“Are you sure this will actually work?”
“It will, push your hair up.”
Lu Yunze did as she said and swept his bangs upward. Jiang Sui seized the opportunity to shove a cap worn by male waiters onto his head.
She looked Lu Yunze up and down, now dressed in the waiter’s uniform, as if admiring a masterpiece of her own making.
“This feels a bit small, this uniform.”
“That’s normal, I feel stifled in it too.”
“Is it really okay, just changing clothes?”
“You’re the one who said they didn’t get a clear look at your face, I’m just formulating the best plan based on your current situation.”
Jiang Sui said this while pushing his back, leading him straight out of the private room.
The two walked side-by-side in the hallway, and it wasn’t long before a team of killers disguised as waiters appeared ahead.
Compared to Jiang Sui’s composure, Lu Yunze was noticeably more nervous, bowing his head further the closer they got.
Just as they were about to brush past each other, one of the killers suddenly spoke up:
“Hey, you there, wait.”
“Is… is there a problem?” Lu Yunze deliberately lowered his voice.
The man didn’t lean in to inspect his face, but instead pointed at his forehead:
“Some hair is sticking out, what kind of appearance is that? Wasn’t it said that we must keep our appearances tidy?”
“Understood, I will fix it right now.”
Lu Yunze hurriedly tucked that stray lock of hair under his cap. Only after the killers had left did he breathe a sigh of relief.
“I told you I wouldn’t drag you into a trap.” Jiang Sui lightly tapped his chest with her fist. “We had an agreement, I help you hide, and you cooperate with me.”
“…Fine. So what do we do next?”
“Split up.” Jiang Sui didn’t hesitate at all.
“You go downstairs, I’ll go upstairs.”
“It’s that simple?” Lu Yunze was still a bit bewildered.
“Or did you want something more exciting? That’s fine too, take off these clothes and I’ll throw you in front of those waiters…”
“Forget it, forget it, I’m heading out now.”
Lu Yunze left quickly, his figure soon disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Jiang Sui sighed softly.
She didn’t actually want to let Lu Yunze get too involved. The only reason the two of them could stand on the same side right now was because they shared a common enemy; once that premise disappeared, the situation would become unpredictable.
After adjusting her uniform collar, she prepared to continue her mission.
Just as she was about to step onto the third floor, a stern voice came from behind:
“Hey, you over there, turn around.”
Jiang Sui’s heart tightened; she steadied her expression and turned around slowly.
Behind her, a team of killers had appeared out of nowhere, each one wearing a gloomy expression.
“Do you gentlemen need something?”
“Number 24, come with us.”
“Ah? …Oh.”
Only then did Jiang Sui realize that the badge on her uniform had the number “24” written on it.
She followed them as they moved forward. Along the way, these men constantly rounded up other staff members, ordering them to put down their work and follow along.
“Strange, does anyone know what’s going on?”
“No idea, I was just serving drinks.”
“I’m almost off work, I didn’t break any rules, did I?”
Jiang Sui observed them; there were 10 people total, with numbers ranging from 20 to 30.
They were taken to the third floor, then continued up to the fourth.
The fourth floor had only one corridor and a single door at the end.
“Go in, the Boss is waiting for you inside.”
Hearing the word “Boss,” many of them froze for a moment but were nonetheless urged into the room.
The room was very spacious, with decorations and equipment far more luxurious than downstairs; it was practically a top-tier private room.
And in such a space, there was only one person.
He was half-reclined on a sofa while two good-looking servers gave him a foot massage.
“Boss, they have arrived.”
“Right, you two may withdraw.”
The two servers bowed and left.
As the door slammed shut with a bang, the light from outside was cut off, leaving only the huge LCD screen behind the staff members as a light source.
The staff members seemed somewhat nervous, but the Boss remained casual, even taking two puffs of his cigarette before speaking:
“I have been observing for a while recently; the performance of you ten is the best of all our employees, and it is worth commending.”
“Thank you for the recognition, Boss.” Soon, someone began to suck up to him.
“As for me, besides running this bar, I have other businesses. There is a shortage of hands there right now, and I wonder if you have any interest?”
“Other businesses?”
Jiang Sui frowned, her first thought being the “Boiling Blood Potion.”
“You don’t need to make faces like that, it’s nothing illicit.”
The Boss chuckled.
“Actually, it’s a friend of mine. He previously ran a club, but something happened, he ended up inside, and he handed the club over to me to manage.”
A club.
Jiang Sui already understood in her heart, yet she remained calm.
The Boss snapped his fingers, having someone distribute the club’s postcards.
“This club really exists, if you don’t believe me you can look it up yourselves, you can still find the news about the incident that happened yesterday.”
Sure enough, someone pulled out a phone to verify.
The Boss wasn’t in a hurry; he waited until they had confirmed it before continuing:
“To be honest, this bar has enough staff. It’s difficult for you to climb the ladder here; it would be better to come with me to open up a new battlefield.”
“Wages and benefits are negotiable. Once the club is back in operation, you will be the first batch of veterans, and the high-level positions will be yours.”
The proposal was clearly very attractive, and people around her were already whispering.
But Jiang Sui only felt a cold sneer in her heart.
She knew very well that this was just rhetoric to trick them into being cannon fodder.
Once they were tricked into joining, the fate awaiting them would likely be worse than death.
The Boss waited for a while, and seeing no one volunteer, he added:
“You only get one chance. If you miss it, it won’t be your turn again.”
“I have a question,” one employee said, “If the club doesn’t take off, won’t that just be screwing us over?”
The Boss laughed instead:
“You’re right, it does have clients, and they are here in this bar right now.”
“Ah?”
The Boss pointed to the LCD screen behind the staff.
“Honestly, this bar wasn’t mine at first either. After my friend had his accident, he handed both the club and this bar to me to manage.”
“The previous boss is already dead, so these ‘clients’ are now under my care.”
The screen began playing footage.
The private room was packed, and everyone was drinking while talking about the club that had closed.
“I just got my VIP card, now it’s all wasted.”
“I’m a long-time customer, I never expected this.”
“Forget it, forget it, let’s keep drinking.”
The image was somewhat blurry, and the camera was shaking, making it hard to see their expressions clearly.
But Jiang Sui vaguely felt that something was wrong—these people were very likely already under someone’s control.
Just then, she saw a familiar figure.
That smile, that hearty way of drinking—she absolutely could not be mistaken.
“…Why is Mom here?”
Jiang Sui muttered in a low voice.
Didn’t Xia Youqing say she was just going out for fun?
Why would she appear in a place like this?
The video ended, and the Boss gave them one last chance to consider, mentioning that he would be holding an event later.
But Jiang Sui could no longer hear what he was saying.
A buzzing sound filled her ears.
After leaving the fourth floor, she went to the second-floor restroom and stood in a stall, staring blankly.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Before she could speak, a cat tail reached in from under the door.
Jiang Sui opened the door, and sure enough, the black cat jumped in.
“Senior, I thought your infiltration failed.”
“I’ve been in for a while, I was just hiding in the ventilation ducts.”
The black cat flicked its tail.
“You don’t look like you’re in a good state, did something happen?”
Jiang Sui was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice:
“There is something… I want to ask you.”