hands and taught her to bow to money, because it matters more than anything else.
This girl reminds Ryan of Lily who looks obedient but is actually tougher than most men.
He is suddenly in the mood for fun. Silently waiting for her to put away the money, he takes out another
stack and says, "Go over and finish that glass of wine on the table, and this will be yours."
The man's clear voice rings in her ears. Eunice is shocked. Glancing at the glass, she discovers that
the wine in it is neat Whisky, and she might pass out from drinking it.
She withdraws the glance and keeps her wits about herself. "Thank you very much, sir, for helping me
out just now. I just want to earn a few bucks. I have to apologize for being a bummer, but I am not a
good drinker."
Ryan does not expect her to refuse. Curling his lips, he teases, "Aren't you looking for money here?"
Eunice's expression stiffens when she hears her heart's desire out loud. "I do need money, but I really
can't drink this."
"Do you think you can walk out of here without doing that?"
Unable to breathe freely, Eunice stares at Ryan with a dazed expression.
This is clearly a threat.
"Sir...."
"Drink it," Ryan commands, impatiently. "Then you can take the money and go."
Eunice sees the man's firm eyes, and realizes that she is doomed to have this devilish drink. The
money in her pocket feels scalding now. She knew it couldn't be that simple....
Outside the private room, the buzz goes on; inside, there is only this oppressive silence.
Taking a deep breath, she walks to the table under Rex's overwhelming gaze, turning around slightly
before asking, "Can you keep your promise?"
"Of course."
The glass is full, and the yellow liquid in it is emitting a pungent smell. Raising the glass and putting it
beside her lips, she hesitates for a few seconds, but then she closes her eyes and finishes it in one
gulp.
The spicy liquid enters her stomach through the esophagus, and it barely touches her mouth. Her
tongue goes numb, and she feels a pang in the stomach.
She rarely drinks, much less drinks so much at once. The feeling of nausea and dizziness overcomes
her, but she struggles to wave the empty glass and says, "It's done."
Ryan throws the money into the basket and walks to her side. There is only half a meter between them.
Casually lighting the cigar on the table and holding it by his mouth, he whispers in a fiendish manner,
"You can go."
That takes him half a minute to say. And then he looks away.
Eunice finally feels relieved and rushes out of the room without looking back with the basket.
The door opens and closes. Ryan spots a thin bank card on the ground, bends down, and picks it up. It
is just an ordinary card.
Ryan glances at the tightly shut door again, and his eyes reveal an enigmatic look.
...
The fifth month after Rex left, Adair's first semester ends. Lily makes some time for a parents' meeting.
She usually drives a black Mercedes-Benz. This time, she switches to a Bentley, not for showing off,
but to avoid gossip in the school, because a Bentley is obviously a better choice here.
When she arrives at the school, some teachers are welcoming the parents. Lily parks the car in a
parking lot, and follows a teacher into Adair's class with her purse.
Adair is thrilled to see his mom. He keeps chattering, shows her everything in his drawer.
After the teacher gives a brief speech, she talks with the parents privately about their children.
"Miss Lily, Adair is a good kid, polite and diligent. It is just that he is not interested in extracurricular
activities. Although it is nothing serious, I still think children at such a young age should develop their
social and communicative skills," Adair’s class teacher, Ms. Wong, explains.
Lily is a little surprised. "Is that so?"
"You see, Adair wasn't like that until later this semester. I assume he is working out his emotions, which
is normal at his age. You need to talk with him."
As far as Lily remembers, Adair has always been blithe and social. She could also see that when they
were in London. After they came home, he even suggested to invite his friends over. So, Lily is
shocked to hear this news about him.
After the parents' meeting, Lily takes Adair to a children's restaurant for dinner. He has been longing to
come here, so she booked a seat.
Over dinner, Lily pretends to ask Adair casually, "Baby, the teacher told me that you weren't interested
in the extracurricular activities recently. Is it true?"
Adair is playing with a mini chicken leg on the plate, and he replies somewhat inarticulately, "No."
The child is obviously unwilling to tell the truth. Lily realizes the seriousness of the problem and guides
him patiently, "Then why didn't you participate? Are you unhappy around your classmates?"
Adair still shakes his head. "No."
Just as Lily is having difficulty finding the right words, Adair suddenly asks, "Mom, when will Dad come
home?"
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