Rebirth of a Beautiful Diplomat

Chapter 2

In her past life, this argument had driven Shen Tan to slam the door and leave. She hadn’t borrowed the money, hadn’t finished her senior year of high school, and had told her mother she’d go work too—one day she’d be better off than her sister.

At first, that’s exactly what happened.

As she wandered the streets, a wealthy man she knew had taken her home. He was handsome, rich, and gentle with her—he’d fulfill any desire she had. Weekends in Japan soaking in hot springs, long vacations shopping in Paris, summer days fishing on yachts, winter trips skiing in Switzerland. Every day was champagne parties, shopping sprees, a top-tier material life. Once she’d grown accustomed to luxury, she could never return to an ordinary life.

She’d thought she was happy, taking it for granted that money could buy happiness. She’d clung to the man’s side, obedient in every way.

But the man had quickly grown tired of her, passing her on to another sugar daddy, then another. She’d become a high-end escort, losing count of how many men she’d juggled. The last man had taken her to a party abroad, introducing her to a foreign client. She’d thought it was a nice encounter—foreigners were open-minded, they wouldn’t care about her past. She could “clean up” her reputation and live the life she wanted.

The foreign client had been blond, blue-eyed, incredibly handsome. He’d driven her around in a sports car, stopping in front of a high-end nightclub. As soon as she walked in, she’d felt something was off. All around her were beautiful young women in their twenties, their faces twisted into strange, dreamy smiles—like they were floating on clouds. Several were solo backpackers who’d been targeted by criminal gangs at their hotels and kidn*pped. She’d tried to run, but was quickly subdued by tattooed, muscular men who injected drugs into her arm.

The foreign client had apologized to her, taken his referral fee, and left.

She’d been sold!

What followed was a nightmare. She’d been taken to a suburban bungalow divided into tiny 2-square-meter rooms, separated by curtains. The air reeked of s*x, heavy panting sounds coming and going. Men waited in line outside, holding 20 euros—just 20 euros to sleep with the prostitutes here, to satisfy their urges.

When Shen Tan was lucid, she’d begged the clients to contact the embassy. The gang members controlling them had heard, beaten her severely, and injected her with more drugs to make her compliant. Once she was hooked, all her pain had faded, her senses numbed. Those torments no longer felt like torments. When she was incoherent, she’d service over ten clients a day.

Once, she’d regained some clarity, grabbed a gun from a client’s hand without hesitation, flicked off the safety, and pulled the trigger—shooting herself in the mouth.

She’d died in that filthy place. Her body had been quickly disposed of, dumped into the sea, leaving no trace.

“Stop the racket!” The door to the apartment burst open, and a chubby, dark middle-aged man strode out, a thick gold chain around his neck. He grumbled, “I was just trying to get some sleep, and you had to wake me up, you b***h!”

He walked over and slapped Shen Ru without a word. Shen Ru knelt, begging, “Don’t be angry! I’ll make them leave right away!” She turned, urgently signaling to Shen Tan, “Go! Hurry!”

Shen’s mother stood trembling beside them. Shen Tan grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her toward the door. The man with the gold chain finally noticed them, his eyes widening in admiration as he leered at Shen Tan. “Where’d this little sister come from? A student—my type.”

Shen Tan didn’t linger. She rushed out the door, her mother hurrying after her. Shen Ru clung to the gold chain’s leg, cooing, “Mr. Wang, you’re joking! That little girl can’t compare to me!”

The gold chain looked down, his rough hand groping her breast before pinching her cheek. “Yeah, she’s not as good in bed as you.” He closed the door and picked Shen Ru up.

Shen Ru forced a smile, suppressing her revulsion.

Outside the complex, Shen Tan leaned over a trash can and vomited. She hadn’t eaten anything, so she threw up bile.

Her mother patted her back, whispering, “Sweetie, are you okay? Maybe we should wait a bit and I’ll go back to ask your sister again.”

Shen Tan looked at her mother, her face pale, her lips trembling. “Mom, do you still think sister is happy?”

Her mother hesitated, her eyes darting around. “Men are all like that. Your father hit me too. Look at her—she lives well, wears nice clothes, has no worries about food or clothing. Just endure it, and it’ll pass.”

Shen Tan laughed sadly, taking a deep breath. “Mom, you go back. I’ll go ask sister for money later.”

“Maybe I should stay with you a little longer...” Her mother mumbled hesitantly.

“Xiao Xiao is at home. He hasn’t eaten yet.” Shen Tan cut her off.

At that, her mother immediately decided to leave. She walked a few steps, then turned back, pressing 20 yuan into Shen Tan’s hand. “Find somewhere to eat first. Well, I’m off.”

Shen Tan clutched the 20 yuan tightly, smiling helplessly. She slung her backpack over her shoulder—it wasn’t heavy; most of her textbooks were at school. During summer vacation, she’d already attended a month of classes to prepare for senior year, and those tutoring fees were due along with her tuition.

It was still early—9 AM. The teacher collecting tuition wouldn’t leave until at least 4 PM. Shen Tan found a park, sat down, and checked her wallet. With coins included, she had just over a hundred yuan.

She had no living expenses, no concept of saving. She was still a high school student; no one would hire her for a job. At this age, other students had parents waiting on them hand and foot, fussing over them, so they could focus solely on the college entrance exam.

Across the street was a chain fast food restaurant. Young servers in uniforms bustled about, never stopping. A hiring notice posted at the door offered 9 yuan an hour, 8 hours a day—72 yuan a day, at most 2000 yuan a month. And they’d deduct labor taxes if you made over 800 yuan.

Making money was really hard.

But she’d never realized that before. She’d used her sister’s money to drink milk tea with classmates, sneak off to movies. Money came easily, so she spent it quickly. Later, wealthy men had catered to her every need. Once she could make money effortlessly, she’d gradually lost her moral compass, sinking lower and lower, never thinking about supporting herself.

As long as she picked the right man, she could live the life others dreamed of. If money came that easily, why stand around all day getting yelled at by bosses and customers?

So she’d died. She’d deserved her fate. Compared to selling her body, selling her conscience—turns out, working hard for money was easier. Luxury goods, high-end cosmetics, the latest iPhone, sports cars, top-tier apartments—if she couldn’t afford them, so be it. Why feel entitled to everything others had?

Hell is other people.

The more Shen Tan thought, the sadder she became. Her eyes stung, and she couldn’t hold back tears—her first unrestrained cry since her rebirth, weeping for the lazy, vain version of herself.

Passersby couldn’t help glancing at her. She cried so pitifully that strangers might have thought she was a young girl heartbroken over a breakup.

A pack of tissues was held out to her. Shen Tan stopped crying, thanked the person softly, and took them. She turned to look at the giver—a young man with black hair and eyes, a buzz cut, wheat-colored skin, sharp, handsome features, and a cold demeanor. He wore a black T-shirt, clearly a guy from the streets, not a student.

“Why are you crying?”

“N-nothing.”

“Do you need to borrow money?”

Shen Tan was taken aback. How had he guessed her trouble was money? But he was spot on.

“Your backpack’s open. The textbooks inside are for senior year. Today’s September 1st—registration day. You’re not at school, and you’re carrying luggage. Only one explanation: you can’t pay tuition.” The young man explained calmly.

Shen Tan hesitated. “I need to borrow 5000 yuan.”

“Sure. 50% interest for ten days. Pay back 7500 yuan in ten days.” The young man stared at her coldly. “If you can’t pay, that’s fine—I’ll introduce you to a high-paying job.”

Shen Tan’s heart skipped a beat, a bad feeling settling in. She shook her head. “No, thanks.” She grabbed her bag and quickly crossed the street to the bustling fast food restaurant. As she waited in line, debating whether to order the cheapest meal, a flat male voice behind her said, “Two spicy burger meals, one to go.”

The young man paid, pushing the tray toward her. “If you ever have money troubles, come talk to me.”

He took the takeout meal and left through the door.

Shen Tan found a seat. The burger smelled delicious, but she picked it up and put it down again. She took out the tissues the young man had given her—printed on them were the words “Small Loans.” She twitched her lips. So he was a loan shark. The “high-paying job” he’d mentioned was probably working at a nightclub or something. In the end, it would just be selling her body.

Wasn’t this still the gates of hell?

Thinking that, Shen Tan picked up the burger and took a big bite. He’d treated her like a potential client and bought her a burger—no reason not to eat it.

After finishing, she kept an eye on the street. The man with the gold chain walked out, a briefcase under his arm, talking loudly on his phone. Soon, a black private car pulled up, and he got in.

Once he was gone, Shen Tan wiped her mouth with a napkin and entered the complex again, going to ask for money.