【Texture】(129, 130, 131)

Author: Wandering Traveler,

June 16, 2016,

first published on sis, Chapter 129:

Watching that girl's retreating figure shrink like a feather... I was so angry I gritted my teeth!

Just as I was about to chase after her, I heard the merchant's inquiry again. "Sir... do you want the pork knuckle whole?
Or should I have it sliced for you?"

For the merchant, what was happening might be a little puzzling, but business was more important,
so he didn't care about Yan Jing's sudden escape, only whether I would complete the transaction with him.

Reluctantly, I had to suppress my temper and turn to the merchant, replying, "Sliced, and please pack the seasonings in small
bags , I'll take them home and mix them myself." At the same time, I cursed Yan Jing inwardly. "You brat!
I actually ran into you here... trying to run away again? No way... did you think you could slip away from me
? You little brat... let's see how I drag you out of this city..."

The reason I dared to say such harsh words in my heart was simple. Just as Yan Jing turned to run away, I had silently
implanted the Crimson Lotus Flame into her body.

Last time in the ancient sewers, because of the interception by Daye Rinpoche, all my energy was focused on
dealing with that terrifying woman. Although I had somewhat anticipated that Yan Jing might
leave without saying goodbye, I forgot to implant the flame into her body, allowing her to escape smoothly and disappear without a trace.
This time, upon seeing her, I anticipated her possible reaction, so the instant she turned and lifted her foot, I took action
without hesitation .

After taking the bagged pork knuckle from the merchant, I immediately turned and quickly
followed . At the same time, I opened the flame diagram in my mind...

"Damn... she's really fast!"

In the short few minutes that the merchant sliced and packaged it, the wisp of flame that had just been implanted into Yan Jing's body had
already spread a considerable distance in the diagram. Based on my previous experience using the flame for location tracking,
I estimated that this girl was now probably close to one and a half kilometers away from me in a straight line, and that distance was still
increasing.

Judging from the trajectory of the flame, Yan Jing's movement was erratic, sometimes left and sometimes right, but always heading in a
fixed general direction. At first, I thought her strange movement was to evade my pursuit, but
a moment later I realized I was wrong. This girl wasn't thinking about that at all; she was simply running along
the intricate city traffic routes. This made her speed even more astonishing. Because
she wasn't moving in a straight line, she was now one and a half kilometers away from me, but the actual distance she had run was probably more than
double ... a rapid sprint of three kilometers in less than ten minutes? Even world-class middle- and long-distance runners would be
unable to match her speed.

Yan Jing's speed quickly dispelled my idea of immediately giving chase. The reason was simple: I simply couldn't catch up
... However, I didn't give up on tracking her. I didn't believe she would really run all the way
out of the city. She ran away simply to avoid confronting me. Logically,
once she was out of my sight and I was sure I couldn't find her, she would most likely find a place to hide and rest.
And I, with the location ability of the Crimson Lotus Flame, could eventually find her hiding place…

Therefore, while walking at a normal pace along Yan Jing's escape route, I pondered my
next plan.

"That girl seemed to be carrying something? It looked like a guitar? Hmm, that should be it.
She seems to really like music… Last time at the yoga studio, she sang 'Amazing Grace.'
I didn't really notice it then. Now that I think about it, she sang it beautifully, almost like a professional singer!
Could her current identity and profession be related to music?"

"By the way, I wonder what's going on with Zhou Jingyi... Although we've made up, we
still need to carefully maintain and mend the misunderstandings we had and the hurt we caused each other. If I stood
her up because I was pursuing Yan Jing, she'd probably give me a hard time again... Hmm, I should call her and see how things are going. Once
the flame is planted, it will take at least three days to gradually die down. Even if I don't pursue her now, I should have
time to find her out of the city in the next day or two..."

Thinking of this, I immediately dialed Zhou Jingyi's number. As soon as the call connected, I heard Zhou Jingyi
giving instructions: "An Qi, make three copies of this document immediately, one for the department's filing, one for Sister Wen,
and one for General Manager Li."

Only after giving clear instructions to her subordinates did Zhou Jingyi confirm that I was the person she was talking to.

"Honey, are you done with your work over there? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed! These guys have
made a complete mess of the project proposal... I knew the accounting and finance department was messing things up, they actually sent it straight
back to our department this time! If it were me, I would have kicked it back too!" "

Hehe, I heard that. It sounds pretty chaotic." I replied, because the scene on the other end of the phone seemed quite
noisy , with various sounds from office equipment such as computer keyboards, copiers, and printers constantly audible.

"Anna, Judy can handle things herself, you don't need to get involved. Come over and
recalculate the gift distribution expenses and the agent's labor costs..."

Hearing Zhou Jingyi scolding someone again, I smiled and shook my head. I asked, "How much longer?
Are you sure? Should I come pick you up?"

"...Judging from the current situation, it probably won't be finished until midnight! I'm already embarrassed to make you
wait here. Why don't you go back to the hotel and rest first? If you're hungry, find somewhere to eat something. I'll come find you when I
'm done . Honey, I'm so sorry, I really didn't expect that they would
create such a mess for me while I was away." Zhou Jingyi sounded helpless, her tone clearly downcast.

"Phew... Oh well! Then you should focus on finishing your work first. Don't worry about
me . We'll have supper together. I'll walk around the streets first... Call me when you're done, and I'll come pick you up.
What do you think?" I suggested.

"Looks like that's the only way... Make sure your collar is covered when you're out shopping, don't catch a cold. Don't wander around aimlessly,
it'd be better to find a tea house or a beverage shop to rest. Okay, I need to speed things up... otherwise, things will really get messed up."
"It'll be dawn tomorrow."

After confirming that Zhou Jingyi had hung up, I took a deep breath. It seemed she would need a long time
to finish her work. Therefore, I decided to continue tracking Yan Jing.

When I reopened the location map of the Crimson Lotus Flame in my mind, I suddenly realized that Yan Jing's flame
had stopped moving rapidly at the moment I made the call, and now seemed to be lingering in
a fixed location.

"Looks like she's confirmed she's shaken me off. She's resting somewhere..."

I observed my surroundings, determined the street I was on, and based on my familiarity with the city's basic
layout , I quickly deduced Yan Jing's approximate location.

"That girl isn't stupid; she knows that crowded places are better for hiding! She actually went to the most
bustling . Hmm... about two kilometers away as the crow flies, probably in
the pedestrian shopping street area of the city center."

After hailing a taxi on the street, I had the driver drive straight to the entrance of the pedestrian street and got out.

It was around eight or nine o'clock at night, the busiest time of day for this street. The shops on both sides of the street
were brightly lit, and night market vendors, licensed by the local government, lined both sides of the street, while
pedestrians . Following the coordinates on the map, I gradually approached the location of Yan Jing's flame.

Finally, I stood at the entrance of a building and looked up at the flashing neon
sign . ... "Blue Slow Rock Bar".

After seeing the words on the sign, I was stunned for a moment, then quickly checked
the location of the flame again, and then showed an incredulous expression.

"That girl Yan Jing is actually in here? What is she up to?"

The reason why I had such a thought was simple. Although I had never
been inside this "Blue Slow Rock Bar", I had long heard of its reputation. This
entertainment venue, which was somewhere between a bar and a disco, was known in our city as a "male prostitute" and a gathering place for homosexuals. In the past, it was even
nicknamed "Mr. Bar", and the so-called "Mr." referred to male prostitutes.

After hesitating for a moment at the door, I finally stepped inside,
only to be stopped by two security guards.

"Sir, please show your membership card!"

"What? I need a membership card here?" I was quite surprised.

"It seems this is your first time patronizing our establishment. We're very sorry, but we operate on
a membership system. If you're not a member and don't have a membership card, we can't let you in."
The security guard's tone was very polite, but his attitude was unusually firm.

"Can I get one temporarily? How much will it cost?" I still had
about a thousand yuan in cash left over from Ye Tong, and thinking of betting against Yan Jing, I decided to go all in. If I didn't have enough money, I'd just swipe my card.
However, the security guard's answer immediately negated my idea.

"Sir, we would be very happy to increase the club's membership. However, the
club rules, and you can't just join immediately with money. To join our club, you need
at least two members as your referrs."

Finally, I was "politely" escorted out of the gate by two security guards. Once

outside, I frowned. Taking down two security guards and barging in
wouldn't be ! But the key was that it would inevitably cause a huge commotion. If Yan Jing inside realized
I was the intruder and immediately made a run for it again, then my efforts would have been in vain.

Just as I stood hesitating at the entrance of the bar, a woman's giggling
laughter came from the street diagonally opposite. The voice sounded familiar, so I looked in the direction of the sound. There, I
saw Zhang Lu and a woman I didn't recognize, arm in arm,
walking towards us, laughing and talking. Perhaps feeling awkward about bumping into her at the entrance of this "Blue Slow Rock Bar," I
subconsciously turned to the side and quickly walked a few steps away from the bar's entrance. But to my
surprise, Zhang Lu and the woman didn't even notice me, a common "
pedestrian casually walking hand-in-hand into the Blue Slow Rock Bar…

"No way? Zhang Lu has a husband and a lover… why would she come here to solicit male prostitutes?"

This discovery shocked me. However, before I could even begin to
analyze my ex-girlfriend's behavior, I noticed a boy who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old following them suspiciously from
the direction they had come from, right to the bar's entrance.

The boy peered into the bar for a while, and after confirming there was no chance to enter, he
went around to the narrow alley between the building housing the bar and the adjacent building…

“A kid this age, would he be interested in this kind of brothel? What’s he doing going into that narrow alley?”
This aroused my curiosity, and I couldn’t help but slip to the entrance of the alley and peek inside.

I saw the boy enter the alley, quickly climb up an external drainpipe,
and then climb up to the second floor of the building housing the bar, before squeezing through an open window next to the pipe
…

I blinked, glanced sideways at the bar’s door a few meters to my side, and immediately understood.

"The kid wanted to go in, but couldn't get past the security guard, so he just climbed in through a second-floor
window ." Realizing this, I nervously glanced around to make sure no one
was watching, then I followed suit,
climbing up the pipes to the second floor. Looking through the window, I saw it was the men's public restroom
, empty. The boy who had gone in was nowhere to be seen. I used the windowsill for support and climbed in as well
.

After quickly tidying my clothes, which were a bit disheveled from climbing the pipes, I exited the restroom
and entered the second-floor corridor. Besides the restrooms, the corridor had many open
and closed doors. After walking about ten meters, I got a general idea of the layout and
arrangement .

The doors to my left led to private rooms with accommodations and showers. The doors to my right
connected to the main hall of the bar, where several floating private rooms were located on the second floor. Of the three rooms I passed, one
was empty, while the other two were already occupied by guests drinking and chatting. Below the private rooms was
the main area of the bar, featuring a small dance floor of nearly 100 square meters in the center, surrounded by various private
seats and booths. At this moment, the entire slow-rock bar was bustling with noise, packed with guests, and
many were slowly dancing to the blues music playing in the hall.

After seeing the scene, I frowned and muttered to myself, "Isn't this just like a regular dance hall
? Why is it so complicated to get in? And what's with the membership system? Do I need at least two existing
members to introduce me?"

Just then, I walked to the fourth door on the right. Because of a lapse in concentration, I
bumped into a female customer who suddenly appeared from behind the door...

I'm strong and healthy, so I was fine, but the woman was slammed into the doorframe and screamed. "

I'm so sorry... I didn't notice!" I said, helping her up . 　　"It's alright, it's alright..." The woman was quite understanding and responded kindly . However, when we looked up at each other, we both felt that she looked familiar. 　　"Huh... it's you?" The woman was the first to recall me , pointing at me with a grin. I immediately realized what she meant. "What a coincidence... to run into you here." 　　The woman I bumped into was the owner ! 　　Recognizing her, I immediately looked embarrassed. Yesterday, I misunderstood why Zhou Jingyi and Sun Cong met, and I assaulted her in her shop before storming off. I hadn't even apologized to her, and now seeing her here, I didn't know what to do. 　　The female owner, however, seemed completely unconcerned about what I'd done in her bar yesterday. After confirming I recognized her, she stood by the door and struck up a conversation. 　　"What are you doing here? Jianming told me you're Yan Lao Er's brother, right? If you want to have fun, it's more convenient to do it on your brother's turf. You probably don't even need to spend money; coming here is a waste." 　　The woman's natural and casual attitude made me feel a certain degree of goodwill towards her. I immediately lowered my voice and explained why I was there. "I'm not here to have fun, I'm here to find someone! To be honest, the security guards wouldn't let me in because I don't have a membership card." 　　"No membership card? Then how did you get in?" The woman blinked, looking incredulous. 　　"I climbed in from the second-floor restroom..." I answered softly. 　　"...Pfft," the woman couldn't help but laugh. 　　"You're not going to report me to security, are you?" I asked somewhat nervously. The woman's every word and action made me feel quite at ease, and I don't know why I spoke the truth to her. 　　"Why would I expose you? There's no benefit in doing so! Exposing me would only offend you... Even Master Wu wouldn't dare to mess with your brother, Yan Lao Er. What would a mere woman like me want? By the way, who are you looking for ?" The woman stopped laughing and continued to ask. Women are always quite gossipy and like to get to the bottom of things. 　　"...Looking for a young girl around twenty years old! She has a mole on her eyebrow." I pointed to my eyebrow. 　　"Why would a young girl come to a place like this? Look for yourself..." The woman kindly pulled me into her suspended private room and pointed to the guests below. "Most of the people here are young women or middle-aged women like me who are a bit older. Young girls, if they're pretty, they'd have plenty of men around anyway, why would they need to come to a place like this for entertainment?" 　　I followed her finger and looked down for a while. Indeed, as she said, the youngest women in this club were approaching thirty, and there were hardly any girls . But the location of the crimson flame in my mind clearly pointed to the hall … 　　I frowned, then realized a problem. My flame diagram could represent distance and direction , but it seemed unable to identify vertical levels. Back in the "sacrifice site" beneath Xia Yu City, Old Zhao and the others had climbed to the top of the cave to hide, and I hadn't been able to find them. Thinking of this, I immediately looked up at the ceiling of the hall. 　　The woman noticed my movements and proactively explained, "This club is huge. The first and second floors are the dance hall and performance hall, while the basement and the three floors above are guest rooms, sauna, spa, gym, and the club's offices. You suspect the person you're looking for is in these places?" 　　I nodded and said, "Possibly." " 　　That's a bit troublesome... The management here is very strict! Normally, members only use the first and second floors. There are security guards at the entrances to the other floors. If you don't have a membership card, you'll definitely be stopped by security if you try to wander around." The woman shook her head, explaining my current situation. 　　"Could I borrow your membership card for a moment?" I looked at her and made what I considered a somewhat excessive request. But unexpectedly, the woman smiled, turned around, and took a magnetic card from her handbag on the round table in the private room, flashing it in front of me. 　　"If you want to borrow it, no problem. But I think it's useless for you even if you have it. You know, this club normally only accepts female members. Male members with cards are either gigolos or gay... Besides, all the other men who come in are with female companions who have membership cards. If you take my membership card and wander around , it's inevitable that the security guards will spot you." 　　Listening to the woman's explanation, the muscles on my face twitched uncontrollably. I never imagined that this place had so many rules. 　　"...Phew," the woman put the card back in her handbag, pouting as she sighed. Then she beckoned me...

She sat down at the table in the private room, poured me a glass of lemonade, and said,

"That's how it is... After all, this place has a good reputation. It targets a rather specific clientele.
To protect the privacy of its customers, they've established various rules and regulations. Otherwise, do you think so many
women like me would choose to come here for entertainment? Because of these rules, we can have
fun without worrying about anything getting out..."

Hearing her say this, I had to temporarily abandon my plan to search for Yan Jing directly in the building. I picked up
the glass she handed me, took a sip of water, and casually asked, "Jianming told me you're Master Wu's
woman ... Aren't you angry that you come to a place like this?"

Hearing me ask her this question, a hint of melancholy appeared on the woman's face.

"Master Wu is a good man...and he's very good to me. Without him, I'd probably be no different from those women who
sell . You should know that Master Wu has many women around him, not just me,
so he can't possibly take care of everyone. It's good if he comes to see me once a month. He knows this himself, and he knows that
women have normal needs, so he
doesn't care too much about me occasionally going out to find a man to satisfy my physical needs. You might not know, but a while ago he even suggested that if I found a man I liked, I should marry him
. Besides that bar, he was even willing to give me some money as a dowry. However, I think I might have really fallen in love with him.
I know he can't give me a proper status, but I just can't bear to leave him..."

I was slightly surprised, but then I gave her a thumbs up. "Hearing you say that, Master Wu
really is a very open-minded and carefree person. He's definitely worthy of a woman's love."

The woman smiled happily when I praised her man.
After pouring herself a glass of water and taking a sip, she offered her opinion on my coming here to find someone.

"If you're sure the girl with the mole on her eyebrow is here, I suggest
you sit here with me in this private room and wait a bit longer. This club only has one
exit on the first floor. Unless she climbs over the toilet like you did, I reckon she'll eventually
pass through here and leave. Just keep an eye on the entrance passage, and you'll find her
..."

The woman's suggestion made sense, but it wasn't very feasible for me. As soon as Zhou Jingyi
finished her overtime work, I needed to meet her as agreed. Although she might be busy until the early hours, she would eventually finish. If
Yan Jing hadn't shown up by the time I asked her to call, my pursuit would be in vain.

Noticing my hesitant expression, the woman frowned. Assuming I was in a dilemma
, she asked... "What exactly do you want with that girl? It's inconvenient for you to walk around here,
but as a female member, I have much more freedom than you and can access the facilities on other floors.
How about I walk around and ask around for you?"

"This..." I smiled wryly. I got along well with this woman, and we
clicked , but I didn't even know her real name. How could I possibly tell
her everything about Yan Jing, our relationship, and so on, and ask her to search for her?

The woman blinked, then shook her head and laughed. "I'm sorry... I forgot, this is only
our second meeting. We don't even know each other's names, so you probably feel awkward asking me for help.
My name is Guo Ling... And you? Yan Lao Er's older brother, your surname should be Yan, right?"

"Yan, Yan Ping." Faced with Guo Ling's cheerful personality, I finally introduced myself.

After we confirmed that we knew each other, Guo Ling immediately pointed to various places on the second and first floors and
began to explain the club to me.

"This place is basically the same as the disco outside, the only difference is that women can
pay to find male prostitutes here. Look at those men sitting on the side of the first floor, nine out of ten of them are in that line of work.
Also, I heard the owner is gay, so gay men and lesbians like to gather here.
Right now, the men sitting here, apart from the gay men and male prostitutes, are almost all
here to experience this kind of place. After all, they're not gay themselves, but many people are still curious about these things. I brought my
brother here once. But after one time, he didn't want to come again. It's okay now, later on, there are
other second floor, I guarantee you'll see everything there."

"You mean, people are doing it right here in the lobby?"

Guo Ling smiled. "It happens all the time... When the police aren't checking, the security guards here don't really
care. But most people prefer a more private environment. So
there are private rooms on the second floor, the third and fourth floors, and even the basement. Women who come here usually find
male prostitutes they go straight to a private room. Let me tell you... I was just
eyeing that guy in the trench coat in the lower left corner across the street. I was about to go out and ask one of the staff to
call him up to chat and see if he's a good match. And then I bumped into you! Hehe."

Guo Ling said casually, but I felt embarrassed. "I'm so sorry to have disrupted your plans,"

Guo Ling waved her hand. "It's nothing... I come here mostly to chat with people,
or to find someone to dance with, or to watch the song and dance performances. I don't always book a room."

"With your looks, do you really need to come to a place like this to find men? I don't believe you don't have any men pursuing you?"
At this moment, I couldn't think of a good way to drag Yan Jing out of this building,
so I patiently chatted with Guo Ling. Through her, I could learn a lot about this club.
If Yan Jing came here often, I would be more confident in catching her next time.

"Yes... but you don't know. Once you've slept with them, they all keep bothering you. Master Wu
doesn't mind me finding men, but he's cleaned up several of these messes for me. I'm scared... In the end, I realized this place
is better. Male prostitutes... are all for money. Sleeping with them is a transaction, and afterwards you go back to what you were doing, and you
don't get into trouble."

"Hmm, that makes some sense. Many men go to prostitutes for the same reasons you mentioned... simply to solve..."
"It's a physiological need, I don't bear any emotional responsibility anymore." Guo Ling was very open and said whatever came to mind, and I
followed suit in my conversation.

Although I was talking to Guo Ling, my eyes were not off the situation in the lobby on the first floor.
The private room Guo Ling was in had an excellent view, with almost the entire lobby on the first floor in sight, and I could even observe the space extending from the
entrance . For this reason, after agreeing with Guo Ling's opinion, I quickly
caught a glimpse of a small incident taking place in a corner of the lobby.

The boy who had sneaked in before me was now in a corner of the lobby on the first floor, but it was obvious that
a boy his age was too conspicuous in this kind of place, so he was quickly noticed by
a security guard and subdued. The thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy was naturally no
match for the strong adult male, and after failing to resist, he was grabbed by the guard's arm. Moreover, the guard, perhaps worried that he
would shout disturb the many guests relaxing on the first and second floors, directly covered his mouth with his hand.

The boy struggled fiercely, twisting and kicking, making a commotion that, though not loud,
still attracted the attention of a few tables of patrons nearby.

I watched the scene unfold downstairs with interest, speculating about what would happen to the child.

The security at this blue-themed slow-rock bar was indeed very strict. In fact, during the short time Guo Ling invited me into her
private room to talk, at least two people,
either . One of them casually glanced into Guo Ling's room.
Because of Guo Ling's cover, I was easily mistaken for a normal male guest accompanying her
. The little boy, however, was clearly not as lucky. Although he managed to sneak
downstairs, he was eventually caught by the ever-present, patrolling security personnel.

The guard grabbed the child and headed towards the exit; I suspect he
intended to throw him out the door. After all, the other party was a minor. Even if he
had sneaked in, the security guards were unlikely to do anything too outrageous to the child; at most,
they would just kick him out. However, what happened next was unexpected.

Some of the guests at the tables who had been alerted suddenly stood up, walked over to the security guard, and
negotiated showing him their membership cards. The security guard was taken aback at first,
and I don't understand the details of their conversation, but in the end, he put the boy down and handed his hand to the woman
who had spoken to him .

The woman then led the boy back to her seat, but before she could even sit down, another woman in her seat
suddenly stood up, grabbed the boy, and dragged him quickly away, following the edge of the path
to the stairwell below my and Guo Ling's private room.

Because of the distance and the dim lighting in the hall, I could only roughly distinguish the genders of the people involved by their clothing
. The boy, because of his small stature, was extremely conspicuous in this setting and
I quickly recognized him. When the woman leading the boy reached the stairwell, I recognized her
…it was Zhang Lu!

Chapter 130

The boy struggled, but being young, he was dragged by Zhang Lu to the corner upstairs. The private room
Guo Ling were in was the first one at the top of the stairs. Zhang Lu didn't go any further, perhaps thinking the corner
was quiet enough, and without noticing the people in the adjacent room, she started talking to the boy. I overheard their
conversation …

“Xiao Rui, who let you here? How did you get in?” Zhang Lu's tone was filled with
exasperation and surprise.

“Hmph…” The boy didn't respond, only letting out a heavy snort. Although I couldn't see him, I
could imagine his expression and attitude.

Seeing the boy's silence, Zhang Lu's breathing became heavy, and then I heard a crisp slap
. Zhang Lu lowered her voice, but her tone was almost a roar as she scolded the boy: "
Were you secretly following Mom? Who told you to do that? Tell me, tell me!"

The boy was clearly extremely stubborn; even after being slapped by Zhang Lu, he gritted his teeth and remained silent!

Faced with the boy's behavior, Zhang Lu was somewhat at a loss. She took a long breath, seemingly adjusting
her emotions, and then adopted a slightly calmer tone.

"Xiao Rui, how old are you? Is it appropriate for you to come to a place like this? Mom and Aunt Liu are adults. We're tired from work
and came here to relax and have some fun. This place is really not for a child your age. Look at you
... how dangerous was that? If Aunt Liu hadn't gone over to explain for you, the security guards here might have taken you to
the police station ... the police station! Aren't you afraid?"

Zhang Lu's words, a mix of coaxing and cajoling, finally had some effect. The boy seemed worried he'd actually
be taken to the police station and face the officers, and a sob escaped his lips, sounding aggrieved…

Hearing this, Guo Ling and I exchanged a glance, but both remained silent.

The boy sniffled and sobbed, “Mom, you lied to me… You lied to Dad too! You said you were working overtime at work
today , but actually you came out with Aunt Liu to find a man!”

Hearing this, I didn't know what Zhang Lu's expression was, but
Guo Ling across from me raised her eyebrows nonchalantly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

The boy's words clearly put Zhang Lu in an extremely awkward position. She didn't say a word for a long time before
finally asking, “Did Dad know you followed Mom?”

“Dad was called to work overtime after dinner… I was going to the stadium to play soccer, but I saw you
and Aunt Liu, so I followed you…”

“Hoo…”

I heard Zhang Lu let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, Xiao Rui, Mommy is sorry, Mommy apologizes. Mommy shouldn't have hit you... Can you
promise Mommy something?"

"Hmm..."

"What you saw today, when you get home, please don't tell your dad, okay? If you promise, Mommy will help..."
"Buy that game console you wanted last time!"

Guo Ling, sitting opposite me, covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "Does she think her son is
a child ? Trying to

bribe him with a game console?" I shrugged noncommittally. However, what happened next seemed to confirm Guo Ling's prediction.
Although I didn't know exactly what expression the boy gave his mother, it was clear that this boy named Xiao Rui seemed to
have refused…

Zhang Lu's breathing became heavy again; clearly, she was thinking about how to
win her son over this time to avoid her husband finding out what she had done.

"Xiao Rui… um, um… besides that game console, is there anything else you want? Tell
Mom , and Mom will try to get it for you." Finally, she started to escalate the offer.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Rui spoke, "Mom... I know you're trying to bribe me! Let me tell you,
I know everything you've been hiding from Dad and me outside... You and Uncle Lin also..."

Just then, Zhang Lu's female companion, who had negotiated with the security guard and pulled Xiao Rui back, arrived and went up
the stairs. Zhang Lu, for some reason, immediately stopped Xiao Rui from saying what she was about to say. The female companion then
took the initiative to greet Zhang Lu.

"Okay, I've already booked a room at the guest room department. Let's go there and talk to Xiao Rui... There are quite a few people
passing by ..."

"Okay... you lead the way, Xiao Rui... come with Mom!"

Then, I saw Zhang Lu and her female companion, holding Xiao Rui's hand, walk down the stairs and enter the passageway
opposite my private room that led to the upper floor.

After confirming that the three had entered the passage, before I could even speak, Guo Ling across from me
said , "Tch, this kid's already like this, who knows what kind of bastard he'll be when he grows up! But with
a mother like that, it's not surprising that he'd produce such a little bastard..."

I was stunned, not understanding why Guo Ling would suddenly say something like that, and then tried to ask,
"Who are you referring to? That child?"

"You're right..." Guo Ling raised her glass, took a sip, and said, "You're a man,
you didn't observe carefully. Didn't you notice?
When , his little eyes kept glancing at their butts..."

I blinked. Although Guo Ling didn't say it explicitly, the implication in her words was clear.

"Are you kidding? That kid looks no more than fourteen..."

"Kids these days mature early... You think they're all like you were back then, malnourished and stunted
? Hmm... telling you doesn't seem so bad! Let me tell you... guess how old I was when I lost my virginity?"
Guo Ling looked at me lazily.

I shook my head, somewhat bewildered. How could I possibly guess?

"Twelve years old..." Guo Ling glanced at me dismissively, and before I could recover from my shock,
she dropped even more shocking statement. "I was raped... my cousin raped me! He's only a year older than me,
thirteen!" After saying that, Guo Ling clearly recalled a past she didn't want to remember. She immediately slumped down
...

After a long while, noticing that I was still in a state of shock, she gave a self-deprecating laugh. "
...Actually, you don't need to be surprised. This is very common nowadays...Some girls develop
like fifteen or sixteen-year-olds at twelve or thirteen. Boys chasing girls at thirteen or fourteen are everywhere too. I have a distant
cousin who's only fifteen this year. He's handsome, and girls are swarming around him like flies. He said he
slept with a woman two years ago, and he's had seven or eight girlfriends since then..."

Guo Ling's explanation left me speechless.

I remembered when I was sixteen, before the huge changes in my family, I only knew how to play around with my friends...
Although I had some vague physical urges, I didn't really have much
of that kind of awareness between men and women. Until that day...

Unconsciously, I remembered that night, the blood-stained,
yet ...At the same time, my lower body reacted.
I quickly pressed my forehead, trying my best to suppress the memory in my mind.

"...Back then, because I was hiding under the bed, I only saw her body, not what she actually
looked like ! Damn... If I had been bolder and peeked out a little, I probably would have seen everything
..."

Guo Ling, of course, had no idea what I was really thinking, but she
noticed my physical change from my heavier breathing and chuckled.

"Really? You're that sensitive? You got a reaction after just a few words?" Clearly, she
had in the sex industry. She had no inhibitions about this.

"...How about I get you a room here? I'll pay, since I'm here to find a man
... But let's be clear, just sex, don't bother me afterwards." Guo Ling said teasingly.

I knew she was mostly joking. Besides, I knew perfectly well what my real purpose was in coming here,
so I replied with a wry smile, "Sis... don't tease me, okay? I'm here to find someone. Besides, you
're gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare touch you!" Then I immediately changed the subject...

"But you said before that the kid was having designs on his mother... I really don't believe it. If that
kid really had those thoughts... that would be incest between mother and son! You can't just guess like that!"

Guo Ling immediately raised her eyebrows, her tone quite confident, "Don't believe me? Just wait and see...
That little bastard seems very smart. I reckon he's been planning this for a while now...
This time he followed his mother to a place like this to put psychological pressure on her and at the same time get
leverage over her. I studied psychology in college... I can deduce
what kind of crazy ideas he's having from that kid's every word and action!"

"You... you went to college?" I asked, somewhat incredulous.

"What's wrong? Is it strange that I went to college?" Guo Ling frowned. "I just didn't want to..."
Like the other women in the village, I spent my whole life being bullied by men in my hometown. So I studied desperately... thinking that going to
university would change my life! But... after graduating from university, I realized that this society is all about background and
connections. Even if I went to university, without those things, I couldn't find a good job. In the end, I had no choice but
to go into prostitution, but luckily I met Master Wu... It seems you still look down on me
..."

"No, no, that's not true... You at least went to university, I didn't even go to university! Really, my
undergraduate degree is all self-taught after I started working, I can't compare to you, you should have a regular full-time degree, right? That's
much more impressive than me."

Guo Ling chuckled, and just as she was about to say something sarcastic, the lights in the hall suddenly dimmed
, and the blues music that had been playing suddenly stopped.

Noticing this, Guo Ling immediately turned her chair around and looked excitedly at the first-floor hall.
"I'm not talking to you anymore... Hurry up and look, the Tattooed Band is about to come on!"

"Tattooed Band?" I was stunned for a moment, looking around in confusion. I noticed that the guests in
the private rooms and the booths downstairs had all quieted down, and their eyes
were all focused on the center of the dance floor. The guests who had been dancing and singing on the dance floor had all left and returned
to their seats.

Guo Ling noticed my confusion and immediately explained to me. "Let me tell you... this place used to
be just so-so, nowhere near as crowded as it is now. But a few months ago, they brought in
a rock band called 'Tattooed Faces'! This band is really unique, they've become incredibly popular here these past few months.
Whenever there's a performance announcement, a lot of people rush over to support them... I'm a fan of this band too! I came
here because I saw the performance announcement in the members' circle. To be honest, seeing the band perform is my top priority here
, finding a guy is secondary..."

Guo Ling hadn't finished speaking when a deafening drumbeat erupted. Under the spotlight, a large, leather-covered drum, easily two or three people tall, appeared at the edge
of the dance floor ! A shirtless man with tattoos
held drumsticks, striking the drumhead rapidly and forcefully. After a burst of intense drumbeats, the man turned to face
the audience and raised his hand in greeting! Then came a burst of enthusiastic cheers from the audience…

“Did you see the tattoo on that man’s face? Every member of this band gets their face
tattooed , so they’re called the Tattooed Band!” Guo Ling was particularly excited. After standing up and cheering like the other audience members,
she sat down and enthusiastically explained the origin of the band’s name to me.

After gesturing to the audience, the tattooed man turned around again, first slowly, then gradually increasing in speed,
finally using a series of exciting drumbeats to introduce the melody that followed… A bassist and a guitarist
rushed from the edge of the venue to the center of the dance floor, playing their instruments as they quickly moved, their music
perfectly …

Many audience members danced wildly to the rhythm of the music, letting out all sorts of screams.

Watching Guo Ling’s similar movements, I suddenly became unusually calm!

“…Pink smoke…Mind-Bending Technique!”

The entire venue, within the vision of my Crimson Lotus Eye, was filled with a
faint red smoke that was imperceptible to the naked eye. This smoke was the same as what I was seeing in Daye. The smoke from Rinpoche's Dharma assembly was almost
identical ! Only this smoke was much thinner… but judging from the fervent reaction of the audience,
even the thinner smoke was highly effective!

At that moment, my brow furrowed. I never imagined… that I would
encounter someone using such evil magic to control others' minds in such a setting! In

the center of the hall, spotlights lit up one after another… the drum kit and keyboard on the dance floor
appeared …

accompanied by the simultaneous bursts of smoke from the smoke-generating devices around the dance floor, the band's lead singer was "descended from the sky" from the very center of the dance floor,
pulled by a steel wire!

The lead singer carried a guitar on his back, his upper body wrapped in a short cape, the attached hood covering
the rest of his head except for his face. The upper half of his face was covered by a half-mask, and the exposed lower half of his face,
like the other band members, had facial tattoos etched on his cheeks.

When I saw the lead singer's attire, I was almost stunned! The lead singer's outfit and attire were almost identical to the tattooed banshee

I'd seen in the underground cavern of Xia Yu City ! The only difference was that the banshee didn't wear the half-mask; she merely pulled her cloak and hood low, obscuring most of her face. She also wasn't carrying a guitar. Finally, I noticed that the patterns on the lead singer's face seemed slightly different from the ones I'd seen on the banshee's face. Otherwise… the moment I saw the lead singer, I would have almost thought the tattooed banshee had appeared before me in public! 　　The lead singer landed and immediately struck a half-kneeling pose! While doing so, he removed the wire hook from his back and moved the guitar from behind to the front. This series of movements, even I had to admit , was incredibly stylish and powerful, giving a sense of strength and beauty! 　　Under the spotlight, the lead singer quickly strummed his guitar, completing the melody in harmony with the other instruments. Then, he opened his mouth and began to sing in an almost androgynous voice. 　　At first, I was only paying attention to the lead singer's every move, until Guo Ling screamed beside me, "Wow, this is a new song! The lyrics are so wild!" Only then did I notice the lyrics the lead singer was singing. Listening closely … I almost tilted my chair and fell to the ground. 　　"...Flames rise in the East, light shines in the West, the crimson lotus burns in all directions! Burning away all sins, extinguishing all evil, the demons of the underworld sing! From the west coast of the Pacific to the east coast of the Atlantic, souls soar! Even God fears, even Allah retreats, no one can resist. Your power destroys everything, your majesty shakes all directions… You are, you are… the world-destroying light of hell…" 　　I blinked frantically, staring incredulously at the lead singer jumping and dancing in the center of the dance floor. At that moment, I was truly dumbfounded… 　　"What… what song is this? What kind of nonsense is this?!"

I actually know a little about music, thanks to my grandmother's influence from a young age. As an adult, I've developed a particular passion for European
classical music, even taking the time to learn the violin. I'm not very good, but I can
manage a few simple basic pieces. However, I'm completely clueless about rock music, and I don't like it at all—in fact, I find it rather repulsive! Therefore, I know nothing
about the specific melodies or lyrics of rock songs . To me, rock music, especially the current heavy metal genre , is too noisy and has lost the beauty of melody. 　　After staring at the lead singer for a while, and then checking the chart again with the Firefly chart, I finally realized what it was! 　　"Fuck your mother... Yan Jing, you little brat! No wonder you ended up in a place like this, and I couldn't see you when ! So you're the lead singer of this damn tattooed band!" 　　"What the hell is this song? Are you making fun of your older brother with this stuff? You just wait... after you finish singing, I'll come backstage and wait for you! Let's see where you can run this time!" 　　I finally confirmed Yan Jing's identity through the Red Lotus diagram and the lead singer's figure, and at the same time, I was trembling with anger at her made-up bullshit rock lyrics! 　　She said that she and her mother had been secretly monitoring my situation! She and her mother were obviously not ordinary people , and they should have known about my identity as Red Lotus by now. But this girl actually wrote a song about Red Lotus and sang it so proudly in this kind of place. At this moment, I really wanted to lose my temper! 　　However, I managed to maintain some rationality. This was not the right place for me to lose my temper. Attracting the security guards here is a minor issue; the real problem is alerting Yan Jing and letting her slip away from me, which would be a huge loss. 　　"...I'll endure it!" I tried my best to suppress my anger. At the same time, I asked Guo Ling, 　　"The lead singer came down from upstairs... Could it be the actors' dressing room or something upstairs?" 　　Guo Ling was caught up in the frenzy under the influence of the music and the faint mind-controlling spell, but thankfully, the spells Yan Jing and the others used seemed to be merely to enhance the music's impact on the audience, not to actually control anyone's mind. So, after I asked twice, Guo Ling finally realized what I meant. However, it was clear that she was quite unhappy that I had prevented her from joining this "melody carnival," and she replied impatiently, " The third floor above the dance floor is the actors' dressing room. There's a gate on the floor that can be opened and closed, which is specifically prepared for performances that require this kind of effect." After saying that, she turned around and started swaying, jumping, and screaming wildly again. 　　Previously, Guo Ling had left me with the impression of an "intellectual beauty," but now, she completely overturned that perception. I shook my head helplessly... 　　Looking at the almost frenzied crowd in the hall, I frowned. I am a Red Lotus, so mind-controlling techniques have no effect on me. Furthermore, I have no interest in rock music, so the music's own appeal is currently useless to me. In the entire hall, I was the only one maintaining a detached, detached attitude as I observed the "tattooed band" in the center of the dance floor. After a moment... I suddenly noticed a detail . 　　Not only the audience, but even the security personnel originally stationed around the venue seemed to be affected by Yan Jing's mind-controlling technique, almost forgetting their duties, and dancing enthusiastically to the intense rhythm. 　　"…Interesting, this might be an opportunity!" 　　I glanced at the passageway leading to the upper floors on the opposite side. The two security guards who had been waiting there were still standing near the passageway, but they had moved to the back row of the dance floor, behind the audience, and all their attention and focus were drawn to Yan Jing and her group performing. Confirming this, I quietly left the private room, went downstairs to the first floor, and circled around the edge of the venue to the passageway, then silently climbed the stairs. These security guards, who had once been the biggest obstacle in this building, didn't even notice my movements. 　　Once on the stairs, I sneered. "You brat…you reap what you sow! I'm going to the dressing room to wait for you. When you're done performing and come back to change, let's see where you run then!" 　　As I rounded the corner of the stairs, the music in the lobby began to fade, and as I reached the second floor, the music gradually stopped. Then, I heard Yan Jing's deliberately feigned androgynous voice! 　　"Thank you... thank you everyone! This song, 'Crimson Flame,' is a new song I just finished yesterday. I hope you all like it... This song is actually a gift for my older brother! I wrote it because I got the inspiration from him ! But... I haven't had a chance to sing it to him yet. You are the first listeners of this song!" 　　A burst of drumming noise came from outside the stairwell, followed by the audience chanting : "sky... sky... sky... sky..." 　　"sky? Sky? Is that Yan Jing's stage name? Damn it... I think a friend of mine has a husky with that name too!" I thought to myself, maliciously belittling Yan Jing. 　　"Thank you, thank you... Next, I'll be performing a song from Germany, adapted : 'Kristallnacht'..." 　　The new melody and new song quickly drew everyone's attention back to the performing band. This allowed me to easily pass behind the security guards on the second floor, whose attention was also drawn , and climb the stairs to the third floor. 　　The building's soundproofing between floors was excellent; after turning the stairs on the second floor and reaching the third floor, the previously deafening rock music below quickly quieted down. Realizing this, I deliberately suppressed the noise of my footsteps and entered the third-floor corridor. 　　Perhaps because Yan Jing's "Tattooed Band" held such a strong appeal for the guests, the third floor, which housed the overnight guest rooms and the actors' rest and preparation rooms, was almost deserted. After turning a corner, I saw a door in the central corridor with a sign that read "Performers' Rest Room . "

Reaching the closed door of the lounge
, I could faintly hear
music drifting up from the floor below, perhaps because the barrier designed for performers to "descend from the ceiling" was still open and operational.

"Looks like this is it! Okay… your brother'll wait here until you're done performing
!" I thought, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall by the door.

A few minutes later, a door opened at the corner of the corridor. My heart skipped a beat
; my assumption that the third floor was empty was wrong. I couldn't tell if
the person was a guest or staff. If a guest, I wouldn't have to worry, but
if it was staff, my lack of a membership card might cause trouble.
Realizing , I quickly surveyed the corridor and discovered the public restroom was diagonally opposite the
lounge. Seeing the restroom sign, I got up and hurried into the men's restroom. I slipped into the toilet
stall and closed the door behind me.

Soon, I heard two distinct
footsteps: high heels clicking on the floor and sneakers scraping against the pavement. The footsteps grew closer, eventually leading directly into the women's restroom across the hall.

"Okay… Mom came out as you asked. It's just you and me here… Aunt Liu
is waiting for us in her room! You can tell me now… What do you want? What do you want Mom to do to forgive
her ? Xiao Rui… Tell me… Tell Mom?"

Despite her attempts to keep her voice down, the sounds from the women's
restroom .

Hearing that familiar voice, I realized what was going on.

"It's Zhang Lu? And her son, Xiao Rui?"

Chapter 131

"We've been separated for so many years, and this woman's son is so grown up… What does it have to do with me?"

I reminded myself, pulling out a cigarette and putting it in my mouth. I took out a lighter, ready to light it, then
put it down again. The third floor was too quiet. I was sure even the slightest sound, like lighting a fire, would easily
travel to the next room and be noticed by the mother and son.

Logically, if they realized someone was in the men's restroom, they would likely immediately move to another area
they were sure was empty to talk, which would make it easier for me to wait for Yan Jing's decision. But
for some reason, I developed a strong voyeuristic urge. I was really looking forward to overhearing something private…

I attributed this to boredom while waiting, or perhaps to
confirming some of Guo Ling's earlier speculation.

Faced with Zhang Lu's question, which already sounded somewhat pleading, Xiao Rui didn't answer directly, but instead
made a series of hesitant "uh-huhs."

Zhang Lu seemed a little anxious; I could hear the sound of her high heels clattering on the floor.

After a while, Xiao Rui finally spoke
softly in his recently puberty, hoarse voice, but instead of directly answering his mother's question, he brought up something else
that seemed completely unrelated to the current issue between him and his mother.

"...Last month, when I went to my grandpa's house, he asked me to help him sort through his old books.
Besides , I also saw your old notebooks and exercise books..." Xiao
Rui stopped there, seemingly keeping her story a secret.

But Zhang Lu seemed to realize something and suddenly pressed for details. "...Besides
notebooks and exercise books, what else did you see?" "...

And, and your diaries from when you were in school and when you first started working."

*Thump...* That was the sound of a body hitting the wooden partition.

I sat on the toilet seat with my legs crossed, glancing unconsciously at
the wall . Judging from the sound, the impact must have come from behind that wall. At the same time, I unconsciously
rubbed my right index finger and thumb back and forth...

The woman's breathing next door grew heavier, and after a while, Zhang Lu spoke again,
her voice trembling slightly.

"...You...you read Mom's diary?"

Xiao Rui didn't answer, but he must have confirmed the fact through nodding or other means, which is why Zhang
Lu asked this question next.

"...What...what did you read?"

"I read it all, everything! After reading it, I realized...I'm not Dad's son!"
The boy's voice during puberty was as unpleasant as it could be, and combined with the content of his words,
it was almost indistinguishable from the soul-binding sounds coming from hell to Zhang Lu. The sound of the partition hitting her body again
fully illustrated Zhang Lu's current state of mind.

As her son, Xiao Rui showed no awareness of his mother's feelings at this moment, and then continued,
almost coldly.

"...When Mom married Dad, she was already pregnant with me! And Mom, you wrote it
very clearly in your diary that you married Dad just to find me a father. You don't love Dad at all!"

"...Enough! Enough! Stop talking!" Zhang Lu tried to stop her son's words with a trembling voice. But
Xiao Rui showed no sign of stopping.

"Mom, back then you were dating several men at the same time, including Dad.
Besides Uncle Lin, your favorite was a man named Yan Ping..."

Hearing my name from next door, I subconsciously whistled very quietly, thinking to myself,
"Not too bad, at least second..." The speed at which I rubbed my two fingers together unconsciously increased
.

"So, after you realized your period hadn't come, you initially wanted to marry that Yan Ping. But you quickly
realized it was too difficult! Because that Yan Ping seemed to really like you, and because of that liking,
he was working tirelessly in the field for a period of time to provide you with better material conditions in the future. You wrote in your diary that you were very moved by
this , but because of this, you couldn't marry him. Therefore, considering the timing of the pregnancy..."
He happened to be on a large-scale archaeological project during that time, accompanying and interviewing people. And you said he's very
smart, so you couldn't hide the time from him, which is why you resorted to Dad. Because Dad
slept with you the month you were pregnant with me and the month before. Although we used condoms, we did it for a while before putting them on
, and sometimes men can leak semen before ejaculation. So Dad couldn't be sure it wasn't
his child..."

"...Xiao Rui, you, you, do you know what you're saying? You, you're only thirteen!
How can you understand these things!" Zhang Lu's voice next door was almost terrified.

"Phew... Kids these days are really something! It seems Guo Ling's speculation is quite reasonable
... Is this something a son should say to his mother?" I stirred the cigarette filter in my mouth with my tongue,
finding it hard to believe the precociousness of this boy named Xiao Rui.

"...Mom, I don't really understand either. But isn't this all what you wrote in your diary? I
just wrote it all down. I remember you regretted it in your diary... According to you
, you regretted being so careless when you got pregnant with me. Otherwise, you might have been able to get together with that Yan Ping
... Didn't you write it very clearly in your diary? That Yan Ping's penis is the biggest and hardest
among all and he's a veteran, so he's got great stamina and can go on for an hour without rest
, which you always enjoy very much..."

"...Slap!" A crisp slap interrupted the boy's story. At the same time, Zhang Lu's sobs came
through .

"Xiao Rui, what, what do you mean by all this? What do you want from your mother? I'm your mother... What are
you trying to do?" The

boy, who had been slapped, seemed to take two steps back. He didn't seem
to care about his mother's loss of composure at this moment, and instead continued to speak even more aggressively.

"...Mom, hitting me won't help! Even if you beat me to death, it won't change the fact
that ! In your diary, besides confirming that I'm not Yan Ping's son, you couldn't even figure out
whose child I am. Because in the days you speculated about being pregnant with me, you slept with at least five men!
Uncle Lin is of course the most likely, because he was with you the most, but even so, you still couldn't be sure
I'm Uncle Lin's child. Mom...do you know how heartbroken I was when I saw that part of the diary
? I just realized I'm a bastard!"

The boy initially maintained his slightly timid tone, but then his voice grew stronger and stronger!
The last sentence was like a sharp knife, deeply wounding Zhang Lu. At this moment, in front of her child
, Zhang Lu completely lost her dignity as a mother, and she began to sob.

"Xiao Rui, Mom begs you, Mom begs you... Please stop talking, okay? All Mom wants to know is what you want from what you
're telling me . What do you want?"

I squinted, watching my two fingers unconsciously rubbing together.
With , the skin on the tips of my right index finger and thumb began to change color, from flesh to red, then
deepening, and gradually approaching crimson...

"...I don't want anything. I just want to tell you, Mom, that I know all this." The boy's words
were ambiguous. Not only me, Zhang Lu clearly realized this as well.

"You...you won't tell Dad, right? You're telling Mom, is that what you're thinking?"

The boy hesitated for a moment before responding. "No...I won't tell. How could I tell Dad...
If he finds out, he'll definitely divorce you, Mom, and our family will break up. I don't want that."

"Phew," Zhang Lu let out a long breath, followed by heavy, continuous breathing as if she had just escaped a disaster.

Apart from Zhang Lu's breathing, the bathroom next door was temporarily quiet.

I stared blankly at the changing colors of my two fingers, involuntarily recalling
details from before and after my breakup with Zhang Lu.

"...So the real reason for our breakup was pregnancy? Haha...you fool! You still
felt a sliver of guilt and self-reproach towards her! I knew it...I exposed an
illegal administrative act at her workplace. But what government agency or
public institution , the Public Security Bureau, the Industry and Commerce Bureau, and the Urban Management Brigade
have at least 80 to 100 illegal administrative acts exposed by the media every year. And none of my colleagues who were dating those companies immediately started
arguing and breaking up, did they? She felt she couldn't hide it from me, so she simply cut ties! Zhang Lu
, you're much more cunning than I thought. That's right...the last time I slept with her was
three months before our breakup. At the time, I thought we were a couple, so I was thinking about earning money at the group company..."
To improve my chances of getting an administrative position after marriage, I participated in several large-scale interview assignments.
No one else wanted to go on those assignments, except me, who felt I had a chance to improve my family and focus on my career
. Now it seems that step was unintentionally the right one. If I hadn't participated in those field assignments, I probably
would have had a relationship with her around the time of her unexpected pregnancy, and if she said the child was mine, I might have
actually believed her. Every cloud has a silver lining… Now it seems that her separation from me was a good thing. Otherwise, it
wouldn't be her current husband who's having a headache now, but me. Hmm… what was her husband's name again? Right,
I think I heard it at the yoga studio last time, something like Liu Yuanzhou… then this child named Xiao Rui must be
named Liu Rui.”

Just then, a slightly panicked, soft shout came from next door. "...Xiao...Xiao Rui, what...
what are you doing?"

Then came the sound of soft physical contact. Although the other person tried to lower their voice again, my
hearing was now far superior to that of an ordinary person, so I easily heard the boy named Liu Rui
whispering something in his mother's ear.

"Mom...I don't mean anything by it, I just...I just want to kiss you! I remember when we were little, you
often kissed me and told me to kiss you too. Why do you dodge when I kiss you now?"

My rapidly rubbing fingers underwent a startling change; the crimson fingertips gleamed faintly as they intertwined.
A few sparks appeared, initially just a few scattered ones, but as the movements continued,
the number of sparks generated by the friction gradually increased…

“…Xiao Rui, could it be…you mean…?” Zhang Lu was clearly in a
state of complete panic.

A “thud” sounded again as her back hit the partition. Liu Rui’s breathing became heavy and
labored.

“Mom, Mom…please, please…you don’t know how much I love you. Just once…just
once , please. I will never tell Dad about what happened today, or what’s in your diary.”

The sounds of their bodies twisting and hitting each other were faint, but I heard them clearly. However, I
had no intention of showing myself to stop them.

At this moment, I was completely immersed in observing my fingers and sensing a certain power within my body
. I vaguely felt that I was about to grasp something; if I just continued,
in a little while , I would be able to completely master something.

Actually, my mind was exceptionally clear at this moment; I
knew perfectly well . But a cold indifference completely consumed my thoughts. At that moment,
everything happening around me and its consequences were irrelevant; all I could see were my two fingers and
the constantly flashing sparks.

"Don't do this… Xiao Rui, I'm your mother… I'm your mother!" As an adult, Zhang Lu's
strength and physical abilities were originally superior to Liu Rui's. But clearly, she was now completely panicked and
confused , unaware of her original absolute advantage. Her womanly nature led her
to constantly evade and retreat in the face of facts beyond her comprehension.

"Mom… please. Didn't you ask me what I wanted? I don't want anything, I just want Mom…"

The sounds of the toilet stall partition opening and closing, the sounds of her body hitting the wall and other objects, came one after another
…

"…I know, I know. I'll tell Dad everything about the diary, and about you, Uncle Lin, and
Aunt ."

The boy made continuous efforts and attempts, but all failed. Finally, in a fit of anger, the boy began to
threaten his mother. This was undoubtedly fatal for Zhang Lu!

"...No! Xiao Rui, no... Ugh, ugh." The mother gave herself away, and the boy seized on
it, successfully silencing her.

The sound of clothes being torn apart followed. After a while, the muffled sounds gradually turned into
smacking sounds with a certain interactive quality. Accompanying these sounds were the rapid breathing of a man and a woman. At this moment, who
could tell the exact ages of the man and woman making those sounds, or their relationship?

"Mom... I swear, Dad will never know. I'll help you with whatever you do.
I'll agree to whatever you ask me to do." The boy swore to his mother, panting heavily.

The mother remained silent, but her equally rapid and heavy breathing revealed
her true feelings.

"Promise Mom, just once, just this once, okay? We're mother and son... This is incest." Amidst
the panting , the mother finally responded weakly.

"I promise, I promise..." The boy's excitement was palpable. "Mom, touch this,
touch it... it's already hard."

"Mmm..." The mother's voice was barely audible.

Although my attention was focused on her fingers, when the sounds from next door reached my ears, I subconsciously
muttered, "...Once is never enough, can you control yourself?"

"Mom... I want to see your lower body... spread your legs, lift them up..."

"Yes, yes... like that..."

"...Take off your underwear!"

The boy kept making his demands to his mother, and she obviously complied...

A moment later, the boy's breathing suddenly became heavier; clearly, he had seen
what he had been dreaming of seeing. Immediately following, a series of intense, panting licking and sucking sounds came from nearby.

"No, no... it's dirty there. Ugh, ugh..." The mother's objections were merely verbal; the whimpers
that followed were probably her true reaction to her physical sensations.

At that very moment, a series of sparks flew as my two fingers rubbed together, rapidly colliding and merging.
A tiny, dark red flame, about the thickness of a finger, suddenly appeared at the tip of my index finger!

Gazing at this thriving flame, I pursed my lips and brought the cigarette I'd been holding in my mouth for so long to it
… The flame quickly ignited the cigarette. I took a deep drag, squinted, and savored the satisfying sensation of the
smoke through my body. Then I muttered to myself, "Hmm,
I can save money on a lighter now."

Soft moans drifted from the bathroom next door. The boy was working extra hard, his slurping breaths
and labored groans filling the air.

I leaned against the toilet tank, my pupils rolling upwards as I stared at the ceiling…

“Is incest between mothers and sons common these days? Or am I just cursed with this kind of thing? This is
the third couple I’ve run into… The worst part is, all three of these mother-son pairs have some connection to me!
Lin Meimei and her son are my best friend’s wife and son. I’ve known He Yanqiu’s mother for a long time. And now it’s Zhang Lu… she’s even one of my ex-girlfriends! It seems like it’s inevitable
that she’ll end up with her own son …” 　　“Should I go and stop them?” I exhaled a puff of smoke from my nostrils, the smoke rising and blurring my vision. "Tch, what's it to me... Zhang Lu's mother is a whore! I was blind to have fallen for her. Now she's been slept with by her own son, what does that have to do with me? Besides, the couple next door isn't the same as Lin Meimei and He Yanqiu's couples. Those two couples were instigated and seduced, and ultimately became demonized. I haven't noticed anything strange about this couple. If there were, I might need to intervene, but since it 's not , why should I bother? I have a ton of things to deal with myself, a mess I haven't cleaned up yet! As for Xu Yue's situation..."

"How am I supposed to face them? The performance's almost over... How can I catch that Yan Jing girl
?"

The voices from the women's restroom changed. Zhang Lu's breathing suddenly stopped, or rather, became
extremely weak. The boy's voice, however, became much clearer, mixed with his heavy breathing and
panting. I could hear him softly calling out "Mommy, Mommy, oh, oh" repeatedly.

"...Speaking of which...it seems that most men, more or less, will have some inappropriate thoughts about their mothers,
right? It's just that most of them can't realize it for various reasons. This kid
next door is bold enough, and his mind is insidious enough. It seems he actually succeeded! Guo Ling was right. He's
so young, yet he can scheme against his own mother, and he actually slept with her. When he grows up, I wonder how many
women ...Hmph, he's better than me. I always seem to be the one being schemed against by women...By the way, have I ever had
those kinds of thoughts about my mother? In psychology, it's called... Oedipus complex?"

"Probably not... I don't even know what my mom looks like! Oh right... I
was raised by my grandma, and in my mind, she's always been gentle and kind. She
was certainly a beauty when she was young, but ever since I was old enough to have those kinds of feelings, I've never
had any thoughts about her... As for my mom, I always thought she was dead, so I've never
had any thoughts about her... Now I finally know that my mom is still alive... Once I corner Yan Jing
, I'll have to pry the truth about my mom's current situation out of her... Wait!"

At this moment, I suddenly realized a crucial issue that I had just overlooked.

"Yan Jing came out to perform, and the outfit she wore was almost identical to what that succubus wore in the underground
cave ? And she's the lead singer of a band… Generally speaking, the lead singer
is usually the soul of the band or the person with actual decision-making power—the leader of the band!
Her band is called the Tattooed Face Band… Could it really just be because they paint patterns on their faces during their performances? I
remember that succubus also had tattoos on her face, and what she said when she stole those jewels from the leather factory
… Could it be…?"

Just as this thought popped into my head, a long ash fell from my cigarette butt, and my
body instinctively twisted to avoid it. This movement caused me to bump into the side panel of the cubicle, making
a distinct impact sound. The mother and child who had been groaning and making their movements in the next cubicle
immediately and fell into extreme silence…

After a while, the rustling sound of clothes being adjusted came over. Then, the stall partition
was pushed open, and the chaotic sounds of high heels and rubber-soled sneakers hitting the floor quickly extended from the bathroom into
the hallway outside, eventually fading and disappearing around the corner a short distance away.

I paid no attention to the noise, because I was deeply engrossed in a sudden, unbelievable idea that
had popped . But if this idea were true… I
suddenly realized that the terrible and bizarre tragedy that occurred in the old house in Qingyuan Town twenty years ago, and
the inexplicable people and events that had recently happened
around !

I lowered my head, staring blankly at my outstretched hands. As I thought, I felt
a sensation that had suddenly arisen within my body. This sensation originated from the moment I rubbed my fingers and successfully triggered the Crimson Lotus Flame between
them .

Under my watchful gaze, the skin on my hands began
to First, it turned red, then a deep crimson, like a red-hot iron, even emitting
scorching steam and a dim red glow that distorted the surrounding visual effect…

Accompanied by a sudden, nameless tremor, my outstretched hands trembled violently, and a thin layer of
visible, crimson flames instantly erupted from my palms,
burning intensely around them.

I gently rotated my hands back and forth, attempting to control the flames clinging to them. The flames, upon first
appearing , burned several holes in the cuff of my left sleeve. However, I quickly figured out
how to control the flames, preventing them from rising excessively and spreading.

"...I see. Emotional fluctuations, and my own subjective consciousness, are
key ! The various abilities Crimson Lotus possesses are triggered only under different emotional states and are
controlled by my actual inner consciousness. Hmm, not just overt conscious thought; what truly matters is
probably absolutely real subconsciousness deep within me, which I myself hadn't even noticed before."

"Damn, if that's the case, to unleash the various Crimson Lotus skills, wouldn't I need to constantly
switch my emotions? Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness... If others saw this, wouldn't they think I'm a madman or
a psychopath?"

"Sigh... the basic methods should be correct. However, in actual application, there probably
shouldn't be too much emotional shift or fluctuation, right? Judging from the stories of the Red Lotus members that Wang Lie and the others recounted,
it seems that none of them left any record of being capricious or having large emotional fluctuations... Hmm, that should be it
. I've only just discovered the basic methods; I can't even talk about the details or familiarity yet. Wang Lie
also said that almost all the Red Lotus members in history chose a method of self-cultivation, with Taoist disciples being
the most numerous . In the mid-Tang Dynasty, there was one who converted to Buddhism... That guy was also the most eccentric of all the Red Lotus members, one..." A
bald monk, leading a group of women, went around slaying demons and monsters. The key point is, the monk's sect seemed to be the Vinaya School.
I wonder what those high-ranking Vinaya monks were thinking back then, allowing a monk who didn't observe
the precepts against lust to remain in their sect? In the early Qing Dynasty, the last Red Lotus I knew became
a disciple of the School of Mind. From what I felt, Wang Shouren's theory of the unity of knowledge and action was extremely suitable for the Red Lotus power I currently possessed
. That's right, in the future, when I have time, I can read more books related to the Yangming School…”

I was extremely excited when I first mastered the Red Lotus Flame ability under Xia Yucheng, even though…
While I was under someone else's control, I couldn't contain my joy. But now, having realized I
've truly grasped the secrets and tricks of controlling the Crimson Lotus power, I no longer
feel the same way.

The reason lies in the almost
fantastical . The possibility of those ideas directly diminished my
joy at successfully discovering my own abilities.

"If it really is her... then many of her actions can be explained! But...
how do you explain those text messages she sent me? The first few were practically blatant flirtations!"

Just then, I heard relatively noisy footsteps coming from the third-floor stairwell, accompanied by
conversations among the people walking by...

"...I didn't expect it, Sky's 'Crimson Flame' was so well-received that we ended up having to
sing it twice!"

"You just didn't expect it! I predicted it when I saw the sheet music and lyrics yesterday. We
already have very few original compositions; it's always been her doing all the writing, or just adapting. Blues, you need to step
up your game. Last time you wrote one song and then abandoned it halfway through. We can't rely solely on Sky's efforts
! We're all men; if others knew that Sky was the only woman in our band, and also
the only member capable of original composition, we'd probably be too embarrassed to continue working with her."

"...You can't say that! Wasn't Wong Ka Kui the true
soul of Beyond? Whether we can write it or not is secondary; the key is to coordinate well with Sky! Gao Bin... Sky
felt your bass melody wasn't perfect enough during the ending, and when she came to my side, she told me
to remind you when I had a chance."

"Okay, we only practiced this song for one day. I'll
practice ..."

"...Hurry up, everyone! Sky should be back in the dressing room. Go help her carry things.
Don't you guys feel bad making her carry so much every time?"

Those coming upstairs were clearly members of the "Tattooed Face Band"! I raised an eyebrow, clenched my fists, and
the crimson flames swirling around my palms instantly extinguished. Then I stood up from the toilet seat, pushed open the stall
door, and walked out of the men's restroom...

As I walked out of the restroom, the dressing room door was also pushed open. Yan Jing removed the half-mask
from her face , held the phone to her ear, and gestured to
her companions who were walking towards the lounge. She impatiently spoke into the phone, "Mom... I know! Stop nagging,
okay? I was just about to tell you... Didn't you say you'd be keeping an eye on my brother these days? How come I
bumped into him at the deli when I went to buy the crystal pork knuckle? Luckily I reacted quickly and ran away... otherwise
, he might have cornered me..."

Yan Jing's attention was completely focused on the call, and her gaze was only on
her bandmates coming from the stairwell. She was completely unaware of me emerging from the side restroom on the other side.

I immediately rushed to her left and pushed her forcefully into the lounge.
Caught off guard, Yan Jing stumbled and was pushed back into the room!

"What? Who is it?" Yan Jing
shouted .

The flip-top partition on the floor was closed; the other three walls of the room had no windows or any doors leading to
other rooms; besides a few rows of clothes racks, there were only some musical instruments and other performance props... I
quickly assessed the situation in the room!

"Who are you? What do you want with Sky?"

The drummer, the tallest and strongest member of the band, who was walking at the front, shouted
and lunged at me. I dodged his attack, and as he stopped, I
slapped the wall beside his head with my right hand. As I struck, a red light flashed on my hand, and after I withdrew my right hand, a dark, dented palm print appeared on
the wall !

Of course, I didn't have enough strength to leave such a mark on the wallpapered brick wall; instead, I added the Crimson Lotus Flame to my palm at the moment of impact, relying on the heat of the Crimson Lotus Flame to forcibly burn the mark
onto the wall instantly . 　　The drummer glanced at the palm print, and the muscles on his entire face trembled uncontrollably. 　　I tilted my head at him, said "Get lost!", and immediately turned around, leaning against the doorframe Looking at Yan Jing, who stood frozen in shock inside, I forced a smile. 　　"Run? Keep running! Why aren't you running anymore? This time, let's see where you can run to!"

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