Blood Queen - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Golden River Club

***

July 17, Wednesday.

Two subway stops away from the new home is where Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao work for Wan Yue.

Golden River Club, one of the most mysterious high-end entertainment venues in J District and even the entire C City, is located in the most prosperous Riverside Commercial Center of J District.

It adopts a unique member invitation system. The first batch of members is no longer traceable, but after becoming a member, each person has three new member invitation quotas for recommending friends and family.

The conditions for becoming a member of the Golden River Club are very strict. One must be between 24 and 50 years old, and membership automatically ends after reaching 50.

What makes some self-important wealthy people even more disgruntled is that even if they receive an invitation, they will be subject to some kind of assessment during their first experience. Once they fail the assessment, they will be very politely informed by the club that they are not suitable to become members.

Once becoming a member of the Golden River Club, all consumption within the club is free, but a considerable membership fee needs to be paid annually.

Although this membership invitation system does not have clear educational requirements, in the past decade, new members who could enter the Golden River Club were almost exclusively highly educated white-collar men and women, or even corporate executives.

Some insiders have commented that the Golden River Club is a leisure salon aimed at high-end young and middle-aged social interactions and workplace networking. The Golden River Club has never responded to this and continues to do things its own way.

……

The club’s glass main door with a dark gold frame is not as wide and gorgeous as imagined, but uses special dark non-transparent glass, making it difficult to see the interior from outside.

The working hours for Golden River Club employees are from 13:00 in the afternoon to 00:00 midnight, divided into several shifts to maintain year-round operation.

The agreed reporting time was 12:00 noon. Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao arrived 15 minutes early to find Zhao Peng, still in a neat suit despite the summer heat, responsible for greeting at the club entrance. The two felt a bit embarrassed and quickly approached.

“Brother Zhao.”

“No need to be formal, just call me Zhao Peng. We’ll be working together for a long time. Sister Wan just arrived not long ago, let’s go in.”

Zhao Peng glanced at the two women’s attire today without comment, just smiled politely and turned to push open the main door.

Behind the not-so-large main entrance was a suddenly expansive golden dreamworld that came into view.

The floor and walls were all black and gold flower marble. Various artistic small column-shaped sculptures were embedded in the edges or corners of the hall.

The spacious hall space was divided into several polygonal or arc-shaped semi-open small areas, furnished with sofas, small tables or bookshelves, without too many complex decorations.

The second floor was open, with a circular gallery balcony surrounding the entire hall. Standing on the second-floor gallery, one could overlook the entire hall area.

The silver-white dragon marble dome was adorned with dazzling starry sky-like luxurious lighting fixtures. The central main light, like an inverted golden fountain, splashed out strings of golden water droplets, scattering soft golden light to every corner of the hall, then cross-reflecting through the polished marble surfaces.

As far as the eye could see, the black base and rippling gold were the theme here. Solemn, gentle, brilliant, elegant, steady, romantic, various moods intertwined contradictorily, with light and dark, strong and weak.

Several young women dressed in both fashionable and elegant attire were slowly moving around the hall, either gently wiping objects or slightly adjusting some decorations.

In the hall, piano music like flowing springs echoed. Turning around, they found Wan Yue playing casually behind a piano in a semi-circular partitioned area.

“Sister Wan.”

Zhao Peng led Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao to a few meters away from Wan Yue and called out softly.

Wan Yue’s style had changed again before the two women’s eyes. She wore a dark checkered shirt dress, with light makeup and straight long black hair, exuding a strong urban lady charm.

The piano music stopped abruptly. Wan Yue’s beautiful eyes scanned Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao from head to toe, even slightly twitching her nose, and finally revealed a meaningful smile: “Very punctual. There’s still an hour before official opening. Go change clothes first.”

With that, she turned and walked towards a corner of the hall. Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao exchanged glances and could only follow.

……

They originally thought the Golden River Club was just a slightly larger luxurious bar, but judging from the hall alone, its operating area far exceeded expectations.

However, when stepping into the so-called employee area, Jiang Yan realized she had still underestimated the scale of this place.

A female employee changing room with an area comparable to a regular dance training room, three sides were large wardrobes covered with beige curtains, and the other side was a long makeup table that went straight to the end, enough for 20 people to groom simultaneously.

In the center of the changing room, various fashionable tables and chairs for simple rest, and even magazine racks and the like, were sparsely arranged, extremely wasteful of space.

Sitting down casually, Wan Yue lit a cigarette, the mysterious smile on her face undiminished: “Do you know why I’ve always thought that as women, you have many unqualified aspects?”

Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao looked at each other in bewilderment, scanning each other’s bodies up and down with their eyes, their faces filled with confusion.

“Perhaps in some people’s eyes, except for being a bit rustic, you don’t have much difference from other women, but in my eyes, you’re shoddy all over.”

Wan Yue blew out smoke rings and pointed at Jiang Yan’s body: “Most men only care about five parts of a woman: face, chest, waist, buttocks, and legs. What you wear, as long as it’s not too avant-garde, they can mostly accept, or even wish you wouldn’t wear anything.”

At these words, both Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao’s expressions became somewhat awkward.

“Jiang Yao, is this hair natural? Apart from being fairly clean, I don’t see any regular care or trimming. It’s wasted on you.”

“Jiang Yan, your nails, you cut them quite diligently, but they’re uneven in length and not trimmed at the edges. You’re just cutting for the sake of cutting.”

“Also, your faces, I can see you did some grooming before coming out, but… forget it, I’m not marrying off daughters. These faces, you’ve wasted them too. Go wash them later, a bare face is still better than half-baked!”

“Jiang Yao, what’s with that sitting posture? Are you trying to let someone take sneaky photos?”

“And the clothes, to match like you two have, you can only stay at home living a small life.”

Like pouring out beans, more than a dozen details came out in a flurry, leaving Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao dumbfounded.

“Hehe, we’re from the countryside…”

Jiang Yao, half red-faced, carefully glanced at Jiang Yan beside her, who had a somewhat stunned expression, and could only haphazardly piece together an excuse.

“From the countryside? Can people from the countryside carry handguns, silver daggers, and bank cards with over a million in savings? Female bandits from the countryside?”

Wan Yue extinguished her cigarette, her sharp gaze directly freezing the Jiang sisters in place.

“Forget it, being blood-invaded is unfortunate enough, I won’t be tactless and dig deeper. Everyone here has their own unfortunate story, and you’d better not pry either.”

With that, Wan Yue pressed a button on the remote control in her hand, and the curtains covering all the wardrobes on the three walls slowly opened, revealing row after row of dazzling women’s dresses of various styles and colors, in numbers that made one’s tongue-tied. Suddenly, the entire changing room took on a luxurious air.

“Every employee here is both a server and a member, so there are no rigid uniforms. The wardrobes here are updated partially every week, and everyone chooses their favorite outfit according to their characteristics or mood.”

Standing in front of a row of wardrobes, Wan Yue stretched out both hands like a queen, smiling.

“My goodness… this is so extravagant! How much money does this cost…”

Jiang Yao swallowed and could only blurt out this sentence in the end.

“Come on, you’ll wear this kind today.”

Saying this, Wan Yue took out two sets of dresses from the wardrobe, brooking no argument.

……

……

As the lights came on and the moon rose over the willow tips, people gathered at dusk.

At night, in the romantic golden color, the Golden River Club was already filled with pairs and groups of well-dressed young and middle-aged men and women, sitting in several partitioned areas, either sipping wine, flipping through magazines, typing on laptops as if no one else was around, or whispering to each other over a document.

The membership system meant there weren’t many guests each day, so Jiang Yan and the others were quite idle.

At the long black mirror-surface bar, in front of the liquor shelves sparkling with various brilliant crystals under the lights, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao rested their chins on their elbows in boredom, staring blankly at the black and gold hall before them.

Not far from their side, Zhao Peng, now dressed as a bartender, was smiling and slowly wiping glass after glass that was already impossibly clean.

Jiang Yan’s black hair was tied in a simple single ponytail, with a strand of extra hair hanging down from the side of her head.

She wore a long, form-fitting sleeveless thin silk black dress that reached her feet, covered with a semi-transparent short white jacket, fully displaying her tall and graceful figure. Two black straps started from the chest, forming an X-shape from the front to the back of the neck. A black ribbon was tied into a simple flower knot at the waist. The long dress had a slit on the left side up to the thigh, partially revealing her long jade-like legs.

Jiang Yao’s light golden long hair was also tied into a single ponytail at the back of her head with a black hair tie, the tail of hair draped gracefully over her front.

She wore a black wide-skirted long dress without a waist, also covering her feet, paired with the same style of snow-white short jacket. On her white chest was a long golden necklace, perfectly adorning that patch of tender white skin on her chest.

Unlike Jiang Yan’s elegant and mature style, Jiang Yao’s outfit had more of a fresh and pretty girl-next-door feel, her light golden long hair blending perfectly with the color scheme of the hall.

Occasionally, a fashionably dressed young man or woman would walk by in the hall. Jiang Yan knew they were employees here like herself, or more directly, all dependent on Wan Yue. These seemingly young men and women all emitted an extremely faint vampire aura.

All of them were Servant-level or above, and there were even several Knights! This was the most shocking thing for Jiang Yan since entering the Golden River Club.

“Sister, I’m so bored… Are we just going to sit like this until midnight? Are we just ornaments?”

Jiang Yao’s chin slid from her hand onto the bar, her body slumped, her gaze vacant.

This kind of work, compared to the bustling busy life of running Lingzui’er Cold Snacks before, was simply at the opposite extreme.

“That’s how the entertainment industry is, I guess. But with a monthly salary of 10,000, you still find it boring? And that’s just for newcomers like us.”

Jiang Yan held a glass of red wine that she had been drinking for almost an hour without finishing, muttering expressionlessly.

“10,000!? Holy crap… Sister Wan must be loaded!”

Jiang Yao perked up, the boredom in her eyes instantly vanishing. She quickly poured herself half a glass of red wine to experience some high-end living.

Suddenly, the gold color in the hall seemed to be stirred by something, creating some intangible ripples.

The magnificent main light on the dome slowly dimmed, the golden light seemed to retreat to the dome as if taking a mid-show break, and new soft spotlights took the stage, cutting and accentuating the shadows in the hall.

From speakers cleverly hidden in unknown corners, the light music of “Jade Person Dance” echoed in every corner where gold and shadow intertwined.

On the railing of the second floor appeared a voluptuous woman wearing a sexy rose-red form-fitting long dress.

Wan Yue held half a glass of red wine, her cheeks tinged with a light drunken flush, her beautiful eyes smilingly looking at the first-floor hall divided into various geometric patterns by the golden spotlights.

Gentle yet somewhat bewitching and dreamy pheromones slowly emanated from Wan Yue’s body, blending into the lively melody of “Jade Person Dance,” making every note seem to exude a subtle fragrance.

This enchanting subtle fragrance, along with the golden dim lights, slowly permeated the bodies of every guest in the hall, hand in hand with the external hormone-sensing cells remaining on the nasal epithelium, gently wandering in everyone’s minds.

One by one, the carefully selected young male and female servers, though not looking up, all slowed their steps or movements, infected by Wan Yue’s unique aura at this moment.

Urban white-collar workers, elite executives, fashionable men and women, one young guest after another involuntarily stopped their current actions, stopped conversing, holding various drinks, their expressions relaxed and joyful, trying to absorb the once-in-a-lifetime spiritual essence from the music.

Behind the bar, Jiang Yao had already closed her eyes in rapture, gently swaying her head to the rhythm.

Is this Wan Yue’s strength? Even the pheromones she emits can affect ordinary people’s emotions!?

Viscount? Or Count? What level is Sister Wan exactly… Jiang Yan looked up at that charming and elegant figure on the second floor, completely awed by her astonishing ability to control pheromones.

“Surprised? The members here can be nurtured by Sister Wan’s aura, any troubles can vanish like smoke. This opportunity only comes a few times a year. Over the years, just for Sister Wan, who knows how many big bosses have wanted to become members…”

Zhao Peng moved closer, smiling and gesturing towards the second floor with his eyes.

“Uh… Sister Wan is very impressive…”

Jiang Yan didn’t know how to express her feelings, so she could only choose a stereotypical response.

“Yes, very impressive, that’s why I’ve followed her for almost 30 years. Starting several years ago, Sister Wan has put most of her time and energy into other things, this place is just one of her early businesses. If it weren’t for you two, she might not have come today.”

Looking at the two girls before him who had become even more graceful after Sister Wan’s clothing selection, Zhao Peng smiled lightly and picked up the glass again to wipe.

“Hey, Brother Zhao Peng, what level are you at?”

Jiang Yao leaned over, her face curious.

“Peak upper Knight, Sister Wan has invested I don’t know how many resources in me over these years, I can’t even count. But my aptitude is very poor, and I’m of ordinary blood type, so my level has been stuck for 7 or 8 years. It’s hard to hope for breaking through to Baron, so this is it…”

Zhao Peng sighed lightly with some regret, but when he turned his gaze to Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao, he became excited again: “Xiao Yan, Xiao Yao, I’ll call you that. Putting aside what Sister Wan’s opinion is, you should be the fastest-growing and highest-potential people I’ve seen since becoming a vampire. Don’t avoid it, and don’t give up.”

“Everyone here lives a normal life, but all with Sister Wan’s protection. I just hope that there can be more people like Sister Wan in this world, giving hope to those who are kind but unfortunate.”

Jiang Yan felt an inexplicable twinge in her heart, and the image of Sister Tan appeared vaguely again. She could only casually pick up her wine glass to hide her face.

……

The melodious music stopped at some unknown time, and Wan Yue also disappeared from the second floor, as if she had never existed.

Time reached midnight, and the guests had all dispersed half an hour ago. The dim golden world once again returned to tranquility.

All the servers had quietly left. Outside the Golden River Club’s main entrance, Zhao Peng said goodbye to the Jiang sisters, who had changed back to their original outfits.

“If you’re not taking the subway, it’s best to carry weapons with you. As for phones, it’s better to switch to a triple-SIM triple-standby one. I’ll give you new SIM cards tomorrow, for internal use only.”

“Oh, and this is what Sister Wan left behind when she left. She said to take one on the first day of your… menstrual period, one pill every day until the end of the period. It can avoid some abnormal issues and also speed up your growth.”

Zhao Peng, for once with an embarrassed attitude, handed a black plastic bottle to Jiang Yan.

Huh? Menstrual period?

Jiang Yan was startled. Thinking of the inexplicable physical discomfort that had started last night, a terrifying thought suddenly exploded in her mind, and her hand holding the bottle began to tremble.

“Um… it’s very normal. I sensed it as soon as you arrived at the shop today, that’s why Sister Wan left this for you.”

Zhao Peng coughed lightly and said no more, turning to walk back into the club.

“Sister… menstrual period? Then… what should we do?”

Jiang Yao seemed to have some premonition too, stuttering, one finger pointing at her own face, her strange expression gradually turning red.

“Go search online yourself! Don’t ask me everything!”

Jiang Yan felt a wave of irritation.