I took a breath and quickly went over. I forcefully pulled the sheet over her, then stood up and looked at her coldly: "What are you doing!"
Ni Duoduo cried. He froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears, clutching the bedsheet tightly. He looked up at me and asked, "Why...why don't you want me anymore?"
I laughed angrily: "Then why should I want you?"
Ni Duoduo lowered her head, not daring to look at me. After hesitating for a moment, she shook her head: "I don't know... I've thought about it all day, and I feel that only by doing this can I feel a little better... I don't know. My mind is a mess, but I'm only sure of one thing... that I want to give myself to you!"
I took a deep breath and stood by the bed. Staring at her, I asked, "Why?"
"For no reason other than wanting to give it to you." The girl looked at me stubbornly.
I sneered: "What is this? Repaying a debt of gratitude? Or feeling guilty? Making amends?"
"Nothing..." Ni Duoduo cried, she cried so hard, looking at this beautiful young woman, yet crying like a child. Wiping away her tears and snot, she sobbed, "I just wanted to give it to you... I just felt you were so good to me... Only by doing this could I feel a little better... only then could I feel a little better!" At this point, Ni Duoduo suddenly looked up, biting her lip and staring at me, when she abruptly blurted out, "Chen Yang, I love you!"
I laughed, a laugh tinged with helplessness. A bitter laugh: "Do you even understand what love is? You're too young; don't use that word so easily!"
Then I softened my tone and slowly sat down at the foot of the bed: "You really don't have to do this... I know how you feel right now. You feel guilty because you think you've hurt me and dragged me down. You want to make it up to me... On the other hand, you're scared. You're terrified of this big trouble, and you're very dependent on me... I understand all of that. Okay... Stop overthinking. What you're doing right now is absurd. Stop messing around."
Ni Duoduo wiped away her tears and stared straight at me, saying softly, "Are you disgusted by me...? I'm still a virgin, this is my first time... I'm not lying to you, it's true... Don't you believe me?!"
"I believe you! I believe you, okay?" I smiled and said gently, "Whether you're a virgin or not is none of my business. I'm just telling you that you don't need to do that!"
I hesitated for a moment, then tentatively reached out and gently put my arm around her shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "I know you're scared and confused right now, unsure of what to do next... I understand all of that. But what you're doing right now is unnecessary."
"But...but I love you..." The girl cried again, looking very aggrieved.
I shook my head and laughed, "Alright, this isn't love, it's dependence." Then I sighed, "Actually, I wasn't good either. After such a big thing happened yesterday, I've been in a bad mood and haven't been very nice to you... You must have been feeling terrible. But I still want to say, you didn't have to do that!"
I stood up, went into the bathroom, and grabbed all the clothes Ni Duoduo had left behind, throwing them on her bedside table. I said gently, "I'm going out for a smoke now. When I come back, I hope you'll be dressed, and then we can pretend none of this happened tonight, okay?"
Having said all that, I said nothing more, turned around and walked out of the room.
For the rest of the night, Ni Duoduo remained silent, her eyes fixed on me with a lingering gaze. Wherever I went, that gaze followed me. Whether I was sitting or lying down, it felt as if her eyes were watching me from the other side. Even when I turned off the lights at night, I could feel Ni Duoduo watching me from another bed.
The next morning, when I got up, Ni Duoduo also opened her eyes. Her eyes were red and swollen, like peaches. I didn't know if she hadn't slept all night or what.
I didn't say anything, just got out of bed and stretched. I've been sleeping fully clothed for the past two days, and my body feels a bit restricted and uncomfortable. Actually, sleeping without taking off your clothes is a very unpleasant thing.
Then I patiently waited until the time we agreed on yesterday before dialing the number again. Ni Duoduo remained silent, just watching me quietly from the side.
The phone rang three times before it was answered.
It was that deep, masculine voice again: "Chen Yang?"
"It's me."
“Listen, you’ve already made all the arrangements… Just do as I say…”
Part 1: A Man in the Jianghu, Forced by His Own Will, Chapter 108: Many Scammers Head South
The train bumped along the tracks, and as I looked out the window, the farmland, trees, and hills on both sides sped past.
The carriage was a bit stuffy, especially the two men sitting opposite me. One of them had taken off his shoes and was sitting barefoot, his legs crossed on the booth. The air was filled with the smell of feet. This guy was holding a newspaper in one hand and picking at his toes with the other, occasionally reaching for his teacup to take a sip of water—using the hand that was picking at his toes.
Ni Duoduo leaned against me, her face contorted with disgust. She stared at the person opposite her for a few moments before finally closing her eyes in disgust. I, on the other hand, kept looking out the car window…
The sun was almost setting, and the last shadow of its setting sun fell on my face. I casually drew the curtains. Just then, a food cart pushed by, and I called out to it, buying a bottle of mineral water… which cost twice as much as usual.
I woke Ni Duoduo up and had her eat some bread with water.
Ni Duoduo looks a bit ridiculous now... I dragged her to a small barbershop on a side street to cut off her medium-length hair before she boarded the train, and now she has a short haircut that makes her look a bit boyish. The girl was a little unhappy while getting her hair cut, and she pouted for a long time afterward.
However, it must be admitted that after getting a haircut and changing clothes, at first glance, one's appearance really does change completely. It's a good way to disguise it.
I was wearing that old-fashioned baseball cap. I was wearing a somewhat dirty jacket, and my chin was covered in stubble from not shaving for two days, which felt rough to the touch. I knew I must look pretty shabby, haggard, and unshaven, sitting on a hard seat on a slow train, my bottom sore from sitting on it, eating bread with cold water.
I boarded this train at noon today. My destination is Guangzhou, Guangdong.
In the phone call this morning, the other party briefly told me that I should find a way to get to Guangzhou, Guangdong within two days, and that he had a way to help us get out of there.
He put it very simply, and I didn't even understand what he meant by "getting away."
Are you looking for a way to help us escape abroad?
Anyway, I don't expect Huan Ge to be able to handle this matter.
The other person spoke very quickly and hung up just as fast; I didn't even have time to ask a single question before the call ended with a busy tone.
I could only manage a wry smile... Was he so confident that I would be able to get to Guangzhou unharmed?
But looking at it another way, there's nothing we can do about it.
The train was still bumping along. I was on one of those slow trains with green carriages. In the hard-seat carriages, even the aisle was full of people who had bought standing tickets. Some people couldn't stand anymore, so they carried their luggage and sat on the roof and by the door.
The lights in the train carriage were off at night. The train wouldn't arrive in Guangzhou until tomorrow morning. I felt my body swaying back and forth, and a sense of uncertainty about the future filled me. I'd thought about too many things these past two days, and I was too tired to keep thinking about those headache-inducing problems.
I gently nudged Ni Duoduo beside me. The girl, who had been dozing for a while, opened her eyes sleepily. I whispered, "I'm going to the front to have a smoke. You watch the seats and the luggage."
I got up and walked through the crowded aisle. I didn't dare go far, so I stood in the connecting area between the two carriages and took out a cigarette.
There were a few other people standing here smoking. They came from all over the country... I could tell from the brands of cigarettes they were smoking.
"Hey bro, got this from the army?" I'd just taken out a cigarette and lit it when someone next to me struck up a conversation. I glanced at him; a young man, in his thirties, with a very... sleazy look. And I had a feeling his eyes were a little off. He pointed to the cigarette pack in my hand.
This is the last pack of "God of War" cigarettes I have. It's the one Wu Gang gave me. This is the last pack I have left.
The guy approached with a meek smile, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"Hey bro, can I borrow a light?"
I glanced at him and casually tossed him a lighter.
After this guy lit it, he took a satisfying puff. Seeing how engrossed he was in smoking, I almost thought he was smoking heroin instead of a cigarette.
For some reason, I felt that the way he looked at me was extremely lewd—to put it another way, it was like the look of a street vendor who stops people to sell CDs.
"What are you looking at?" I frowned and said sternly, "I don't want any discs!"
"Who's selling DVDs?" The man chuckled, his expression furtive. He glanced around and lowered his voice, "Brother, heading south to look for work?"
I didn't say anything. Seeing that I didn't respond, he simply walked over to me, leaned against the wall, and asked, "Where are you going?"
“Guangdong,” I replied briefly, using my tone and expression to indicate my interest in speaking to him.
However, this guy didn't seem to care about my coldness at all, and immediately smiled warmly and said, "I'm also going to Guangzhou! Brother, what are you going to Guangzhou for? To work or to do business?" I only said Guangdong, but he immediately seized the opportunity and assumed that I was going to Guangzhou.
I didn't say anything, I just raised my eyelids and looked at him coldly.
He flinched slightly at my gaze, but quickly put on a smile again and looked at me: "Brother, don't be so wary, I'm not a bad guy..."
He then pulled out a phone and gave it to me: "This is my phone number in Guangzhou. Interested in a high-paying job with low investment? I'm not an agent! How about it? I really have a good job here. If you trust me, come with me. I won't charge you a penny!"
I took a good look at him—I have to admit, he's the kind of guy who gets more and more sleazy the more you look at him. The smug look on his face makes you want to punch him. If he were a bit fatter and had a mustache, he'd be a spitting image of Ng Man-tat.
I took it and glanced at it; the business card was fairly well-made. However, the gold foil lettering was a bit tacky. It had the company name in large English letters on top, followed by the title "Sales Consultant."
I was stunned.
“WECAN,” he laughed quickly, “the English name means ‘We’re good,’ abbreviated as WC Company.” The sleazy man spoke with a straight face.
"Oh... WC Company... What kind of business do you do? You don't sell toilet supplies, do you?" I really laughed.
Why would a company name like that? Does the owner have something wrong with them?
"Of course not!" the lewd man said seriously. "Our company has a good reputation, a huge sales network, is registered in the Viking Islands, enjoys all the preferential policies for foreign-invested enterprises in the country, and has the best and most reasonable reward and promotion mechanisms!"
I was a little stunned to hear such a set of white-collar sentences coming from the mouth of someone dressed like a migrant worker.
"Hey bro, you seem pretty shrewd. I've got a money-making opportunity for you. Our company's recruiting salespeople, interested? Lots of money, low investment, high returns!"
I laughed; this guy seems to be a fraud.
I shook my head: "I'm not interested." I turned to leave, but he stopped me: "Don't rush me, I'm not a bad person! I really am!"
He then glanced furtively to his left and right, took out a small, brightly colored bag—about the size of a band-aid—and placed it in front of me: "Our company sells this."
I looked at it carefully from top to bottom and front to back several times before I finally realized that this was something I knew all too well...
condom!
"this……"
"These are our company's main products!" the lewd man declared smugly. "Each condom sells for ten yuan! For every one you sell, you get one yuan..."
"Wait a minute!! Ten yuan for a condom? Please, Durex is only sixteen yuan a box at the pharmacy! Five in a box! And you're charging ten yuan for one here?"
"Of course..." the lewd man smiled very friendly: "Every new member of our company has this question. I can tell you frankly, a single condom really isn't worth that much. But we're not just selling condoms; we're implementing a membership system! If you buy 100 condoms, you become a Bronze member of WC Company! If you buy 300, you become a Silver member! If you buy 500, you become a Crystal member! If you buy 1000, you become a Diamond member! At each level, you can enjoy the privileges of that level! For example, I'm currently a Crystal member, and I enjoy Crystal member benefits! For instance, every month I receive various domestic and international adult magazines provided by the company through special channels! There's also the currently ranked adult AV information e-weekly, and genuine adult AV DVDs, etc. Of course, this is only for the Crystal level! The real Diamond level offers the ultimate in luxury! Diamond members not only receive these free monthly information magazines and e-entertainment, but also a ten-day annual trip to Japan for adult AV! We can take you to visit real AV filming locations, and you can even experience it firsthand..."
I interrupted him, a little annoyed: "Why would I buy so many condoms? Are you crazy?"
"Sigh, I'm not telling you to buy it for yourself. What I mean is, after you buy it here, you resell it to others! You sell it to others, and they resell it to others, and all those sales are counted under your name. That's called developing a downline! You develop a downline, and your downline develops their own downline... You do the math, you sell to three people, that's the pyramid scheme! It's the most scientific economic theory in the world!... Going down layer by layer like this, do the math yourself! How much money can you make?!"
Developing downlines... Pyramid theory...
I realize... I've encountered a pyramid scheme scammer!
Part One: In the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter 109: Shedding the Cicada's Shell
I took a drag of my cigarette, waved to clear the smoke, and only replied to him for fun: "You mean, if you want to get rich, you have to recruit others? If I join the company, the more products my downlines buy, the more commission I get?"
"That's right, that's right!" The guy's eyes lit up, and he reached out as if to pat my shoulder to show his friendliness, but seeing my indifferent expression, he withdrew his hand. "Great! Brother, you're really smart, you get it right away! I bought these condoms from my supplier for nine yuan each! When they come to you, they're naturally ten yuan each. But don't worry, you can sell them to your downline for eleven yuan each! I think you're pretty clever, you'll definitely make a lot of money in this line of work! Look at me, I've only been doing this for two years, and I'm not doing too well now!"
After saying that, he took out a crumpled pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and handed me one. I glanced at it and could tell from the cigarette box that it was the kind of fake that costs sixty yuan a carton.
Seeing that this guy had started rambling on about real-life cases, which were nothing more than so-and-so making a fortune after entering this industry, buying villas, driving BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, and keeping several female college students from art schools as mistresses, etc.
“I’m not interested, go find someone else.” I stubbed out the locomotive in my hand and turned to go back, but he followed me from behind, whispering all the way, “Brother, don’t go! Let’s talk some more! Don’t worry, this isn’t an illegal pyramid scheme! It’s direct selling! It’s legal direct selling!”
I ignored him and walked into the carriage towards my seat. This guy followed me, relentlessly trying to talk me into agreeing with him. When I got back to my seat, I found it was already taken. A burly man was sitting there, and Ni Duoduo next to me was furious, her face pale. Seeing me return, she immediately shouted, "This guy stole our seat! How unreasonable!"
I nodded, not finding it too strange. This kind of thing happens all the time on trains. Some people, to save money on a ticket, buy a standing ticket and try to endure the journey. This young man probably couldn't hold on any longer, seeing an empty seat. Without thinking, he sat down first. When Ni Duoduo next to him told him to get up, he simply closed his eyes and pretended not to hear.
In short... there are plenty of unreasonable people out there. If everyone in the world were reasonable, the world would be at peace long ago.
I looked at the man and said in a low, steady voice, "Please get up, this is my seat." The guy had an arrogant look on his face. He rolled his eyes at me and said in a stiff, cocky tone, "What, I'll sit here for a bit? You fucking left, and I'll sit here since it's empty, so you don't just hogging the seat."
Instead, I laughed.
I've been out and about before, and I know these kinds of people often exist. Especially on trains, they often bully others because they're strong and powerful. In these situations, there's basically nothing a weaker person can do.