The night draped over City A like a witch's cloak, suffocating and oppressive. Even the neon lights flickering in the darkness couldn't mask the city's underlying decadence.
"Enchantress"—the name said it all. It was the largest upscale club in the city, a place where college students came to find wealthy patrons. The word "upscale" was just a euphemism for the transactions that happened behind its gilded doors.
In front of the dazzling neon-lit entrance stood a young woman, trembling in a black body-hugging miniskirt and an off-the-shoulder top with delicate ruffled sleeves. Her face, though carefully made up, looked ghostly pale under the garish lights.
"It's nothing..." Mu Zixi whispered to herself, trying to muster courage.
The outfit had been bought by a classmate—nothing like what she usually wore. Tonight was her last resort.
The doctor had been clear: by this Saturday, she had to come up with the surgery fee. Her father had a brain tumor, and without immediate operation, he would die. Today was already Friday. She had no choice. She needed the money before dawn.
"It's fine. Plenty of college girls do this—find a sugar daddy, trade their bodies for cash. It's normal. I'm just not used to it, that's all..." She laughed bitterly, steeling herself before pushing open the door to Enchantress. Tonight, she would become one of the fallen, even if it was against her will.
What she didn’t see was the silver Lamborghini parked outside, its occupant watching her with the predatory gaze of a leopard.
"Sir, are you really going in there?" The driver frowned at the club, baffled. His boss, Cheng Haotian, was a man at the pinnacle of the world—someone who never set foot in places like this.
But Cheng Haotian ignored him. Dressed in a tailored black suit, his expression was unreadable, his deep eyes like shadowed marshes. No one could guess his thoughts. His face, sculpted to perfection, was strikingly handsome, but the faintly mocking twist of his lips lent him a dangerous allure. His gaze had followed Mu Zixi from the moment she hesitated outside until she stepped inside.
"That face... it's uncanny." If anyone could read his mind, they would have caught that fleeting thought.
The third floor of Enchantress was reserved for luxury suites where college girls entertained their patrons.
A massive frosted glass door bore the image of a sultry, half-naked woman, exuding raw desire. Mu Zixi swallowed hard. This was her destination—the place her friend Xiaoying had arranged for her. The courage that had brought her this far was slipping away. If not for sheer desperation, she would have bolted.
Passersby smirked at the girl who looked so out of place. Her wide, innocent eyes and nervous demeanor marked her as untouched—a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. One could easily guess she had never had a real boyfriend, the type who might flee at the first stolen kiss. Yet here she was, stepping into this world of corruption.
And they were right. Mu Zixi was still a virgin—a rarity in an era where college couples lived together openly. She had dated before, but her conservative nature had kept even kissing off the table. She had dreamed of love, the kind of pure, fairy-tale romance she’d read about in stories. She wasn’t pretending to be innocent—she genuinely was. When her ex-boyfriend had tried to surprise her with a kiss, she had panicked and broken up with him.
And now? Here she stood, about to spread her legs for a stranger.
Mu Zixi never imagined she would come to this. Her pride had shattered into dust when the doctor delivered that ultimatum. After all, he was the only family she had left. She'd agonized—was it really worth sacrificing her most precious possession for this man who did nothing but drink and abuse her?
But in the end, she could only choke out two words: "It's worth it." He was still her father. No amount of cruelty could erase that.
Yes, worth it. If this place could truly make her a hundred thousand in one night, she'd do it.
Many of her classmates came here to sell themselves—Xiaoying had told her that. It was the first time Mu Zixi realized how much she'd failed to notice around her. Xiaoying said if you got lucky, some rich guy might take you as his mistress for a while, and the payout would be huge.
But she didn’t have time to wait. Still... this was her last hope, wasn’t it? Had she really steeled herself for this? Once she got the money, nothing else mattered—right?
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and follow me!" The woman at the bar counter shot her an impatient glare before yanking her forward. "Don’t you know we’re behind schedule? Dragging your feet like this—you don’t want the money or what?"
