Chapter 2437: Sorry, I Haven

Hu Quanyou quickly raised his beer bottle, took a sip with Su Xinghui, then wiped his mouth and said: "Comrade Su, how could I possibly mind? Honestly, even as a native of Yanzhong City, I think this title, though unpleasant, is spot-on—every night, this city is awash with neon lights and drunken revelry, utterly filthy."

Yu Ruizhi said: "If that's the case, this phenomenon is too widespread—doesn't anyone step in?"

Hu Quanyou whispered: "No one can intervene—many entertainment venues have officials' shares."

All of them nodded knowingly and dropped the topic, resuming their drinking.

When karaoke dragged on until nearly ten, Su Xinghui stood up to return to the Yanfang Group; they had already spent over three hours in the karaoke lounge. Though the girls still wanted to keep going, they were sensible enough to know that Yu Ruizhi and the others weren't fond of karaoke, so they rose too and said they'd head back to the hotel.

After spending the evening together, Hu Quanyou had grown quite close to the group; they exchanged contact information, then descended the stairs and exited the karaoke lounge.

Though late, this was clearly when Yanzhong City's nightlife hit its peak—along the street where Aishang Ge was located, every direction was packed with karaoke bars, pubs, and discos; spinning disco balls cast garish, multicolored beams of light, creating a grotesque kind of prosperity.

At the entrance of every karaoke bar and pub, women dressed in garish makeup and tight outfits posed seductively, luring passersby; nearly all pedestrians on this street were men—mostly bloated and corpulent, trailed by burly bodyguards wearing thick gold chains, the classic look of nouveau riche.

Seeing the thick makeup on those women's faces, Su Xinghui thought they might once have been female workers at Yanfang Group; his heart ached, but for now he had no such good method to pull them back home—they had to live too.

Su Xinghui could only resolve inwardly to restore Yanfang Group's production as soon as possible, so those female workers could return; even if some had grown accustomed to this life and its high income and refused to go back, at least he could free some from this hell.

Yu Ruizhi and the others headed toward their car, Hu Quanyou following behind to see them off first—when suddenly, from a large karaoke bar next door, Xiangxie Li, came a scream. Everyone turned to see a long-haired woman in high heels and a tight leather skirt stumbling out of the venue.

The woman's face was obscured—the street had no streetlights, and the spinning disco balls emitted light for effect, not illumination; moreover, she faced away from the light, so her features were hidden, but from her figure, she was clearly young and slender.

No sooner had she stepped out than two men chased after her. She glanced back, panicked, and ran toward Yu Ruizhi's group. She wore high heels and couldn't run fast, but luckily she'd emerged close to them—she darted behind Yu Ruizhi and shouted: "Help me!"

Both men were huge, burly figures; despite the cold, they wore only leather jackets, left open to reveal necks as thick as their heads, adorned with thick gold chains.

They wore sneakers and were quickly closing in, but the long-haired woman suddenly ducked behind Yu Ruizhi's group, who now stood between them.

The two big men weren't reckless—they sensed Yu Ruizhi's group carried an air of distinction, likely wealthy or powerful—so they didn't act rashly. One of them said to Yu Ruizhi: "Brother, mind stepping aside?"

Yu Ruizhi frowned. He didn't want trouble outside, but the woman had cried for help—he couldn't ignore it; it wasn't his nature.

Even if the woman was clearly a prostitute, a prostitute's life was still a life!

Yu Ruizhi asked: "What's going on here?"

The speaking thug froze—he'd never met someone like Yu Ruizhi who'd actually ask about such a thing. Didn't they two have enough intimidation?

He sized Yu Ruizhi up—and that only deepened his confusion. Yu Ruizhi's demeanor was too calm, too composed—he was clearly no ordinary man.

So the thug spoke politely: "Brother, this lady is one of our karaoke bar's girls—she's been disobedient, so we're taking her back for a lesson."

The long-haired woman cried out: "I agreed only to sing, not to serve! Why are you forcing me to serve?"

The thug sneered: "You've entered a karaoke bar as a girl—now you want only to sing and not serve? You think you can still keep up appearances? Let me tell you, Young Master Lu wants you—this isn't up to you. Tonight, you'll serve whether you like it or not."

The other thug added: "Come on, Little Tao, don't force Young Master Lu to use force. Don't you know who he is? If you go with him, you'll live in luxury for the rest of your life—whatever pleasures you want, you'll have them."

Yu Ruoqiu couldn't bear it anymore. She snapped: "If someone refuses, you still force her—is this compelling virtue into prostitution?"

The lead thug frowned: "We advise you not to meddle in Xiangxie Li's affairs. If you have any sense, just walk away quietly—don't bring trouble on yourselves."

Su Xinghui watched silently behind Yu Ruizhi. Hu Quanyou whispered in his ear: "Comrade Su, this is going to be messy—Xiangxie Li has a stake owned by Deputy Provincial Governor Lu's son. The 'Young Master Lu' they mentioned must be him."

Su Xinghui smiled: "Didn't you say you're close to him? Can't you handle this?"

Hu Quanyou's face flushed with embarrassment: "I am fairly close to him, but this touches his pride—he may not yield. I'll speak to him later and see if he'll give me face."

Yu Ruizhi said to the thug: "What if I don't walk away today?"

Yu Ruizhi didn't want to play the righteous hero in Yanzhong City—but forcing virtue into prostitution was something he despised. Besides, Yu Ruoqiu had already spoken—he couldn't contradict his own sister.

Yu Ruoqiu was someone who loathed evil—once she encountered this, she would never walk away.