tuberose

Ye Chong hailed a taxi by the roadside with a thunderous belch, just as the sky was beginning to darken. The driver, sporting a small black mustache, was visibly shaken by the pungent smell of alcohol, causing his mustache to tremble uncontrollably. He glanced over and saw a man who looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in shabby clothes covered in dust, with long, unkempt hair – most likely a laborer from a nearby construction site.

"Buddy, find another cab. I'm done for the day," the driver said.

"What's the matter, looking down on me? Believe me, I'll file a complaint against you," Ye Chong slurred, scrutinizing the supervisory phone and owner's photo in the car, then looking at the man with the small black mustache. "You don't seem to be the owner."

The man with the small black mustache's expression shifted slightly. "I'm driving on behalf of someone else. Where do you want to go?"

"Night Fragrance."

The man with the small black mustache couldn't help but take another look at him. The place he wanted to go seemed mismatched with his appearance. "Brother, are you going for some high-end entertainment? As far as I know, that's not a place for ordinary folks."

"I owe someone."

"What? You're going to Night Fragrance to settle a debt? Ha..." 

"What's so funny?"

"I'm afraid you might not make it out alive."

"Even if it's the palace of the King of Hell, I must go today."

The man with the small black mustache didn't bother arguing with him, assuming he was just a drunkard. "Alright, I'll make an exception and take you there, but I'll also have to bring along two friends who are going the same way. You don't mind, do you?"

"It's okay, I'm not unreasonable..." Ye Chong's words were full of alcohol, and if he wasn't careful, he might choke on it. "Hey, why are you stuttering? Have you been drinking too?"

"Me? Don't be ridiculous..."

"Then why are you so nervous?"

The man turned his face slightly, trying to keep it in the dim light, so as not to reveal his expression. "Buddy, you're drunk."

Ye Chong pointed at his own nose and stuck out his tongue. "I'm drunk? I think you're the one who's drunk. Dare to find a place to have a drink with me?"

The man with the small black mustache smiled faintly and didn't say anything more.

Just then, there was a movement outside. In the faint moonlight, two men approached, one in front and one behind. The one behind was carrying a woman in red on his shoulder, her face covered with a light veil.

The two men, one with a pockmarked face and the other with squinting eyes, became slightly guarded when they saw a stranger in the front passenger seat.

"Who is he?"

"Oh, just a customer I picked up. He's heading to Night Fragrance, and you guys happen to be going the same way," the man with the small black mustache said, signaling to the two men through the rearview mirror.

Ye Chong belched loudly. "This chick is hot, where did you snatch her from?"

With just one sentence, the expressions of the man with the small black mustache, the pockmarked face, and the squinting eyes changed abruptly. The pockmarked face discreetly reached into his pocket.

Ye Chong laughed. "Just kidding, look at how you guys got scared."

As the three men breathed a sigh of relief, Ye Chong suddenly said, with a hot-headed tone, "Hey, let's discuss something. Give this chick to me."

The man with the small black mustache said coldly, "Buddy, you're really joking. She's our friend. She got drunk, and we were just about to take her home..."

"Is that so? No matter how I look at it, it seems like you snatched her. Hey, can we just split it half and half when we meet? You guys give me a few hundred thousand, and I'll pretend I didn't see anything..."

A trace of killing intent flashed across the face of the man with the small black mustache, and he secretly signaled to the rearview mirror. The pockmarked face grimly tightened his grip on the dagger and suddenly thrust it towards Ye Chong's back!

In an instant, the atmosphere in the car changed. The man with the small black mustache suddenly shouted, "Hold on! This kid fell asleep."

Looking at Ye Chong, who had slumped over in the seat, snoring loudly, they realized he had passed out.

"What should we do with this kid?"

The man with the small black mustache said coldly, "He's definitely figured it out. Let's finish him off."

The pockmarked face raised his hand to strike, but the man with the small black mustache stopped him. "Don't do it in the car. Take him out."

The squinting eyes had been eyeing the woman in the red dress for quite some time. Unable to hold back any longer, he cleared his throat forcefully and his eyes blazed with desire, saying, "You guys do whatever you want, but this chick is too damn attractive. I can't resist..."

About to pounce, the man with the small black mustache didn't hesitate to slap him twice. "Are you out of your mind? We still want to live a few more days. Do you know how valuable this girl is? The boss has repeatedly ordered that if anyone dares to touch her, none of us will survive! Get to work!"

Still unwilling to accept defeat, the squinting eyes muttered, "If I could have her once, even if I die a thousand times, it would be worth it."

Despite his raging desires, he had no choice but to swallow his saliva and, along with the pockmarked face, dragged Ye Chong out of the car.

In the dead of night, with the wind howling, the taxi stopped on a narrow rural road surrounded by tall grass swaying in the breeze.

Dragging Ye Chong into the thick grass, soon they disappeared from sight and sound.

Lighting a cigarette, the man with the small black mustache glanced at the woman in the back seat, who remained motionless.

Seconds turned into minutes, and he couldn't help but look at his watch and scan the surrounding grass, but there was still no sign of movement.

He cursed under his breath, about to open the door and step out, when suddenly, a hand smashed through the window, grabbed his throat, and squeezed!

With a crash, the window shattered.

The man with the small black mustache's throat was gripped tightly, his hands trying to grab onto something but finding nothing. He kicked against the windshield, watching it almost shatter into pieces.

With a whoosh, he was abruptly pulled out of the car by that hand. Silence fell over the area, with no other sound to be heard.

As the door opened and closed, Ye Chong, sitting in the driver's seat, glanced at the woman in the back, then pushed the gear lever with his right hand and slowly drove off...

In this city, there was a kind of life called nine-to-five, and another kind called indulgence in luxury.

The city wasn't particularly large, but just one street could divide it into two worlds: on one side were the humble abodes of countless laborers, while on the other side were the flashy lights and luxurious indulgences.

Men's noses were always sharp, especially wealthy men. Where there were nightclubs, there were always wealthy men, even if they were hidden deep. Those men always knew the way better than their way home.

When Ye Chong arrived at Night Fragrance, the nightlife here was just beginning.

Seeing all the couples, the sweet whispers, all he could think of was debts!

He glanced at the sleeping woman in red, her graceful figure, gentle breaths, snow-white legs, and delicate face hidden behind the veil, all turned into fatal attractions. Ye Chong's mind was suddenly overwhelmed with intoxication.

He steadied his mind and stepped out of the car, heading straight to the entrance of Night Fragrance. A burly man blocked his path. "What are you doing?"

Without even looking, Ye Chong pressed his head against the wall with a "thud." The burly man collapsed without a word.

Stepping into Night Fragrance's doorway without hesitation, despite the strange glances around him, Ye Chong went straight to the front desk and asked without preamble, "Where's Ma Hong?"

The receptionist, who was flirting with a male customer, was startled by his sudden appearance. When her gaze fell on him, she immediately became angry. "Security, who let this guy in? Get him out!"

A security guard rushed over, shouting and reaching out to grab him, but Ye Chong seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He grabbed a bottle of liquor from the side and threw it backwards, hitting the security guard's head with a "crack."

The bottle shattered, and the security guard immediately collapsed with a head wound.

Before the women could scream, Ye Chong grabbed the receptionist's arm, his eyes bloodshot. "I'll ask you one more time, where's Ma Hong?"

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes from the pain, but she didn't dare to scream. She trembled and said, "He's... he's on the second floor... room 8..."

With a flick of his hand, Ye Chong threw the woman aside and went up the stairs.

He arrived at the door of room 8 and was about to push it open when he heard voices inside.

"Miss Su, stop pretending. Don't you just want money? I have plenty of money. If you follow me, you can have as much as you want."

"You bastard! Let go of me, or I'll scream..."

"I'm a regular here. Even if you scream your lungs out, no one dares to come. Beautiful lady, I've been eyeing you for a long time. I think of you every day. Today, I finally have the chance. How can you bear to refuse me?"

"Let go..."

"Sweetheart, as long as you obediently listen to me, I promise to make you comfortable."

"Ma Hong, you'll regret this. You'll definitely go to hell..."

"Haha, even if I go to hell, I'll take you with me, beautiful lady. Now stop being stubborn. Later, I'll make you beg me, beg me harder, deeper... Hahaha..."

Ye Chong frowned and kicked the door open, striding in.

He saw a middle-aged, balding man had pushed a beautiful young woman into a corner of the sofa and was about to kiss her. The woman obviously didn't have the strength to resist, no matter how hard she struggled, it was futile. If this continued, something bad would happen.

The middle-aged man stopped in surprise, only to see a tall man entering from outside, stepping into the light.

His face was almost hidden by his medium-length, sharply cut hair, but a hint of intoxication could still be seen. Under the long strands of hair, his eyes, though sometimes revealing a hint of melancholy and indifference, occasionally reflected a coldness that did not match his appearance!

In a moment of distraction, the woman pushed the middle-aged man away with all her strength, biting her hair and curling up in a corner.

"It's you!" Ma Hong exclaimed angrily.

"Yes, it's your grandpa." Ye Chong glanced at the woman, who was elegant and charming. He coldly withdrew his gaze. "I'll say it once. When will you pay me back my six months' salary?"

"I haven't even settled the score with you for causing trouble. Now you dare to ruin my good deeds for a few measly coins. You wait, I'll find someone to deal with you!"

"So you're not going to pay up?"

"I'll give you nothing! Get out of here, or I'll call someone!"

With cold bloodshot eyes, Ye Chong clenched his fist. "Since you won't pay, then there's nothing more to say."

"What are you doing? If you dare touch me..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Chong leaped forward in a single stride, grabbing Ma Hong by the collar, then raised his fist, veins bulging with rage!