Who Wants to Love Bad Girls - Chapter 56

Twenty-one-year-old Ting Wan was immersed in the rare appearance of happiness. The man, in a good mood, even sang her a birthday song. The small cake was divided into three pieces, one for each of them.

At the top of the cake was a strawberry. Ting Wan was accustomed to saving the best for last. Just as she was about to take her last bite of creamy cake, before reaching for the strawberry with her fork, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

The cheap fabric was easily torn apart, and her ears buzzed with an indistinct sound of the woman’s curses. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the man’s twisted face.

“You’re so filthy, yet you gave birth to such a clean daughter.”

Ting Wan understood his intentions and, in her slow-wittedness, attempted to resist. It was the first time she realized the difference in physical strength between men and women. Her feeble efforts to struggle were pitiful, almost like welcoming rather than rejecting.

A muffled sound echoed as droplets of crimson liquid splattered onto Ting Wan’s face, warm and sticky. The man cried out in pain, clutching his head, while Yang Ting frantically wiped away the blood from Ting Wan’s face with one hand and held the broken bottle in the other.

“What are you waiting for? Get out of here!”

“You f❤cking…” The man groaned in pain. Ting Wan, in a panic, regained her senses and got up. The front door was just behind her. Hesitatingly, she grabbed the door handle, but her gaze caught Yang Ting pouncing on the man who was trying to stand up.

“Mum…”

“Leave quickly! I don’t have a daughter like you!”

She turned her head resolutely and pulled open the door, shutting out all the painful sounds. That was the last time Ting Wan saw Yang Ting, her mother, forever trapped behind that door.

The early spring weather still carried a chill. Ting Wan wrapped herself in her coat, like a lost soul wandering between cities, unsure of where to go or what to do.

The city was bustling, with countless parents waiting for their children to finish evening classes, amidst the hustle and bustle of traffic. The aroma of food wafted from nearby alleys, creating a lively atmosphere.

None of it had anything to do with Ting Wan. She had nowhere to go, her body in disarray. Exhausted, she slumped in a dirty, deserted corner. People passed by occasionally, ignoring her. Even if they noticed, they treated her like a homeless person to be avoided. Fatigue and cold intertwined, and in her hazy consciousness, she thought disappearing like this wouldn’t be so bad.

A faint voice of a young girl echoed in her ears.

“Uncle Wang, wait a little longer! I still have two game coins left.”

“Miss, if you don’t go back now, Madam will be really angry.”

“She says that every time…”

Ting Wan didn’t care which rich young lady had popped out from somewhere. She adjusted her coat and paid no attention.

“Hey, why is there someone sitting over there?”

“Miss! Don’t go…”

Chi Jianyue blinked, tears welling up in her eyes once again. She finally remembered.

At sixteen, Chi Jianyue feared nothing, so why would she listen to the driver’s advice? Even though this woman in front of her had an unknown background, was disheveled, with traces of blood still visible on her face, she still had bright eyes. Chi Jianyue took out a handkerchief from her pocket and carefully handed it over, asking softly:

“Sister, are you hurt?”

The handkerchief carried the soft fragrance of the girl’s body, and her innocent gaze, oblivious to the ways of the world, was like the strawberry cake that Ting Wan had fixated on in the bakery’s display — beautiful and tempting.

The girl was quickly taken away by several men in suits who had come looking for her. Ting Wan stared blankly at the handkerchief in her hand, with the character for “池” in the corner of it.

For Chi Jianyue, this was just a trivial incident in life, buried deep in memory after it passed. Who would have thought that this woman, who looked like a beggar, would be Ting Wan? And she couldn’t have predicted that the handkerchief she had given away would end up back in her hands like this.

Ting Wan had experienced many things in her short life, but simply staying alive was more difficult for her than others. Her exquisite beauty didn’t seem to bring her any convenience. Despite having the same job, everyone assumed she should use her looks to sell herself. From KTV to bars, Kevin finally discovered her and greeted Yu Miao beside him with a smile, saying, “It seems like I’ve found a good candidate for you.”

In the end, it was all for the money. Ting Wan followed Yu Miao to “Nightfall,” even though the woman assured her that there would be no physical transactions involved. But Ting Wan knew very well that she had prepared herself to sell her body.

Unexpectedly, Yu Miao’s first lesson for her was flower arrangement. From flower arrangement to tea ceremony, chess, and golf, she gave Ting Wan whole cabinets of books and taught her many things, except how to please a man.

Ting Wan realized that the world was far more vast than she had imagined, but she still couldn’t understand.

“As long as you’re exceptional enough, there’s no need to please anyone, and people will come to you one after another. Ting Wan, you are indeed beautiful, but when you look at the girls in the shop, the pretty ones and the not-so-pretty ones, all these mistresses, how do you think I compare to them?”

“You are more beautiful.”

Yu Miao smiled lightly and shook her head. “No need to please me, to be honest.”

Ting Wan honestly replied, “Chu Yan is even more beautiful.”

“Then why do you think I am the Mama-san of this establishment?” Yu Miao asked.

In truth, Yu Miao had an average appearance, but her outstanding temperament set her apart. She exuded a gentle aura, like a cup of aged tea that became more fragrant with each sip. Although Chu Yan was the most beautiful, she couldn’t match Yu Miao’s popularity.

Seeing Ting Wan’s perplexed expression and inability to answer, Yu Miao sighed and gave her a warning. “Ting Wan, you need to understand one thing – relying solely on beauty is a dead end.”

“Relying solely on beauty is a dead end…” Ting Wan reflected on her dusty past and her life with Yang Ting. How fitting those words were.

She realized that even after she became the Mama-san of this establishment and even if Yu Miao stopped teaching her, Ting Wan would continue to learn. From “Nightfall” to “Kilig,” the guests who were captivated by her appearance offered one favorable condition after another, but Ting Wan never wavered. Without exception, she placed those individuals on her blacklist.

The truth proved that Yu Miao’s words were correct. Thanks to this invisible screening process, “Kilig” had thrived until now.

Until the day that face, overlapping with her memories, arrived.

Chi Jianyue. Ting Wan silently repeated the name in her heart. After entering “Nightfall,” she knew what the surname Chi meant in N City. There would be no one else.

“I would like to buy Ting Wan’s time after 2 a.m. as Mama-san,” Chi Jianyue said.

What thoughts flashed through her mind at that moment?

Was it an expected confirmation, or was she grateful to her mother for bestowing this physical vessel upon her?

In any case, Ting Wan’s once proud self-control was now easily shattered.

With deep self-disgust, she endured each day spent with Chi Jianyue.