Finally, she went to Bai Le Men like that. It was still early, there weren’t many customers, Li Li another dancer girl was at the bar, idly painting her nails. The minute she saw Jin Xiu, her eyes widened, “Ah, Jin Xiu, you finally put on some proper clothes! Tsk tsk, such a slender waist, long legs. We’re doing this for a living, the most important thing is our appearance, as long as the person is beautiful, there is no fear that you won’t be popular. Looks like the leader won’t look down on you anymore.”
Jin Xiu could only smile and sit aside.
“I heard that last night Er Ye chose you to dance with him?” Li Li voice had a twinge of envy, “You’ve really blossomed into a phoenix. But, how did he notice you?” Looking at the string of pure glistening pearls around her neck, how could she have bought them herself.
“Dancing with Zuo Zhen, is that so earth shattering?” Jin Xiu could not understand, “You spend your days around VIPs and rich masters, haven’t you seen it all?”
Li Li was stunned, “You just said Er Ye’s name? Bai Le Men has tens of dancer girls but this is the first. You really don’t know the rules, or you’re pretending not to?”
Jin Xiu was puzzled, seeing how mysteriously she spoke of him, could it be that serious? “Right, I’ve always found it strange, always hearing others call him Er Ye. Why is that so?” Zuo Zhen was obviously not old, why address him like a seventy, eighty year old.
“He is Master He’s disciple, back then the number two in Qing Gang, moreover he is Mr Xiang’s sworn brother.” Li Li continued, “Everyone addresses him this way as a form of respect.”
“Qing Gang?” Jin Xiu was completely lost. But it did not sound like anything good.
Li Li warned her seriously, “Since Master He pa.s.sed away, Er Ye became the head of Qing Gang, you simply call him Zuo Zhen, if people from the Qing Gang hear you, at the very least your tongue will be torn off…”
Ah only then did Jin Xiu come to a realization! No wonder he had knives and guns on him, so he was from the triads?!
“Zuo…Er Ye, is from the triads? Involved in burnings, killing, robbery, prost.i.tution, that kind of person?” Jin Xiu breathed deeply, unable to believe. Zuo Zhen was so gentle and polite, it was impossible to imagine his underworld background.
“Shut up!” Li Li was so cared, she covered Jin Xiu’s mouth, only breathing a sigh of relief when she looked left and right and saw no one around. “You must be crazy, if you don’t wish to live anymore don’t drag me down together with you. What place this is, the whole of Bai Le Men belongs to Ying Shao, his big brother Mr Xiang and him are sworn brothers, not a single person here dares to show the least bit of disrespect. Such stupid words, actually come from your mouth?”
Jin Xiu almost pa.s.sed out from the pressure, nodding furiously, nudging away her hands, “Ah…I know now, let me take a break.”
Li Li looked at Jin Xiu with disdain, “I know you’ve just arrived and may not know how things work, so I’m reminding you out of the goodness of my heart, the power of Qing Gang together with the standing of the Xiang family, both the underworld and otherwise they got them all covered, don’t think that just because Er Ye is nice to you, you can walk all over him. Being with such people, flatter them and pander to their whims as much as you can, please don’t joke around with your life. Serve him well and you won’t have to worry about money.”
“No!” Jin Xiu hurriedly explained, “He doesn’t want me to serve him, we are just…”
“Don’t bother, yesterday Er Ye even chose you for a dance, this is the first at Bai Le Men…Oh, that’s right, except for when Yin Ming Zhu was popular then. That was the only exception.”
“What!” Jin Xiu jumped up and almost losing her voice as she shouted, “You said that Yin Ming Zhu was once popular at Bai Le Men?”
Li Li was shocked by Jin Xiu and stomped her feet, “Why are you making all these fuss, is she your mother? If the leader hears, she is going to come here and reprimand you. What’s so strange about this, two years ago, while Yin Ming Zhu was still at Bai Le Men she was the most popular in the whole of Shanghai, one who has never danced with her, cannot be considered to be someone of status. Who doesn’t know this?”
“Yin Ming Zhu, she, used to be a dancer girl?” Jin Xiu murmured in a daze.
“You’ve never heard of the things regarding her? She wasn’t just a dancer girl.” Li Li mysteriously lowered her voice, “But, things are different now, she Mr Xiang’s kept woman, living in a luxurious villa at Osmanthus street, she has washed her hands off this trade. It’s just that the five golden flowers under her hands, are quite famous still. Ai, if I had just one-tenth of her looks, I wouldn’t have worked so long without making a name for myself.”
Not bad, Jin Xiu knew about the luxurious villa and those “five golden flowers”, she had seen them personally, so this was what it was all about. Ming Zhu was kept by Mr Xiang but Mr Xiang was Ying Shao’s elder brother. “Then, isn’t Ming Zhu Ying Shao’s sister in law?”
“Not all all,” Li Li scoffed, “Women like us, of such birth to be Ying Shao’s sister in law? If this spreads out, people are going to laugh their front teeth off. Xiang family are of such status, owning banks, nightclubs, and many other countless businesses, with the power of Qing Gang supporting them, with the piers all under Er Ye, whose boats and goods don’t go through his hands? They just need to stomp their feet and the whole of Shanghai will experience an earthquake.”
“Would we be good enough for people like them? Ming Zhu was just born too beautiful. But as beautiful or eye catching as she is, what’s the use, she’s just another of Mr Xiang’s mistress.” She lowered her voice, whispering, “In any case she’s not the only woman by Mr Xiang’s side. Remember, women like us, are just a pool of mud beside them, they’ll take a step of two if their happy. No use talking about other things, just think about how to get some money from them, that’s the most practical.”
Jin Xiu’s mind was a mess.
Was it a coincidence? She was actually following Ming Zhu’s footsteps. Ming Zhu left Bai Le Men, and now she has joined ; Ming Zhu served Mr Xiang, and she had actually fallen for his younger brother Ying Shao.
As for the type of people Ying Shao and Zuo Zhen were, she only knew about it today. So what if she knew about it? She and them, what relationship could they speak of? All along she was trying her best to get on Ying Shao’s good side, to try and get his attention and acknowledgement, she never thought of possessing him. This Zuo Zhen had understood too, him helping her, was probably because he felt sorry for her.
Men like Ying Shao, handsome, rich, smart and capable, full of charm, seemingly perfect, he was probably the focus of many young ladies from good backgrounds. As for Jin Xiu she was only a down and out girl from elsewhere, a small b.u.mpkin, a homeless orphan, with a mistress sister who refused to acknowledge her, now she was reduced to this, just afraid that she would have no chance of making it in this lifetime.
Towards Ying Shao, what would she dare expect? Even if Ming Zhu was just a hidden wife, a mistress among many, she was still Mr Xiang’s woman. She probably loved him?
If one day, she could be as popular as Ming Zhu, would Ying Shao be interested in her then?
“Miss, dance with me!” A middle aged man’s face appeared before Jin Xiu, his lecherous look giving Jin Xiu a shock. “Oh! okay.” Jin Xiu pulled out her smile, finally customers were looking for her. At that moment, her senses were a mess, she could not tell if she was depressed or joyous.
She had already taken this step, she could no longer turn back, Rong Jin Xiu.