Chapter 178: Were You Forced?

Their method of entry was simple: they randomly intercepted a luxury car halfway. The owner was a young man who, upon seeing Yang Yi's face, dared not utter a word and obediently followed her instructions to lead them into this mysterious "Red Tower."

"Miss Yi, I really haven't been here more than a few times. A friend brought me in once and insisted on giving me a gold card. I thought it would be a pity not to use it since it was given..."

The driver of the Maserati was a young man only in his twenties named Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan, an ordinary rich second-generation resident of Dongguan City. Sitting in the driver's seat, he drove while constantly stealing glances at Yang Yi's expression in the rearview mirror, his tone lacking a certain vigor.

"Rest assured, I'm just curious about what exactly goes on inside this mysterious Red Tower. You take us in to have a look and act as a guide, that's all," Yang Yi said in a calm tone. "Also, don't call me Miss Yi; just call me Captain Yang."

Yang Yi randomly picked a female model from an advertisement, altered her appearance, and increased her height by a few centimeters.

Over such a short distance, Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan looked at Lin Mu in the passenger seat, then at Yang Yi in the back row, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

At the main gate, they were stopped. Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan took out a silver card, handed it to the security guard, and swiped it on a machine.

The security guard wore a polite smile. "Mr. Zhang, welcome back. You brought two friends this time? We need to register them here."

Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan stole a glance at Yang Yi, cleared his throat, and said, "Then hurry up; don't waste our time!"

While the security guard fetched the registration form, he whispered an explanation to the two people in the car: "Ordinary membership cards cannot bring companions; silver cards can bring one companion; gold cards can bring three companions; diamond cards can bring five companions. Anything above that is for even more prestigious big shots; I'm not too clear on that..."

After registration, the car entered the courtyard and was driven away by a waiter for parking.

Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan led the way into the hall, constantly turning back to check Yang Yi's expression, scratching his head and cheeks, sweating nervously.

Yang Yi spoke coldly, "Act normal; don't let them figure you out! If you only come to places like this to spend money and didn't participate..."

She stopped speaking—based on her experience from past news reports, such cases usually only dealt with the principal offenders and accomplices; those who merely came to consume might not even be mentioned, so she casually reassured him. However, she did not know whether her involvement would cause the higher-ups to handle the case more severely, so it was not good to make casual promises.

Yet this half-finished sentence seemed like an imperial decree of general amnesty, causing this formerly arrogant and boastful rich second-generation to immediately relax, finding a backbone as if, even straightening the spine that had just been hunched.

"Absolutely no participation! I just happened to know about such a place; it was just a novelty... Actually, I myself really hate these places! Really!" Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan was ready to swear to the heavens.

The hall was a typical European style, resplendent with gold and magnificent, like a palace.

"Brother Zhang, you're finally here. Young Master Chen and the others couldn't wait and have already gone into the private room!" A man in a suit with a name tag on his chest approached, his tone enthusiastic, his attitude carrying just the right amount of warmth and flattery, leading the way for Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan.

"Xiao Liu, besides Young Master Chen, who else is there?" Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan asked, lacking some confidence.

"Young Master Feng, Young Master Wang, Mr. Li... about six people in total!" Xiao Liu said while curiously looking at Yang Yi and Lin Mu. "Are these two friends you brought today?"

Generally, when clients brought female companions to this place of singing girls and beauties, the companions, to maintain their status, would act very affectionate toward their "patrons." It was rare to see a woman behind Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan who was neither cold nor warm.

"Mm," Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan nervously licked his lips. "These are very important friends of mine; they are different from those... Don't neglect them!" he said sternly.

Xiao Liu immediately apologized, "Of course, of course!"

Young, beautiful women in revealing clothing and heavy makeup constantly passed by. Any one of these girls appearing on the street would be enough to make passersby stop and turn their heads.

But here, they were merely toys for people to admire and use as they pleased; some male guests even started touching them on the corridor.

Yang Yi watched everything around her in silence, frowning slightly.

Lin Mu glanced at her without showing any emotion.

Upon entering the private room, they saw a row of young, vibrant women standing on the spacious empty floor of the room. Opposite them was a row of sofas where six men sat, sizing up this row of women, picking and choosing like selecting meat at a market.

"Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan, you're late!" shouted a man wearing glasses on the sofa.

"Late is late; I don't like this place at all!" Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan retorted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Yo, just two days ago you said the girls here were exciting, and today it's boring? Your speed in loving the new and discarding the old is too fast!" a young man in a black T-shirt said with a grin.

"I'm not, I didn't!" Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan turned back to steal a glance at Yang Yi; his legs went soft, and he turned red with anxiety.

Suddenly, he felt a force gently push him on the back. "Go in, act like usual," said that clear, cold female voice that made his whole body tremble, in a calm tone.

Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan led Yang Yi and Lin Mu into the private room. Only after he moved aside from the doorway did everyone see that he had brought two more people behind him.

"Brought two friends to look around... They are our own people, quite curious about this place; brought them to see what it's like," he said indistinctly.

The people in the private room didn't mind; usually, whether to show off or for other reasons, some people brought friends over, so it was taken for granted.

The five men on the sofas each picked a girl. The girls sat affectionately beside the men who had chosen them, laughing coquettishly.

Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan gritted his teeth and pointed at a girl at random. When that girl sat over, he dared not act as he usually did, behaving as properly as a primary school student in class.

These girls were all smiling sweetly and eloquent; from international relations and Middle East conflicts to domestic politics and news hotspots, from Confucius and Laozi to neighborhood gossip, they could chat about anything and never let a conversation drop. Moreover, their words were not deliberately flattering; unconsciously, they made people feel as if bathed in spring breeze.

In a short while, the atmosphere in the private room became lively.

Through Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan's introduction, Yang Yi learned that these girls were the famous "Twelve Beauties of the Red Tower" here. Additionally, there were the "Red Powder Legion," the "Eight Beauties of the Red Tower," the "Four Great Beauties," and the "Twin Beauties of the Red Tower," among other titles.

These beauties were evaluated every three months; the girl who received the most financial support ranked higher.

Everyone originally thought Yang Yi was the female companion Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan brought, but Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan's respectful attitude made them suspicious.

"Won't you introduce them to us?" Suddenly, the young man sitting in the center of the sofa spoke up.

This young man was obviously the one with the highest status among them; everyone implicitly regarded him as the leader, and there was considerable flattery and ingratiation in their words.

"Right, right, should introduce!" Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly realized from his unease. With almost a mood of schadenfreude, he pointed at the people on the sofa and introduced them to Yang Yi one by one: "This is Young Master Chen Chen Fengtao, the second son of the Secretary of the Dongguan Municipal Party Committee. This is Young Master Feng Feng Boyuan, the eldest son of the President of the Municipal People's Court. And this Young Master Wang is the heir of the famous Vanke Group..."

In Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan's exaggerated introduction, the identities of the five men on the sofa were revealed: two second-generation officials, plus Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan, making four rich second-generation individuals in total.

"Why don't you introduce your friends?" Chen Chen Fengtao said with an unhappy expression.

Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan's lack of understanding somewhat angered him. When he asked Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan to introduce, he did not mean introducing their identities to these two unknowns.

"These two are friends who came from afar... As for their identities, perhaps you will know in a moment..." Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan said indistinctly.

Chen Chen Fengtao was about to pursue the matter when a team of female waitresses wearing ancient-style maid outfits entered the private room carrying wine and fruit platters. They knelt on the ground, heads half-bowed, silently uncorking bottles and pouring drinks.

The men sitting on the sofas were used to it, enjoying the beauties' service as naturally as feudal emperors.

In the dim, shadowy light, the waitresses' clothes were semi-transparent, and they wore no underwear inside. Several men, while taking drinks, casually groped the waitresses' chests.

The waitresses wore almost uniform, obedient, and shy smiles, showing no dissatisfaction whatsoever.

Any woman offended in such a manner, played with like a toy, would be angry, furious, and even fight for her life in resistance, but these girls were like tamed dogs, gentle and numb.

Zhang Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly shivered; a dangerous instinct from primitive animals made goosebumps rise layer upon layer all over his body. He wanted to flee the private room immediately, getting as far away as possible from the cold-faced woman beside him, but reason kept him firmly seated there, not daring to move.

"Were you forced?"

Before the music for selecting songs started, there was a moment of silence, and a sudden question rang out abruptly in the private room.

Everyone turned their gaze toward Yang Yi.