His Punishment to Keep

Chapter 3 Release from Prison Three years later

The gate of the women's prison in City S opened. After a while, a woman slowly walked out of it.

The woman was shockingly thin, wearing a white dress that she had on when she was sent to the women's prison three years ago. Now it hung on her like a large sack.

She walked very slowly, step by step towards the platform a hundred meters away. In her hand was a black plastic bag, which contained 31.5 yuan and an ID card.

In the scorching summer, walking on the gravel road, a layer of white heat waves could be seen rolling on the surface with the naked eye. The temperature today is at least 33 or 34 degrees Celsius. The woman walking under the blazing sun has not sweated a drop, her body dry.

The pale skin was marked with blue and purple bruises. Even on her face, near the hairline, there was a scar about three centimeters long across her forehead, which was very conspicuous.

The bus arrived. The woman got on and carefully took out a coin from a black plastic bag and put it into the bus fare box. There weren't many people on the bus. The driver glanced at her and then withdrew his disgusted gaze... All those who got on the bus here were prisoners from the prison. They had committed crimes. How could they be good people?

The woman seemed not to notice the driver's gaze and walked towards the back seat. She went to the very back and chose the corner seat at the rear of the car, trying her best not to draw attention.

The car was moving. Along the way, she looked out of the window... Three years had passed, and so much had changed.

A slight curve tugged at the corner of his mouth... Yes, three years. How much has changed? Not only the world outside the prison, but also her.

When the bus reached the bustling area, she suddenly shuddered... She had been released from prison. Where was she going to go back to?

All of a sudden, she realized a pressing fact - she had nowhere to go.

She opened the black plastic bag and carefully counted the remaining 30.5 yuan three times... What should she do in the future?

Not far from the roadside, the recruitment information of a merchant caught her attention.

"Driver, I want to get off. Could you please open the door for me?" Three years in prison had worn away her arrogance. She always spoke to others without confidence.

The driver, full of complaints, opened the car door. She thanked him and got out of the car.

I walked up to the large board with job advertisements and stared at it for a while. My eyes fell on the words "Cleaner" and then on the phrase "Accommodation and one meal provided".

She had no home, no file, no education, and had been in prison... Even if she were a cleaner, no one would want her, probably. But... Squeezing the remaining 30.5 yuan in her hand, the woman gritted her teeth and walked into the nightclub called "Donghuang International Entertainment Club". As soon as she entered, Jian Tong shivered. The cold air from the central air conditioning made her whole body tremble.

……

"Name," the man said impatiently.

"Jane Tong." A rough voice sounded slowly, startling the beautiful woman who was taking notes about her information. The gel pen in her hand nearly dropped onto the table. She asked her discontentedly, "Why is your voice so unpleasant?"

After three years of hellish prison life, Jane Tong was used to being meek. Even when someone had bluntly criticized her voice as unpleasant right in front of her, she still responded in a slow and gentle manner, as if she had no temper, saying, "It's from smoking."

The beautiful woman was slightly startled. Her inquiring eyes fell on Jian Tong's face. "Fire?"

"Well, a fire." Then she lowered her eyelids indifferently. …… It was just a fire deliberately set by someone.

Seeing that she was not willing to talk much and had a dull personality, the gorgeous woman lost interest and just frowned and clicked her tongue, saying, "No way. Donghuang is not an ordinary entertainment club, and the guests who come here are not ordinary either." She then looked up and down at Jian Tong, her disgust obvious and not concealed at all. It was clear that she looked down on Jian Tong, who was dressed in a bag-like outfit. The white dress she was wearing had been worn for so long that the white color had turned yellow.

The East Emperor International is not a place that ordinary people can afford to visit. Even the most ordinary waiters here must be good-looking and have a hot figure. How dare someone like Jian Tong come to apply for a job here.

The beautiful woman stood up, waved her hand, and firmly rejected Jane Tong: "No, you won't do. Even as a waiter, you won't do." Then she turned around and was about to leave.

I applied for the position of a cleaner.

A rough voice rumbled in the small office, effectively halting the woman's steps. She paused, turned around, raised her eyebrows, and gave her another thorough look from head to toe, becoming suspicious: "I've never seen a 20-something willing to endure hardship to be a cleaner."

The youngest cleaning lady here is in her forties. This girl has a scar on her forehead and is as thin as a bamboo pole, but she is at most 20 years old. There are many 20-year-olds here - all models and princesses! Of course, there are also waitresses.

I've never heard of a cleaner in their twenties.

He thought this unremarkable girl would be in a hurry to complain, telling him that the world was tough and life was hard. If she really said such nonsense to him, he would immediately kick her out.

Times are tough. Haha, there are so many such stories in Donghuang that they could fill a library if published as a collection of tales. Who would care about how a stranger they just met is doing?

Unexpectedly, a somewhat rough voice spoke unhurriedly, "If I could sell myself, I'd be willing to spread my legs and say 'Welcome'. Before coming here, I took a look at myself. I have no capital to sell my body, so I'll sell my labor. Do what I can do well." …… She was just a criminal with the number "926". Once she entered that place, what was the point of having dignity when she got out? A trace of self-mocking smile appeared in Jian Tong's eyes.

The beautiful woman was slightly surprised. She sized up Jian Tong from top to bottom again and walked back to her desk to pick up a pen to fill out the form. "Jian Tong? Jian as in simple and Tong as in fairy tale?"

"Right."

"Unlikely," the woman sized up Jian Tong from top to bottom, "Your parents must love you very much to give you such a name."

Jian Tong's eyes were dull and lifeless, like a stagnant pool... Was it love?

Well, I love her very much. If she hadn't been so cruel as to kill Xia Weiming and bring disaster upon the Jian family. Well, probably, I love her very much.

"I have no family," said Jane Tong calmly.

The beautiful woman frowned and glanced at Jian Tong. Without asking any more questions, she stood up and said, "Alright, make a copy of your ID card."

Standing up from the chair, she walked to the door in fifteen-centimeter stilettos and suddenly stopped. Turning around, she warned Jian Tong, "Jian Tong, do you know why I made an exception to take you in?"

The woman didn't expect a reply from Jian Tong and went on, "Jian Tong, you said something right. If it can be sold, sell it. If not, just accept your fate and do what you can."

How many people are twice your age and still don't understand this truth? They get stuck in a rut, desperately seeking advancement, thinking they can contend with the heavens. In reality, they are all talk and no action, and have never been able to figure out where they stand.

If you can face yourself squarely and know what you can do, I believe that you also know what you cannot do.

At this point, the beautiful woman narrowed her eyes and said, "Jian Tong, Dong Huang is no ordinary entertainment club."

Jian Tong remained unhurried: "Got it. My voice is unpleasant. I won't speak out of turn." Not speaking out of turn means not talking nonsense.

The gorgeous woman nodded with satisfaction. Usually, she wouldn't offer any advice to newbies. Anyone who dared to come to Donghuang had to be mentally prepared.

I never thought I would make an exception for a cleaning lady today.

Although she held a high position in the Eastern Emperor's court, in this bewildering metropolis, which of the powerful and wealthy could she afford to offend? …… Once you enter Donghuang, you should learn the "rules".

What should be said and what shouldn't be said, what should be done and what shouldn't be done.

"Well, the manager..." Jian Tong found it a bit hard to say: "I don't have a place to stay."

The gorgeous woman said, "Call me Sister Meng from now on," and then took out her phone to make a call: "Xiao Jiang, come here. I just hired a cleaner. Take her to the staff dormitory." After hanging up, she threw a sentence at Jian Tong:

"Come to work tomorrow."

Jian Tong was left all alone here.

Jian Tong looked at the employment report in his hand and felt relieved... Tonight, he wouldn't have to sleep on the street.

Jian Tong has been working at Donghuang for three months.

When night falls, this overly bustling city, with its dazzling lights and neon signs, intoxicates people's hearts.

Jian Tong had just cleaned up the vomit of a drunk girl. Although his movements were slow, his hands and feet were still nimble. He lit another incense and placed it in the corner.

The mop in her hand swept past one independent sanitary cubicle after another, and finally reached the last few cubicles. Here, they were the place for storing cleaning tools and also where she took a break during her spare time at work.

Everything seems to be in perfect order and running smoothly.

The waiter who had caught her had long since disappeared, but Jane Tong didn't care. After tidying up the mop and bucket, she sat in the cubicle, lost in thought.

Jian Tong, it's all Mr. Shen's idea.

Jian Tong, you are nothing now. Your proud family background is gone, your charming beauty is gone, your outstanding academic qualifications are gone. You are now just a criminal!

Jian Tong, behave yourself and do as you're told. Don't resist us. Mr. Shen has instructed us to take good care of you.

Jian Tong, you're a criminal in prison. What do you need two kidneys for? If you give up one, it can save someone's life. It's just right to atone for the innocent people you've killed.

Jian Tong... Give up... Don't struggle anymore...

Those voices were like spells, and those faces were distorted and terrifying, extremely ugly. No matter how hard Jian Tong tried to drive them away, they just wouldn't go.

"Jane Tong, come out. VIP Box 606 on the sixth floor." The partition door was suddenly pulled open from the outside. The person frowned and urged Jane Tong to hurry up: "Hurry up! You're dragging your feet. Even the top female models in the club aren't as snobbish as you."

Jian Tong is usually taciturn. She does whatever she is asked to do. Even if someone deliberately bullies her, she never retorts or argues back. This is an open secret known to everyone in the place. Anyone who is in a bad mood can find Jian Tong to "ease" their negative feelings.

"The private room is taken care of by the private room princess." Jian Tong was just being honest, but to the waiter's ears, it was like "the sky had fallen", and his face immediately turned cold as he crossed his arms: "The guest threw up, and you want Sister Luna to do such a disgusting thing?"

Luna couldn't do disgusting things, but Jian Tong could. The waiter didn't care at all if this would hurt Jian Tong.

Sure enough, Jian Tong didn't refute. She just said "Oh" and looked rather dull, which made the waiter beside her look down on her even more.

Jian Tong lowered her eyelids and followed the waiter into the elevator. Suddenly, she was pushed out of the elevator. Jian Tong was puzzled. The waiter gave her a disgusted look and said, "What? Take the safety stairs. It's not that high. Only six floors. Perfect. " The waiter looked at Jian Tong with contempt and said, "Lose some weight."

In fact, Jian Tong is not fat at all. On the contrary, she is extremely thin. But every day when she goes to work, she wears a thick layer of clothes, which makes her look clumsy and heavy.

It was clearly an intentional provocation against Jian Tong. Anyone else would have started a quarrel, but this was Jian Tong. The waiter was quite certain that no argument would ensue.

Sure enough, Jane Tong obediently started climbing the stairs. As the elevator door closed, the waiter disdainfully pursed his lips. What a waste.

In the dim stairwell, only the footsteps of Jian Tong could be heard, the place otherwise silent.

This is a safety passage, an emergency staircase. Usually, people don't take this way; they all use the direct elevators to go up and down. The light here is dim and ambiguous. Besides being used for escape in emergencies, this place has another purpose - for trysts.

Jian Tong climbed the stairs slowly, step by step. When she reached the fifth floor and a half, she felt a bit exhausted. She stopped to rest on the half step. Just then, a soft moan reached her ears, both tender and breathless... Jian Tong's heart gave a jolt. Looking up, she saw at the corner a man pressing a woman against the staircase and kissing her passionately, the scene both sensual and ambiguous.

From her perspective, she saw the back of a woman and half of a man's profile.