CH 1

On a Sunday night, the downtown commercial street was brightly lit, people were coming and going, the outer walls of high-rise buildings flashed bright colors, and there was noise everywhere.

"NOTTE" is the most eye-catching existence on the whole street. This nightclub has been open for less than three years. It is famous in Jiangcheng for its luxurious decoration and super high patron traffic. It is often visited by celebrities. It is rumored that the owner is a female star with a deep background.

It was just after eight o'clock at this moment, and the lobby on the first floor gradually became lively.

A flower and vine swing was hung in the center of the stage. Cheng Suran sat on the swing, holding the rope with one hand and the microphone with the other, singing a melodious tune:

"White windmill, who do you miss, the fireflies in June are silent and lonely..."*

*lyrics to Sara Liu's song, Love Song Of The Wind 

The clear and gentle voice echoed in the hall.

She was wearing a long white gauze dress, and her black and soft hair was loose and elegant. The silver mask covered the upper half of her face, only her thin lips and thin chin were exposed, and her skin was colorless under the soft light.

Surrounded by lingering smoke, it was like a fairyland, and everyone who passed the stage couldn't help but glance at her.

"Sister Fairy!" someone shouted from below.

A few young men were stirring around the stage, as if they were about to rush up at any moment.  But the stage was surrounded by more than 20 security guards, and it was not easy to go up.

Cheng Suran frowned, her eyes hidden under the mask remained calm.

Two months ago, she successfully applied to be the part-time singer of "NOTTE", and came to sing every Sunday at 8:00 pm, ten songs, earning 300 yuan, not including the commission for flowers sent by guests.

Unlike other singers, she wears a mask on stage every time.

The mask added a bit of mystery to her, plus her voice was nice and she sang well, so she accumulated high popularity in less than half a month.

Gradually got used to this scene.

"NOTTE" is divided into two floors. The first floor is an open area, where guests can enter as long as they can afford it. The second floor is a VIP area, where only friends of the boss and holders of 300 limited membership cards can enter.  There are special passages and elevators for leaving, and the security is strict. It's a different world from downstairs.

Although it is a serious entertainment venue, it is inevitable that some people who come to play have other intentions, so one must be careful.

After singing the last song, the swing slowly descended. Cheng Suran stood up, bowed lightly amidst the voices of  "Don't go, fairy sister" and "One more song", turned and walked off the stage.

Four or five security guards escorted her back to the lounge.

Manager Yang, who had been waiting beside her, followed behind her, and said with a smile, "Xiao* Cheng, please sing two more songs. Some guests came all the way to visit you." While speaking, he gestured, "Here, additional one hundred for you."

*Xiao = Little, served as a pet name once attached before the Surname, used by someone older than the subject.

Cheng Suran grabbed the mineral water on the table, and when she heard this, she gave his arms a heavy blow.

One hundred yuan.

The lure of money——

She squeezed the bottle tightly, the struggle in her eyes flashed away, she smiled and shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, Manager Yang, I have something to do tonight..."

She sounds different when talking from when she sings, her voice is less gentle, hoarse, with the tenderness of a girl.

After drinking water, Cheng Suran took off her mask, revealing a clear and delicate face, like the first snow, her cheeks were slightly flushed under the normal light, and there were shallow pear dimples.

Manager Yang couldn't help looking at her for a few more seconds, and nodded with some regret: "Okay, then you should pay attention to safety on the way back, I'll go to work first." After speaking, he turned and left.

Cheng Suran was reluctant, but when she thought about what she was going to do tonight, she felt that she could give it up. Maybe, if she gave up the small one, she could get the big one...

After a short rest, she took out her mobile phone to check the time, but when she turned on the screen, she saw four or five missed calls and a few WeChat messages, all of which were voice messages from her aunt.

Her heart tightened and her hands trembled.

"Playing dead? Don't want to care about your grandma?"

"Don't tell me you don't have any money. Aren't you working during the summer vacation? What about your scholarship? Take them all out. For you to eat and have something to wear for so many years, and to give you milk and medical expenses..."  The high-pitched voice of the middle-aged woman pierced her ears like needles.

Cheng Suran pursed her lips, the corners of her eyes were slightly red, and after listening to everything, she typed slowly:

[The phone is muted and I didn't hear it]

[Tomorrow]

This is the fourth reminder this month, and she can't delay it even if she wanted to.

She quit WeChat, opened the address book, found a number and dialed it, "Assistant Tian, ​​I'm off work..."

Half an hour later, Cheng Suran got into a black Cadillac.

The car was lit with warm yellow light, and a woman in her early thirties with a ponytail was sitting in the back row. When she saw the girl coming up, she smiled slightly: "Miss Cheng, I want to confirm with you again, have you really considered it?" 

The overhead light shone softly on the girl's body. She turned her face sideways, with a few strands of fluffy hair scattered on her forehead and temples.

Without hesitation, she replied, "I did."

Assistant Tian didn't say anything, and turned to let the driver drive.

The journey was very quiet, Cheng Suran sat upright with her body stretched, her hands resting on her knees, and her thin white fingers were clasped together.  The car windows were covered by curtains, and she couldn't see outside, just like she couldn't see her life after tonight.

The destination is a high-end hotel named Yunjin Lihua.

On the twenty-seventh floor, the VIP elevator opens. The lobby is empty, with a few landscape oil paintings hanging on the wall, and the lights are like fog.

Cheng Suran had never been to this kind of place before, so she couldn't help looking around, and followed Assistant Tian's steps in a regular manner.

Assistant Tian pushed open the white gold door, and there was a suite inside. She pointed to the left and diagonally forward, and said, "Miss Cheng, the bathroom is over there. Toiletries and clothes are ready. You take a shower first, and the boss will come for you later."

"Okay..." Cheng Suran grasped the strap of her backpack tightly.

"Remember to wash carefully, our boss likes it clean." Assistant Tian smiled, but her voice sounded like an emotionless machine, "Also, the final result depends on whether your performance today can satisfy the boss."

Cheng Suran's face burned instantly, her lips turned white, as if she was slapped in the face in public, humiliated and embarrassed.

But she still responded with a light smile.

After the person left, Cheng Suran stood alone on the spot, raised her hand to touch her face, it was a little hot.

At that moment, she had the urge to run away.

The boss that Assistant Tian mentioned was a female guest on the second floor of "NOTTE". When she was ordered to sing in the box at the beginning of the month, she saw her back once. Under the dim light, she had long hair, was tall, and had extremely long legs. She is said to be single.

The boss wants her to be her lover.

She was short of money, thought about it for half a month, and agreed.  Assistant Tian said that the boss is free today.

Cheng Suran sighed, instead of wasting time here, it is better to think about how to satisfy the future benefactor for a while. She gave up the idea of ​​running away, put down her bag, and went to the bathroom.

There is a large round bathtub in the bathroom, and behind it, is a whole glass wall, from which you can clearly see the tall buildings and scattered lights outside. The bottles and cans on the washstand are all unknown brands, and there are changes of clothes hanging on the wooden shelf next to them.

A pink nightgown, silk material is very smooth.

Change into only this?

Cheng Suran's face became hot again, she was a little scared, and she couldn't help guessing whether the boss had some strange hobbies, such as——

She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip.

She didn't dare to think about it.

....

Cheng Suran took a bath three times, used scrub, bath salts, essential oils, and then applied milk-flavored body lotion, not even sparing her toes.

She gritted her teeth and put on the clothes on the wooden rack, fastened the belt tightly, for fear that the cover would not be tight enough, then dried her hair, and walked out of the bathroom against the steam.

The back by the window made her stop.

A  woman stood in front of the octagonal window, her figure was tall and upright, her long black and slightly curly hair hung straight behind her shoulders, and her legs were long and straight. It was exactly the same as the back she had only seen once.

Cheng Suran's heart beat violently, and her fingers involuntarily clenched her nightgown tightly.

Seemingly aware of the movement, the woman suddenly turned around, and their eyes met for an instant.

It was a bony and stern face, with plain but sharp features, willow-like eyes long but not slender, single eyelids, the more you look at it, the more special it feels, there is a kind of deceptive power, but also a little inaccessible distance.

Like a snake.

She also looks familiar.

Cheng Suran opened her mouth, but did not make a sound, her dark eyes shone slightly, and she stood there like a stone statue.

"Cheng Suran?"

Jiang Yu stared at the girl for a long time and called her name. Her voice is very thin, full of breath, cold for a human being.

When Cheng Suran came back to her senses, she realized that she was staring at her in a daze, so she quickly looked away and nodded.

But soon her eyes fell on the other person's face again.

Obviously afraid to look at it, but couldn't help it.

Jiang Yu put everything in her eyes, smiled, and hooked her fingers at her, "Come here."

With her smile, the spring water melted the ice and made it much warmer. Cheng Suran relaxed a little and walked over obediently. It wasn't until she stood in front of Jiang Yu that she realized that this woman was really tall, and she had to raise her eyes to look at her.

At 1.65 meters, she only reached the other party's middle of ear.

The height gap brought a strong sense of oppression, Cheng Suran made half a step back, lowered her gaze, and glanced at the hotel slippers on Jiang Yu's feet.

From the bottom to the top, she saw slim black straight-leg trousers, a sleeveless blouse of the same color, with two buttons on the top, and most of the goose white neckline. Further up, she fell into a pair of dark eyes.

Cheng Suran was startled, pretending to be calm and said: "Hi, boss..."

It's just that the aura in front of her is too strong, and her voice can't help but lower.

"Shh-"

Jiang Yu interrupted softly, raised her index finger to her lips, "It's sister*."

*Jiejie -  elder sister (not exclusive to blood relatives) used to address females older than you, to show respect and/or closeness (family, friends, and sometimes lovers), Its counterpart is Meimei - younger sister.

Cheng Suran was stunned.

Elder sister...

This title is not only too intimate, but also carries too many bad memories, it is a little hard for her to say. But tonight she must obey, just as she did with the dress..

Jiang Yu looked down at the girl with a smile at the end of her eyes, as if admiring a fresh toy, "Want to call me Auntie*?"

*ayi, same principle with the use of jiejie, but only when the age gap is huge enough she can pass as your real aunt, this can come up as rude because it would seem like you are calling them old. So jiejie is a safe choice.

After all, she took half a step forward, and the two got closer.

"No..." Cheng Suran shook her head again and again, "Sister."

An awe-inspiring pressure descended from the top of her head. She raised her eyes, and she never felt that she was so short, like a little chicken, who could be picked up with one hand at any time and squished in the palm of her hand. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but tense her nerves.

"Very good."

"..."

"Don't be nervous, kid," Jiang Yu stroked her hair with her hand, showing a gentle smile, "Sister doesn't eat people."

Cheng Suran defended in a low voice: "I'm twenty years old."

"Oh?"

"I'm too old to be considered a kid, right?" She wanted to say that she wasn't a child, but she felt that this sounded rude, unlike a qualified and obedient canary*, so she used a more tactful tone.

*canary- euphemism for pet/sugar baby

Seeing her cautious appearance, Jiang Yu wanted to tease her even more, loosened her hair with her slender fingers, brushed her face with her fingertips, and said casually: "To me, you are a kid."

"..."

Cheng Suran pursed her lips, no longer defending herself.

Be obedient.

The girl lowered her eyes, her thick eyelashes fluttering under the soft light, as cute as a lamb.

Jiang Yu's heart suddenly felt the joy of being satisfied with her desire to control.  She leaned forward slightly, resting Cheng Suran's chin on one hand, lifted it up, and looked at it carefully.

Creamy cheeks, a pair of deer-like eyes that are too clean, very young, like new shoots spit out from the treetops in spring, jerky, pure, and can't hide the thoughts between the eyebrows and eyes.

There is a small brown mole on the corner of the lip.

Jiang Yu gently pressed the mole with her thumb and rubbed it, her eyes fell on the girl's shoulder.

The pink suits her white skin very well, and the silk material is gently wrapped, the length is only a little above the knee, and the thin tie in the middle is tightly knotted, as if to cut off a person at the waist.

"Still studying?"

"Um."

"Which school?"

"Jiangcheng University of Foreign Studies."

Little Canary lowered her eyebrows and was pleasing to the eye, Jiang Yu was very satisfied, her vision was right, this one looks very appetizing.

She is like a snake locking its prey.

Being stared at by her, Cheng Suran trembled and wanted to struggle, but suddenly, her back was held by a force, and got pulled forward and flung her whole body to Jiang Yu.

Warm breath sprinkled on her ear, and she heard Jiang Yu's low and soft voice: "Is this your first time?"