Chapter 4: Take Her To The Room

• The manager began trembling even harder. She thought, “God, I’m done! I’m done! How could I not have known that this bitch is Mr. Sandler’s little girlfriend? Mr. Sandler! Shit, I might as well be dead. I’m done.”
• Mr. Sandler scowled and hesitated to push this odd drunk girl away. The expression on his face remained blank, and his dark eyes, shining like pearls, revealed his deep feeling of annoyance and discontent.
• But it was a life or death type of situation for Scarlett. She was in trouble. She clenched his arms more tightly, and tears began streaming from her eyes.
• From this vantage point, Mr. Sandler finally saw the girl’s face clearly. Her ruined makeup and faded, cracking lipstick couldn’t conceal her yet unripe and tender beauty. Her eyes were watery with tears. They were filled with panic and despair– she was like an injured fawn in the forest.
• Mr. Sandler had heard of these types of places. They dealt in the business of desire and sex– they offered wealthy male patrons, young girls, for sex. The men could do anything they desired to the girls, who were often virgins, too.
• The girl in his arms kept muttering to him, “Please… please help me…” He felt sympathetic towards her. He wasn’t thinking rationally anymore. So he held her more tightly in arms and turned to the manager, “Who gave you the courage and stupidity to dare touch my woman?”
• Hearing these words, Scarlett knew she was saved. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, and in a moment, she fainted. She had lost consciousness.
• The manager suddenly realized that she was in great trouble; her career, indeed, was jeopardized.
• She was so stunned that her hands trembled violently, and all of a sudden, her knees gave way, and she found herself kneeling down on the ground. Her lips trembled so hard that she couldn’t even say a word.
• She tried to calm herself down and begged for Mr. Sandler’s forgiveness, “Mr. Sandler, I am so sorry. My apologies, I made a mistake. Your lady… Scarlett, she has been here for a long time, but she never told anyone that she was your woman. You see, I wouldn’t have laid a finger on her if I had known that she is yours. Mr. Sandler, please forgive me. She hasn’t been hurt, I didn’t hurt her. Please, just forgive me. Please let me go. Don’t punish me…”
• Mr. Sandler didn't say a word but stared at the creeping figure on the ground. The manager was so panicky that she began to overheat, sweat rolling down her back.
• After so many years working at Mystic Night Garden, she knew very well who Mr. Sandler was and what he could do. If he wanted to, he could ruin her business entirely and screw her over in every way, even her family. She crept towards Mr. Sandler and begged, “Please… please!” as he regarded her icily.
• While all this was happening, her two bodyguards just stood in the corner with their heads down. It was as if they were wishing they could become invisible, disappearing into the wall. They felt like shrinking themselves too small to be seen by Mr. Sandler.
• Mr. Sandler stopped her and finally said, “She’s too drunk right now. I can't take her home while she’s in this state. Go, prepare a room for her. I want her to rest, and I want you to take good care of her. Don’t be troublesome again, or I’ll get rid of you. Get out of my face now.”
• “Sir, I can’t thank you enough. Thank you for being so merciful. I’m so grateful. Thank you!” The manager stood up and wiped away the beads of cold sweat that had formed on her forehead.
• She took out a key with her trembling hands and showed it to Mr. Sandler. “This is the VIP room on the 25th floor. Have a good time, Mr. Sandler.” Her words were indecent. Mr. Sandler could not have cared less.
• “Take her to the room.” He said, he threw the room key to his bodyguard, who stood quietly behind him and walked away alone.
• ***
• As Scarlett stepped out of the library with some books in her arms, she got a phone call from Sophie– her friend/ Sophie Rich was a Russian language and literature major at the nearby university. She was already in her senior year.
• “Hey, Sophie!” Scarlett picked up the phone and greeted the girl on the other side with a cheerful voice. Usually, when Scarlett received a call from Sophie, it meant that there was a lucrative job waiting for her.
• Scarlett felt proud of her outfit of the day: a pearl-white blouse and denim shorts. The shirt looked neat and still trendy, tucked it into her little shorts.
• She held her phone in one hand and walked all the way to the school gate. As she walked, numerous pairs of eyes followed her every move, looking her up and down as they regarded her figure with admiration.
• Scarlett had been ignored and excluded by most of the other girls ever since she had entered the School of Foreign Languages three years ago. In a patriarchal society, girls often feel in competition with one another, with each vying to be thought of as more beautiful than the others to gain the attention and approval of men. Scarlett knew how female competition worked and wished all the other girls would regard her as a sister or close friend rather than a rival.
• Still, most of the other girls didn’t like her because they compared themselves to her and felt inferior. With Scarlett around, they didn’t receive the attention that they wanted. Instead, the spotlight would be cast entirely on Scarlett. She looked like a movie star. She had glistening, light brown skin and a perfectly lean body that was full and voluptuous in all the right places.
• She looked cold when she didn’t smile because her chiseled face appeared sharp and unforgiving, making her proud temperament surface. But when she smiled, with her dimples, and pearly white, neatly arranged teeth, no one could resist that adorable and pleasant face.