Chapter Ten: The Lover (Cing 4 Jan 1)
As soon as Cheng Yin's fingers touched the door of 3306, she heard muffled laughter and music coming from inside. She paused for a moment and looked at Li Yaodong beside her: "You have guests." She stated the fact.
Li Yaodong raised an eyebrow and swiped his card to open the door.
Cheng Yin took a half step back. "I left some documents in the office," she said quickly, "I'll go get them."
Li Yaodong grabbed her wrist, not with much force but she couldn't break free: "Come in."
In the suite's living room, men and women sat or stood. The crystal chandelier was on full blast, illuminating rows of wine bottles and fruit platters on the coffee table. The men were dressed in suits, while the women wore shimmering short skirts, their bare shoulders and thighs glowing like honey under the lights.
Everyone turned to look at the doorway.
"Brother Dong!" one of the young men, who looked to be in his early twenties, raised his glass. "You're late."
Another man wearing gold-rimmed glasses looked at Cheng Yin, his eyebrows subtly raised. "And who is this?" Lin Shirong asked.
Li Yaodong gently pushed Cheng Yin forward: "Cheng Yin."
There was no introduction of identity, no explanation of relationship, just a name.
"Wow," He Jingwen, with his ash-gray hair, a trendy suit paired with limited-edition sneakers, whistled, "Changing things up?" He patted the girl's thigh beside him, "Then all our Cici's preparations were for nothing?"
The girl named Cici pouted. She wore a silver sequined dress with a deep V-neck that almost reached her navel. Cici had a shapely figure, her skin was a well-maintained tan, her nails were studded with rhinestones, and even her ankles shimmered with highlighter.
She's the type that Lai Yiu-tung would like.
Li Yaodong placed his hand on her lower back and pushed her forward without giving her a chance to refuse: "Sit."
"Relax," he whispered in her ear, his hand firmly resting on her thigh.
Lin Shirong handed over a glass of amber-colored wine: "This is the first time I've seen Brother Dong bring a decent girl to a gathering."
Cheng Yin took the glass but didn't drink it. The wine shimmered like honey under the light, and ice cubes gently clinked against the glass. She noticed the scattered items and rolled-up banknotes on the coffee table and suddenly realized what kind of "gathering" this was.
"What does Miss Cheng do?" Lin Shirong asked.
"Accountant," Cheng Yin replied.
Lin Shirong laughed: "Being Dong Ge's accountant isn't easy." He winked meaningfully, "There are too many shady accounts."
Li Yaodong did not deny it, but simply picked up the wine glass from Cheng Yin's hand and took a sip. His Adam's apple bobbed, and the lines of his jaw were as sharp as if carved by a knife under the light.
Cici had already moved to his other side, her fingers, painted with red nail polish, circling his shoulder. "Dong-ge," Cici's voice was sickeningly sweet, "you said you'd teach me how to play dice last time."
Li Yaodong gave her a half-smile: "We have guests today."
Cici pouted and glared at Cheng Yin. Cheng Yin tried to stand up to give up her seat, but Li Yaodong's hand held her waist like an iron clamp.
Lin Shirong and He Jingwen had already started playing a striptease dice game with the girls, and their laughter grew louder and louder.
"Aren't you curious about how I usually play?" Li Yaodong suddenly said in Cheng Yin's ear, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive skin.
This was a question she had asked in her bedroom a few days ago, when Li Yaodong taught her to use all sorts of vulgar language in Cantonese.
"Now you see?" Li Yaodong's voice was very low, only she could hear it.
"I saw it," Cheng Yin replied calmly.
Li Yaodong moved his hand from her waist to the back of her neck and gently squeezed it: "Thoughts?"
Cheng Yin thought about it carefully for a moment: "Miss Cici is very beautiful." She paused, "She should be more to your taste than I am."
Li Yaodong suddenly burst into laughter, the sound drowning out the music and laughter in the room. Everyone stopped and stared at him.
"I'm sorry," Cheng Yin said softly, "I'm not very familiar with the etiquette of social situations."
The laughter stopped abruptly. Li Yaodong's expression became inscrutable.
He released Cheng Yin, stood up, and pulled her towards the bedroom. "Excuse me for a moment," he said to the others.
After the bedroom door closed, the music and laughter became muffled.
Li Yaodong released Cheng Yin's wrist, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and threw it on the bed.
"Explain," he commanded.
Cheng Yin stood by the door, like a student being called into the principal's office: "What?"
"'She should be more to your liking than me,'" Li Yaodong mimicked her tone, "What does that mean?"
"Literal meaning." Cheng Yin analyzed objectively, "Ms. Cici's bust size is at least two cup sizes larger than mine, and her waist-to-hip ratio is close to 0.7, which is a body type that men generally prefer. Her makeup and clothing also better match your aesthetic standards for a female companion."
Li Yaodong stared at her for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Are you jealous?"
Cheng Yin shook her head: "No." She added, "I'm just stating an objective fact."
"Objective facts," Li Yaodong repeated, a hint of danger in his voice, "Then why do you think I brought you in instead of letting her sit on my lap?"
Cheng Yin thought for a moment: "Test."
"What are you testing?"
"Testing my reaction." Cheng Yin looked directly into his eyes. "You want to see if I'll feel jealous, or afraid, or..." She couldn't find the right words, "...have the reaction a normal person should have."
Li Yaodong took a step closer, forcing Cheng Yin to retreat until her back pressed against the door. His hand braced against the door panel beside her ear, trapping her between himself and the door.
"Then why didn't you have the 'normal reaction'?" he asked in a low voice.
Lai Yiu-tung's presence was too close, carrying the heat of alcohol and the coldness of cologne, a contradiction that made one dizzy.
"Because I didn't come to a party," she said softly. "I came to pay off a debt."
Li Yaodong's pupils contracted slightly. He lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers: "Do you know who those people outside are?"
Cheng Yin shook her head.
"That skinny guy is the son of the deputy director of the Haojiang Customs," Li Yaodong said softly, "that fat guy runs the largest underground bank in the Longyan Islands..." His lips brushed against her earlobe, "They can make a person disappear without a trace with just a word."
Cheng Yin's fingertips trembled slightly, but her voice remained steady: "Do I need to remember all of this?"
Li Yaodong suddenly stepped back, his expression complex: "You really are..." He didn't finish his sentence, turning to walk towards the wardrobe, "Change your clothes before going out." He tossed over a black dress, knee-length, with a simple cut.
Cheng Yin took it and stood still.
"Turn around," Li Yaodong ordered.
"Alright," Li Yaodong said.
Cheng Yin turned around and saw that he had changed into a dark gray casual suit, without a tie, and the collar was open, revealing his collarbone.
Cheng Yin lowered her head and unbuttoned her shirt, the movement as mechanical as taking off her coat while working overtime in the office. She felt Li Yaodong's gaze, but didn't stop.
The black dress fit perfectly without being revealing, and the fabric felt as soft as a second skin.
Cheng Yin folded her clothes and placed them at the foot of the bed, then looked at Li Yaodong: "Is it alright?"
Li Yaodong approached, reached out and ruffled her hair, letting a few strands fall loosely on either side of her face: "Now you look like someone attending a party."
Cheng Yin nodded and followed him back to the living room.
The party atmosphere became even more lively. He Jingwen had stripped down to only his shirt and underwear, and a girl was riding on his lap while the two were kissing. Cici was with the fat man, her whole body pressed against his arm.
Lin Shirong was mixing drinks at the bar when he saw them come out. He raised his glass and teased, "You've made up?"
Li Yaodong remained noncommittal and led Cheng Yin to sit in the corner of the sofa.
Cici immediately tried to come closer, but Lin Shirong stopped her: "Don't disturb Dong-ge and his new love."
The music changed to more energetic electronic music, the lights dimmed, and the air was filled with the combined scent of alcohol.
Cheng Yin sipped the wine that Li Yaodong handed her, observing this bizarre and wonderful world.
Here, morality and shame are diluted by alcohol, and desires are laid bare on the table, exchanged at will like chips in a casino.
"Have you ever played this before?" Li Yaodong suddenly took out a small pillbox containing several small pink pills.
Cheng Yin shook her head.
"It'll make you feel very relaxed," Li Yaodong said, placing the pill in his palm. "Want to try it?"
Cheng Yin looked at the pink pill and remembered the white pills her cousin had forced her to take.
That night she had a high fever and was delirious. When she woke up the next day, her body was covered in bruises and bite marks. Her aunt said she "brought it on herself."
"Okay." She reached out to take it.
Li Yaodong suddenly clasped his hands together: "Why?"
Cheng Yin asked, puzzled, "Why what?"
"Why do you agree to everything I say?" Li Yaodong's voice was low. "Do you know what this is? Do you know what will happen if you eat it?"
Cheng Yin shook her head honestly: "I don't know. But if you need me to eat, I'll eat."
Li Yaodong's expression darkened. He abruptly stood up, tossing the pill into his glass: "Party over. Everyone, get out."
The music stopped abruptly. He Jingwen looked up, still slightly drunk: "What?"
"I said," Li Yaodong said, emphasizing each word, "Get out."
Within five minutes, the suite was quiet again. A waiter came in to clean up the mess, and Li Yaodong stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Cheng Yin stood by the sofa, unsure whether she should leave as well.
"Come here," Li Yaodong said without turning his head.
Cheng Yin walked to his side.
Outside the window is the dazzling night view of Haojiang, with lights cascading like a galaxy, and the Haojiang Tower shimmering red in the distance.
"What kind of medicine is that?" she asked.
Li Yaodong sneered: "Vitamins."
"You're lying to me?"
"The test," Li Yaodong turned to face her, "you passed again."
Cheng Yin didn't understand what kind of test this was.
Li Yaodong suddenly reached out and stroked her cheek, his thumb brushing against her lower lip. "You know what?" he whispered, "this attitude of yours is more captivating than any attempt to play hard to get..."
Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang. Li Yaodong glanced at the caller ID, his expression immediately turning serious. He answered the phone, and Cheng Yin only understood words like "dock," "goods," and "immediately."
After hanging up the phone, Li Yaodong grabbed his suit jacket: "It's urgent. You stay here."
Cheng Yin nodded.
Li Yaodong walked to the door, then turned back, took something out of the drawer, and handed it to her: "The spare room key for 3306. Don't wander off."
After the door closed, the suite fell silent.
Cheng Yin stood there, the lights of the Pearl River Delta flickering behind her, like a distant dream.
She recalled Cici's flawless skin and sweet smile at the party earlier. She certainly wasn't Lai Yiu-tung's type.
But a debt is a debt, and she will pay it off in full, whether she does it with her body or her work.
Even if it means swallowing pink pills, even if it means sitting on his lap in front of a group of strangers, even if it means learning to say the most vulgar things.
None of that matters, because from the moment she agreed to repay the debt, she was no longer a "human being".
It's just a breathing tool.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
