CH 6

The messages sent were like a stone sinking into the sea, and there was no reply for several days. Cheng Suran was restless, as if she was carrying a heavy stone in her heart. In desperation, she had no choice but to call Tian Lin.

"Assistant Tian, ​​hello, I'm Cheng Suran, do you know if Sister... is free recently? I want to see her." Cheng Suran asked politely on the phone, as if she was facing the benefactor herself, her voice was three times softer.

There was a brief silence for two seconds, and she spat out a few words formulaically: "The boss is very busy."

Cheng Suran thought about it and asked, "When will I see her?"

"I have no idea."

"..."

"Miss Cheng, is there anything else?"

The assistant has the same temperament as the patron, polite, superficial, and extremely cold.

Cheng Suran bit her lower lip, a little hesitant. She felt that she couldn't get anything out of Assistant Tian's mouth, but she didn't give up. She called and tried. "Yes. Assistant Tian, ​​can you gauge sister's emotions? Is she unhappy? Did I make her angry?"

"This is the boss's privacy. Miss Cheng, let me remind you that you shouldn't inquire about this." Assistant Tian's tone was blunt.

"I'm also very busy here, so I'll hang up if you have nothing else to say."

The phone was cut off.

Cheng Suran stared blankly while holding the phone, and then suddenly realized.

The relationship between them is sponsorship, and she, a canary, is not qualified to inquire about the mood and whereabouts of the benefactor. What she cared about was not her sister, but the possibility that her sister might get angry, terminate the contract, and lose money—what she really cared about was money.

Even if it ends now, the 100,000 yuan in her hand is enough to support her to finish college. She is not such a greedy person.

Cheng Suran thought about it.

The big rock in her heart fell to the ground, and she relaxed like a taut spring.

In the past few days, Cheng Suran lived in the hotel, food and drink were delivered, the room was cleaned, clothes were washed, everything was taken care of in an orderly manner, and she could calm down and focus on her studies.

After school started, she had to sign up for the DALF-C1* exam. In addition to reviewing and preparing for the exam, she was still working hard to read the study materials sent by Jiang Yu, actively understand the relevant "knowledge", and even took notes.

*language proficiency assessment test for French, like TOEFL for English, taken by non-natives for foreign studies and/or employment.

A door to a new world is slowly opening to her...

Blink to Sunday again.

Cheng Suran almost forgot about the benefactor, and the schedule was full.  After a nap, she listened to the French news for a while, and clicked on the video posted by her sister as usual.

This one is different from the previous dozen or so, with plots and dialogues.  The two hostesses are Korean, with gentle looks and soft voices. They leaned against the balcony railing and chatted with affection in their eyes. Then they cooked, ate, and went out to play together, and their smiles were full of warmth.

In the end, the characters gazed at each other patiently, gentle breaths and full of emotional tension.

Cheng Suran stared at the screen intently, and gradually got into it.

Her heart rate increased steadily with the progress.

After a long time, after the film was over, she was still immersed in the delicate warmth, still wanting more.

Something broke out of the bottom of her heart, and in the haze, she only felt a subtle emotion, like ants crawling on the palm of her hand. Suddenly, she thought of the benefactor and thought of those two light kisses...

Tonight's "NOTTE" was more lively than usual, guests in twos and threes gathered around a table, the lights were dim, men and women were happy and crazy, and there was an air of luxury and wealth everywhere.

Cheng Suran sat on the stage swing and sang, still wearing a white skirt, but the length was only up to the knees, and a pair of slender legs were shining brightly, dyed as white as paper by the light, giving her a feeling of sickness.

Guests kept sending her flowers and cheering for her, and an old man shouted at her drunkenly: "Sister, marry me!"

She glanced upstairs inadvertently.

The mirror surface of the corridor reflected the streamer, and there was only the same scene inside.

The first floor cannot see the specific situation of the second floor, but there is a place on the second floor where you can see the whole picture of the first floor. This is something she didn't know until she was ordered to go to the box at the beginning of last month. The mirror design is not just a decoration.

Could it be that the benefactor is watching her from a corner on the second floor right now?

Like that night.

She suddenly became tense, and her heartbeat became heavy and hard.

"I have no choice but to completely trust your touch, you..."

At that moment, Cheng Suran almost forgot the lyrics. Fortunately, she's been singing for a long time, and her brain formed a reflexive memory, and quickly continued: "You must love me..."

The cheeks hidden under her mask rose hot.

After singing the last song, Cheng Suran stood up from the swing as usual, bowed lightly, walked off the stage, and returned to the lounge under the escort of the security guards.

The other singers were ready to take over, they exchanged greetings, then went out.

She took off her mask and sat down, drinking water while looking at her phone, clicked on WeChat, replied to her classmates' messages, and clicked into the chat groups one by one until all the red dots disappeared.

Benefactor still ignores her.

One green message after another on the screen, with text and voice, lying alone in the dialog box, unattended, looking at it, she doesn't know why her nose went sore, grievances come to her heart along with a sense of powerlessness...

She was momentarily devastated.

"Xiao Cheng—" Suddenly someone pushed the door open.

Cheng Suran immediately pressed the lock screen with her thumb, raised her head pretending to be calm, and smiled at the visitor, "Manager Yang."

"Aren't you in a hurry to go back today?" Manager Yang smiled and pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose. He is tall and thin, and these glasses gave him a scholarly air. "A guest wants to invite you to sing in the box. Half an hour, 60,000."

He gestured.

Cheng Suran blurted out: "The second floor?"

"How is that possible?" Manager Yang waved his hand, "It's a guest in the 'Yunshan' room on the first floor."

Going to the box to sing makes more money. There are generous guests on the first floor who give tens of thousands of dollars. According to the rules, singers get 10%. On the second floor, there is no need to pay extra for ordering people. You just tip the singer depending on your mood, ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands. There is no commission cut for the club and a few hundred yuan will be given as a bonus.

"..."

She forgot.

The VIPs on the second floor do not order people easily.

So she happened to be the lucky one who had been ordered.

Thinking of the benefactor who had ignored her for a whole week, Cheng Suran was a bit lost, and the frustration that she had just put down was boiling in her heart again.

"How is it? The other party is a regular customer. He comes here often. He is very generous. He might even give you a tip when the time comes." Manager Yang persuaded her gently, the bottom of the thick wine bottle glistening.

Sixty thousand, and his commission is also quite a lot.

It's just that "NOTTE" has a rule that the singer's personal wishes must be respected and cannot be forced, so whether the money can be earned depends on the little girl's intentions.

Cheng Suran pursed her lips, hesitant to speak.

She remembered the time half a month ago, which was also the only scene she saw when she sang in the box downstairs. There were more than a dozen men and women, and the guests were drinking and playing games. In the dim light, some men started to pretend to be crazy with the help of alcohol, and their hands and feet were dishonest.

In the end, she could only stare at the ceiling, pretending that she could not see or hear, and left immediately after singing.

From then on, she never wanted to sing in the box again.

Besides, she is not short of money now.

With confidence in her heart, Cheng Suran suddenly felt relieved, shook her head at him and said, "I won't go."

"Are you  embarrassed? Or do you have special requirements? Just say it, if you need to communicate with the guests..." He didn't give up, and wanted to persuade her again.

"No," she interrupted softly, "Because I'm tired these days."

"..."

Manager Yang laughed dryly, pushed his glasses, "Well, all right."

When the people left, Cheng Suran silently tightened the cap of the mineral water bottle, stood up, stuffed the phone and mask into her bag, and exhaled lightly.

She refused to earn money which meant indirectly not allowing others to earn it. Thinking about it, she felt a little guilty, but after thinking about it again, the rules were like this, and it was her right to refuse, so she felt a little more comfortable.

After packing up her things, Cheng Suran went out from the side door, and after a few steps, she remembered that she forgot to go to the toilet, so she turned back.

The bathroom was at the other end of the hall, and she hurried past the stage, her white dress standing out in the dim light. The colorful wine, the loud and deafening music, people's eyes are blurred, and they are indulging in joy.

Cheng Suran came out after going to the toilet, washed her hands, looked up at her face in the mirror, and hurried out.

"Eh--"

A young man with a buzz cut and a floral shirt leaned against the wall, exclaimed and opened his eyes wide, "It really is fairy sister!"

Cheng Suran paused, startled.

The man looked her up and down, flicked the cigarette between his fingers, brought it to his mouth, took a puff, and said with a smile: "It's a pity that such a beautiful sister wears a mask. Since I saw it, it must be fate. Let's go drink, how about a cup? I'm inviting you."

A strong smell of smoke mixed with alcohol rushed over, Cheng Suran frowned and took a step back, turning her head to pass him.

"Hey, don't go—" buzz cut stopped her.

Cheng Suran turned her head to avoid him, and gave him a sideways glance, "Get out of the way!"

"Don't be shy, there is enough wine, there are many beautiful ladies at our table, let's make friends, come and come..." buzz cut grabbed her wrist.

Cheng Suran screamed in shock, shook her arm, but buzz cut  pulled her into his arms violently, and with the other hand holding the cigarette firmly clasped her shoulder, dragging and tugging, she struggled in a panic, "Let me go! Crazy!"

The smell of alcohol made her stomach churn and nauseated, she exhausted all her strength, kicking and screaming, but she couldn't compete with this drunken man at all, and was dragged away step by step.

"Security! Security! Help—"

"Hey, don't yell, don't yell..." buzz cut reached out to cover her mouth.

There were two or three security guards on patrol at the front corner. When they heard the movement, they stopped and looked in their direction. The tallest one picked up his baton and pointed towards it, shouting, "What are you doing!"

Seeing the security guard rushing over, buzz cut let go, turned around and ran, Cheng Suran lost her center of gravity in an instant, staggered and fell to the ground, her forehead hitting the raised decoration on the wall with a "dong" sound.

A sharp dull pain followed by a brief dizziness.

"hiss--"

Her right elbow went numb, and she lost consciousness for a while.

"Girl, are you alright?" Messy footsteps passed by her, and a security guard knelt down to help her.

Cheng Suran clutched her forehead and got up, stood firm, closed her eyes for a while, and shook her head lightly, "I'm okay..." She rubbed her fingertips and touched her whole head, and she was relieved that there was no hot liquid as expected.

After a while, she gradually regained the feeling in her right arm. She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

"That person ran away." The security guard turned his head to look, and the other two colleagues who were chasing him were walking back. In the dim light, the figure with the short hair had long since disappeared.

Cheng Suran was still in shock, she patted her chest, as if she was trying to appease her beating heart. She opened her lips slightly and panted, "...Thank you."

Her cheeks were flushed by the foggy light.

Holding back her tears, she hurriedly bent down to pick up the bag that fell on the ground, turned around mechanically, and began to walk quickly.

It's very dark tonight.

The moonlight is as cool as water, lightly sprinkled on the brightly lit city.  Jiang Yu stood alone in front of the octagonal window, eyes downcast, cold white light shone all over her body.

In the morning when the plane landed in Jiangcheng, she went home directly to rest, and dealt with work in the afternoon. If Tian Lin hadn't told her that all the formalities for the new car had been completed and the driver was in place, she would have almost forgotten that there was a little golden bird in this spacious and gorgeous suite. Canary was waiting for her.

But right now, she's alone.

The breeze blew a hint of sultry dryness, Jiang Yu raised her eyes, and slowly took a sip of the sweet white in the glass. The sweetness was slightly sour, and a little bit of alcohol spread on the tip of her tongue.

She picked up the phone, clicked on the recording file again, and heard the conversation between the child and Tian Lin.

Starting in the evening, she listened to it over and over again, listening to the girl's cautious tone, listening to the assistant's cold refusal on her behalf, listening to the girl being choked and speechless, like an addiction, a little excitement stimulated the nerves, and it was extremely satisfying.

The weak bird fluttered its wings in her hands, and no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't escape the cage, which greatly satisfied her desire to control.

This is her favorite game.

extraction, pleasures, she'll never tire of it.

After listening to the recording enough, Jiang Yu turned to open WeChat, switched to her alt account, clicked into the dialog box that had been silent for a long time, and typed casually: come here.

— beep

The platinum door behind her opened.

Jiang Yu paused with her fingertips and turned around.

The girl stood at the door with her shoulders slumped, her face dark and her hair a little messy. The moment her two eyes met, her dull and lifeless eyes lit up slightly, and she froze.

She can't tell if it's an unexpected surprise or a sudden shock.

"Sister……"

Cheng Suran yelled, her senses seemed to be dulled, she should have smiled, but when she moved her lips, she couldn't make any expression, just staring at her like a puppet.

The woman was leaning against the window sill, tall and straight, with long black hair hooked behind her ears, a wine red silk nightgown loosely worn, with deep eyebrows and a cold expression, still holding a goblet in her hand, with a pale golden amber color 

She seems to be very close, but also seems to be far away.

Jiang Yu looked at her silently, with a smile on her lips, "Come here."

Cheng Suran walked over mechanically.

As she got closer, the swollen bulge on her forehead was fully exposed under the light, and there were large bruises on her originally fair skin, which was shocking to watch. Jiang Yu's eyes narrowed, and she frowned and said, "What happened to your head?"

"..."

"Speak."

Cheng Suran hesitated for a while, and said in a low voice, "I was looking at my phone while walking, I accidentally bumped into an electric pole." She lowered her eyes guiltily.

"Really?"

Jiang Yu didn't believe it. Remembering that Sunday was the day when the kid goes to "NOTTE" to work part-time, she deliberately said, "You haven't told me where you went so late."

"Singing..." Cheng Suran felt more guilty, and quickly changed the subject, "Sister, I'm going to take a shower first."

She turned and was about to run.

"Stop."

Jiang Yu put down the cup, walked slowly around to the girl, lightly touched her sharp chin with her fingers, and looked down condescendingly, "Little friend, you will be punished for lying."

"No... it's really singing."

"Is it true that you hit an electric pole?"

"..."

"Hmm?" Jiang Yu's eyes fell on the bruise, her brows furrowed again, and she circled hee fingertips, "Tell sister, did someone bully you?"

Coaxed by the gentle voice in her ear, Cheng Suran's heart trembled, and the tight string snapped.

"I……"

Someone bullied her.

She wanted to talk, to cry.

Obviously she had comforted herself well on the way back, but now she collapsed because of a few words of concern.

The corners of her eyes were red, and she hesitated to speak.

Jiang Yu knew that she had guessed right, and an imperceptible look of anger flashed in her eyes, as if the feathers of the little bird she had carefully reared were pulled by someone, but there was a trace of expectation in her heart, wanting to see the kidl cry to her for benefits.

"It's okay -" she coaxed softly, and slowly moved her fingertips to the girl's face.

Cheng Suran's nose was sore, and her shoulders shook even more. She clenched her fists, forced herself to calm down, and squeezed out a relaxed smile, "I'm sorry, sister, I lied... But it's nothing, just a customer who drank too much. He wanted to pull me to drink with him, but I didn't want to go, and then I pulled, I accidentally knocked against the wall, and it became like this..."

An understatement.

After speaking, there was silence.

Jiang Yu looked at her quietly, her eyes were deep, with a sense of scrutiny.

Her former lovers, one by one, were better at being coquettish, a little bit wronged, and acted like the sky fell in front of them. Let her coax, let her comfort, or give pocket money, or buy gifts, and they can always get some  benefit.

She eats it up.

To treat a lover, you only need to pamper and treat her with sugar-coated bullets, but if it is a girlfriend... Oh, this kind of cowardly act is not qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

The kid was completely beyond her expectations.

Maybe she was playing hard to get?

"Sister?" Cheng Suran felt uncomfortable being stared at by her, and felt uneasy, "I didn't mean to lie."

Jiang Yu interrupted with a smile: "Go take a bath."

"……Okay."

The girl nodded obediently and went back to the room silently.

Jiang Yu stood thoughtfully for a while, picked up the glass again, and walked to the window. A gust of hot wind slowly blew in, lifting her fine hair at the sideburns. The stars in the sky were dim, and the hustle and bustle of the city was in the distance.

She slowly drank all the wine in the glass, picked up the mobile phone, and called the assistant, "Xiao Zhou, go to the medicine cabinet at home to find a green package of ointment, and deliver it to the hotel now."

After hanging up, she clicked into the address book and found the number with the note "Mr. Xu".

This is a "NOTTE" high rise.

With one phone call, the subordinates can check the surveillance to verify whether what the kid said is true, and then find out the drunken guests.  Jiang Yu stared at the number, but didn't press it for a long time. After thinking about it, it seemed that there was no need to go through so much trouble.

As a benefactor, she should enjoy it, not rescue the suffering and bring justice.

It's enough for the kid to be coaxed by her.

In the bathroom, the patter of water was mixed with the sound of crying.

Cheng Suran stood under the shower with tears in her eyes, her head bowed, her body twitching slightly, a steady stream of hot water dripped down her wet hair, and flowed across her face, making it hard to tell whether it was water or tears.

The water is clean, but the tears are dirty. The water flow will take away all the tears and flush them into the sewer, washing away her negative emotions.

This shower took a long time.

She didn't turn off the water, dry her body, put on her clothes, and dry her hair until her fingers turned white and her skin was wrinkled.

Tomorrow will be another beautiful day.

After adjusting her emotions, Cheng Suran raised her smiling face to the mirror. She saw the two little dimples sinking sweetly, she let out a sigh of satisfaction, and left the bathroom.

The lighting in the living room seemed to be a little brighter than before.

"Sister--"

The woman sitting on the sofa turned her face, Cheng Suran took the initiative to walk over and sat down next to her, "I've finished washing."

The girl showed a cute smile.

A very clean little face, pink and white like petals, the originally smooth and plump forehead is swollen and bruised, as if stung by a poisonous bee, which looked a bit funny.

Jiang Yu looked at her softly, with a smile on her lips, then picked up the small box next to her, opened it, and poured out a thin ointment, "This is a medicine for bruises, swelling, pain and injuries. Works great, turn your head around."

There are full English instructions on the light green box.

"I'll do it myself." Cheng Suran subconsciously reached out to grab it.

"Do not move."

Jiang Yu avoided her hand, lowered her head and unscrewed the cap, squeezed out a transparent paste about the size of a fifty-cent coin, rubbed it into her palm for a while, raised her hand, and gently and carefully covered the bruise on her forehead, pausing for a few minutes  Seconds, and then spread a little bit.

The ointment is slightly cool, the palm is slightly warm, and the temperature melts on the wound, which relieves some pain and is very comfortable.

Cheng Suran obediently sat still, breathing from shallow to deep.

A faint fragrance lingered on the tip of her nose.

It's very familiar and smells good.

It's her sister's scent.

She turned her face sideways, and the tip of her nose inadvertently touched the smooth silk, like a tiny fluff, gently scratching her heart. Enchanting and glamorous red, as rich as blood, a bit of scenery is submerged in it.

"Feel better?" Jiang Yu's soft voice fell from the top of his head, but het palm did not leave.

Cheng Suran was startled, closed her eyes and hummed.

The pain on her forehead eased a lot, and she could feel her sister being careful and gentle. With her eyes closed, suddenly there was a sour feeling, the smoke was very painful, and even her nose was sore.

The piece over the heart is instantly filled with tide, and the tide rises and falls.

It was as if she was sleepwalking, and she didn't know how long time had passed.

"Alright."

The temperature on her forehead suddenly disappeared, leaving only the coolness of the ointment. Cheng Suran opened her eyes suddenly, and grabbed the hand as if trying to catch a dream, but saw Jiang Yu put the medicine back into the box, got up and went to the bathroom.

She touched her forehead.

There is no sticky feeling as expected, just as moist as applying cream.

It doesn't hurt so much.

There was a sound of water rushing, and after a while, Jiang Yu came out after washing her hands, returned to Cheng Suran and sat down, stretched out her long arms, and hugged her into her arms, "You are not allowed to sing in 'NOTTE' again."

The voice was very soft, but with an irresistible force.

"...Okay." Cheng Suran didn't resist at all, and leaned on her shoulder obediently, "Then I'll tell the manager I'll resign tomorrow."

She knew why the benefactor refused to let her go.

She doesn't really want to go either.

"Very good."

Jiang Yu tilted her head slightly, leaning against her ear, and lightly touched that earlobe with her lips, wanting to touch, but not touching, which made Cheng Suran tremble and let out a sob.

"Well, sister..."

"Um?"

"I don't know your name yet." Cheng Suran carefully observed her face, maybe she was getting close, and the details of her entire face and facial features were clearly magnified.

Familiar feelings churned in her mind.

She just can't remember.

After she said it, she realized that it was too late to take it back. She forgot that she was just a canary, and she was not qualified to inquire about the name and identity of the benefactor. When she thought about it, she felt that all the tenderness just now was an illusion.

Jiang Yu just smiled, and whispered close to her ear: "Do you want to know, kid?"

"Will you?" Cheng Suran's eyes brightened slightly.

As soon as the words were finished, the lace loosened and her collar became cold. Before she could react, Jiang Yu lifted her hand and pressed the index finger and wrote on her palm stroke by stroke.

Swiping her fingertips brings an itchy feeling.

Jiang.

Yu.

Cheng Suran recited the name silently, which sounded familiar, but she was sure that she didn't know anyone with that name.

"Jiang...Yu..." she read aloud.

"Um?"

"I always feel like I've seen you somewhere."