Chapter 1: Strange Phenomena in the Underworld

  Dugu Zhongzheng wanted to open the door, but collided with Chen Zhenhua who was walking in front of him. The three met and couldn't help but chat for a few sentences, so Dugu Zhongzheng returned again.

  Lan Jingqiu saw the three people coming in, although her face was filled with worry and anxiety, but since old friends had come to visit, she couldn't help but put on a smiling face, a smile that made others suspect that their days were still going by quite well.

  "Sit down quickly!" Lan Jingqiu left his desk, lit a cigarette and sat on the sofa beside them.

  After a few people sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, Ouyang Qing got straight to the point.

  He told Lan Jingqiu and Dugu Zhong about the troubles he had been facing recently, and after finishing, he looked around at the people present, then hesitated and said "Can you help me out?"

  As for Ouyang Qing's request, Lan Jingqiu found it rather difficult. He pondered for a moment before saying, "How much do you lack?"

  "Almost none!" Ouyang Qing said directly.

  "Oh, but I don't have much on hand either, only two or three hundred thousand saved up. How about you, Brother Dugu?" Lan Jing asked after a moment's thought, looking at Dugu Zhong, forgetting that he had already said earlier that he only had 3,000 yuan.

  "I'm the manager of a small thatched cottage, with a monthly salary of 1,001 yuan. Now it's been three months, so I have 3,003 yuan. I don't know if this amount can help my brothers." Dugu Jin looked at everyone foolishly and took out the 3,000 yuan from his pocket, placing it on the table.

  "I don't have much either, the police salary is not high, and I only saved about 10,000 yuan," Chen Zhenhua sighed heavily, taking out a bank card.

  Lan Jing got up and walked to the office desk, opened the drawer, and also took out a bank card and placed it in front of Ouyang Qing.

  Everyone put all their savings together, but it was less than 50,000 yuan. Looking at this small amount of money, everyone fell silent. Because they all knew in their hearts that this little money could do what?

  Ouyang Qing took a deep breath, secretly hurt in his heart, but he didn't know that Lan Jingqiu was even more anxious at this time. He just didn't want people to know, because he knew clearly that even if Chen Zhenhua and others knew about his worries, what else could they do besides suffering with him? So, rather than letting everyone know and feeling sad, it's better to bear it alone.

  "Knock knock,"

  Just as the room was filled with an air of hesitation, the door was knocked and then turned half a circle to produce a "click" sound. Qian Xiaohong and Lu Xiaoying walked in with giggles, seeing that there were so many people in the house, they became even more excited, chirping and shouting to greet Chen Zhenhua and Ouyang Qing.

  Facing Qian Xiaohong's greeting, several people could only force a smile and exchange pleasantries with them, but this smile was put on after all, so it looked even more stiff, to the point where the melancholy atmosphere in the room became even thicker.

  They exchanged greetings before realizing the atmosphere was off, so they looked at each other, stuck out their tongues, and then sat obediently beside them.

  "What's wrong?" Qian Xiaohong asked tentatively in a soft voice, and if she didn't know what was going on, they would be destined to stay up all night.

  Chen Zhenhua had no choice but to repeat the problems Ou Yangqing was facing once again.

  Lu Xiao Ying listened seriously, then hurriedly said: "I have some money here, but not much, just 10,000. Recently we all bought clothes and cosmetics, sorry about that. However, I do have an idea."

  "What's that?" A few people heard Lu Xiao Ying say she had an idea, and suddenly they were all spirited, everyone staring at Lu Xiao Ying with wide eyes.

  "I say," said Lu Xiao Ying, "the general manager is rich, he has stolen so much money from the company and still deducts a portion of our salary. Why not just ask him to contribute some, that would be enough, wouldn't it?"

  "Ask him for it?" Xiaohong shook her head, looking disbelieving. "Can he really give it? Don't be ridiculous."

  "'He wouldn't take it if you called him,' said Lu Xiaoying," "'We can think of a way, for example...'" She said to this point, her eyes rolled around in a circle, then beckoned others to gather around, letting everyone lean in close and listen seriously as she spoke about what she thought was the most appropriate idea.

  "Can it be done?" After hearing Lu Xiao Ying's idea, everyone was somewhat skeptical and looked at each other with a mixture of trust and doubt. Not long after exchanging glances, they all agreed to go along with Lu Xiao Ying's plan because apart from this method, they really had no other choice, so they nodded in agreement to give it a try.

  That night, the Chinese moon rose, and the cool silver light floated over the earth. Under the moonlight, the Sea Whistle Market was also bustling with noise and restlessness. However, in a small district on the west side of the city, it seemed quiet. Under the moonlight and gentle breeze, the shadows around the district were heavy and layered. This quiet district was like another world compared to the busy streets of the city center.

  Qiu Xiaoqian, the general manager of Lan's Group, was humming a tune while driving towards the residential area, looking spirited and refreshed.

  It is said that he made a deal with a big customer in this city a few days ago, and he earned a lot from it. So these days he went to the song hall bar to indulge and celebrate alone.

  Now, he just came out of a bar with his family, driving and listening to rock music in the car, his fat head shaking along.

  Maybe he wasn't satisfied yet, on the way home, he saw a karaoke bar again, this karaoke bar was not far from his residential area, so he stopped the car and walked into the karaoke bar despite being drunk.

  However, he entered this dance hall for another reason. According to unreliable sources, even if not celebrating for himself, he always returned home very late because he already felt that it was no longer a home. A wife with a face full of freckles and the passage of time made his wife's beauty fade in his heart. Now facing an old and faded woman who loves to nag, even the happiest event would feel like a funeral.

  So he thought it was necessary to stay in this dance hall for a while.

  Sitting under the dizzying spinning colored lights, Qiu Xiaoqian ordered a beer.

  He took a sip, his legs casually propped up on the coffee table, his stout body leaning back into the sofa, which suddenly formed a deep "dog den" with its elastic material, and the dog den was filled with a big pile of fat meat.

  The bewildered gaze swept across the young men and women on stage, who were in the midst of a frenzied music performance, shaking their heads and swinging their hips, each one deeply immersed in the carnival atmosphere. A long-haired woman vigorously shook her head, her hair flying left and right like a waterfall. Men charged to the left and right, trying to rub their bodies against those of slightly more beautiful women.

  Manager Qiu was infected with this passion, his blood boiling, the lazy flesh swaying to the rhythm of the passionate music, at this time drinking alone, he felt a bit monotonous. He really wanted a woman to accompany him and share in the joy of his success.

  He then took out his mobile phone from his bag and dialed Qian Xiaohong's and Lu Xiaoying's numbers.

  Qian Xiaohong and Lu Xiaoying were idle and looking for someone to flirt with on the street, they were wearing sexy clothes, a tight-fitting belly-baring top, a pair of slender white velvet pants that accentuated their round buttocks, a pair of high red leather boots, carrying a handbag, and walking down the street with long hair flowing behind them, occasionally letting out an alluring silvery laughter that floated in the autumn breeze like a ghost, entering people's ears and causing passersby to turn back, those who turned back had bulging eyes, only timid ones secretly peeked at their navels and high-pitched chests.

  During this time, they have lured many men. Those lustful men thought they had picked up a bargain and were gloating in their hearts, but they didn't know that they were actually victims of emotional deception.

  The two of them continued to swagger through the streets until the phone rang.

  "Is that Boss Zhou?!" Qian Xiaohong opened her mobile phone, connected the call, and let out a charming laugh before saying, "What made you think of calling us at this time?"

  "Nothing happened last night, just sitting idle in a bar. Are you coming? Let's sit and chat."

  Qian Xiaohong was overjoyed to receive the invitation, and they were eager for Ou Yangqing to take the initiative to find them: firstly for Ou Yangqing's sake, and secondly for a free outing. So the two readily agreed, hailed a taxi, and set off for the dance hall.

  A taxi stopped in front of them, and a man stuck his head out and smiled, asking softly, "Excuse me, beautiful ladies, where are you headed?"

  Lu Xiaoying looked at the man and suddenly became nervous, her mind went blank, a faint buzzing sound in her ears, her eyes fixed on the man's handsome face.

  Qian Xiaohong, however, didn't think so. She took a step forward, opened the car door, and one beautiful leg first stepped in. Then her body bent, trying to show off elegant movements getting into the taxi. After that, she looked at Lu Xiao Ying who was still motionless and said: "Are you stupid? Hurry up and get in."

  Lu Xiaoying seemed to have been startled, and slowly got on the bus with clumsy steps. —— She was no longer as "agile" as before.

  As she sat in the car, Qian Xiaohong chattered incessantly like a little bird, asking this and that, while the young driver responded with a smile and polite answers.

  Lu Xiao Ying didn't say a word, she quietly stared at the man, her lips tightly pursed, occasionally furrowing her brow, thinking deeply in her heart why she had this feeling, this kind of feeling that had never appeared before.

  Why does seeing this man make me feel so nervous? Why does seeing this man make my mind go blank? Why is my reaction to him so slow? Why am I so absent-minded?

  She was suddenly faced with so many questions, but couldn't think of a reasonable answer.

  So, except for secretly looking at the back of the driver's head, Lu Xiaoying didn't say a word, and even her posture became stiff, with her feet together and her two jade-like hands placed neatly on her knees. When Qian Xiaohong loudly told jokes that others had to laugh at, the driver smiled, and Lu Xiaoying forced a smile, her lips slightly parting to reveal her pearly white teeth.

  "Why aren't you saying anything?" Qian Xiaohong chattered on for half a day before noticing Lu Xiao Ying's awkward movements, and suddenly looked at her loudly asking, "Silent?! You used to be the most talkative! It's rare, actually being silent, this isn't your style."

  "What are you talking about? Am I not like this?" She was embarrassed to explain, her face suddenly flushed, and she twisted and turned, stealing a glance at the young man with a sunny disposition.

  "After talking for half a day, you still haven't asked me my name?" Qian Xiaohong was still loud and chatty, not paying attention to Lu Xiaoying's expression.

  When asked for her name, Lu Xiao Ying's heart beats faster, she feels very excited, with an urge to know the man's name: "I'm Lu Xiao Ying." She took the initiative to introduce herself.

  "My name is Yang Hao," said the driver with a smile, slightly turning his head to glance at them, revealing pearly white teeth.

  "So it's Brother Yang. How long have you been driving a taxi? Seeing how handsome you are, there must be many passengers who like you, right?" Qian Xiaohong said.

  "Where is it, driving a taxi? After all, this is a service industry, and being polite to passengers is also necessary. They may like me because of their trust in me." Yang Huan smiled too, his voice had a mesmerizing magnetism, and was very polite, like a gentleman.

  "How much money can be earned by driving a taxi for a month? It shouldn't be little, right?" Qian Xiaohong continued to ask.

  "How much can I earn? Just make do! In the past, because my family was poor, I couldn't afford to go to school, so I started working very early. Now I'm uncultured and can't do anything well, and people look down on me." The driver sighed and said.

  Upon hearing Yang Hua's family situation, Lu Xiao Ying felt a pang in her heart and let out a sigh. She and Qian Xiao Hong fell silent for a moment, after all, hadn't they experienced similar hardships themselves? Their families were too poor, making it impossible to buy decent clothes; every day was spent doing endless chores, their hands roughened from the labor, and whenever they showed their hands in public with women of the same age, they almost died of shame.

  "What you said is right! Life is sometimes a kind of helplessness." Lu Xiao Ying let out a deep sigh, lowered her head and shed a crystal clear tear.

  "What's in front?"

  Just as Lu Xiaoying was lost in thought, Qian Xiaohong saw something appear in the middle of the road ahead, but it was a bit far away and the night was dimly lit, so she couldn't see clearly.