Chapter Nine: Utterly Reckless!

"Ms. Su, I’ve already made all the arrangements—let’s go!" Zhou Ming’s face twisted into a cruel grin, his eyes fixed hungrily on the slender hand he’d long dreamed of possessing.

But in that instant, a large hand thrust itself between him and his goal, gripping his wrist in an iron hold. No matter how hard he tried, Zhou Ming couldn’t advance even half an inch.

He raised his eyes to see a tall figure standing protectively in front of Su Zhi—Qin Mu.

"And who might you be to her?" Zhou Ming’s voice dripped with hostility, his tone dark.

"An old classmate." Su Zhi replied quickly. "Qin Mu, you should go about your business. I’ll handle this myself." It was rare to run into someone from the past, and she didn’t want to cause Qin Mu any trouble.

"Yeah, you’d better go," Zhou Ming sneered, sizing up the man who didn’t know his place.

Qin Mu glanced at his watch. "What time do you usually start class?"

"Nine o’clock—why?" Su Zhi answered instinctively, not quite following.

"Then there’s time. I remember a tea shop nearby. Why don’t we sit there for a while?" Ignoring Zhou Ming entirely, Qin Mu turned to Su Zhi with the suggestion.

"Ah?" Su Zhi hesitated, glancing at Qin Mu. She saw in his eyes a confidence that seemed to tower above the world—a presence that overlooked everything, as if he stood upon the clouds. He was nothing like the silent, awkward bookworm she remembered. For a moment, she wondered if the old classmate she’d known had become an entirely different person over the years.

No matter—if she could delay, she would. Gritting her teeth, Su Zhi checked her watch and said, "Zhou Ming, we agreed on nine. It’s only eight-thirty now. Whatever you need can wait half an hour."

Clearly, Zhou Ming hadn’t expected this reaction. Usually, Su Zhi hardly dared to raise her voice in his presence. He couldn’t help but scrutinize Qin Mu again, searching for what made him special. Yet, despite all his experience navigating the upper echelons of society, Qin Mu seemed shrouded in mist—utterly unreadable.

While Zhou Ming was still puzzling over him, Qin Mu had already led Su Zhi a hundred meters away to a tea shop, where they settled comfortably. Soon, Su Zhi found herself laughing at one of Qin Mu’s dry jokes, covering her small face with her hands. The sight was sweet, like a pair of young lovers teasing each other.

"Why not join us?" Qin Mu finally seemed to notice Zhou Ming, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

Zhou Ming’s face flushed red, then green; compared to the two inside, he looked like an utter fool loitering at the street’s edge. He felt more awkward than ever.

"Fine. Very well. You’re interesting. We’re all in Jiangcheng, so I’ll settle this score with you later," Zhou Ming spat, his threat hanging in the air.

Qin Mu nodded calmly. "We’ll meet again."

Zhou Ming wasn’t expecting to be slighted again, and froze in place for a moment.

"Ms. Su, don’t let yourself get so happy you forget the time!" he snapped, unable to find any weakness in Qin Mu. With a final warning, he turned and left.

As he stormed off, Su Zhi collapsed onto the table, giggling with relief. Their flirtatious banter had been nothing but an act—after all, two years of shared afternoons in the library had given them an easy understanding.

Zhou Ming was used to getting his way—this was the first time he’d tasted defeat.

"Thank you for avenging me," Su Zhi said, her laughter fading into a bittersweet smile. "But I should go. I’m really glad we met again today." With that, she turned, hurrying away.

Once out of Qin Mu’s sight, tears silently slipped from the corners of her eyes.

Qin Mu waited until she disappeared, then dialed Wu Mu.

"Look into a teacher at Jiangcheng High—her name is Su Zhi."

Wu Mu responded at once, and within a few minutes returned carrying a slim dossier.

"General, I have the information," Wu Mu reported. "Su Zhi’s father is a chronic gambler. He frequents Zhou Ming’s gambling den and has racked up over a million yuan in loan shark debts. To pay them off, the family secretly sold all their assets, including their home, but still owe tens of thousands. Now they’re all crammed into a cheap dormitory, living off Su Zhi’s income."

"But a teacher’s salary isn’t enough, so she took a part-time job at a place called the Oriental Pearl Nightclub," Wu Mu concluded.

Qin Mu nodded slightly, surprised at the depths to which his old classmate had fallen.

"Where is she now?"

"At that very nightclub."

Qin Mu finished his milk tea, stood up, slid his hands into his tracksuit pockets, eyes flashing coldly. "Buy that nightclub for me—within ten minutes."

---

The Oriental Pearl Nightclub was Jiangcheng’s most notorious den of luxury and vice. Every night, the rich flocked here to indulge in every pleasure money could buy. Nothing was off-limits—many wealthy businessmen had become addicted to its temptations, unable to stay away.

At this moment, Su Zhi sat in a backstage dressing room, applying makeup to suit the club’s atmosphere.

She sighed heavily, the weight of humiliation pressing down on her. How long could she endure this kind of life?

"Su Zhi, what’s wrong with you?" A plump, middle-aged woman sauntered over, her voice sharp.

"Young Master Zhou has asked for you dozens of times, and you always refuse. Have you forgotten you still owe him tens of thousands?" The woman was Sister Xin, the madam of the nightclub—the one who’d tipped Zhou Ming off about Su Zhi’s side job. Without her, Zhou Ming wouldn’t have dared to act so brazenly, snatching Su Zhi in broad daylight under the pretense of tutoring, while making advances at every opportunity.

"What’s the harm in letting Young Master Zhou touch you? Is your body made of gold and diamonds? Do you still think you’re that untouchable, pure teacher?"

Su Zhi bit her lip, aggrieved. "He doesn’t just want to touch me—he wants to..." she protested softly.

"What? You know this nightclub belongs to his family, don’t you? Young Master Zhou is the king around here—he can do whatever he wants!" Sister Xin’s mouth curled into a mocking sneer. She jabbed a rough finger into Su Zhi’s face. "Remember this: here, you’re nothing but a commodity. If Young Master Zhou wants to take you on the sofa, you’ll smile and tell him how good it feels—understand?"

"Exactly. Being favored by Young Master Zhou is the luckiest thing that could happen to you!" chimed in the other hostesses nearby, their laughter tinged with spite. Among them, some resented Su Zhi’s efforts to remain clean, since they themselves had already sold their bodies and could not bear to see someone else try to hold onto dignity.

"I’m only here to tutor him," Su Zhi insisted, tears in her eyes. "I’m not for sale."

At her words, the entire dressing room erupted in jeering laughter.

"Did you hear that, girls? Su Zhi says she’s just here to tutor Young Master Zhou!"

Everyone at the club knew his so-called tutoring was a pretense—he was just looking for a chance to get her in bed.

"Sister Xin, Young Master Zhou is asking for her," a voice called from outside.

Sister Xin answered, then yanked Su Zhi to her feet. "If you don’t please him, you’ll never pay off that debt!"

With that, she dragged Su Zhi to Zhou Ming’s private suite—a lavishly decorated chamber with reinforced locks and soundproofing, its red-tinted lights evoking the decadence of a presidential suite.

Inside, Zhou Ming lounged with a few equally dissolute friends. The moment they saw Su Zhi, their lecherous gazes raked over her.

"Young Master Zhou, here she is. Have fun." Sister Xin’s forced smile was grotesque as she shoved Su Zhi toward Zhou Ming, shooting her a final warning glance before locking the door behind her.

Sitting on the sofa, Su Zhi felt utterly exposed, but forced herself to remain composed, retrieving a stack of study materials from her bag.

"Zhou Ming, I’ve reviewed your grades. Your English is weak—I can help you..."

She hadn’t finished before Zhou Ming slapped the books from her hands.

"Drop the act. You know why you’re here," he sneered, seizing her chin with greedy fingers. He’d yearned for this seductive little vixen for so long.

Su Zhi shoved his hand away, retreating several steps. "Zhou Ming, show some respect! I’m your teacher."

His friends burst into raucous laughter.

"What’s wrong, Zhou? Can’t handle a little teacher?" they mocked.

His face darkened. Picking up an expensive bottle, he poured a full glass. "Alright, teacher—drink this and I’ll knock ten thousand off your debt."

Su Zhi didn’t know what he was up to, but if it was just a drink, she could always make herself throw it up later.

"Fine, I’ll drink it," she said.

But before she could reach for the glass, one of the young men snatched it up. "No rush, Ms. Su. One drink is boring." He pulled a packet of white powder from his pocket, tore it open, and poured the contents into the wine.

"Let me add some spice too," another said, dumping more powder into the glass.

"Me too..."

Each of them, in turn, openly drugged the drink—blatant, brazen.

"Drink up, Ms. Su," Zhou Ming said, legs crossed and a smirk on his lips. This was the price for defying him with that upstart from earlier.

Su Zhi stood frozen, refusing to touch the glass. She didn’t need to ask what those powders were for. If she drank it, no matter how virtuous or steadfast she was, she’d lose all control...

"I won’t drink it! My father’s debt is my responsibility, and I’ll pay it off through honest work!"

She turned to leave, but the door was locked tight.

Zhou Ming stood, seized her, and tossed her back onto the sofa.

"What are you doing?" she cried, struggling, but the others grabbed her arms and legs, pinning her down.

"Did you think you had a choice tonight?"

Zhou Ming laughed maniacally, drizzling the drugged wine down her white dress, soaking the fabric until it clung to her curves.

After half a glass, he gripped her cheeks with both hands, forcing her mouth open.

"Drink, damn you!"

"Mmmph..." Su Zhi was utterly broken, powerless to resist.

But just as the wine was about to pass her lips—

With an earth-shaking crash, the reinforced lock shattered as if it were nothing.

Before Zhou Ming could see who had entered, Wu Mu’s size 43 military boot slammed full force into his face.