July 17th, Wednesday.
Two subway stops from their new home was the place where Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao would work for Wan Yue.
Golden River Club, one of the most mysterious high-end entertainment venues in J District and even all of C City, was located in J District's most bustling riverside commercial center.
This place operated on a unique member invitation system. The first batch of members was no longer traceable, but after becoming a member, each person had three new member invitation slots for recommending relatives and friends.
The conditions for becoming a member of Golden River Club were very strict—one had to be between twenty-four and fifty years old, and membership automatically ended after fifty.
What made some self-important wealthy people even more indignant was that even after receiving an invitation, they would undergo some kind of evaluation during their first experience. If they failed the evaluation, the club would very politely inform them that they were not suitable to become members.
Once someone became a member of Golden River Club, all consumption within the club was free, but they had to pay substantial annual membership fees.
Although this member invitation system had no explicit educational requirements, over the past decade, new members who could enter Golden River Club were almost uniformly highly educated white-collar men and women, or even corporate gold-collar executives.
Industry insiders evaluated that Golden River Club was a leisure salon aimed at high-end young and middle-aged social networking and workplace connections. Golden River Club had never responded to this, continuing to do things their own way.
...
The club's glass doors with dark gold frames weren't as grand and magnificent as imagined—they just used special dark, non-transparent glass, making it difficult to see the interior from outside.
Golden River Club employees' working hours were from 1:00 PM to midnight, divided into several shifts to maintain year-round operation.
The agreed reporting time was noon at twelve o'clock. Jiang Yan and the other arrived fifteen minutes early and found that the person standing at the club entrance to receive them was Zhao Peng, still impeccably dressed in a suit despite the summer heat. The two felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly approached.
"Brother Zhao."
"Don't be so 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 looked at the two women's outfits today but made no comment, just smiled politely and turned to push open the door.
Behind the modest main entrance was a sudden vista of a golden fantasy world.
The floors and walls were all black-veined golden marble, with various artistic small columnar sculptures embedded in the hall's side walls and corners.
The spacious hall was divided into several polygonal or curved semi-open small areas, furnished with sofas, small tables, or bookshelves, without excessive complex decoration.
The second floor was open-style, with a circular gallery terrace surrounding the entire hall. Standing at the edge of the second-floor gallery, one could overlook the entire hall area.
The dome of silver-white dragon marble featured brilliant lighting as magnificent as a starry river. The central main light was like an inverted golden fountain, splashing strings of golden droplets that scattered soft golden light to every corner of the hall, then cross-reflected through the polished marble surfaces.
Wherever the eye looked, black foundations and rippling gold were the theme here. Solemn, gentle, brilliant, elegant, steady, romantic—various contradictory moods intertwined, some bright, some dark, some strong, some weak.
Several young women dressed in fashionable yet elegant attire were slowly moving about the hall, either gently wiping objects or making fine adjustments to certain decorative items.
The hall echoed with piano music flowing like a clear spring. Turning around, they discovered that in a certain semi-circular partition area, behind a piano, Wan Yue was casually playing.
"Sister Wan."
Zhao Peng led Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao to within a few meters of Wan Yue and called out softly.
The Wan Yue before the two women had changed styles again—wearing a dark plaid shirt dress, light makeup, and long straight black hair, exuding the full charm of an urban beauty.
The piano music stopped abruptly. Wan Yue's beautiful eyes swept over Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao from head to toe, even slightly twitching her nose, before finally revealing a meaningful smile: "Very punctual. There's still an hour before official business hours. Go change clothes first."
After speaking, she turned and walked toward a corner of the hall. Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao exchanged glances and could only follow.
...
They had originally thought Golden River Club was just a slightly larger luxury bar, but just from what they could see in the hall, its business area already far exceeded expectations.
However, when stepping into the so-called employee area, Jiang Yan realized she had still underestimated the scale of this place.
The female employee changing room was large enough to rival a proper dance training studio, with three walls completely lined with large wardrobes blocked by beige curtains, while the other wall featured a long makeup counter extending to the end, sufficient for twenty people to groom simultaneously.
The central area of the changing room wastefully and sparsely arranged various fashionable tables and chairs for simple rest, and even magazine bookshelves and such.
Finding a random place to sit, Wan Yue lit a cigarette, the mysterious smile on her face undiminished: "Do you know why I've always believed that you two, as women, have many unqualified aspects?"
Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao looked at each other, scanning each other's bodies up and down with their eyes, confusion on their faces.
"You might seem, in some people's eyes, to have no major differences from other women except being a bit uncouth, but in my eyes, you're crude and poorly made everywhere."
Wan Yue exhaled smoke rings and pointed at Jiang Yan's body: "Most men only focus on five parts of women—face, chest, waist, hips, and legs. What you wear, as long as it's not too unconventional, they can mostly accept, and they'd even prefer you not to wear anything."
Upon hearing this, both Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao's expressions became somewhat awkward.
"Jiang Yao, is this hair natural? Except for being relatively clean, I don't see any usual care and trimming—it's quite wasted on you."
"Jiang Yan, your nails—you trim them quite diligently, but they're uneven lengths and the edges aren't filed. You just cut for the sake of cutting."
"And your faces—I can tell you did some grooming before going out, but... forget it, I'm not marrying off daughters. These faces, you've also ruined them. Go wash them later—bare faces are better than half-done ones!"
"Jiang Yao, your sitting posture—what's with your legs? Are you planning to let people take upskirt photos?"
"And the clothes—to coordinate them like you two have, you can only stay home living simple lives."
Like pouring beans, more than ten details poured out, leaving Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao stunned.
"Hehe, we're from the countryside..."
Jiang Yao blushed halfway, carefully glancing at Jiang Yan beside her who looked somewhat dazed, and could only hastily cobble together an excuse.
"From the countryside? Country girls carrying handguns, silver daggers, and bank cards with millions in savings? Country female bandits?"
Wan Yue extinguished her cigarette butt, her sharp gaze directly fixing the Jiang sisters in place.
"Forget it, being blood-infected is unlucky enough—I won't tactlessly dig deeper. Everyone here has their own unlucky story, and you'd better not go asking about them either."
After speaking, Wan Yue pressed a remote control in her hand, and the curtains covering all the wardrobes on the three walls slowly opened, revealing rows upon rows of dazzling women's clothing and dresses in various styles and colors. The quantity was jaw-dropping, and suddenly the entire changing room's atmosphere became extravagantly wealthy.
"Every employee here is both a service worker and a member, so there are no rigid uniform outfits. The wardrobes here are partially updated every week, and each person chooses their preferred attire based on their characteristics or mood."
Standing before a row of closets, Wan Yue spread her arms like a queen, smiling.
"My goodness... so extravagant! How much money must this cost..."
Jiang Yao swallowed and could only manage this comment.
"Come on, today you'll wear these."
Speaking, Wan Yue indisputably took out two outfits from the wardrobes.
...
...
As evening lights came on, the moon rose above the willow tips, and people had appointments after dusk.
In the evening, in the romantic golden light, Golden River Club already had groups of two or three well-dressed young and middle-aged men and women, sitting separately in various partition areas, either tasting wine, reading magazines, typing on laptops as if no one else existed, or whispering to each other over documents.
The membership system ensured there weren't many daily customers, so Jiang Yan and the others were quite idle.
At the long black mirror-finish bar, in front of the wine rack that sparkled with various brilliant crystal lights under the illumination, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao supported their chins with their elbows in boredom, staring blankly at the black-gold hall before them.
Not far from them, Zhao Peng, now dressed as a bartender, was smiling as he slowly wiped wine glasses that were already impossibly clean.
Jiang Yan had her beautiful black hair tied in a simple ponytail, with an extra strand of hair hanging down from the side of her head.
She wore a long, body-hugging sleeveless thin silk black dress that reached her feet, with a translucent short white jacket over it. Her tall, graceful figure was fully displayed; two black ribbons started from her chest, forming an X-shape from the front and wrapping around to the back of her neck; a black silk ribbon was tied in a simple bow at her waist; the left side of the long dress had a slit up to her thigh, revealing her jade-like slender legs in a tantalizing glimpse.
Jiang Yao had her light golden long hair also tied into a ponytail at the back with a black hair band, the hair bundle gracefully draped over her front.
She wore a black waistless wide-skirted long dress that also covered her feet, paired with the same style white jacket. On her pure white chest was a long golden necklace that perfectly adorned that patch of tender white skin.
Unlike Jiang Yan's elegant and mature style, Jiang Yao's outfit had more of a fresh and pretty girl-next-door quality. That head of light golden hair blended perfectly with the hall's color scheme.
Occasionally, a brightly dressed young man or woman would walk by in the hall. Jiang Yan knew that like herself, they were all employees here, or more directly, all dependents of Wan Yue. These seemingly young men and women all emanated extremely weak Blood Clan auras.
All were Attendant level or above, and there were even several Knights! This was what most shocked Jiang Yan's heart since entering Golden River Club.
"Sis, so boring... are we just going to sit like this until dawn... Life as a decorative vase…"
Jiang Yao's chin slid from her hand onto the bar counter, her body went limp, her gaze vacant.
This kind of work, compared to the bustling busyness of previously operating Ling Zui’er Cold Cup, was simply at the opposite extreme.
"The entertainment industry is like this, but with a monthly salary of ten thousand, you still find it boring? And that's just for newcomers like us."
Jiang Yan held a glass of red wine that she'd been drinking for almost an hour without finishing, muttering expressionlessly.
"Ten thousand!? Holy crap... Sister Wan's family must own mines!"
Jiang Yao perked up, the boredom in her eyes instantly vanishing without a trace, and quickly poured herself half a glass of red wine to get some high-end life experience.
Suddenly, the golden color in the hall seemed to be stirred by something, creating some invisible ripples.
The gorgeous main light on the dome slowly dimmed, the golden light seeming to retreat to the dome like an intermission, as new streams of gentle spotlights took the stage, cutting and adorning the hall's darkness.
From speakers cleverly hidden in unknowable corners came the light music of "Jade Lady Dance," leisurely echoing in every corner where gold and shadow intertwined.
On the second-floor railing appeared an alluring woman in a sexy rose-red body-hugging long dress.
Wan Yue held half a glass of red wine, her cheeks bearing the light flush of mild intoxication, her beautiful eyes smiling as she looked down at the first-floor hall divided into various geometric patterns by golden spotlights.
Gentle yet slightly bewitching, hazy pheromones slowly emanated from Wan Yue's body, merging into the spirited melody of "Jade Lady Dance," making every note seem to emit a dark fragrance.
This charming dark fragrant aura, following the golden hazy light and shadow, slowly permeated into the bodies of every guest in the hall, touching the external hormone-sensing cells remaining on the nasal surface epithelium, gently wandering in everyone's minds.
The carefully selected young male and female servers, though not looking up, all slowed their steps or hand movements, infected by Wan Yue's unique aura at this moment.
Urban white-collar workers, elite executives, fashionable men and women—the young guests all involuntarily stopped their current actions, stopped their conversations, touched their various drinks, their expressions relaxed and pleasant, trying to absorb the rare spiritual essence from the music.
Behind the bar, Jiang Yao had already closed her eyes in intoxication, gently swaying her head to follow the musical notes.
Is this Wan Yue's strength? Her pheromones can even affect ordinary people's emotions!?
Viscount? Or Earl? What level is Sister Wan exactly... Jiang Yan looked up toward that charming and elegant figure on the second floor, completely awed by her amazing pheromone control ability.
"Surprised? The members here can have their worries disappear completely under Sister Wan's aura influence. This kind of opportunity doesn't come more than a few times a year. Over the years, just for Sister Wan, there have been countless big bosses wanting to become members..."
Zhao Peng moved closer, smiling as he gestured toward the second floor.
"Uh... Sister Wan is very impressive..."
Jiang Yan didn't know how to express her feelings and could only choose a stilted response.
"Yes, very impressive, which is why I've followed her for almost thirty years. For several years now, Sister Wan has devoted most of her time and energy to other places. This place can only be considered one of her early enterprises. If not for you two, she might not have even come today."
Looking at the two girls who had become even more graceful after Sister Wan's clothing selection, Zhao Peng smiled gently and picked up a wine glass to wipe again.
"Hey, Brother Zhao Peng, what level are you then?"
Jiang Yao leaned over, curiosity on her face.
"Upper-tier Knight peak. Sister Wan has spent who knows how many resources on me over the years—even I can't count them all. But I have poor aptitude and ordinary blood type. My realm has been stuck for seven or eight years. It's hard to hope for advancing to Baron, so this is it..."
Zhao Peng sighed with some regret, but when his gaze turned to Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao, it became much more energetic: "Xiao Yan, Xiao Yao, I'll address you this way. Setting aside whatever Sister Wan's views are, you should be the fastest-growing, highest-potential people I've seen since becoming Blood Clan. Don't avoid it, and don't give up."
"Everyone here lives normal lives, but all are protected by Sister Wan. I just hope there can be more people like Sister Wan in this world, giving hope to those who are kind but unlucky."
Jiang Yan felt an inexplicable sourness in her heart, and Sister Tan's shadow appeared hazily again. She could only nonchalantly raise her wine glass to cover her face.
...
The melodious music stopped at some unknown point, and Wan Yue had also disappeared from the second floor, as if she had never existed.
Time reached midnight, and the guests had all gradually left half an hour earlier. The dim golden world returned to tranquility once again.
All the servers had quietly departed. Outside Golden River Club's entrance, Zhao Peng bid farewell to the Jiang sisters who had returned to their arrival attire.
"If you're not taking the subway, it's best to carry weapons with you. For phones, you'd better switch to a triple-SIM model. Tomorrow I'll give you new SIM cards for internal use."
"Oh, and this is something Sister Wan instructed me to leave when she departed. She said to take it the day before your... menstrual period comes, one pill per day until your period ends. It can avoid some abnormal problems and also accelerate your growth."
Zhao Peng rarely showed an awkward attitude as he handed a black plastic bottle to Jiang Yan.
Ah? Menstrual period?
Jiang Yan was startled. Thinking of the inexplicable physical abnormalities and discomfort that had started last night, a terrifying thought suddenly exploded in her mind, and the hand gripping the bottle trembled.
"Mm... it's very normal. When you arrived at the shop today, I sensed it, which is why Sister Wan left this for you."
Zhao Peng coughed lightly and said no more, turning to walk back into the club.
"Sis... menstrual period? Then... then what do we do?"
Jiang Yao also seemed to have a premonition, stammering, pointing at her own face with one finger, her strange expression gradually flushing red.
"Search it online yourself! Don't ask me everything!"
Jiang Yan felt irritated.