Chapter Nine: The Nightingale Club

"Why don't we..." Before he could finish his sentence, Li Yan covered his mouth.

"You jerk, I'm your sister, don't go thinking about such nonsense!"

"I meant I'm hungry. Why don't we go downstairs and get something to eat?!"

Li Yan's face flushed red; she realized she had misunderstood him.

Embarrassed and annoyed, she snapped, "Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is food! Stay hungry. Tomorrow, when you find a job, you can have a staff meal. Save a meal whenever you can!"

"Sigh..." came a heavy sigh.

People in the village had said Li Yan was doing well for herself and making good money, which was why they recommended Cao Yang join her. Had he known it would be like this, he would rather have died than come.

He had only been here a few days, and how many meals had he gone without?

Cao Yang fell asleep on an empty stomach. He had gone to bed fully clothed, but it was too hot, so as he slept, he stripped off his clothes and pants, leaving only his boxers.

Li Yan, however, could not sleep. With a man full of raw hormones lying beside her, she couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

Seeing Cao Yang strip, her heart began to race.

"Don't get any funny ideas, I'm your sister!"

When she finished speaking, there was no response. She realized the kid was already fast asleep.

She rested her face on her hand and studied him closely.

The neighbor boy she had watched grow up had turned out to be quite handsome.

Her gaze shifted from his face to his neck, where a prominent Adam's apple showed his masculine features.

She looked down from his neck to his chest. It was firm and sturdy; his pectoral muscles weren't overly developed, but they looked strong and perfectly proportioned.

"Hey..."

"Hey!"

She called out twice, but Cao Yang didn't react, so she eventually drifted off to sleep as well.

...

When Cao Yang woke up, it was already bright outside. He opened his eyes to find Li Yan in his arms and was startled.

He hurriedly and quietly pulled away.

They had agreed on clear boundaries—a line drawn in the sand. If she found out he had spent the night holding her, she would nag him for the entire day.

Cao Yang stepped away on tiptoes and went to the bathroom. As he showered, he chanted, "Amitabha."

Although he hadn't actually done anything to Li Yan last night, he had dreamt of her, and in his dream, he had put her through quite a rough time!

...

The Nightingale Club.

The entrance was plastered with long lists of job openings: male escorts, female escorts, servers, chefs, floor managers, and more, attracting many passersby to stop and look.

Li Yan watched for a moment, then strode inside.

Cao Yang grabbed her.

"What are you doing?"

"What are *you* doing!"

"I'm going in to find a job!"

"Do you really have to work in a place like this?"

"Don't be so narrow-minded. I'm just applying to be a server."

Li Yan said this, shook off Cao Yang, and walked straight in.

Left with no choice, Cao Yang followed her inside.

The club's interior was luxuriously decorated in shades of black and red. Since it wasn't open during the day, the entire place was pitch black, creating a heavy, somber atmosphere.

"Hello, we're here to apply for server positions," Li Yan said, walking up to the front desk where a young woman was on duty.

The woman glanced at them, spoke a few words into her walkie-talkie, and then said, "Go to room 202 on the second floor. The manager is doing interviews there."

As they went upstairs, they passed two girls who had just exited room 202.

"Knock, knock..." Li Yan rapped on the door.

"Come in," a woman's voice replied from inside.

They pushed the door open and stepped in. The manager was a woman in her thirties, wearing a suit and a tight skirt, sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed.

Cao Yang looked around. He had expected an office or something similar, but this was clearly a bedroom.

There was a bed and a bathtub, and the lighting overhead was colorful and suggestive. The murals on the walls were photos of nude women; Cao Yang couldn't tell if they were art or pornography.

"Hello, Manager. We're here to apply for server positions."

"Oh, have you worked in this field before?" The female manager looked them over, nodding repeatedly.

Li Yan was tall, slim, and had a beautiful face; being a server would be a waste of her potential.

She looked at Cao Yang—also tall, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a chiseled face. Aside from a hint of boyishness, he was also quite a handsome man.

"Yes, I have," Li Yan replied, nodding quickly and listing her work experience.

"That works, that works," the female manager said with a smile.

"You can start tonight or tomorrow. The base salary is 800, plus attendance bonuses and tips, so at least two thousand a month."

At this point, she added, "You have good potential. If you think that's too little, you could consider a different role."

"No, thank you. I'll stick to being a server," Li Yan said, understanding what the manager meant and declining.

The female manager just smiled; she wasn't going to force it. She was confident that once Li Yan started working, she would have plenty of time to pull her into the deeper end.

She turned to Cao Yang. "And what are you interviewing for?"

Cao Yang stood there like a statue. When the manager spoke to him, he didn't even respond.

"He's my younger brother. He just came from the countryside and isn't very good with words," Li Yan explained, afraid he might offend her. "He wants to be a server, just like me."

The female manager laughed. "Sweetheart, we don't hire male servers here, though we are short on male escorts."

Cao Yang asked, "What's a male escort? How much does it pay a month?"

"A male escort accompanies female guests for meals and drinks, satisfying some of their needs. As for the pay, it's a guaranteed eight thousand a month. If you don't make that much, I'll make up the difference."

"Eight thousand?!" Cao Yang's jaw dropped. Eight thousand a month? Working in a factory only paid a few hundred; this was a year's wages in one month!

"Is it okay if I don't have experience?" Cao Yang scratched his head, tempted by the eight-thousand-yuan salary.

Li Yan was signaling him from the side, but he was completely oblivious.

The female manager smiled. "Experience doesn't matter as long as you have the right look. I can teach you the experience bit by bit."