Chapter 2: Death Beneath the Peonies

A burly, rough-looking man advanced with a sinister grin toward a woman who had been backed into a corner. Her torn clothes clung to her body in tantalizing fragments, amplifying her allure through calculated modesty. Her cries for help morphed into wanton moans—sluttish, utterly fucking sluttish!

The man flexed his bulging muscles while deftly unbuckling his pants. As the woman's screams intensified, so did the carnal fire in his eyes. Finally, he pinned her to the ground like a rutting bear. Her initial resistance wavered, her pushing hands now tracing suggestive caresses across his body. Within a minute, the violated woman arched her back in rapturous release...

On the screen, the AV actress continued moaning with forced enthusiasm as the male lead thrust his "golden staff" with mechanical vigor. Yet Li Bing remained utterly disengaged.

Li Bing considered himself an optimist. Over the years, he'd weathered countless misfortunes through selective amnesia and self-proclaimed "positive thinking." But today's burden proved unshakable—even his reliable solace of watching porn had failed him.

A year ago, Li Bing had helped a classmate cheat in exchange for a few meals - a trivial matter at their third-rate university that he'd thought nothing of. Yet inexplicably, this incident came to the attention of an inspecting official. The cheating student had mistaken the undercover official for a counselor, casually confessing everything without coercion. The idealistic official, harboring unrealistic expectations about Chinese university education, took the matter directly to the president. Though the cheating student (who apparently had connections) eventually stayed, Li Bing received two devastating notices during his final graduation phase: a major demerit on his record and revocation of his degree eligibility.

With a third-rate diploma, no degree, and a serious disciplinary mark, Li Bing's job prospects looked bleak.

Today, Li Bing's frustration peaked. Even after watching porn for hours, he couldn't get hard, making him suspect erectile dysfunction. Just then, someone knocked on his long-quiet dorm door. Pulling up his pants, he answered to meet the person who would alter his life's course.

The visitor was Fang Yuxi, a handsome sophomore rumored to come from wealth. Ironically, this was the same "hero" whose blunt confession to the official had landed Li Bing in his current predicament of anxiety and psychosomatic impotence.

"Brother Bing, busy?" Fang Yuxi's innocent smile irritated Li Bing.

"Don't be mad. How was I supposed to know that guy was some Ministry of Education director? I'll take full responsibility. This crappy university isn't worth shit anyway. If you want, I'll get you a job - Mom's company needs a few errand boys... Forget that. Let me cheer you up today." Fang Yuxi gestured downstairs where a red Porsche was flaunting its owner's wealth to impoverished students.

Had Li Bing clung to his principles, his life might've remained peaceful. But corroded by petty bourgeois decadence, he happily changed clothes and climbed into the Porsche with his future "young master" patron.

Li Bing only wanted a dead-end job for survival and quiet existence. Since Fang Yuxi promised menial work, why overthink it?

"Brother Zhao, drive to Nightless Heaven Hotel." Fang Yuxi commanded from the backseat. The driver - allegedly a retired Chinese reconnaissance soldier - studied Li Bing through the rearview mirror before silently exiting campus.

Li Bing glanced at Fang Yuxi's bespoke suit tailored by British royal artisans, inwardly lamenting the wealth gap. "Can't you fucking wear something affordable like Pierre Cardin?" he muttered.

The car fell silent until Li Bing finally asked, "Fang Yuxi, why are you going to a hotel in broad daylight?"

"To visit a prostitute," Fang Yuxi replied bluntly.

Li Bing forced a dry chuckle, speechless.

Fang Yuxi then remarked, "To die beneath peonies is to remain romantic even as a ghost. Don't look down on courtesans, Bing. Top-tier escorts have higher degrees than us."

Li Bing dismissed this as rich-kid delusion, suspecting excessive wealth had fried the man's brains.

When Fang Yuxi ushered him into a five-star international hotel, Li Bing's resentment deepened. The fortress of luxury stood impossibly beyond his reach, its security guards—who greeted Fang Yuxi familiarly—likely earning his entire monthly budget in days.

The presidential suite assaulted Li Bing's senses. Opulent foreign liquors, exquisite murals, and furniture worth more than his life savings stabbed at his dignity. He perched nervously on the bed's edge, afraid to touch even the wall-mounted TV—its price tag could eclipse his entire education fund.

Abandoned in the gilded cage, Li Bing sat frozen like a convict awaiting sentencing, every breath laced with dread.

The wait wasn't long. Soon the door opened, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman with an innocent demeanor who walked toward Li Bing with a smile.

Li Bing mentally thanked Fang Yuxi for being such a brother-from-another-mother, yet felt a pang of guilt when confronted with her pure aura. As a man of strong moral principles, he'd even stood up for bullied girls as a child. But unlike the romantic outcomes in Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle, real-life girls never fell for him after such rescues.

As she approached, Li Bing suddenly blurted out: "Miss, are you being coerced? Is someone forcing you?"

The woman startled momentarily before laughing. "Sir, have you watched too many period dramas? Who plays the 'forced into prostitution, hero saves beauty' trope these days?"

Li Bing's face flushed crimson as she continued: "Mr. Fang said you were pure, so he chose me. Didn't expect you to be this innocent... I'm just here to make money."

Choking on her bluntness, Li Bing half-joked: "Where did you graduate?"

Her cherry lips parted: "Capital University B."

The answer hit like a sledgehammer - this woman's academic credentials dwarfed his own. Truly, society mocks poverty, not prostitution.

She closed the distance, whispering suggestively: "Little brother, want me to teach you?"

Li Bing's face burned hotter. Despite his martial arts training preserving his virginity and regular AV consumption, reality proved overwhelming. Her intoxicating fragrance short-circuited his brain.

Watching his mental shutdown, she purred with wicked delight: "Let me show you something special."

Grabbing the remote, she filled the room with sultry music through the wall-mounted TV, beginning her performance.

The woman's waist undulated like a water snake, her seductive expression bombarding Li Bing's consciousness. Her lotus-root-white hands began to undo her silken garments. When the black lace bra fluttered to the floor, Li Bing surrendered to primal urges, lunging at her like a porn actor.

She cooperated with theatrical moans, collapsing beneath him. Yet... after prolonged stillness, the woman stifled laughter - this "little brother" clearly lacked experience. As she professionally cupped his face for guidance, her fingers met cold, rigid flesh.

A piercing scream erupted in the room - raw, unfeigned terror that penetrated soundproofed walls. Neighbor Fang Yuxi tumbled from his companion, nearly paralyzing him and inducing genuine erectile dysfunction.

"Fuck! Some amateur croaked from overexcitement?" Jeered the startled patrons. This time, their venomous speculations struck truth...