A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

"Brother, we're looking for Rumeng," Gui'er said.

"Oh, so you're here to do business. But this young lady looks delicate and fair-skinned, like she could fetch a good price. This place is purely selling your body. You might as well go to a karaoke bar or dance hall, where you could be a top hostess and find a rich man. Wouldn't that mean you don't have to serve so many people?" The man said with a smirk as he looked Gui'er up and down.

"Shut your stinking mouth, are you tired of living? This is my young lady." Acheng clenched his fists, but didn't act impulsively. He glanced around; the area was a maze of passages, and there were bound to be other thugs or guards hiding somewhere, so it was best to be careful.

"Oh, Miss? I can see that now. No wonder you look like a student. What are you doing in a place like this? This is a place for men." The man paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Could it be that Miss's fiancé or husband has come here? Well, let me tell you, we're just doing business. We can't interfere with your personal grudges, but there's one thing: you can't cause trouble here. You'd better go downstairs and wait."

"No, brother, please do me a favor. I just want to meet your Miss Rumeng, not disturb your business." Gui'er took out a few banknotes from her purse and handed them to the man.

The man took the money, his expression softening slightly. He said, "Rumeng is currently reconciling accounts with my brother. Please wait a moment. By the way, what do you need Rumeng for?"

Gui'er smiled and said, "I just wanted to ask her about something."

The man was a talkative fellow. He smiled and said, "You two look like young ladies from a wealthy family and their attendants. You're not really here to catch someone in the act, are you? This place is frequented by lowlifes. The truly wealthy usually go to nightclubs, teahouses, or clubs for rich ladies to meet girls. They wouldn't come here. This place is full of down-on-their-luck people seeking momentary pleasure. Your presence here makes our place seem a bit more elegant."

Gui'er was somewhat surprised. This hoodlum was different from the one she remembered; he seemed like someone who could reason with people.

At this moment, people came out from the surrounding rooms, and everyone couldn't help but look Gui'er up and down, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

Gui'er smiled and said to the man, "Brother, I really have something important to do with Miss Rumeng. Could you please go and call her, or tell me where she is? We're only taking up a little of her time, and we'll pay you."

The man thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Sure, sure." But he didn't move his body; his eyes were still fixed on the few banknotes Gui'er had just given him.

Gui'er immediately understood what he meant and handed him two more bills.

He took it, stood up, waved to them, and said, "This way."

He walked a few steps forward, turned a corner, and saw a room with a more presentable entrance directly in front of him, but there were no red lanterns hanging above the entrance.

He knocked on the door and said to the person inside, "Miss Rumeng, Brother Qiang, there are two people who want to see Miss Rumeng and ask her something."

"Who is it? Let them in," a man's voice said.

Gui'er immediately recognized Wu Mingqiang's voice. She hesitated for a moment. What if he was just looking for a woman? She would be in the awkward position of catching him in the act.

She glanced hesitantly at Acheng, who also seemed somewhat at a loss.

"Didn't you say someone wanted to ask you questions? Why aren't you coming in?"

"Okay, okay." The man pushed open the door and gestured for the two to come in.

Gui'er glanced inside and froze instantly—Wu Mingqiang was standing with his back to the door, embracing a woman in a light red cheongsam. The woman's hair was disheveled, and her profile was radiant; it must be Rumeng.

Wu Mingqiang turned around abruptly, saw Gui'er, his expression changed drastically, and he pushed the woman in his arms away, looking embarrassed: "...Why are you here?"

The girl named Rumeng was also startled. She hurriedly straightened her clothes, her eyes filled with panic and a hint of inquiry as she looked at Gui'er at the door.

"Brother, these two say they've come to ask Miss Rumeng something." The man also sensed something was amiss and quickly said to Wu Mingqiang with a smile.

"Slap." Wu Mingqiang slapped him so hard he staggered.

“Miss, you shouldn’t be here. Let’s go.” Wu Mingqiang pulled Gui’er and walked forward.

"Brother Qiang, Brother Qiang!" Ru Meng shouted as she chased after him.

Wu Mingqiang ignored her, but the man who had just led them in quickly stopped her and said, "Sister Rumeng, Sister Rumeng, please don't chase after him, or my brother will be unhappy."

The group walked downstairs, and Gui'er tried hard to pull her hand back, but Wu Mingqiang held it very tightly.

"It hurts, let go," Gui'er said.

Wu Mingqiang then released his grip.

"Ah Cheng, how could you bring Miss here? If others see this, it will damage her reputation. Hurry up and bring the car over."

Acheng glanced at Gui'er, and seeing that she didn't object, he walked away.

"That man just called you 'Big Brother,' are you the one in charge here? When did you open this brothel?" Gui'er asked.

"Miss, that's not how it is."

The wind in the alley carried waves of heat that made people feel uneasy. For a moment, no one spoke, except for the faint cries of vendors in the distance.

Ah Cheng's car arrived, and Wu Mingqiang said, "Miss, let's get in the car and go back first."

“Brother Wu, if you are seriously dating Miss Rumeng, I can’t stop you, but opening a brothel is absolutely unacceptable. It’s a life-threatening business, and no amount of talk about it will change that,” Gui’er said firmly.

It's rare for cars to park at this alley entrance on weekdays, and people around are peeking out to look.

"Miss, let's go back first, okay?" Wu Mingqiang frowned and glanced around before speaking cautiously.

"You're the lady that Brother Qiang keeps talking about, right?"

Gui'er turned her head and saw Ru Meng wearing a cheongsam with a slit almost up to her thighs, arms crossed, a cigarette between her fingers, and swaying as she walked from behind in wooden clogs.

“Young lady, let me tell you the truth. We used to be prostitutes, but now we all work independently. You know how it is to work independently? It’s easy to get targeted by gangs when you’re alone. The protection money they charge is terrifying. Sometimes we work all day and take a bunch of customers but we still don’t have enough to eat. Brother Qiang protects us, so we don’t have to pay much less protection money. He also leaves his brothers to look after us day and night. We invited him.”

Gui'er's eyes widened like copper bells. She couldn't quite understand what she meant for a moment, and looked at Ru Meng and then at Wu Mingqiang with confusion.

"Stop talking, Rumeng."