Chapter 188 Chapter 183: Poverty
At the brightly lit train station, Ji Ma sat on a row of benches, waiting.
Who told the high-speed train to leave at seven in the morning?
The long night dragged on, and to save money, she bought a second-class seat for a thousand yuan. Ji Ma searched for information about the high-speed train’s second-class seating on her phone. She found out that she couldn’t sleep, and would have to sit for the entire thirteen hours to the magic city.
Being broke really was that tragic.
Ji Ma started to reminisce about her time in the other world, where dreams were everywhere and she could use her extraordinary abilities to teleport across the entire continent.
Looking at her phone balance, which was just over two thousand yuan, Ji Ma felt a pang in her heart, silently vowing to give her ex-girlfriend a surprise when they met. Not saying she would skin her alive, but at least she would make it unforgettable.
White light fell from the high ceiling, illuminating her. Alone, Ji Ma sat on the bench, eyes closed, enduring the long, restless night.
The night in the magic city was also lit up by the lights.
Tall buildings adorned with neon lights splashed colorful light pollution across the entire city.
From the river, looking towards the magic city felt like gazing at a heap of brightly colored phallic worship buildings, all pointing straight to the sky.
In between the skyscrapers, orange street lamps merged into flowing rivers, moving amidst the towering buildings.
The buildings projected light pollution onto those rivers, including one luxurious car.
Fang Shijun sat in the back of the luxury car, looking through the glass at the brightly lit shops on either side and the distant neon lights.
The night view of the metropolis was ordinary and dull for her.
The car’s glass provided a charming filter over the night scene.
Fang Shijun knew little about cars, only recognizing this luxury car as a “Mai something,” but she had no doubt that its price was enough to make her heart race.
Because the owner of the car was sitting to her left, a somewhat chubby young man in casual attire named Lin Feng. The one driving was a chauffeur wearing white gloves.
She had heard that Lin Feng was a rich second generation, genuine and authentic. His father had brought in countless investments for the government in Hong Kong, and his group was large, marrying a Miss Hong Kong and fathering him.
Back then, being chosen from a beauty pageant was still quite valuable, a stepping stone into the entertainment industry—the kind made of gold.
Fang Shijun intentionally focused on the night scenery, which was beautiful, but her thoughts were on Lin Feng.
Before, she had been too proactive and too quick; now it was time to be reserved and shy. There needed to be a balance to win him over.
No, not to conquer him, but to please him the most.
But he was silent—did he see through her little thoughts?
Fang Shijun’s eyes, tinged with a faint red, reflected the lights passing by, and her heart began to feel anxious.
She had done her homework.
Unlike Wan Ziqi, who had never dated anyone since childhood, Lin Feng had been through many battles. His girlfriend—should she say female companions—were easily swapped out when he got bored, and from what Fang Shijun knew, there were more than ten.
She reminded herself that while it was okay not to overtly please Lin Feng, she could not neglect him either.
After more than ten minutes, the car stopped steadily and then slowly resumed its journey, but Lin Feng remained silent.
Am I neglecting him?
Fang Shijun grew increasingly uneasy, secretly cursing Wan Ziqi a bit.
There’s a saying: playing chess with a bad strategist only makes things worse.
She could ignore Wan Ziqi for a month, just needed to touch his hand on a date, let him pay for everything, and at the end, use a twenty yuan wooden comb bought from Taobao to comb his greasy hair.
He would be grateful.
Now she felt her level had dropped.
Lin Feng was not the same as Wan Ziqi, who had been castrated like a virgin; just a simple touch would make him grateful.
Fang Shijun finally couldn’t help it, putting on a faint smile, looking at Lin Feng. He smelled of alcohol, holding his phone, chatting in a QQ group.
She was sharp-eyed and discreetly glanced at the screen.
Images of sensuality flickered across the screen, and Lin Feng replied with one of a rounded backside and breasts so large they were a burden, responding, “This is me.”
What does that mean?
Before Fang Shijun could contemplate, she noticed Lin Feng lift his head, and she quickly withdrew her gaze, asking, “I was just wondering how long until we get to the hotel.”
“Driver, how long until we arrive?”
“Soon.”
This soon felt like it was really soon.
The luxury car smoothly drove up the gentle slope leading to the hotel entrance, stopping steadily at the door. The doorman approached, opened the car door, and politely said, “Welcome.”
Fang Shijun immediately became reserved, instinctively puffing out her chest. She got out of the car, hands crossed in front of her abdomen, holding her bag, waiting for Lin Feng.
Lin Feng didn’t get out right away; the quality of the images shared in the group was too high, and he kept scrolling, repeatedly posting, “This is me.”
Fang Shijun’s gaze fell upon the fountain outside the hotel. The white water sparkled under the lights, and the waiting was not so boring after all.
In contrast, waiting a minute for Wan Ziqi made her lose her patience, feeling her youth was being wasted on him.
Wan Ziqi had no value in waiting.
After a few minutes, Lin Feng finally got out of the car. He naturally linked arms with Fang Shijun as they walked along the red carpet towards the luxurious hotel entrance.
The nearby doorman was respectful, and Fang Shijun straightened her waist, walking naturally alongside Lin Feng.
The hotel entrance was indeed luxurious; golden light streamed through the transparent glass walls, shining on the red carpet. Fang Shijun noticed the carpet was pristine, not a single spot of dirt.
Fang Shijun didn’t feel too out of place, because she had done her homework. Half a year ago, she had convinced Wan Ziqi to pay for her stay at a five-star hotel—of course, he didn’t know he was paying for her stay at a five-star hotel.
However, the check-in process still surprised Fang Shijun.
Without reservation, Lin Feng directly asked for a room key.
Lin Feng acted like he was at home, taking Fang Shijun to the elevator, going up to the hotel’s upper floors. With a swipe of the room key, the door swung open.
The room was spacious, and Fang Shijun immediately spotted the Pearly Tower. The entire floor-to-ceiling window was spotless, and the tower’s figure was crystal clear.
This was one of the best rooms at this hotel.
Fang Shijun maintained her calm facade, turned her back, and gently closed the door.
…
…
Ji Ma leaned against the cold stainless steel chair back, hugging herself, reminiscing about her feather bed, unable to sleep no matter how she tried.
She couldn’t afford a business class ticket, so naturally, she couldn’t enjoy higher-end lounges.
Ji Ma wasn’t delicate; she had lain on the land of Bartos and the frozen ground of the North, where the cold wind blew, and the campfire could extinguish at any moment.
But at least there, she could lie down.
Ji Ma could indeed lie on the cold ground, but she believed she hadn’t fallen so low.
Once I get my money back, I will definitely stay in luxury hotels every day.
Ji Ma thought to herself, pulling out her phone and starting to search for “luxury hotel rooms.”
Pictures appeared on the screen,
The phone screen flickered a bit, but the images that flashed soothed Ji Ma’s fatigue. She focused intently on the pictures.
The first was a brown-gray carpet woven with a flower, with a white bedspread lying in the center of the room. The bed looked visibly soft, like clouds. Staring at it felt like lying on it, with the soft mattress supporting her tired back.
The second image showed a room with a whole floor-to-ceiling window, shrouded behind sheer curtains. In front of the window was a soft leather chair; looking at it, the cold and hard stainless steel chair back seemed to transform into a cozy sofa.
Next to the bed lay two plump pillows.
Ji Ma imagined resting her head on them, sinking into them—it must be very comfortable.
The third, fourth images…
Unknowingly, her phone battery icon gradually turned red…
…
Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Magic City.
In a room that could view the Pearly Tower, the two were having a blissful time together.
They cuddled and kissed, Lin Feng’s hand frequently slipping under her thin white dress, caressing her fair thigh.
Fang Shijun giggled shyly, clenching her legs tightly, raising her hand to swat at his hand, saying, “Quick, let go, it tickles, it really tickles.”
But her laughter was so carefree, showing her white teeth.
A slightly tipsy Lin Feng pulled out champagne from a small wooden bucket filled with ice, gripping the bottom of the bottle tightly and shaking it vigorously, swirling the bottle body.
“Puff.”
White bubbles exploded from the bottle’s mouth, the cork hitting the wall and falling to the floor.
The expensive liquid splashed everywhere, landing on the carpet, the TV, and on Fang Shijun herself.
Fang Shijun laughed, raising her hands to shield herself from the icy liquid.
Lin Feng brought out a second, third, and fourth bottle…
“Don’t do that,” Fang Shijun said. “We’ll get blacklisted by the hotel.”
Even she knew that while such high-end hotels strive for perfection in every aspect, making a mess could still lead to trouble.
Lin Feng laughed, saying, “What’s there to be afraid of?”
With that, he bent down and pulled out two bottles of champagne from a case, swinging them towards the Pearly Tower, separating the two by an entire floor-to-ceiling window.
Fang Shijun panicked and covered her mouth, her heart racing.
An entire floor-to-ceiling window was very expensive; the compensation could reach hundreds of thousands.
In an instant, Fang Shijun thought about the police, how the hotel might call in the cops to blacklist them. She had heard that some high-end hotels would blacklist troublesome guests and refuse to do business with them.
“Bang!”
The champagne shattered against the transparent window, spraying liquid and glass everywhere.
“Don’t be afraid.” Lin Feng took the second one and swung it towards the Pearly Tower.
This time, the bottle shattered against the window with a loud explosion, breaking completely.
The sound of shattering glass rang in Fang Shijun’s ears, so crisp that she had never heard anything like it in her life, staring blankly at the window.
Not a single crack appeared on the glass.
But it still gave Fang Shijun a strong impact. Was he really not worried about the compensation? Not worried at all.
Seeing her dazed look, Lin Feng was even happier. He walked straight to the hotel’s TV, picked it up with both hands, tore it off, and ran towards the Pearly Tower, throwing the TV out the window.
“Thud!”
The whole window shook, looking like it would fall down, making Fang Shijun’s heart race.
The TV screen was filled with cracks as it fell to the ground. The entire floor-to-ceiling window was now spiderwebbed with cracks.
Fang Shijun snapped back to reality. Lin Feng had already come over, pushing her down onto the bed. Fang Shijun supported herself on the bed, asking, “Isn’t there going to be trouble?”
Lin Feng exhaled a breath smelling of alcohol, saying, “No worries.”
Fang Shijun’s elbows weakened, and Lin Feng held her close, saying, “Your heart is racing so fast.”
They embraced and kissed on the bed for a long while.
With such a commotion, someone must come knocking on the door.
Fang Shijun originally thought so.
But after more than ten minutes, no one knocked.
After her white dress had fallen to the floor, no one knocked.
As she clutched the bedsheets tightly, she no longer cared about small matters like knocking on the door. She felt as soft as clay, her hands tightly embracing Lin Feng, as if grasping at power.
They went wild all night, only waking the next day.
Nothing happened.
No one from the hotel sent a legal advisor or concierge to demand compensation or report to the police to add them to the blacklist.
If it weren’t for the cracks on the window and the broken TV, Fang Shijun would have thought last night had all been a dream.
