Chapter 533 - 548: Bizarrely Left Behind

Brother Hu couldn’t make sense of this feeling, so he defaulted to his usual routine and went out to buy clothes.

After all, the clothes on An Ning and Zhao Pandi were simply not presentable.

After buying the clothes, Brother Hu waited and waited outside the bathhouse. He waited so long he even dozed off, but the two still hadn’t emerged.

Just as Brother Hu was beginning to suspect they had run away, that he’d been tricked, and was about to send someone in, Zhao Pandi and An Ning walked out.

The moment Brother Hu saw Zhao Pandi and An Ning emerge, all his frustration melted away.

Beautiful.

He’d always known the two girls were attractive, but he never expected a simple bath could have such an effect.

Zhao Pandi had a striking, elegant beauty, while An Ning’s was sweet and demure. Either way, they were both gorgeous.

Brother Hu was ecstatic. ’Maybe one or even both could become top hostesses. Then they’d be a never-ending source of cash for him.’

He knew this for a fact. His fellow villager, a guy named Shrimp—everyone called him Brother Shrimp—used to be just like him, taking in people for manual labor. Even with a steep cut of their wages, he could never make the big bucks.

But last year, Brother Shrimp found a stunning girl. After sending her to a nightclub, she immediately became a top hostess, and Brother Shrimp made an absolute killing from his commission.

Ever since then, Brother Hu had been trying to replicate Brother Shrimp’s success, but all the prospects he’d found were mediocre. This time, he had a gut feeling things would be different.

"Ah, you’re out! So, how was it?"

Brother Hu’s enthusiastic reaction was just what Zhao Pandi and An Ning had expected.

Zhao Pandi had been doing this sort of undercover work for a long time and had a masterful grasp of human psychology. She had even calculated the perfect moment for them to emerge.

"It was nice... really nice."

Zhao Pandi said this, feigning a little embarrassment. After all, they were supposed to be two farm girls being scrubbed down by strangers for the first time. Acting like they enjoyed it too much would seem out of place.

Sure enough, this made Brother Hu even more delighted.

’The embarrassment is perfect. It’s the inexperienced ones who haven’t seen the world that are worth the most!’

"Here, I bought you two some clothes. Go on in and change."

Zhao Pandi obediently took the clothes, pulling the quiet An Ning along with her to go change.

The clothes Brother Hu had bought were just simple short-sleeved tops and short skirts, but both girls had great figures. With their slender waists and long legs on display, they radiated a kind of innocent, youthful charm.

Brother Hu’s eyes grew even brighter.

’He was a man; he knew better than anyone that this was exactly the kind of sight men loved to see.’

’Perfect!’

Before him, Zhao Pandi and An Ning fidgeted awkwardly, tugging at their new tops and skirts, almost too shy to move. After a bit of smooth-talking from Brother Hu, Zhao Pandi seemed to loosen up a little, forcing herself to puff out her chest and lift her chin.

"Hey, that’s more like it! Since you’ve made your decision, you should give it your all. The sooner you make enough money, the sooner you can get out of this line of work. Then you can buy your own place here in Hong Kong and live the life you’ve always wanted. Wouldn’t that be great?"

Brother Hu was at it again, painting them a beautiful picture of the future. And the two naive, worldly-unaware girls bought it.

Pleased with himself, Brother Hu led the two of them to a nightclub he frequently collaborated with.

When they arrived at the district packed with nightclubs, An Ning got her first taste of the city’s nightlife—a dizzying world of neon lights, flowing liquor, and gaudy luxury.

She extended her spiritual power, searching for the establishment where Uncle Jiang’s secretary had scheduled tomorrow’s meeting. Once she confirmed the location, she silently followed Brother Hu.

Along the way, Brother Hu put on a fawning display, eagerly greeting many people they passed, but most of the time, he wasn’t even acknowledged.

The class divide was on full, stark display.

The people you suck up to are busy sucking up to someone else.

It was a pecking order, layer upon layer. They would probably never know what the very top even looked like.

An Ning followed Brother Hu, and when he just so happened to walk into the exact nightclub she had been considering, she felt a flicker of delight.

’Not bad. This saves me a lot of trouble.’

Zhao Pandi and An Ning followed Brother Hu to the backstage area of the nightclub. A mamasan appeared and began whispering with Brother Hu off to the side, her eyes repeatedly scanning the two girls from their faces to their chests, then down to their waists and legs.

’The mamasan’s gaze,’ An Ning thought, ’wasn’t much different from the way people back in the village inspected livestock before buying.’

’They were all just estimating a price. The only thing missing was prying open my mouth to check my teeth.’

Lost in her racing thoughts, An Ning was tugged by Zhao Pandi. The mamasan was calling them over.

"Not bad. You’ve got good potential. Let’s have you start tonight. We’ll see how you do."

"Listen up. The most important rule is to never offend the clients. You can’t do anything to make them unhappy, understand?"

The mamasan gave them a long list of instructions before leading them to change into yet another set of sparkly, glittering outfits. Their hair was also restyled.

The two of them stood in a line with a group of other women, and they were all led from one private room to the next.

At each room, a few of the women would be picked out and told to stay.

However, as if by some mystical intervention, Zhao Pandi and An Ning were repeatedly left behind, unchosen.

The mamasan at the head of the line turned to stare at them, muttering to herself, "This shouldn’t be happening. What’s going on?"

Normally, new girls like them are the first to get picked. For them to be... left over...

Strange.

Still trailing at the back, Zhao Pandi shot An Ning a look that said, ’You’re incredible.’ An Ning’s expression seemed to reply, ’It was nothing.’

One of her hands was held in a peculiar gesture. This was what had altered their auras, making them easy to overlook. It was the reason no one had picked them.

’After all, An Ning knew that if she had actually been chosen, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stop herself from wrecking a few of the rooms.’

’And who could blame her? She certainly had the power to do it.’

After a full circuit of the rooms, Zhao Pandi and An Ning were the only two left. Even with the mamasan’s most enthusiastic recommendations, they still weren’t picked. In the end, they were sent to sell beer instead.

As it turned out, the two of them ended up selling more beer than anyone else in the club that night.

Brother Hu looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue. He could only chalk it up to them being newcomers with standoffish expressions, figuring they’d warm up in a couple of days.

So, their first night passed without incident.

It was early morning by the time An Ning and Zhao Pandi got back from the nightclub to their ’pigeon coop.’ However, Brother Hu had moved them to a different room. They finally no longer had to share a single bed.

The two could finally get a proper night’s sleep. As for their safety, neither of them was particularly worried.

They slept from the early hours of the morning until past two in the afternoon. When Zhao Pandi went out to use the restroom, she came back with news for An Ning about Jiang Xia.

"It turned out Jiang Xia has been detained due to issues with his papers," Zhao Pandi explained. "He can’t get into the city."

"It must be the work of people here in Hong Kong. We’ve learned that Uncle Jiang is being targeted by three different factions for supporting a certain cause. They’re working together to swallow up his company."

"Blocking Jiang Xia isn’t a long-term solution, but it buys them time. By the time he finally arrives, there won’t be much left for him to do."

An Ning understood. She looked up at Zhao Pandi and said, "I don’t know much about corporate affairs, but I’ve heard they’re all believers in Mysticism."

"Tonight, the Mystic Master will make her dazzling debut."