After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 53

Discovery

Lin Xingzhu¹ lowered her head, their breaths meeting in the cold yet scorching air.

“I am looking at how everything here is so interesting.”

The metallic, lustrous mask was inlaid on her face. Beneath its edge, her slightly upturned lips curved into a soul-stirring and deeply metaphorical arc.

Lin Xingzhu tightened the strength of her grip, as if in answer, and also like a sigh.

“In A City, is this the only place with such interesting ways to play?”

Hearing this, Shang Zengrou’s covered eyebrows moved up proudly.

“Of course not, but I dare guarantee that this one I brought you to is absolutely the most worthwhile one to come to!”

Lin Xingzhu was lost in thought.

At her side, Bai Xiying did not continue to ask. Her body suddenly became unbelievably soft, and under Shang Zengrou’s gaze, she practically buried herself entirely in Lin Xingzhu’s embrace.

Just now, for an instant, the radar in her brain named ‘vigilance’ had unconsciously activated.

The look in Lin Xingzhu’s eyes as she gazed at the young woman on the circular stone platform was focused and filled with a bone-chilling anger, making her unable to resist the urge to immediately interrupt the arc of her gaze toward another person, to make it so that such a pair of focused eyes—whether filled with love or hate, whether with care or fury—could only land upon her.

Bai Xiying could not forget that the former Lin Xingzhu had also used the same eyes to look at her; how could she now allow her to use those eyes that belonged to her to look at someone else?

Anything that could possibly induce Lin Xingzhu to care about another person, she had to interrupt, and then snatch back what belonged to her.

Lin Xingzhu did not know that with just a single glance from her, the Bai Xiying beside her had already thought so much. She soothingly patted the soft, thin body in her arms two times, suppressing the burgeoning anger in the bottom of her heart, revealing a gaze and expression that showed not a single flaw.

Several people sitting upright on the high steps also had companions by their sides, so her holding Bai Xiying in her arms did not seem that abrupt.

Lin Xingzhu knew deep down that the young woman on the stage suffering the whipping and cruel torture should be saved, but now was not the best time.

Only by getting rid of this underground cage that bred desire and sin could those innocent people be thoroughly liberated.

She curved her lips, sparing no effort to dig out everything Shang Zengrou knew: “How have I never discovered there was such an interesting place? Is it newly opened?”

Shang Zengrou saw that her gaze kept lingering on the stage, clearly looking as if she was captivated.

“Of course it’s not newly opened, it’s just that what we used to play with wasn’t this fancy, that’s all.”

Lin Xingzhu feigned reluctance as she withdrew her line of sight, called over an attendant, and took the dazzling menu he handed over. Looking at the unique and detailed, considerate descriptions of all sorts of things on it, she raised her eyebrows: “There aren’t any problems with these people, are there?”

Shang Zengrou knew what she was asking.

Lin Xingzhu had always loved to play before, and her dad kept a tight rein on her, so the places Shang Zengrou had taken her to spend money in the past were all monetary transactions of mutual consent, which also made it less likely for things to go wrong.

Now, having arrived at a new place, it was normal for her to be vigilant and ask about the “source of the goods.”

“Of course.” Shang Zengrou had been here for some time already. She was skilled at socializing and had pried a lot of information from the friend who brought her in the first time. “You can rest assured. Let’s not even mention that these people are all prepared²; since they’ve opened this shop, they naturally aren’t afraid of the things you’re worried about. What’s more, when you’re really spending here, it’s nearly anonymous; only the person in charge can know your identity information. And you wear a mask the whole time. If you really call a few people to play, they won’t know what you look like either.”

“So that’s how it is.” Lin Xingzhu seemed to be relieved.

Shang Zengrou had said a lot, and the meaning from beginning to end was that if something happened, someone would take care of it, yet she never mentioned whether there were actually any problems with these people.

Perhaps she didn’t know either, but anyone who had seen these people, with just a little thought, would know that a place like this involving a gray area couldn’t possibly have everyone be here voluntarily.

Lin Xingzhu’s breathing was rhythmically calm, her mind thinking rapidly.

The space she and Bai Xiying were in now was clearly mainly for viewing, and could even be said to be a part of stimulating consumption.

The place with the real main event was still what was indicated at the end of the menu. She noticed that several items on it had a ‘waiting to be unlocked’ symbol, clearly indicating that with her current spending level, she had no way of uncovering everything.

Lin Xingzhu swept her gaze around without a trace. Shang Zengrou had led her to a seat located in the middle area. When her line of sight reached further up, she noticed that a few seats were clearly different from the other pure white sofas. They looked highly private, as if they served higher-level people, but they were currently empty.

Lin Xingzhu opened the menu, glanced at Shang Zengrou who was intently watching the performance at her side, and opened her mouth to say: “I’m not interested in these today. If you want to watch, you can watch first. I’ll order one first, and play something different tonight.”

Shang Zengrou turned her head and looked at Bai Xiying, who had sat up slightly following her movement, her expression a bit strange.

“You’re playing pretty big, huh.”

She was wondering why Lin Xingzhu had brought Bai Xiying; it turned out she wanted to have a 3.p.

But on second thought, it was indeed very stimulating. It was as if a feather had brushed across Shang Zengrou’s heart, tickling it until it itched.

Lin Xingzhu once again called over the attendant and ordered a girl whose face looked simple and innocent, then once again wrapped her arm around Bai Xiying, took the proffered room key, and followed the guiding attendant away from the tiered sofas.

As if their hearts were connected, Bai Xiying nestled against Lin Xingzhu’s side, her pair of eyes under her messy bangs observing the surroundings as if she was and wasn’t.

Their skin was pressed close together. Lin Xingzhu had matters hidden in her heart and had no distracting thoughts. But when she lowered her head, she discovered that Bai Xiying’s cheeks had, at some unknown time, become tinged with a crimson blush.

Like a vibrant and alluring flower, ready to be plucked.

The attendant leading the way in front was very quiet and did not turn his head, but Lin Xingzhu still had the unpleasant feeling that her exclusive rose would be seen by others.

As if sensing something, Bai Xiying raised her eyes and curved her lips into a smile at her.

The thoughts in Lin Xingzhu’s heart paused for a moment. The hand wrapped around her waist moved up to her rounded shoulder, and her eyes emitted a tolerant and gentle aura, silently comforting the somewhat apprehensive-looking Bai Xiying.

When Shang Zengrou brought her in, they had gone down to the 2nd basement level, but Lin Xingzhu noticed that the attendant pressed an elevator button for a floor in the twenties.

Moreover, this elevator was not quite the same as the elevators in the tall building outside. Upon careful inspection, the elevator buttons for floors 1-18 were missing. It was clear that from that underground space, one could only go to rooms on the 18th floor and above.

Lin Xingzhu suspected that such an elevator was for the exclusive service of these special clients.

Does this mean that the floors from eighteen upwards have a lot of maoni³.

Lin Xingzhu couldn’t be sure if Jiang Yeye was really here, but Shang Zengrou had just said very proudly that this place was absolutely the most worthwhile one to come to. In other words, even if other special venues existed, everything covered by this bar was definitely among the top tier.

And top tier often meant the deepest involvement with the gray areas, and the largest protective umbrella and power.

Since they dared to take someone away on the street and were familiar with destroying surveillance footage during the crime, their style of conduct revealed a lawless attitude. Lin Xingzhu felt that the forces behind those people would not be too small.

While walking, the entire space revealed a white that was clean to the point of purity.

Upon arriving at the room door, the attendant finally spoke: “The delicacy you ordered is already waiting for you in the room. I wish you a pleasant enjoyment.”

“My phone…” Lin Xingzhu suddenly spoke up.

“Please give me the key.” The attendant smiled slightly. “I will bring it to you shortly.”

At that time, when locking the safe, there were two keys. One was the key to lock the phone into the small box, and the other was the key to the safe itself, a double insurance to protect the customer’s privacy.

After the person left, Lin Xingzhu and Bai Xiying exchanged a glance.

A moment later, Lin Xingzhu pushed open the door and took two steps inside. The layout of the room instantly came into view.

To match the characteristics of the person she had ordered, the room was also set up with corresponding tools and toys, as well as various items with a different kind of color.

Lin Xingzhu moved her gaze away from the carousel placed by the balcony and onto the person on the bed who, hearing the movement, was smiling and preparing to welcome them.

Bai Xiying’s eyes were deep and dark, staring at the girl in the pure white dress without a word.

The air was silent for a moment.

The girl in pure white saw that there were two people standing before her. Terror flashed through her eyes, but she still forced herself to calm down and approached gracefully.

The next second, the girl in front of them suddenly fell down.

Withdrawing her hand, Lin Xingzhu was silent for a moment before saying: “She is too much of a hindrance here.”

They didn’t have time to dawdle with the girl.

Her tense expression relaxed slightly. Bai Xiying nodded, looked at the scantily clad girl, and pulled a sheet from the bed to drape over her.

“Lift her up there?” Bai Xiying suggested.

Lin Xingzhu, who had originally intended to casually pick the person up and place her on the bed, heard this and immediately blinked, saying: “Okay.”

After they were done, the door was knocked. After the attendant who delivered the phones left, Lin Xingzhu and Bai Xiying took out their phones, opened them for a look, and their expressions were not good.

“There’s no signal.”

It seemed they had blocked the signal to prevent any accidents from happening.

Bai Xiying’s expression was also not good: “The water in this place feels very deep.”

Lin Xingzhu was silent for a moment, then asked: “I’ve decided to go out and check the situation. What about you? Do you plan to wait for me here, or come with me?”

In Lin Xingzhu’s private opinion, she felt it was safest for Bai Xiying to wait for her here, but she glanced at the frowning, thoughtful Bai Xiying and still decided to give the choice to her.

Bai Xiying did not hesitate in the slightest: “I’ll go with you.”

“Okay.”

Lin Xingzhu told Bai Xiying about her discovery in the elevator just now, and added: “When we were walking on this floor just now, I discovered that the arrangement of the room doors is not in a straight corridor, but rather they are split apart by twists and turns like a maze. It ensures privacy, and it also makes it convenient for us to move around.”

After separating from Bai Xiying, Lin Xingzhu pressed her mask and walked along the path she came from, trying to discover something.

She was currently on the 25th floor, and the entire building was divided at the 18th floor. Lin Xingzhu looked around but didn’t find anything amiss here. She decided to go down and take a look.

As she walked to the westernmost elevator, an attendant in a suit happened to approach. Seeing Lin Xingzhu, he bowed slightly: “Where may I ask are you going?”

Lin Xingzhu’s eyes moved, and she said calmly: “To the 20th floor.”

This was the room Shang Zengrou had booked for the night.

Following the person into the elevator, Lin Xingzhu watched her press the elevator button and leaned against the corner wall as if bored, seemingly waiting listlessly for time to pass.

Suddenly, her body paused.

There was a small bump under her foot near the corner of the wall. It wasn’t very obvious, but at this moment, it seemed to have an indescribable abnormality.

Lin Xingzhu glanced at the attendant. Just as the elevator was about to arrive, she let the room key in her hand slide down, shifted her feet slightly, and under the gaze that was drawn by the sound, she bent down to pick up a room key.

Something that looked like an earring was consequently hidden in her palm.

When they reached the 20th floor, the person in the elevator did not follow her out. Lin Xingzhu walked a certain distance and disappeared around a corner.

Noticing that there was no one else around, she slowly opened her palm, her pair of eyes looking at the thing she had just picked up, flickering uncertainly.

It was a nearly transparent butterfly earring, very small, but extremely familiar.

It was precisely the earring that Jiang Yeye was wearing on the day she went out, saying she was going to attend an event.

Lin Xingzhu’s breathing couldn’t help but become somewhat rapid.

She closed her five fingers, pinching this dust-stained earring, and returned to the 25th floor.

Lin Xingzhu pinched the earring, forcing herself to calm down and think carefully.

In a place like this, anyone provided for the guests to choose from has almost always been prepared before they can be presented.

Jiang Yeye has only been missing for two days. Even if they intended to have the abducted person receive clients, they would still have to make the person settle down or be prepared first.

And in just two days, to make a normal person break through their own psychological defenses to do these things is clearly not very likely.

In other words, it is not too late to find Jiang Yeye now.

Thinking of this, Lin Xingzhu’s heart relaxed slightly.

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