My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Lei Liqiu looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She had full makeup on her face, elegantly drawn eyebrows, eyeliner to highlight her peach blossom eyes with eyelashes coated with mascara. The red rouge on her lips made her face look brighter and more sensual if not for the gaunt and anxious look on her face.

Her hands had managed to crumple the hem of her flowy, fabulous dress into a mess. Still, cold sweat still dampened her skin ceaselessly. 

Nervousness and anxiety had been a loyal friend ever since she arrived here. 

Everyone spent their days in fear and jittery, afraid that their ride to doom would arrive. Lei Liqiu had it easier. Xu Binchen had staked his claim on her and because of it, she could grasp onto a tiny bit of security in this place.

Soon, everything was going to end.

Lei Liqiu clutched her chest, the place where a little inconspicuous flashdisk was hidden deep inside her bra. She stared into the mirror and murmured under her breath. "It's okay, Qiuqiu. You can do this. Don't be afraid. Everything is going to be fine. Mr. Xu said that he will bring you out of here. You can do this." She pumped her fists and tried to lift a smile. "Fighting!"

A knock resounded through the bathroom door. "36, have you done yet?"

Lei Liqiu gave herself one last prep talk and opened the door, greeting the impatient woman waiting outside with a smile she had trained countless times before. Nervous, timid and humble. "Sorry, Madam Lan…I have a bit of stomach cramp."

The Madam Lan she was talking to was actually a supervisor who managed all of them. When Lei Liqiu first arrived here and almost broke down in despair, it was Madam Lan who stayed by her side. 

Rather than comfort, it was more like she was helping Lei Liqiu to see reality faster. There was no kindness or sympathy in this kind of cruel place and once she stepped in, she had to adjust herself as soon as possible otherwise she would be the perfect prey for the customers to sink their teeth into.

She was kind yet cold, gentle yet indifferent. No one knew what her real name or identity was. Lei Liqiu only followed everyone and called her 'Madam Lan'.

The mature woman wore a fiery red cheongsam with a high slit on her thigh, coupled with white fur shoulder cape. She held a smoking pipe in between slender fingers whose nails were painted in the same glaring crimson. With her hair twisted into an elegant bun, she looked precisely like a wealthy lady Lei Liqiu had seen in her mother's favorite Hongkong movie. Smoke billowed out of her plump, rouged lips as she said, "What are you nervous for? You should pray to your ancestors for your great luck. Come on, everything is ready."

Lei Liqiu put on a bitter smile and followed behind Madam with her head hung low. Ever since she got picked by Xu Binchen, everyone had more or less envied or hated her. She could sense that Madam Lan had slowly become more alienated from her than before. She couldn't blame her though. If she was in other people's shoes and saw someone living a comfortable life while she was in Hell herself, she would also feel resentful.

What was better about her that made him pick her? Everything she had, I also had.

Maybe the accumulated desperation and negativity had distorted everyone's mind, Lei Liqiu wasn't an exception. That's why she was ready to give her all just to snatch back the freedom she belonged to.

A shiny, black limousine was parked outside the bar. Lei Liqiu gulped and gingerly climbed in, the extravagance and grandeur added to the thrill, anticipation and fear bubbling in her chest. She looked around but didn't see the familiar handsome and cold man. "Mr. Xu isn't here yet?" she asked Madam Lan who sat beside her.

"Nah," The woman answered nonchalantly. "We will meet him at the appointed place."

After waiting for a while, two more people climbed in, one woman and one man, all dressed to the nine like Lei Liqiu did. It seemed like tonight was going to get rowdy, she assumed.

The car window was tinted black, preventing them from remembering where they were heading to. Five people spent awkward silence inside the cramped space. It was unknown what was the tipping point, but the other woman started sobbing. Her cries soft and mournful. She clamped her mouth shut, terrified. Yet tears kept on dripping down her face.

"What are you crying for?!" Madam Lan berated. "Wipe your tears or else your face is going to get ugly! Who will want you when you're looking all messy and miserable like this?"

Lei Liqiu clenched her fists. Somehow, Madam Lan's words made it a bit difficult for her to breathe even though she knew the woman's words weren't directed at her. She took a deep breath and held her trembling fingers, trying to calm her jumping heartbeat to no avail.

If Lei Liqiu wasn't wrong, the crying woman was No. 56 surnamed Yu. Lei Liqiu only got a faint idea after gathering their data, if not they would only be called with numbers, just like livestock.

  "I—Why am I picked?" No.56 cried bitterly. "I don't want to go. Why must you choose me?"

Madam Lan sighed in irritation and puffed out smoke. "You don't have to worry. Director Yang, who chose you last time, will not be there. Even though he likes to play it rough, he also compensates you nicely. Why are you still complaining?"

They lowered their heads, thick depression hung over the air. Except for Lei Liqiu who was directly picked by Xu Binchen at her first display, everyone there had more or less served some guests with ridiculous requests. Playing rough was quite common, there were also some who liked to see blood or some who couldn't get their lower parts up thus they opted to fool around with tools that always inflicted torture and pain, both physically and mentally.

No. 56's cries slowly weakened and her eyes turned blank. "Is there anyone better than Director Yang? No, every single one of them is the same. If I have to continue like this, then I may as well die."

"Watch your words!" Madam Lan chided harshly.

It was unknown what No.56 had gone through that made her suddenly grow courageous. Usually, when Madam Lan's voice rose higher, they wouldn't dare to cross her anymore. But No.56, instead of turning mum, argued back. "Am I wrong?! So many people have disappeared from the bar. My only friend, Wan Biwen, Kong Huo who lived next door, and many more, they died, didn't they?!"

Lei Liqiu's heart skipped a beat and she held her breath. Died? She had always been trying to dig more information about the secret in Dreamscape Bar but she could barely find anything. Either people were too scared to say anything or they started to be suspicious of her. In the end, Lei Liqiu had to lay low for a while.

This…This was the information Mr. Xu had always wanted!

"Died?" She pinched her thigh to squeeze out some tears. "People died here?" 

It wasn't senseless for her to ask this kind of question, after all, she was the newest person among them. She didn't know anything at all. Lei Liqiu didn't have to force herself, the fear and thrill had drained colors from her face and made her tremble.

"Yes, they died!" No. 56 sneered. "You don't know anything, do you? Of course you don't! You have such a nice and handsome patron who practically treats you like a Princess!"

Lei Liqiu's breath stuttered and she forced herself to focus and brushed away the shadow of a man she hadn't seen for weeks. "W—Why? Are they really so cruel? How do you know they died and not been set free?"

The only man among them scoffed. He lifted his head to show a pair of glittering, amorous eyes and delicate features. His voice was also soft and gentle but the words he said chilled their hearts. "Set free? Freedom isn't an option. We either die or be played to death. Isn't that right, Madam Lan?"

Madam Lan pinched her brows with a constipated expression. "Who did you hear it from? Of course, if someone is willing to pay the ransom, we will set you free."

The man sneered. "But who? Who is willing to fork out a huge amount of money just for people who have been played by others when they can just choose a partner among their ranks? Once we step foot here, we are destined to be a plaything that will be discarded in the end."

Sighing, Madam Lan grumbled under her breath. "What's wrong with all of you? Why are you so emotional?"

"Because I can't bear it anymore!" No 56 buried her face into her palms, wailing. "I don't want to die in this kind of place…"

Lei Liqiu gulped. Madam Lan's reaction told her that what No. 56 said was right. People indeed died because of this human transaction. She noted the names she had heard inside her heart. 

Wan Biwen and Kong Huo.

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A/N: Finally, big battle Xu Binchen vs Manager Si!