Chapter 72: Chapter 71: Erecting an Ancestral Tablet Archway
Upon arriving here, one cannot maintain the normality of regular values, thought Ma Ling with disdain for these types of people.
Yet, she still had to make a response, throwing a coquettish glance at the man before sashaying out.
She hadn’t taken two steps before she heard someone behind her say, "This woman, big breasts, big butt."
Having fun with her must be addicting.
Exactly, next time we come, we’ll choose her.
Facing such borderline insults, Ma Ling felt somewhat powerless and clenched her fists in secret.
She constantly reminded herself that this was just work, that one could encounter all sorts of people at such a place.
No matter how much of a gentleman one appeared to be during the day, once here, one would still strip away their facade.
Under the neon lights and the influence of alcohol, Ma Ling looked for her client for the evening.
Suddenly, someone passed behind her and touched her butt.
Ma Ling whirled around, only to see a sleazy man grinning at her.
With no real way to deal with such individuals, Ma Ling had no choice but to swallow her anger and keep her silence.
Meanwhile, Zhang Hao, who had just finished work and planned to go home early to rest, found himself being dragged out by two old friends unwilling to take no for an answer.
No matter how much Zhang Hao refused, his friends even threatened to come find him at home until he reluctantly got into the car.
"You guys want to have fun, go ahead, but leave me out of it. I’m exhausted from a day’s work," said Zhang Hao.
"That’s exactly why we’re going out. We’re doing this for you. If it were anybody else, we wouldn’t be bothering to think of you," one friend said.
Had it not been for the good times spent with these two during their schooling days, Zhang Hao would have been ten thousand times reluctant.
Only when they arrived did he realize the place was a bar.
"A bar, huh? We’d be better off at a foot massage parlor," commented Zhang Hao.
"We’ll start with drinks and then move on to foot massages. We’ll make sure you have a good night," his friend said, patting his chest in assurance.
Zhang Hao smiled wryly, parked the car, and then the three good friends entered the bar together.
"I’m telling you guys, we’re just here to join the crowd. If any of you dare to pick up girls, I won’t stand for it."
Zhang Hao also preferred diplomacy before force. He knew too well the chaos of these places, where men often came hunting for romantic encounters.
If something went awry, Zhang Hao did not want to face his family and fellow villagers without dignity.
"We brought you out because we knew you’d behave. If we didn’t want you here, we’d have gone for the wild stuff without you. It’s a rare occasion to get together, don’t be so tense. Our table’s this way, let’s head over," they said.
Once seated, the bar’s waiter brought over their drinks.
To Zhang Hao, these drinks were no different from sweet beverages.
He could drink ten or eight bottles without feeling even slightly inebriated. The aim of being here was merely to enjoy the atmosphere.
Especially the beautiful women passing by, either the slender type or the voluptuous type.
In this place, it would be impossible to find anyone unattractive.
But Zhang Hao focused solely on his drinks, paying no heed to the women passing by him, not even lifting an eyelid.
After a few bottles of the sweet stuff, he overheard a quarrel not far away. It was unsurprising for disputes to arise in such chaotic places.
Curious, Zhang Hao looked towards the commotion and saw a man desperately pulling at a woman.
The woman seemed unwilling to go with the man, her entire body retreating backwards.
"Let me go, let me go!"
"Damn it, came out to sell, didn’t you? What, you think I don’t have enough money? Two thousand for a night, is that not enough? Three thousand, then? Four thousand? How much do you think you’re worth?"
Zhang Hao had no intention of getting involved, choosing to watch the spectacle for a while before losing interest and looking away.
His two friends beside him were sizing up the women in the bar, as if they could have their way with any of them.
"Nope, nope, that one’s breasts are too small, no feel to them," said one.
"That woman clearly has too much desire, I wouldn’t be able to satisfy her," said another.
"I still prefer the innocent ones. Next time we come, I’ve got to find a girl to drink with me."
Hearing what his friend said, Zhang Hao immediately stood up and said, "No need to wait for another time, now is fine, since I’ve already come."
"While it’s still early, I’ll head back first, so I won’t hold you guys up from finding women tonight."
As Zhang Hao stood up, his two friends immediately became tense and hurried to stop him.
"What are you talking about? We were just chatting here. Why are you so anxious?"
"We agreed to have drinks together today to relax. If you leave, what does that make of it?"
Actually, Zhang Hao didn’t mean to disrespect his two friends; it’s just that work had really been tiring lately.
In places like this, far from relaxing, he would only burn himself out even more.
Little did he know, the commotion hadn’t died down at all but had escalated instead.
"Let go of me, I am here to work, not to sell myself. Watch your mouth."
Seeing the woman’s indignant demeanor, Zhang Hao also felt that she was trying to maintain a respectable façade while engaging in disreputable activities.
In entertainment venues like this, how many women aren’t getting their shoes wet?
It’s nothing more than trying to fetch a good price for themselves by feigning modesty.
The bar staff, sensing that the situation was going south, immediately came to check on it and took the woman away.
All that was left was the man, standing there, cursing incessantly and spewing filthy language.
"Hadn’t he been so pure-looking, I wouldn’t have bothered talking to her. Who knows how many men have been with her, ptui!"
The bar staff always maintained their composure when dealing with guests.
Besides, the customer is king, and there’s no reason to upset the king, right?
"We have plenty of nice girls here, sir—you can take a look at someone else."
But the man jerked his hand away and said, "I’ve set my eyes on her. Go tell her that whatever price she sets, I’ll pay it."
This type of stubborn customer isn’t rare in such places; to put it nicely, it’s called spending a fortune for the one you like.
To put it bluntly, it’s just being obstinate. However, the bar staff did take good care of their employees.
"Sir, you’ve really got it wrong this time, she’s only here to accompany drinks, not to accompany guests out."
"This place isn’t a free-for-all. If you have that kind of need, you might want to think of another solution."
Zhang Hao suddenly felt that those working here were quite conflicted.
On one hand, they claimed that no profession was superior or inferior; on the other, they constantly reminded themselves to stay away from these people.
"Hao, what are you doing? Come on and drink."
Zhang Hao took his eyes off the scene and prepared to have a good drink with his friends.
All of a sudden, Zhang Hao’s phone rang, and after responding to his friends, he quickly found a less noisy spot to take the call.
"Hello, who’s this?"
A voice with a sobbing tone came from the other end of the phone.
"Doctor Zhang, where are you? Can you come and save me?"
Zhang Hao checked the number again, sure that he didn’t recognize it.
"How do you know me, and who are you?"
"I... I’m Ma Ling."
After a brief exchange, Zhang Hao was surprised by how small the world was, as he didn’t expect Ma Ling to also be at this bar.
Since both were there, he thought he might as well lend a hand.
He walked back while still on the phone.
Zhang Hao was curious to see where Ma Ling was, as the bar wasn’t small and had some fame in the city.
Many men and women, not wanting to work too hard, chose to work there for a while.
He recalled Ma Ling mentioning she had to work at night. Looking at the bar, a disturbing suspicion formed in his heart.
