"Who knows this place better than me?" The elder sister leaned towards Tang Zheng and added with a complacent smile, "As I’ve said before, the people I pick are all honest."
"More like idiots." Tang Zheng slandered in his mind, asking, "What happens if somebody tries to take advantage of you?"
"I wish someone would. If they refuse to pay, I’d hand them straight to the police station." The elder sister, under the streetlights, gave Tang Zheng a sidelong glance, noting that the young man was tall and extraordinarily sturdy. He walked steadily, exuding a masculine aura.
"Just a little dirty on the face and clothes." Ever since she became the hotel owner, the elder sister had completely quit this business, but tonight she started to feel a surge of impulsiveness.
"We’re here," she announced.
After turning a corner and seeing ten or so hair salons and adult goods stores on both sides of the street, Tang Zheng felt a headache coming on. He’d never been to these kinds of places before. What if the police carried out a raid and arrested him?
"Don’t worry, my inn is safe and has all the required licenses." The elder sister grabbed Tang Zheng and didn’t give him a chance to leave. She led him straight into a small building. Her swift pace didn’t allow him time to read the name on the signboard.
A woman in her twenties was standing at a worn-out counter, registering two men planning to stay at the inn. Because the room was heated, she was only wearing a camisole nightgown and a pair of high heels.
Although the two men who were staying acted like gentlemen, they occasionally stole glances at her when she wasn’t paying attention, taking advantage of the situation.
"Sister Li, this is a guest Xiao Hong brought." The woman registering the guests called out, then lowered her voice to ask, "Would you like any other services?"
"Just by the way she dresses, she could attract many customers." Tang Zheng noted the hotel was connected to the adjacent hair-washing room where seven or eight women were idling about, playing mahjong and messing around on their mobile phones. One woman, after receiving a phone call, seemed overjoyed to hear from an old client, promptly picked up her bag and left.
After some bargaining, the two men who were staying pointed through the glass at a few rooms, picked a few, and were led upstairs by the woman in the camisole. Within a minute, she came down and called out to the selectees, who then inquired about the room numbers and proceeded to wander upstairs.
"Would you prefer a single or double room? The double rooms are comfortable. They have bathrooms, televisions, and DVDs." Despite Tang Zheng being alone, Sister Li didn’t plan to save him any money – she obviously recommended the more expensive option.
"A double room is two hundred a night, not that expensive. But I think you’d be better off with an hourly rate room." The woman in the camisole came up to Tang Zheng. A strong perfume fragranced the air. Seeing that he didn’t have luggage, she assumed he was just there for a quick visit.
"What are you teaching? Don’t corrupt him," Sister Li shot a glance at the woman in the camisole and registered him for a double room without asking for Tang Zheng’s opinion. "It’s more comfortable," she added.
"There should be hot water in the bathroom, right?" Tang Zheng was reluctant to make a fuss, so he simply took out his wallet and prepared to accept whatever cost came his way.
"Definitely." Without waiting for Sister Li’s command, the woman in the camisole lowered her voice and asked flirtatiously, "Do you want a girl?"
"No need, thank you." Tang Zheng declined and took a step back. He wasn’t desperate just yet.
"Ah, a virgin?" The woman in the camisole didn’t take kindly to the rejection and was about to retaliate when Sister Li shooed her off. "Get lost".
"Pay the deposit first."
Tang Zheng took out a bulging wallet. As soon as he opened it, the woman in the camisole’s eyes greener. Wow, a total of three thousand! What the hell is this kid doing carrying around so much cash?
Sister Li’s corner of the eye twitched as she inwardly regretted setting her charges too low.
Tang Zheng hadn’t had dinner, so he looked at the items on the shelf next to him. But seeing only instant noodles and bread, he lost his appetite and gave up.
Following Sister Li upstairs, a constant stream of noises filled the air.
"The soundproofing here is terrible, isn’t it? And this double room... it just has two beds." Looking at the narrow room, Tang Zheng found it somewhat amusing. He waved dismissively, not interested in hearing any explanation, shut the door, and went into the bathroom.
"At least it’s clean." Tang Zheng checked the water temperature, which was acceptable. For safety’s sake, he decided not to use the bathtub and quickly stripped off his clothes. The sensation of the warm water hitting his skin seemed to wash away the fatigue from the past couple of days.
Tang Zheng let out a long sigh, supporting himself against the wall, letting the hot water cascade over his body.
Less than two minutes later, there was a knock at the door, followed by Sister Li’s voice, "I brought you some discs." Googlᴇ search N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"Hold on." Tang Zheng grabbed a towel, dried himself off, and put on a firefly robe before exiting the bathroom and opening the door.
Seeing Tang Zheng’s perfect physique accentuated by the tight-fitting robe, Sister Li swallowed hard and chuckled, "Didn’t see that coming, you’re quite a catch."
She then reached out to touch his chest. Of course, Sister Li’s main goal was to empty his wallet.
Tang Zheng evaded her, but managed to stifle any expression of refusal when Sister Li took advantage of the situation to step inside the room, kicking the door closed behind her. After turning on the television, she brandished the DVDs in her hand.
"These are all from my husband’s collection, including Japanese movies." She selected a DVD, popped it into the player, adjusted the volume, and started to make Tang Zheng’s bed.