Because of that incident, I became acquainted with Zhong Cui. She still lived her usual lifestyle of going out at night and returning during the day, always carrying the scent of alcohol and marks on her body. However, sometimes she would come to my room and tell me about her day's experiences. Since that incident, several days have passed in the blink of an eye, but Madame Bao has not come to see me again. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but sometimes when I leave the house, I can't help but feel that the girls in the building are looking at me with strange eyes.

When the sun had just risen into the sky today, a clear knocking sound came from outside the door. Because I was truly idle and had nothing to do in this dimly lit building, I didn't get out of bed. I hastily picked up a robe from the bed and put it on to cover the undergarment inside, then went to open the door. The robe had been sent by Zhong Cui a few days ago. The collar was enough to cover the neck tightly, making it look out of place with the young ladies in the building.

Standing at the door as expected was Zhong Cui, dressed in a white gown. However, her complexion appeared pale today. When she saw me, she anxiously grabbed hold of my sleeve and pulled me towards the house. Her steps were somewhat unsteady, and there were a few traces of tears on her face. Her makeup was also not as exquisite as usual, except for the striking vermilion mole on her forehead.

"Cuìcuì, are you okay?" Seeing her appearance, my heart tightened. I waved my hand to close the door, then pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed and helped her tuck her fallen hair behind her ear. Carefully, I opened my mouth to ask, "Yùyīng, I'm sorry, I can't protect you anymore." Zhōng Cuì's gaze seemed empty. After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice soft, as if a sudden gust of wind could blow it away. However, it still fell accurately into my ears. After she finished speaking, she buried her head in my chest, tears streaming down and wetting my clothes. At first, the temperature of those tears was scorching, as if they could burn my heart. Later, it felt as if they were freezing ice that had been sealed for tens of thousands of years, freezing my whole being.

I gently reached out and touched her hair, taking off the hairpin she had in her hair, and smoothing out her hair. I tried my best to speak in a somewhat gentle tone as I said, "Cuicui, take your time to talk, don't rush." "Ah Ying, it's my fault. I thought that as long as I took care of your clients, you could stay here peacefully. But that was just my assumption, I still couldn't protect you. I'm sorry, Ah Ying." Zhong Cuicui hugged me tightly, her voice trembling slightly. She held onto my hand with great strength, as if trying to break my waist. Listening to her words, my mind went blank for a moment. I looked at her with a fixed gaze, not knowing what to say. I felt a wave of pain in my waist, but I had no choice but to endure it and hold her tightly.

After a while, perhaps she had cried enough, or perhaps she had grown tired from crying, she lifted her head from my embrace and whispered softly, "Ah Ying, don't worry. I won't let anyone touch you tonight." Tears mixed with rouge stains appeared on her face, losing their usual clarity. And the white undergarment on my chest was tainted with a hint of pink from the tears mixed with rouge stains.

"Cuicui, what exactly happened? Explain it clearly." As I watched her emotions calm down, I took out a peach-colored handkerchief and helped her wipe away the tears on her face as I asked. Her hand moved from my waist to my hand without me noticing, her nails digging into my flesh, causing a sharp pain in my wrist. Her trembling lips finally uttered, "Ah Ying, the madam insisted that you join her in dancing tonight, and I... I couldn't stop her."