Chapter 2 Going to the Night Club to Dance for Money

Shi Niannian turned and saw Shi Xinghe, suppressing the turmoil in her heart as she said with a smile, "Big brother, I'm thirsty. I'm going to get a glass of water downstairs."

Shi Xinghe glanced at the half-full glass of water in her hand and grunted, "Get some rest early!"

"Okay, goodnight big brother!" Shi Niannian nodded and returned to her own bedroom.

Once in her room, Shi Niannian collapsed onto the floor, burying her head in her knees and hugging herself. Tears flowed in the darkness. What should she do!

She must leave the Shi family, she didn't want to become a tool for childbirth and a heart donor.

Child, Shi Niannian instinctively touched her lower abdomen. She had to buy emergency contraception tomorrow; she must not get pregnant.

Dragging her stiff body back to bed, she curled herself up in the blankets and slowly closed her eyes.

The next morning, Shi Niannian woke up punctually at 6 a.m., as usual, and prepared breakfast for the whole family.

Shi Shuyao occasionally glanced at Shi Niannian, her eyes filled with jealousy and resentment.

Shi Niannian kept her head down, eating the breakfast on her plate, not daring to show any difference.

After breakfast, Shi Niannian said to Mr. Shi, "Dad, I've been preparing for my postgraduate studies lately. I'd like to stay in the school dormitory. It would be more convenient for accessing resources and practicing."

Mr. Shi's eyes moved away from the newspaper and looked at Shi Niannian, "You want to study for a postgraduate degree?"

"Yes, I just want to give it a try. If I can get in, maybe I'll have the chance to stay and teach at the university," Shi Niannian said with a smile.

Shi Niannian, a junior this year, was majoring in dance performance. She had been talented in dance since she was young and had been admitted to the Dance Academy with the highest scores in the professional subjects. The Shi family had never neglected her education.

Mr. Shi did not make it difficult for Shi Niannian, "The idea of becoming a teacher is good. Give it a try then. If you need help, you can ask the family."

"Thank you, Dad!" Shi Niannian silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come home for the weekend," Shi Xinghe said indifferently.

Shi Niannian looked up at Shi Xinghe, who had an expressionless face, giving her a faint glance.

"Yes, Niannian, come home and have some good food on the weekend. The meals in the school certainly aren't as delicious as the ones made at home," added Mother Shi, persuading her. If Niannian didn't come home, how could they carry out their plan? They needed to get her pregnant with Ling Yichen's child as soon as possible.

Shi Niannian cast her eyes down and said a soft "okay."

"Niannian, Brother and Brother Yichen said they are taking me out today. Do you want to come along?"

Shi Shuyao asked tentatively; she wanted to know if Shi Niannian had any lingering thoughts after sleeping with Ling Yichen.

"No thanks, sis. I have plans with Wenwen to go to the bookstore and buy some study materials. You two have fun!"

Shi Niannian wore a faint smile on her face, but inside she was extremely anxious. She didn't want to see Ling Yichen and needed to stay as far away as possible.

After leaving the Shi family's doorstep, Shi Niannian took a deep breath. Being at the Shi household was so oppressive; she hardly dared to breathe deeply.

Without wasting time, she found a pharmacy and bought a morning-after pill.

When she saw condoms displayed next to the medication, she impulsively bought a large-sized box and tucked it into her backpack.

She ate the emergency contraception pill as soon as she left the pharmacy.

Shi Niannian took out her phone and called her good friend Xu Wenwen, hoping she could help introduce a part-time job that could make money.

What Shi Niannian needed most now was money. She only had a few thousand yuan, which she had scrimped and saved.

The Shi family gave her very little pocket money each month, which was just enough to cover the cafeteria expenses at school.

Shi Niannian calculated the money the Shi family had spent on her over the years. Apart from food and clothing, the bulk went to education, dance training and tuition fees, which cost a lot of money, adding up to at least a million yuan.

She wanted to repay the Shi family this money and then leave the Shi family to live her own life.

A million yuan, how could she make so much money? It was almost impossible by working part-time.

Xu Wenwen's brother worked as a lobby manager at 'Night Charm Night Club', so she asked Xu Wenwen to inquire whether she could dance there or something to earn a bit more.

Xu Wenwen called back quickly, "Niannian, my brother said a dancer happened to call in sick tonight, and you can fill in, but..."

"But what?" Shi Niannian asked anxiously.

"Well, the outfit will be somewhat revealing, 2000 yuan for half an hour. Are you going to take it?" Xu Wenwen was somewhat puzzled, "Niannian, isn't the Shi family taking care of you anymore? Why are you in such a hurry to make money?"

"I'll go!" Shi Niannian steeled her heart. The income of 2000 yuan for half an hour was very tempting. Between dignity and life, she chose to survive. "I'll explain the reason to you when we meet."

"Alright then! My brother asked you to be at 'Night Charm' before 6 p.m., he needs to explain the rules to you."

After hanging up, Xu Wenwen sent the contact information of her brother to Shi Niannian.

At 6 p.m., Shi Niannian showed up at the 'Night Charm' entrance on time. Hearing from Shi Niannian, Xu Lang, Xu Wenwen's brother, hurried out to meet her.

"Niannian, come in with me!" Xu Lang called out to Shi Niannian.

Shi Niannian followed Xu Lang into the 'Night Charm Night Club.' It was her first time coming to such a place. Inside, it was extremely luxurious, clearly a place where money was spent frivolously, not a place for the penniless to enter!

Xu Lang brought Shi Niannian up to the third floor by elevator and came to the backstage. He pointed at a rack of clothes and said with some difficulty, "You can choose any of these clothes, you can only wear the costumes from here."

Shi Niannian nodded to indicate she understood.

Xu Lang continued, "Although you're filling in for someone, if a guest requests you to join them, you'll have to go and keep them company with a drink, but you'll get tips for that."

Shi Niannian hesitantly asked, "What if a guest makes an excessive request?"

"You can rest assured about that. At most, you'll just accompany them for a drink. If any guest harasses you, we have security to protect you," Xu Lang explained.

Shi Niannian felt relieved after listening, "Thank you, Brother Lang."

"No need to be polite. Get ready. There's a makeup table over there. You might need to put on some makeup," Xu Lang pointed to a makeup table nearby.

"Alright." Shi Niannian thought she should indeed put on makeup, and it better be thick enough to keep people from recognizing her.

Shi Niannian chose a black suit from among a row of clothes; it included a thin layer of gauze which, although not hiding much, made her feel more comfortable than being exposed.

She then put on heavy makeup and curled her long straight hair, letting it drape over her shoulders.

Shi Niannian looked at herself in the mirror, touched her face, and hardly recognized herself.

Just then, Xu Lang came running back, unable to find Shi Niannian he was getting anxious, as it was almost time for her to go on stage.

"Brother Lang, are you looking for me?" Shi Niannian approached Xu Lang.