As night falls, the once quiet Chunmanlou restaurant begins to light up and attract customers. Girls dressed in light veils stand in front of the door, laughing and joking with passersby.

Chang Lili moved around the lobby, occasionally joking with the guests. Half an hour later, her hands were full of silver.

She weighed the money pouch in her hand, smiled, and went upstairs. With this money, she could get her mother-in-law medical treatment.

Thinking of this, Chang Lili prepared to change her clothes and go to see the doctor. Just as she went upstairs, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and pulled her into the room.

She instinctively wanted to scream, but the other person was prepared and reached out to cover her mouth. She couldn't struggle in time, so she had to remain still and wait for an opportunity.

The large hand gradually loosened its grip, and Chang Lili mustered her courage to turn around. She saw a man dressed in dark-colored casual clothes behind her, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a straight nose, and thin, knife-cut lips that were tightly pursed, making him look extremely dangerous.

Chang Lili always kept her distance from this type of person, but now that she had the misfortune of running into one, she had no choice but to put on a smile and say ingratiatingly, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

Meng Yuxiu was already somewhat dazed at this moment. He had gone out to discuss business today, but he did not expect that the other party would secretly use tricks to give him a dirty drug.

He pushed Chang Lili onto the bed and then pressed himself down on top of her. The situation changed abruptly, and Chang Lili didn't react for a moment. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly struggled to get up.

"Young master, I sell my art, not my body. Please let me go."

Meng Yuxiu ignored her, grabbed her wrist with one hand, and pulled open her clothes with the other, biting hard on her collarbone, instantly silencing Chang Lili with pain.

Immediately afterwards, his hand slid down and kneaded Chang Lili's waist. The feeling of her smooth, creamy skin almost made him lose his mind.

Chang Lili panicked. Although she had voluntarily entered this brothel, it was only to treat her mother-in-law's illness and save her life. She never intended to sell herself.

"Let me go, let me go!" she struggled frantically.

Meng Yuxiu didn't take Chang Lili's strength seriously at all. In fact, her struggles only fueled his desire, making him crave more.

He pinned Chang Lili's hands behind her back, forcing her to face him. Glancing at the woman's terrified face out of the corner of his eye, Meng Yuxiu said in a hoarse voice, "Relax, I'll be gentle."

After saying that, he began to undress Chang Lili.

"You bastard, you lecher, get out of my way!" Chang Lili shouted angrily.

However, it was all in vain; in that instant, the sash of her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) had been untied...

Chang Lili was in pain and furious. She bit Meng Yuxiu's shoulder hard, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to do something more, but then everything went black and she lost consciousness.

The next day.

When Chang Lili woke up, the morning light was just beginning to break. In her hazy state, she heard someone talking beside her.

"General, the other party's identity has been confirmed; they were sent by the palace."

"Continue the investigation. If it really was that person who did it, it wouldn't be so obvious. There must be more to this story."

"yes."

General? What is she doing here? Chang Lili looked around blankly, when she suddenly met a deep gaze. She felt a jolt in her heart, and all the memories of last night came rushing back.

She lifted the blanket and peeked inside, and immediately felt blood rush to her head, wishing she could grab a knife and fight the person in front of her to the death.

Meng Yuxiu noticed that the person was already awake, and walked to the bedside with his hands behind his back. "Here are five hundred taels of silver notes. Consider it payment for your virginity."

Chang Lili looked at the banknotes in front of her, her fists clenched tightly under the covers. With so much money, she wouldn't have to worry about her mother-in-law's illness.

She stared at him for a long time, then raised her hand and brushed Meng Yuxiu's hand away. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Who wants your money? Even though I work in a brothel, I at least sell my art, not my body. I did this so I could get married in the future, and now you've ruined it all!"

A look of surprise flashed in Meng Yuxiu's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. "What do you want?"

Chang Lili looked grief-stricken. "You've ruined my reputation. Don't you intend to take responsibility?"

This was the first time Meng Yuxiu had ever heard of a courtesan demanding that her patron take responsibility. He found it absurd and a cold smile crept onto his lips. "You want to use this opportunity to climb the social ladder? Don't you even know if you have the life for it?"

He threw the banknotes on the table, turned to leave, and said, "The money is here. Take it if you want, or don't. It's up to you."

Chang Lili was filled with anger and frustration. She grabbed a pillow from beside her and threw it at Meng Yuxiu, saying, "If you don't take responsibility for me today, I'll kill myself."

Meng Yuxiu was a martial artist with keen senses. He easily dodged the attack by turning his head, and then disappeared out the door without looking back.

This situation was within Chang Lili's expectations. After all, the men who came here to have fun were looking to avoid taking responsibility. But now that she had been defiled, she was truly desperate.

She sat there blankly for a moment, then got out of bed, dressed, and found a rope in the room, swinging it up to the roof beam. "Grandma, it's all my fault, Ali is useless. He can't be filial to you anymore..."

Chang Lili murmured, forcefully kicking the chair away from her feet. The rope suddenly tightened, making it hard for her to breathe. She didn't struggle, and it seemed she was truly eager to die.

A few breaths later, the half-closed door was suddenly kicked open, a flash of sword light appeared, the rope snapped, and Chang Lili fell to the ground from mid-air.

"If you value your reputation so much, you shouldn't have entered this brothel in the first place." A cold voice fell from above.

Chang Lili lay on the ground, clutching her neck and coughing repeatedly. After finally catching her breath, she said, "It's just my mother-in-law and me left at home. She's seriously ill now, and I have no choice but to come here to perform."

Meng Yuxiu looked down at her from his high position without saying a word.

“I also want to live an honest life, but the money I earn is not enough to pay for medical treatment. My mother-in-law raised me with great difficulty. Am I supposed to just watch her die?” Chang Lili became emotional when she met the coldness in his eyes.

Meng Yuxiu didn't reply, but simply said, "Pack your things and come with me."

He's willing to take responsibility!

Chang Lili understood the implication in his words, and her eyes lit up immediately. Sure enough, the performance just now was not in vain. Her most important thing, her innocence, had been taken away. Between five hundred taels of silver and a stable life for the rest of her life, the latter was obviously more important.

She quickly lowered her eyes, concealing her emotions, and said happily, "Thank you, young master."