I watched as the old man got so excited that his hands began to tremble.
He took a red pill with water, shaking unsteadily, inspected his crotch area and seemed unsatisfied. Furrowing his brows, he swallowed two more, and after waiting for a little while, he seemed to have the desired effect. Satisfied, he ordered me, "Alright, lie down quickly!"
I didn't dare to talk back, I did as told.
The old man's green veins looked like squirming worms sticking to his sagging skin. He flashed a toothy grin with tobacco-stained teeth, eagerly grabbing my ankle and dragged me in front of him.
His face was flushed with excitement. Hands with age spots and wrinkles extended to touch my body, but midway, he frowned and looked down, growing anxious again.
This was my first time entertaining a client, and the fear coupled with the old man's repulsive smells and looks came together in perfect storm. I couldn't pretend to be calm any longer, so I could only close my eyes and shield myself from the despair and dread looming above me.
After waiting for a few minutes without any movement, I opened my eyes to see the old man taking more pills.
Hesitant, I softly warned him, "Mr. Jiang, I've heard too much of this isn't good for you."
"Shut up!" The old man suddenly got angry. "Are you only satisfied by young men and think I'm too old to please you?"
Swallowing a few more pills, the old man grabbed my hair and yanked me off the bed, ignoring my screams. I bit my lip from the pain, tears rolling down my face.
Being quite old, the man began gasping for breath after a touch of exertion. After few steps, he roughly pushed me down. I banged my head on the thin carpet, seeing stars while lying on the ground. The next second, he was crawling on my back, his hand pressing my neck tightly.
"Bitch, why aren't you screaming?"
Tears dripped onto the carpet. I started to sob as commanded, but it seemed to displease him. Not satisfied, he jerked my hair and cursed at me, saying I deserved to be a whore, that I was a whore from the start.
The entire process lasted less than two minutes.
About ten seconds had passed, and the old man still remained motionless atop me. I was starting to gasp for air. I tried to move my numb arm and called, "Mr. Jiang? Mr. Jiang?"
There was no response from the man. I couldn't bear his weight any longer, so I pushed with all my might. He rolled off me and fell to the floor with a thud.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang, I didn't mean to…" I was startled, only to see his eyes tightly closed, his face turning an unnatural shade of red, and his lips turning purple.
My heart began to race, and my hand anxiously reached out for his…
No breathing.
The old man was dead, on top of me!
I was a hostess, known as Jasmine in the Night Bar. I started work after a month of training. Mr. Jiang had paid one hundred thousand to spend the night with me, but unfortunately, he died suddenly due to overdosing on aphrodisiacs.
I was conned into working at the bar by my uncle. Initially, I thought my world was crumbling. Everyday I contemplated life and death. Phoenix, another hostess, once told me that no one willingly degrades themselves, we all have our difficulties. But since I was here, it's more pitiful to find a way to die rather than live a life of humility. Death is the lowest form of escapism from this harsh reality. If I had the courage, I would earn enough money to buy my freedom and leave.
I was only twenty, full of terror, indignation, and resentment. Yet, I knew I was not in a position to resist this unjust situation.
Over the next month, I encountered all sorts of people and experiences, my perspective of life completely changed.
Although my first client was unsuccessful, I knew there would be others; like Mr. Li, Mr. Wang, waiting to claim my first night.
A week later, while I was at work, I had just settled on the toilet when I suddenly heard a loud "bang" as someone rushed into the women's restroom. It was followed by the sound of a door being shut and locked.
"Ah~ Mr. Yu, don't be in such a hurry. You're so annoying. I’m not even ready yet…"
I recognized that voice to be Rose's. The seductive tone in her voice seemed like she was…about to get busy…
"I’m not in a hurry, but the way your legs are wrapped around me, I think you’re the one who’s eager."
The man's voice was low and sensuous, triggering a series of coquettish giggles from Rose.
"Let me check to see who's more eager, Mr. Yu or me~"
I felt immediately embarrassed.
Rose and the man were right outside the cubicle. If I go out now, won’t I just interrupt their intimate moment?
When I pulled up my pants, feeling helpless, my cell phone in the cotton-padded jacket pocket started buzzing. I hurriedly took it out and pressed the answer key.
"Where the hell are you? It's already working hours!”
Before I could speak, they roared, "Get to the lobby now! Or forget about this month's money!"
Money is as important as life to me but before I even had a chance to explain, they hung up.
Ever since Mr. Jiang's incident, it seems like Sister Feng dislikes me.
At this moment, the sound of a zipper being pulled came from outside.
Feeling embarrassingly awkward, I figured that the people outside hadn't yet begun their main course. If I take advantage of this gap to leave, it probably wouldn’t be a disturbance, right?
However, as I opened the door of the cubicle, a figure was pressed against the wooden partition between my cubicle and the next. I was startled and without clearly seeing who was pressed against the partition, I looked straight into a finely carved face full of desire...