Chapter 2: One Slap, A Thousand Bucks

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, projecting mottled shadows of the trees onto the damp road.

The autumn wind swept by, lifting a few dry, yellow leaves into the air. 

They swayed as they floated down, finally landing gently on the cold ground.

Jin Ke’er’s estate was located in a relatively remote part of Kyoto, where it was quiet and still.

Whenever she needed anything, Jin Ke’er would usually ask the maids in the estate to buy it for her.

Normally, at this hour, Jin Ke’er would arrange for a private car to send Su Li home.

But not today—and never again.

A taxi ride home would cost about 50 yuan for the 20-kilometer journey, and Su Li wasn’t willing to spend that money.

That amount was already equivalent to several hours’ pay from her previous part-time jobs.

It wasn’t entirely about the money—it was just that, after some mental calculation, she concluded it wasn’t worth it.

So Su Li spent over forty minutes walking to the nearest bus stop, planning to take the bus home.

Gazing down at her petite figure reflected in the puddle at her feet, Su Li’s face remained utterly calm.

She didn’t feel tired. 

She would simply drink a little water at regular intervals to prevent her body from breaking down.

Su Li used to be the male protagonist of a wildly popular adult game.

One day, in the middle of the endless grind, she suddenly became self-aware. 

She didn’t understand why she had to live such an exhausting, emotionless life.

In that pre-scripted grind, he had become numb. 

Even emotions had worn away—nothing could stir a response in him anymore.

Then, when he came to his senses again, he found himself in the real world and had become a delicate, frail beauty.

Back then, she had only an ID card, a student ID, and a phone with all payment apps showing a balance of zero.

But she still had the talents she possessed as a former adult game protagonist.

She still looked stunning and in this world, appearance still mattered but she felt nothing emotionally.

Her physical condition remained excellent; she could go all night without getting tired.

Her healing ability was strong. 

Wounds closed quickly and left no scars. 

Even after sleepless nights, her skin stayed youthful and radiant.

She wasn’t very sensitive. 

Her threshold was high, yet she could still make her partner surrender easily.

Her theoretical and practical knowledge were both extensive. 

Anyone who had been with her would find her unforgettable.

She wasn’t particularly bothered by the gender switch. 

She’d long since tired of her old body anyway.

Besides, even if she’d never eaten pork, she’d seen pigs run. 

She’d been exposed to so many kinds of beautiful girls that she knew them inside and out.

Mimicking one wasn’t hard.

But being a beautiful girl without money that was hard.

Life really was ironic.

When you don’t have to worry about money, it feels like your life is bound by code, with no room to choose.

But when you finally gain complete freedom of action you have no money.

So what is freedom, really? 

A luxury, maybe.

Fortunately, the tone of life in the adult game world Su Li came from wasn’t too different from this one.

But to survive here, choosing the right path was crucial.

The only thing she could cash in on was her talent so she became an emotional therapist in the city.

In a society obsessed with materialism, many people’s hearts are wounded and in need of healing.

These worries and pressures generate endless negative emotions not the kind you can vent to someone close to you.

This job paid well, but it wasn’t easy.

Still, Su Li felt she was perfect for it.

Because even when a client poured massive amounts of negative emotions onto her, she felt nothing. 

She wasn’t affected.

Even if she suffered physical harm, she healed quickly.

She couldn’t even feel pain.

As long as she was paid enough, she was willing to give everything to heal a client’s emotional needs even her body.

Su Li took out a small notebook. 

As a professional emotional therapist, she liked to keep records of her clients, which helped her plan tailored emotional guidance.

……

June 1st.

Today, a woman in uniform came to me and asked about emotional therapy.

She asked if I’d agree to let her slap me once for 1,000 yuan.

I agreed.

She slapped me ten times and gave me 10,000 yuan.

My cheeks didn’t feel any pain. 

When I heard the transfer go through on my phone, I told her she was welcome to come again.

June 2nd, the uniformed woman came again. 

She slapped me twenty times. 

Total earnings: 20,000 yuan.

June 3rd, the uniformed woman slapped me thirty times. 

Total earnings: 30,000 yuan.

June 5th.

The uniformed woman slapped me fifty times. 

That brought the total to one hundred slaps and 100,000 yuan. 

She told me I had passed the test.

She said she had a client even more violent than her. 

But of course, they would pay more.

The woman in uniform took me to an estate.

There, I met my real employer—Jin Ke’er.

She sat in a wheelchair, her expression somewhat cold.

The first thing Jin Ke’er said to me was to get lost. 

I didn’t leave.

She threw a teacup at my head. I still didn’t leave.

The uniformed woman told me that if I succeeded in staying by Jin Ke’er’s side, she’d give me 100,000 yuan.

Blood streamed down my face, but I didn’t feel any pain.

Jin Ke’er hurled insults at me, but my mood remained completely unchanged.

I stayed and earned 100,000 yuan.

June 6th.

Jin Ke’er kept cursing at me as usual.

I noticed the fear in the eyes of the other people in the household whenever they saw her.

After she got tired of yelling, I made her a cup of warm black tea.

I’d observed that she liked drinking black tea.

Today’s therapy session ended with an income of 1,000 yuan.

June 7th, got yelled at—earned 1,000 yuan.

June 8th, got yelled at—earned 1,000 yuan.

June 9th, got yelled at—earned 1,000 yuan.

June 10th.

Jin Ke’er was on her period today, and her mood was terrible.

After an hour of shouting, she told me to come over.

She slapped me hard across the face. 

I told her: one slap costs 1,000 yuan. Jin Ke’er paid me 10,000 yuan.

Total earnings: 11,000 yuan.

June 11th, got yelled at and slapped by Jin Ke’er—earned 20,000 yuan.

June 12th, slapped by Jin Ke’er—earned 20,000 yuan.

June 13th.

When Jin Ke’er saw me, she said she hated the condescending way I looked at her and told me to kneel.

She knew what I was about to say, handed me 10,000 yuan, and said that if I knelt before her every day, she’d pay me 10,000 yuan daily.

“A man’s knees are worth their weight in gold.”

Too bad I’m no longer a man.

She seemed to enjoy slapping me while I knelt—especially hard, and especially many times today.

Total earnings: 40,000 yuan.

June 14th.

Jin Ke’er’s emotions still showed no sign of stabilizing—it didn’t seem like the right time for emotional guidance yet.

Coming to the Jin household to get paid every day made me feel, for a moment, like making money wasn’t all that hard after all.

If I had enough money, maybe I could even build a home in this world.

Though for me, having a home or not didn’t really make a difference.

June 15th. 

Today, Jin Ke’er made me kneel, then told me to lift her foot and rest it on my knee.

She made me hold her foot.

Kiss her foot.

One kiss cost 10,000 yuan.

Washing her feet—500 yuan per time.

But if it was done with my mouth—that had a different price.