Chapter 246: Unable to Refuse

“Finished?” a girl touching up her makeup asked casually when she saw the school-uniform girl enter.

The girl in the uniform nodded silently, went into the restroom, and after a while came out with a full set of toiletries— toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel.

Watching her carefully brush her teeth, rinse, and wash her face, the makeup girl sighed helplessly. She wanted to say something, but the uniformed girl shook her head through the mirror. “No need, but thank you.”

That thank you shut her up. After hugging the uniformed girl, she left. Soon after, the girl left too, and everything returned to normal.

Business in the strip club’s main hall had been unusually good lately. The crowd grew inexplicably, and the hall girls earned far more than before, but the VIP area saw fewer customers.

Many girls considered moving to the main hall—VIP girls only did one-on-one service, but the hall was more chaotic and required showing their bodies to everyone, which made some feel cheap.

Naturally, in such a place, there was tension between hall girls and VIP girls. The former envied the latter for earning more with less effort but resented their pretentious airs despite having stripped naked.

Some girls already switched and made a lot of money, tempting others.

The school uniform girl finished work near dawn and returned to her rented place. Lying in bed, she finally felt a trace of safety.

She came from another city. No one in this business worked near their own home bar—that would invite street thugs to treat them like toys.

Most girls worked at least half a city away, some even in other cities. She was from the state capital.

That place wasn’t much better. Most ordinary families were in financial crisis, including hers.

Her name was Annie. She came from a normal family with a beautiful mother and a father who had been a high school football star.

They gave Annie good looks and figure, but little else.

Her mother had no steady job; her father was an ordinary factory worker who lost his job after a major strike. The family faced huge problems.

To help make ends meet, her mother worked long hours, and Annie had to choose this path.

To her, it was just something to accept, not unbearable.

Looking back, she thought she had been foolish.

Those lousy boys sweet-talked her into undressing and lying down, but she got nothing in return.

So she didn’t mind this job; it fulfilled her need for money. Life meant compromising with reality somewhere.

At noon, Annie was startled awake by knocking. Half asleep, sitting cross-legged on the bed, she spaced out for a moment, then cautiously approached the door. “Who’s there?”

She wasn’t overly worried about safety. The financial crisis had a silver lining: rent downtown had plummeted.

Apartments once costing over a hundred now went for fifty or so. This was the city center, the safest area.

“Is this Annie’s residence?” a young voice outside asked, sounding like a student or kid she often heard at school.

Her guard eased. She cracked the door slightly, chain locked to prevent it opening fully.

The chain lock manufacturer claimed it prevented injuries for 30,000 potential victims yearly, but reality proved it useless against determined people.

Annie saw a boy about fourteen or fifteen standing outside, dressed neatly in a coat, dress shirt, vest, and a beige-and-red plaid newsboy cap. He looked clean and friendly.

She relaxed and spoke gently without opening the door fully. “What is it?”

The boy smiled faintly. “A gentleman wants to speak with you…”

Annie shook her head. “Sorry, tell him I don’t entertain clients.”

That was her bottom line. Everyone had their limits—some refused kissing, believing it sacred. Annie refused to entertain clients. Others might call her hypocritical, but she didn’t care.

The boy showed no disappointment. He pulled out a card and slid it through the crack. “The gentleman said if you call this number, you might get an unexpected reward.”

After adjusting his hat, he ran off. Listening to footsteps fade, Annie shook her head and returned inside.

She no longer felt sleepy, though usually she’d sleep until afternoon.

She showered, changed, and decided to go out for a meal.

Before leaving, she hesitated, staring at the card she’d left on the shoe rack. Finally, she took it with her.

After a cheap lunch, she browsed some nearly empty stores.

Mannequins displayed the season’s latest fashions, making women envy their clothes and accessories.

It also meant last year’s styles were outdated. Fashion was a never-ending cycle.

At a street corner phone booth, she thought of the card and entered, dialing the number.

The call was quickly answered by a voice Annie felt was gentle. “It’s me…”

The phrasing made her nervous. Stammering, she said, “Someone told me to call this number…”

The voice on the other end seemed to understand. “Is this Miss Annie?” After she confirmed, the voice continued, “I must apologize first. What I’m about to say may upset you. I hope you’ll forgive my intrusion.”

The voice paused. Annie was silent for a moment. “Sorry, I don’t entertain clients.”

The voice chuckled. “I’m in some trouble lately, and you might be able to help, Annie. If you do, I can offer money to improve your life…”

Annie was about to refuse when the voice said a sum she couldn’t ignore: “Twenty thousand, Miss Annie. Twenty thousand Sol to solve my problem. Do you think that’s fair?”

Annie wanted to hang up but stayed silent. She wanted to say no, but she couldn’t. She had no courage to do so.

The girl’s silence seemed to imply consent. The voice on the other end continued, “Before you start work tonight, someone will deliver some materials to you, including a token of my sincerity.”

“But before that, Miss Annie, I must warn you—if you do not refuse now, I will consider our agreement sealed. If later on…”

The voice suddenly stopped. After a few seconds, it resumed, “I need to confirm your decision one last time. Will you refuse?”

At 3:30 p.m., the same boy from the morning knocked on Annie’s door, holding a box about a foot square. “A gentleman asked me to deliver this to you, ma’am.”

Normally, Annie would have corrected him—she was not a ma’am, but a miss. Now, she didn’t care.

She took the box and said thanks, about to return to her room when she suddenly grabbed the boy’s hand. “What does the person who gave you this look like?”

She desperately wanted any clue to identify him, even if she knew it was useless. It would give her some peace of mind.

The boy just shook his head silently, adjusted his hat, and left.

Annie sat on her bed for a while before opening the box.

On top lay a check. Seeing the figure—three thousand Sol—her heart skipped a beat. Since starting this work, she hadn’t made much money; this was a fortune to her.

After a brief moment of joy, a wave of gloom settled in. The feeling of being controlled was unpleasant.

Inside the box were also a notebook, a file folder, and an old-looking bracelet.

What exactly did this mysterious person want?