Time rewinds to 4:30 a.m.
The sky was a dull gray, with a faint hint of dawn creeping along the horizon—another day for countless wage slaves to toil away.
Chen Xiaoxi, female, 28 years old, a hotel staff member, had already changed into her work uniform and applied her makeup.
After coordinating duties with the other workers, she began her day’s labor: pushing a bucket and mop to thoroughly clean the marble floor on the first level.
Ding-yong.
The elevator, which should have been resting at this hour, emitted a cold sound as its doors automatically slid open.
Chen Xiaoxi dragged the mop and glanced sideways.
There, stepping out of the elevator, was a red-haired woman, legs tightly pressed together.
She pulled off a ladies’ coat, revealing tight-fitting pants on her lower half, the cuffs stained with some kind of liquid.
On her head sat a large painter’s cap, while her hand carried a heavy black plastic bag, seemingly stuffed with many things.
Is she here to take out the trash?
Doesn’t seem likely.
At 4 a.m., in this godforsaken hour, unless it’s work-related, no one would get out of bed.
Chen Xiaoxi noticed the red-haired woman, and the woman noticed her in return.
A fierce light exploded in the woman’s eyes.
She started walking toward her.
Though said to be striding, her steps were more like small shuffles, awkward and strange.
Limping painfully, she moved like a beautiful woman nursing an injury.
Such bizarre behavior naturally aroused Chen Xiaoxi’s suspicion.
Then she saw it: the very ground the red-haired woman passed over—the marble floor Chen Xiaoxi had just cleaned—was stained with a few drops of something dirty.
Looking closer, the droplets had come from the hem of the woman’s pants.
At a glance, it looked like…
Chen Xiaoxi froze for a moment, then turned away from the red-haired woman and continued mopping, pretending not to have seen anything.
All part of the boss’s orders, right?
People these days sure know how to play dirty.
Chen Xiaoxi had thought scenes like this only happened in underground circles, but apparently…
The perversions of these rich elites are truly twisted!!
Now it’s either hiding in the shadows to observe, or using wireless earphones for remote commands.
Sigh, she felt some sympathy for this red-haired sister.
But justice comes at a cost.
Unfortunately, Chen Xiaoxi couldn’t afford it.
“Miss…”
Suddenly, a small hand rested on her shoulder.
Chen Xiaoxi turned her head and saw the same slightly haggard yet still beautiful red-haired woman.
She smiled gently, speaking in a standard customer service tone: “Hello, may I ask what service you need?”
“Loan, maximum limit. Password: 19ksnwbh.”
The red-haired woman pressed a hand against her lower abdomen, speaking with effort as she slid a credit card into Chen Xiaoxi’s hand.
“All right, please wait a moment.”
Chen Xiaoxi took the card and turned to process the loan.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the puddle beneath the woman’s feet…
Sure enough, she was just an NPC.
I’m just another part of their little game, huh?
Chen Xiaoxi didn’t see what happened next.
After she took the credit card to handle the loan, the red-haired woman crouched down, clutching her abdomen with one hand while supporting herself on the other.
The pristine marble floor reflected her wolfish and fox-like expression, her face as pale as paper, cold sweat beading her forehead.
“Succubus’s stomach… transform for me, transform for me,” she muttered softly.
***
At dawn, seagulls spread their wings and sang along the horizon.
Waves crashed against the reefs with a booming roar.
A small cruise ship docked as scheduled at the pier of Lia Island.
In the boarding cabin:
“Passengers, please pay attention. Passengers traveling to Vikris Island, please note that the Haozhang has begun ticket inspection. The Haozhang has begun ticket inspection.”
A sweet and gentle voice of a flight attendant came through the speakers.
One by one, the travelers rose from their seats, tidied their luggage, and headed to the ticket checkpoint.
At the checkpoint, they formed a long line, moving through orderly.
Most travelers scanned their tickets via the automatic machines—one swipe and done, very convenient.
At the manual ticket counter, the majority were elderly.
Among them was a red-haired woman.
“Miss, please show your ticket,” the inspector said, frowning as she examined the black card presented to her, suspecting the passenger was deliberately mocking her.
She had encountered low-quality passengers before.
“This is the ticket, please check again,” the red-haired woman replied politely, her tone sincere and free of any hostility.
If not for the inspector’s repeated doubts, this earnestness might have swayed her.
“Miss…”
The inspector frowned, about to call for backup, but then she caught sight of a pair of seductive crimson eyes.
In that instant, the world seemed to spin.
Everything changed—the inspector’s heartbeat quickened, and she felt as if her body no longer belonged to herself, as if she’d eaten some sort of mushroom.
Her mind reduced to a single voice.
“This is the ticket, please check again.”
The lingering female voice was low and hypnotic, imbued with a magical power that easily made one lose reason, sink into intoxication.
This is the ticket!
The next moment, the inspector respectfully handed the black card back to the red-haired woman.
“My mistake. Please forgive me.”
“No problem.” The red-haired woman accepted the ticket and walked into the plain ship cabin.
Just before entering the cabin, she suddenly paused.
Behind her, the crowd instinctively moved past her.
Xu Yinsheng turned around.
Men, women, children, the elderly—families and noisy chatter filled the air.
From coddled kittens to lovers in romance, to now freedom.
In this game, Xu Yinsheng had entered in person and gained a half-step advantage!
Zhao Yicheng loved her, Xu Yinsheng knew.
Zhao Yicheng was changing, Xu Yinsheng knew.
His illness was slowly healing, and in the future, he would return to a normal life, Xu Yinsheng also knew.
But that was not the reason she loved Zhao Yicheng, nor why she stayed by his side to care for him.
Xu Yinsheng was no saint; she would not sacrifice her life for another.
What she was passionate about was either staying home to binge dramas or being a bar hostess…
Perhaps, one day in the future, Xu Yinsheng might love someone else, someone for whom she would make life choices and sacrifices.
But not now.
And that person would not be Zhao Yicheng.
Therefore…
She tossed the large painter’s cap on her head up into the sky!
Her red hair cascaded like a waterfall.
A sea breeze blew, lifting her long hair to dance.
Like a bewitching rose swaying in the wind!
Goodbye, Zhao Yicheng.
“Caw!”
After a sharp, heavy whistle sounded, the small cruise ship replenished supplies.
Carrying one passenger after another filled with laughter and cheer,
Carrying countless bittersweet stories of Xu Yinsheng,
The ship slowly sailed over the sea, parting the waves.
At the very front of the ship’s deck stood the red-haired woman.
She held a glass of champagne quietly watching the scenery before her.
“I guess the digestion is complete.”
A small hand covered her abdomen as she muttered in a barely audible voice.
At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing a white shirt approached and stopped before her.
“Beautiful young lady, may I have a glass of your champagne?” the man smiled.
“Certainly.” Xu Yinsheng gracefully handed him the glass, and together they gently clinked their glasses.
She drained her glass in one gulp; the man followed suit.
Then the man called over a waiter to refill their glasses and raised his glass.
“Beautiful young lady, you seem very happy right now.”
Xu Yinsheng took a sip of champagne.
“That’s because I recovered a treasure that once belonged to me.”
“Treasure?”
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, curious.
“What kind of treasure makes such a beautiful lady so joyful?”
Xu Yinsheng took another delicate sip, slightly tilting her head back and taking a deep breath.
After a long moment, the corners of her mouth curled up, a trace of smile spreading across her face.
“Freedom.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.