After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 8

A Lesson

A phone call.

Seven in the evening, Lush¹.

Shang Zengrou led the way. Lin Xingzhu shook off the fawning manager and, treading on the multicolored dim lights, followed her all the way to the door of Lush’s largest private room.

When they reached the private room’s door, Shang Zengrou, contrary to expectations, stopped walking.

She turned back to glance at Lin Xingzhu, whose expression was unreadable, took a slight step back, and said casually, “Xingzhu, this is it.”

Lin Xingzhu gave her a faint glance.

A shiver ran down Shang Zengrou’s back; she almost thought the other woman had seen through her intentions.

Lin Xingzhu said nothing. Just when Shang Zengrou thought she was about to kick the door open, she instead saw her raise her right hand, bend her index finger, and politely knock on the private room door.

Shang Zengrou’s expression was hard to describe: “…”

It must be really noisy inside, how could they possibly hear that?

As expected, no one inside responded.

Lin Xingzhu’s expression remained unchanged. Her lowered hand moved smoothly to the doorknob and, with a “creak,” she pushed open the dark door of the private room.

The clamorous, cheering sounds from within the room instantly fell silent. Faces, heavily made-up and garish, turned to look, their movements frozen, like a scene from an absurd, mocking pantomime.

Uncertain and startled gazes converged, landing on the tall, slender figure by the doorframe.

The woman in the center of the sofa was, naturally, no exception.

Lin Xingzhu’s gaze swept past the crowd, her cool eyes landing on the rope clutched in someone’s hand.

A smirk touched Lin Xingzhu’s lips, but her eyes held no trace of a smile. “It seems you’re all having a great time. Don’t mind if I join, do you?”

The moment she spoke, it was like a pebble dropped into boiling water, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

Everyone exchanged glances, wondering why Lin Xingzhu, who never hung out with them, had suddenly shown up.

Qiao Zijin, in the center of the sofa, knew exactly why.

She sneered, cast a dismissive glance at the person kneeling beside her, and then flicked the rope in her hand, which made a series of sharp sounds as it hit the smooth floor.

Lin Xingzhu watched all of this expressionlessly.

The girl kneeling on the floor had a beautiful face and was now looking at her with a pitifully appealing expression.

The moment she raised her head, a red welt was clearly visible on her pretty face.

Besides her face, several other marks could be seen on her exposed skin.

Lin Xingzhu strode forward. The people in the private room, like the Red Sea parting for Moses, instinctively backed away, clearing an unobstructed path for her.

She was dressed ordinarily today in a white shirt and black suit pants, with leather ankle boots on her feet. As she walked, her boots made an unignorable “da-da” sound against the floor.

“It seems Miss Qiao is quite fond of coercive games,” Lin Xingzhu said, her tone ambiguous.

The people present looked bewildered, but Qiao Zijin’s expression instantly turned ugly.

The eye socket Lin Xingzhu had punched last night still showed a dark bruise, though it was heavily concealed by makeup.

But after the extreme pain, the more Qiao Zijin thought about it, the more unreconciled she felt. The flames of jealousy and resentment burned and forged in the furnace of her heart, growing ever fiercer.

No one knew that she had noticed Bai Xiying a long time ago.

She was like a crabapple flower blooming in the early morning, untouched by any dust, pure and bright, like the unattainable moon in the sky.

Qiao Zijin knew she was dissolute by nature, her affections as vast and fickle as the sea; she didn’t deserve someone so clean and beautiful. So, she had always guarded this secret, watching silently.

She thought she could go on like this forever.

—Until last weekend.

No one knew the despair she felt the moment she learned Lin Xingzhu had obtained Bai Xiying, nor the uncontrollable rage that subsequently surged.

The crabapple flower had fallen into the dust; the pure land in her heart was utterly gone!

Since the moon had already fallen, no longer clean and bright, then why couldn’t she?!

Why couldn’t she?!

Qiao Zijin clenched her teeth hard, her body trembling uncontrollably from extreme anger.

“Yes, I love it very much,” Qiao Zijin said hoarsely, her face, desperately trying to remain calm, held a chilling ruthlessness.

“But what I love most is the feeling of decadent flowers blooming on clean flesh.” Qiao Zijin wore an intoxicated expression.

Everyone around was frightened by her terrifying demeanor.

Sh#t, I always knew Qiao Zijin had some minor kinks, but I never realized she was this perverted!

Some of the more normal people couldn’t stand the atmosphere anymore. Seeing that the main parties hadn’t noticed them, they hunched over, preparing to sneak away quietly.

Just as they reached the doorway, an arm suddenly barred their way.

She looked up, and Shang Zengrou’s face, with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, appeared right in front of her.

“…”

Lin Xingzhu tilted her head and said calmly, “Is that so?”

She feigned contemplation for a moment, then, with lightning speed too fast for the ears to catch, she snatched the rope from Qiao Zijin’s grasp.

“What to do? I also think the sound of a rope lashing against flesh is extremely pleasant,” Lin Xingzhu said with a beaming smile.

As her words fell, she swung her arm. The rope whistled through the air, immediately followed by the distinct thud of it striking flesh.

“Ah—”

Qiao Zijin clutched her arm and let out a pained howl.

The others shuddered, their eyes wide as they stared at Lin Xingzhu.

What were they seeing?

Lin Xingzhu was actually whipping Qiao Zijin with the rope?!

Shang Zengrou, standing at the door, watched with eyes almost popping out of their sockets. She had never imagined Lin Xingzhu would get even² like this!

As if that wasn’t enough, Lin Xingzhu, still smiling, viciously lashed Qiao Zijin’s other arm, creating a symmetrical wound.

“Smack!”

“Ah—”

The howl of pain and the sharp crack of the whip sounded almost simultaneously.

Lin Xingzhu didn’t hold back at all when she swung the rope. Dealing with someone like Qiao Zijin, who was comparable to an animal, any act of holding back would be an insult to the rope itself.

She coldly watched Qiao Zijin’s pained state, unmoved.

Lin Xingzhu could understand these people seeking pleasure in a club based on mutual consent, but she couldn’t tolerate any coercive or violent acts that disregarded a person’s wishes.

What kind of bullsh#t “kink” was this!

Even if one had their own kinks, it had to be consensual.

The woman kneeling beside Qiao Zijin was one of the “flowers” Lin Xingzhu used to frequently request. She had once been highly favored by Lin Xingzhu, which was why Qiao Zijin, after being angered by Lin Xingzhu, had sought her out to vent her frustration.

And Lin Xingzhu had learned from Shang Zengrou on the way that Qiao Zijin had also come here a couple of days ago looking for some of the “flowers” Lin Xingzhu used to request. What she had done to them was self-evident.

She tilted her head, bent down to help the woman who had been kneeling on the floor to her feet, and gestured for her to leave first.

After the victim left, Lin Xingzhu straightened up, scanned the room, and, holding the pure black handle of the rope, asked nonchalantly, “Was the fight scene good to watch?”

Everyone: “…”

They subconsciously glanced at Qiao Zijin, who was whimpering in pain, and all shook their heads in unison.

“Tsk.” Lin Xingzhu tossed the rope aside and, completely unconcerned, walked around the limp Qiao Zijin towards Shang Zengrou, who was guarding the door.

Shang Zengrou, who had witnessed everything, her face slightly stiff, stammered, “…Xin-Xingzhu.”

The gazes from behind felt almost tangible. Lin Xingzhu tilted her head, and a thin beam of light from above refracted into her amber eyes, making them appear clear and pure.

“Close the door,” she said softly.

All sounds were sealed inside. On the first floor of the club, people busy fleeing were tense and panicked. Amidst the flustered crowd, there were men in black with straight backs and an imposing aura of righteousness.

Once outside Lush, the cool night breeze blew, and Shang Zengrou finally regained some of her senses.

She hesitated and asked, “Did you call the police?”

Lin Xingzhu: “Hm?”

Shang Zengrou resentfully averted her gaze. Needless to say, this was definitely Lin Xingzhu’s doing.

She looked back at Lush’s sign in the distance. “The boss is probably going to cry his eyes out this time…”

She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, her gaze, faint and almost imperceptible, falling on the tall, slender woman ahead.

When did Lin Xingzhu become so imposing? Shang Zengrou couldn’t figure it out for the life of her.

Lin Xingzhu suddenly stopped walking.

Shang Zengrou thought she had accidentally voiced her inner criticisms aloud and Lin Xingzhu had heard her, making her heart jump in fright.

Fortunately, Lin Xingzhu hadn’t noticed her speculating behind her back.

Lin Xingzhu turned and handed Shang Zengrou a card from her pocket. In the deep night, her voice was like a caress of the wind, carrying an imperceptible gentleness. “Take this card and distribute the money inside to those who were frightened these past few days.”

Shang Zengrou took it, stunned, and asked in confusion, “Why don’t you do it yourself?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized what a stupid question she had asked.

Why not go herself? Obviously, because she doesn’t want to!

Unexpectedly, Shang Zengrou thought of Bai Xiying again.

It was strange. The thought of Lin Xingzhu having a stunner like Bai Xiying still made her heart feel a little sour, but she didn’t seem to feel much resentment anymore.

Lin Xingzhu didn’t know about the little schemes³ in Shang Zengrou’s heart. After giving her the card, she considered another piece of the original owner’s messy affairs settled.

There was a large sum of money on that card, compensation for the girls who had been frightened and injured these past few days. This was the only thing Lin Xingzhu could do for now.

They could take this money and leave the club, or choose to stay, but those were no longer Lin Xingzhu’s concern.

In the silent underground parking garage, a cell phone suddenly rang, its sound exceptionally clear.

Lin Xingzhu swiped to answer her phone. “Hello.”

“Lin Xingzhu…”

A woman’s soft voice sounded, hiding an imperceptible palpitation.

Lin Xingzhu frowned slightly, sensing something, and softened her voice. “It’s me. Is something wrong?”

The voice on the other end paused, seemingly hesitant.

Then, Lin Xingzhu heard the other person’s low, somewhat stuttering plea.

“Can… can you… can you come and stay with me for a bit…”

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