Hearing their conversation, Lan Huanxi's delicate face flushed red with embarrassment. She quietly defended,
"He's just here to spend one night. Nothing else is needed."
Before her words had even settled, a woman smoking in the corner let out a sneering laugh.
"Oh, come on. You're not the worm in his belly—how do you know what he really wants?"
"Exactly!" another chimed in mockingly. "You're the only one allowed to eat meat, and you won't even let us sip the soup?"
In an instant, the group of overly made-up women turned their jeers on Lan Huanxi.
Lan Huanxi, a distant relative of the boss lady, had been brought here to work due to her family's dire circumstances. She was stubborn, proud, and pure—just like the lotus in Zhou Dunyi's Ode to the Lotus, which "emerges unstained from the mud, and bathes in clear water without being seductive."
But she was like a koi tossed into a pond of loaches—naturally out of place, and inevitably ostracized.
Still so young, she hadn't yet learned the cruelty of such environments. From the innocence of school life to this grim reality, she already felt utterly displaced. What she didn't expect was that even the "sisters" here wouldn't accept her. They isolated her, mocked her, and took every chance to put her down.
At that moment, Lan Huanxi felt as if the sky was collapsing on her shoulders. Her heart clenched with helpless sorrow, and tears silently streamed down her cheeks—like dewdrops falling from a broken string of pearls.
The madam, seeing her distress, showed a rare bit of familial compassion. She shouted at the others,
"Enough! Say less! Huanxi's already pitiful enough—don't bully her anymore!"
But the girls, unwilling to back down, retorted coldly,
"Tsk. She's pitiful? And we're not? We bust our asses every day, get cursed behind our backs by villagers, and you think we've got it easy?"
Afraid of stirring up further discontent and losing her workers, the boss lady hesitated, then compromised with a sigh.
"Huanxi, it's late. There probably won't be any more customers tonight. Go to your room and rest. Tomorrow morning, you still have to head up the mountain to gather herbs for your mother."
Lan Huanxi gave a faint nod, then turned silently and walked toward her room.
After she left, Lili and the other girls ended their squabble and turned their attention back to Jiang Chen, the handsome and—now confirmed—wealthy guest.
They began chattering among themselves, each boasting about who had the greatest charm to win over this young man.
One displayed her chest, another her long legs, each performing their "Divine Skills" like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each flaunting their own unique talents.
And Jiang Chen's response?
One word.
"Scram."
Just as they all froze in disbelief, someone suddenly burst into the room and shouted:
"Nobody move! This is a police inspection! Everyone to the corner, squat down and keep your hands visible!"
A tall, fierce-looking policewoman stepped forward and ordered her colleagues,
"You two stay down here and watch them. I'll check upstairs!"
This policewoman was Tang Xiaoxiao, recently transferred from the city's main police station. She was known for her short temper and even shorter tolerance for criminals. Just last week, she'd kicked a serial molester so hard that she got reprimanded and reassigned to the local station "for character tempering."
Upon reaching the second floor, she heard sounds coming from a room. Without hesitation, she kicked open the door.
Her left foot stepped in, right foot followed, and without missing a beat, she launched a Grapple technique toward Jiang Chen's shoulder.
Jiang Chen glanced up, unamused.
"Hmm, not bad. That Grapple technique isn't half-bad… just a bit sloppy—lacking in speed and strength," he muttered calmly.
Tang Xiaoxiao was instantly livid.
She was the reigning champion of the police academy's women's combat division. This punk dared to criticize her form?
Before she could react again, Jiang Chen tilted his head slightly, dodging her grasp with effortless grace. Then, like a gust of wind, his hand darted forward, catching her wrist mid-air and immobilizing her.
In no time, the two were entangled on the ground, rolling and grappling.
She tried a "Rabbit Kicks Eagle," he countered with "Hawk Flips Over." Their brief scuffle looked like a live martial arts exhibition.
Downstairs, a few male officers heard the commotion and rushed upstairs, worried Tang Xiaoxiao might be in trouble.
Seeing reinforcements arrive, Tang Xiaoxiao seized the moment to launch another "Rabbit Kicks Eagle", finally kicking Jiang Chen off her.
The two officers moved in immediately and slapped handcuffs on him.
If Jiang Chen had truly wanted to resist, not even twenty officers could have held him down.
But he didn't resist.
After all, this was the digital age. If he ran now, his face might be plastered across every corner of the internet by morning.
His reputation? Shattered. Even the Pacific Ocean wouldn't be enough to wash that stain clean.
Worse still, if Lin Yuechan caught wind of this…
She'd probably never look him in the eye again.
As Jiang Chen lay there, Tang Xiaoxiao leapt off the bed and delivered a fierce kick to his side.
"Ow!"
But the scream didn't come from Jiang Chen.
It came from Tang Xiaoxiao.
She had kicked him, yes—but it felt like kicking a steel plate. Her foot was now throbbing in pain.
Jiang Chen turned his head and looked at her, eyes sweeping up from her fair ankle along the length of her leg. His brows furrowed slightly.
Tang Xiaoxiao caught his stare and exploded with rage.
Even now, this bastard dared ogle her?
"Have you stared enough?" she snapped.
Jiang Chen looked her dead in the eye and replied, calmly,
"No."
Then, with an earnest expression, he asked,
"Beauty, are you sick?"