The Plough

The slender and thin fingers lightly stroked the jade-white porcelain pipe for a moment before carelessly tossing it onto the bed.

The woman yawned, slowly getting up and sauntering to the washbasin.

She turned the faucet on and lightly twisted it, her eyes half-lidded and her body seemingly unable to muster up any energy.

There came a commotion from behind her.

The woman in the mirror saw the one who had come.

“How did you get here?” She lazily smiled, her demeanor filled with alluring charm.

“Just in time, come help me choose a qipao, today…”

Before she could finish her sentence, her expression in the mirror turned to shock!

“What are you doin–“

The scream that was about to escape her throat was immediately blocked, and she struggled, desperately trying to grab the other's hand.
The meticulously maintained nail polish was broken due to the effort of trying to grab, and blood oozed out from the cracks, making it unclear who was injured.

However, this only provoked a much more vicious response from the other.

The woman subconsciously opened her mouth wide!

She couldn't breathe in the slightest bit of air she desperately wanted to inhale, instead it only hastened her own death.

The face that would usually make men swoon was now distorted and menacing, her temples pulsing with blue veins, her eyes slightly rolling up.
In the darkness, a passing thought made her realize that the clothing choking her neck was her own sleeping gown she had just thrown onto the bed.

The silk cape that she bought last month, she had grown to love it.
She would often wear it.

Her slippers were kicked away, and her body was dragged towards the bedroom, leaving two wet marks on the floor as her feet were exposed.

The person gripping her showed no sympathy, and applied even more force when he saw her struggling.

For someone on the brink of death, life was being shortened second by second.

Gradually, her legs stopped kicking.

Her body lay limp on the bed, her eyes still wide open, fixated on the ceiling.

Death had not closed her eyes.

___

Ya Qi was eagerly playing with the makeup products on her desk.
After hesitating for half a day between the two brands of snow cream, she finally chose the new one from Summer's Lian.
The new bottle was a bit stiff when she unscrewed the cap, but the fragrance that was applied to her face quickly erased her last bit of reluctance.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Ya Qi's mood also brightened.
To her, it was just an ordinary night among thousands of nights.
But this night had subtly changed due to the arrival of someone.

“Ya Qi, Young Master Ling has come, he wants to see you!”

Ya Qi quickly turned around and snatched the Danqi lipstick that was farthest from her and had not been opened yet.
She opened it, twisted it, and carefully applied it to the mirror.
This was a foreign product she had recently bought from Yong'an Department Store and she hadn't been able to bear to use it for days.

The manager behind her was coming in with a laugh.

“You're so happy to hear that Young Master Ling has come?”

Ya Qi glanced at the mirror and said, “I think you're even happier than me, your mouth is almost reaching your ears!”

The manager said, “Young Master Ling is handsome, he speaks nicely and knows how to coax people.
Who wouldn't like him? It's a pity that he's not as good as the real rich young masters, but his handsome face is enough.
I don't know if he will buy your time tonight.
If he were a young man in his teens or twenties, I'd rather give him money than go out with him!”

’

Ya Qi snorted, said nothing, and just kept looking at herself in the mirror.
Her lips were flaming, leaving behind a delicate and beautiful face.
Young Master Ling should have noticed that she was different tonight?

The conversation was interrupted when the manager saw the timid young girl nearby.

“What are you standing around for, come out with us! Young Master Ling has brought a friend over, perfect!”

The young girl was called Rosie, who had just been hired as a dancer at Feilengcui a few days ago, and did not yet understand the rules or had seen too many scenes.

“Who is Young Master Ling? Is he a regular here?” she asked curiously.

The three of them passed through the lit galleria, their high heels tapping out crisp rhythms on the floor.

Ya Qi had no enthusiasm to answer, and the manager simply said, “Hurry up and follow us!”

Rosie had no choice but to comply, adjusting to the discomfort of wearing high heels.

She had previously had a relatively comfortable life, and was in middle school.
Her father had suddenly passed away a few years ago, and the family suddenly collapsed overnight, leaving her no choice but to come to Feilengcui to work to support her younger brother's schooling.

The manager had seen many people with similar experiences in the dance hall.

In this era, what was in shortest supply was people's lack of choice in life.

At least, being a dancer provided a good income.

The name Rosie, a combination of Chinese and Western, was given to her by the manager when she entered the dance hall, as her stage name.

On the vast Shanghai beach, Feilengcui can't compare with the dance halls of the Bailemen, Fairy Music Palace, Metropolis and Vienna, but it is still famous and welcomes all visitors, with a wider range of guests.
For places like the Bailemen, only the wealthy can afford to enter there, it's not something an ordinary person can afford.
If Rose was willing to work hard, in a month she would have more than enough money for her younger brother's school tuition, and maybe some left over for expenses.

Rose soon saw Young Master Ling, whom the manager called “handsome and smooth”.
He was wearing a gray and black suit, his hair arranged like the many young people of the time, only without pomade, fluffy and refreshing.
His attire was not particularly remarkable.
Rose had seen young masters dressed in luxurious clothing, and peacocks more ostentatiously dressed than him.
But it was the first time she realized that if a person was good-looking enough, it didn't matter what they wore, they could make ordinary clothes look extraordinary.
There were plenty of people who relied on their clothes, but there were very few like Young Master Ling who relied on their looks.

“Young Master Ling!” Rose saw Ya Qi fly over like a happy little bird, her high heels seeming to give her a lightness of foot.
On Young Master Ling's face was a lazy, satisfied smile.
“Ya Qi, have you started using new lipstick? You're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you!” Ya Qi was both surprised and delighted.
“You noticed? This is a new color from Dandy Lipstick, it's only sold in limited quantities at Yong’an Department Store, I had to have someone queue up for me for ages and almost didn't manage to buy it!” She went over and hugged Young Master Ling's arm, chattering away.

Rosie was pushed towards the young man next to Young Master Ling by the big group.

“Come to the ballroom to dance,” he said.

Under the melody of the music, Rosie was a bit embarrassed and stiff, accompanying the other party to take clumsy steps.

Dancing quickly brought the two closer.
She learned from the young man's mouth that Young Master Ling's full name was Ling Shu and he was actually a police officer from Jiangwan District Police Department.
The person who was dancing with her was called Cheng Si, who was Ling Shu's colleague and good friend.

Cheng Si was also handsome, but compared to Ling Shu, he was undoubtedly lacking in the moonlight and starlight.

Rosie's gaze could not help but follow the figure in the ballroom lights again.

Ling Shu danced very well.

His steps were light and nimble.

The hair without hair oil jumped lightly with the movement of the pace.

One after another, just like Rosie's palpitating heart of a young girl.

She looked at the corner of his eye.

The flowing light draws out a’flying, instantaneously blasting a scar in her chest, bright and eye-catching.

“People who look good are different, they can even get tips from the dance girl!”

’

Cheng Si's muttering came from her ear.

Rosie looked carefully and indeed saw Ya Qi putting a small handkerchief wrapped in a ball into Ling Shu's hand.

Nowadays, the dance venues are divided into various categories and the guests who go to the dance venues are divided into three classes and nine grades.
Even the most stingy guests have to open a bottle of wine and leave a tip for the dancers.
Those who are generous may even spend a fortune, take the dancers out on the street, and even rent a hotel room or buy a house for them.

However, Rosie had never seen a dancer patronizing her customers before.
The shock tha