Angel and Devil as Sisters (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Xi Ling Xue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-12
Features: This book maintains Xi Ling Xue's captivating narrative style while adding a deeper insight into life, providing readers with a broader emotional space. Mr. Wu walked into the hall at this moment. My attention had to shift away from Xi Yan and I flew a kiss to the door with my hand near my lips. Qin Jin understood and said gently, "After you sing this song, you should go socialize. I'll sing alone." "Thank you," I whispered, gently squeezing his hand under the TV screen to express my gratitude. He was slightly taken aback, wondering whether to pull his hand back. But I had already let go and drifted off the stage. This was the third time I held his hand tonight: the first time, a handshake at our first meeting; the second time, guiding him in the dark; the third time, purely for seduction and revenge. Revenge whom? Mr. Wu brought me a gift: a necklace with emerald pendants. The emerald quality wasn't the best, but the craftsmanship was exquisite. The price was high, but not excessively so. It was the perfect gift for a "young mistress" from a big spender. I immediately tied up my hair and let him put the necklace around my neck. He did so, but didn't take advantage of the moment to kiss my fair, slender neck, which surprised me. I had expected him to suddenly give a gift to bring us closer tonight, yet he remained so composed. "I need to leave Meizhou for a while," he said. "To check on my other hotels." "When are you leaving?" I lowered my head, a hint of melancholy in my heart. Mr. Wu was not my only guest, but after knowing him for so long, we had always maintained a purely friendly relationship, which was quite different from other men. Now I understood why he gave me a gift tonight—it was as if he was summarizing our relationship. "In the next few days, there are still some loose ends to tie up," he said, putting his arm around my shoulder. "I probably won't have time to see you before I leave." "Do you have time tomorrow morning?" I suddenly had an idea. Someone like him, though seemingly sincere while in Meizhou, would likely abandon me the moment he left. No, I had to make one last effort before he left, to extract the maximum benefit before letting him go. In the past, even the girls from the first-class brothels in the Eight Great Huts wouldn't be too warm to their clients, nor would they easily let them stay overnight. The clients took pride in having a night with a top-tier courtesan, but if the girls were discarded after a single night of intimacy, it would be a great loss of face. Therefore, they would initially act cool toward their clients, playing hard to get, making them work harder to win them over, so that when they finally did, they would cherish it. Their attitude was far more respectful than today's bold women. However, at the right moment, they would suddenly become very proactive, like a fire in winter, fiercely captivating. Only then would the client believe that the girl was truly sincere, that she had fallen for him, that her devotion could move mountains and rivers, and that she would spend a fortune for a smile. With a family legacy of expertise in this trade, I knew exactly when to strike that fire. "Tomorrow, morning, can we meet again?" I tilted my head up, gazing at him intently. I knew this angle made me look especially innocent. He was visibly shaken and asked gently, "Why?" "I'd like to ask you to visit Pan Temple with me." "Do you believe in gods?" "I didn't used to, but I know you do." As it happened, I was planning to go to the mountain tomorrow anyway, so I might as well use the opportunity to do someone a favor. I lowered my head very low, as if trying to hold back tears, and after a long pause, I spoke in a low, difficult voice, "I want to see you off at Pan Temple and pray for your safe journey." No one could refuse an invitation like that. Mr. Wu, who had seen it all, couldn't either. And I knew that the people of Meizhou were deeply religious and held the Pan Temple in high regard. Mr. Wu couldn't possibly refuse my invitation. As expected, he took my hand, deeply moved. "It means so much to me that you'd go to the temple for me. Tomorrow at ten o'clock, I'll pick you up at Lily Garden."
I swung my knife in the darkness, shoutingly, "Why was it you? Why was it you?" I stabbed again and again, crying hysterically, "Why was it you? Why was it you?" Blood sprayed over my head and face, but my mother wouldn't fall. She never would. She sneered at me in her dreams, coldly ordering, "She's crazy! Seize her!" A man rushed forward, and I swung my knife at him, but before I could strike, his handsome face flashed before my eyes like lightning, shattering my heart. I fainted. I fainted in my dream, but I woke up in reality. Tears and sweat nearly drowned me. I covered my face, letting them flow between my fingers. When? When could I finally say goodbye to these nightmares? End this endless wandering? Some say that waking up at midnight is when a person's will is weakest and emotions most true. But who will comfort my weakness? Who will bear my emotions? The world is so vast, the people so many, yet I couldn't find a single person to love. In the pitch-black room, it felt as if predators were lurking everywhere, laughing, watching, waiting to devour me when I was weakest. I could almost hear them grinding their teeth, so evil and arrogant, full of desire. "You're a prostitute, your daughter is a prostitute, your granddaughter is a prostitute, your great-granddaughter, your great-great-granddaughter—you will be prostitutes for all generations, never to be reborn. I hate you! Even in death, I won't spare you! I curse you!" Those biting, bloody curses spread their wings in the darkness like bats. Blood gushed from the darkness, flowing over the bed, gradually submerging me, suffocating me. Oh, I rolled on the bed, struggling to turn on all the lights in the house. No, no bloodstains, no woman in ancient attire, no demon cursing me. I sighed deeply, turned on my computer, and logged onto the internet. Feng Da Qi in the mailbox greeted me. I immediately replied with my QQ number.