Blank Charge

On Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m.

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A black seven-seater business van appeared discreetly at the prearranged street corner.

Jin Zhou emerged from a dark alleyway with small, measured steps, empty-handed.

The driver, holding a security scanner, scanned Jin Zhou from head to toe. The rectangular black device swept over his chest and hips, his flat waist and abdomen, his straight legs, without emitting any alarm.

The driver put away the security scanner, opened the door of the van, and solemnly said to Jin Zhou, “Get in.”

There was only one spot left by the car door.

Jin Zhou bent down and got in, feeling his collar uncomfortably tight around his neck. He wanted to loosen it, but then he thought about his high collar hiding his Adam’s apple, so he couldn’t easily loosen it.

Sitting on the aisle was another model in a cheongsam dress. At the moment, she was holding a small makeup mirror, touching up her lipstick.

When she saw Jin Zhou get into the car, she stopped and casually glanced down, briefly scanning his thighs.

There were three other models sitting in the back seat. Jin Zhou glanced unintentionally and noticed that all the models kept their legs crossed modestly, except for him. As soon as he got in the car, he crossed his left leg over his right, revealing a large area of meticulously cared-for skin under the high-slit cheongsam.

“Sisters, behave yourselves,” said the model on the left while touching up her lipstick. It was unclear whom she was addressing, as she muttered to herself, “We’re not street chickens.”

Jin Zhou naturally felt that she was referring to him.

He had never interacted with anyone from the modeling circle before, and hearing that comment made him wonder.

—Why such hostility?

“Is it your first time here?” another model sitting in the back row asked with a mocking tone. “The venue has dim lighting, and you’re wearing a black cheongsam. Who are you dressing up for?”

Only then did Jin Zhou notice that, apart from himself, all the models were dressed brightly, wearing form-fitting dresses that resembled cheongsams. Some had a slit at the front, while others exposed their shoulders and backs. On that late autumn night, each person’s dress reached down to their thighs.

In contrast, Jin Zhou himself wore a black velvet cheongsam adorned only with two intertwining red-crowned cranes. To cover up the muscles on his arms, the sleeves wrapped around his forearms. The skirt was of moderate length, reaching his calves, and he wore a simple pair of black flat shoes.

“Trying to be incognito?” the models teased and laughed.

Jin Zhou couldn’t be bothered to respond to them and silently looked out the window.

Appearance could be changed, but the voice couldn’t. Since Luo Xueqing applied lipstick on him, he had considered himself mute.

The business van eventually stopped at the rear entrance of a five-star hotel.

Coming from the darkness into the bright lights, Jin Zhou was initially somewhat anxious. However, seeing several models intentionally or unintentionally stealing glances at him, he knew that Sun Yi and Xiao Wu had not lied.

“Jin Zhou, you’ll definitely be the most beautiful girl tonight!”

He responded to the two with a clenched fist.

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Originally, he chose the black cheongsam to be low-key, but he didn’t expect to become the center of attention among a group of alluring models.

Damn it.

Jin Zhou cursed inwardly. “Why is this bra so tight?”

Since it was Zhang Rui who got him in, the requirements for measurements weren’t so strict. Jin Zhou didn’t wear anything on his butt, but to avoid looking out of place, he padded his chest with a sponge.

“Don’t look around.” The man leading the way said to the models. “Follow me to the elevator.”

After joining the other models, Jin Zhou noticed that he was the only one wearing flat shoes.

All those tall and long-legged models were wearing high heels, towering above the man leading the way by a whole head. But it seemed like the man’s hand naturally landed on the models’ buttocks when he casually raised it, as if the height difference had been precisely calculated.

Jin Zhou couldn’t help but wonder if getting with a woman taller than him would bring a sense of accomplishment.

He couldn’t experience it himself, but when he imagined it from Yang Shiyu’s perspective, he thought the answer might be “yes.”

The security check before entering the venue was stricter than before, but Jin Zhou didn’t carry anything with him, so he smoothly passed through the security check.

After successfully blending into the venue, Jin Zhou followed the example of the other models, went to the drinks counter, took a glass of champagne, and found an empty seat to sit down.

Looking around the venue, when no one was paying attention, Jin Zhou took out a miniature camera from his hair bun.

Not only did Luo Xueqing put a lot of effort into Jin Zhou’s makeup, transforming his handsome features into a gentle and charming appearance, but she also put a lot of effort into his wig.

First, she used the long hair in the air bangs as a base, fluffed the ends and tied them at the back of his neck. Then she wrapped the camera with another wig bun, clipping it above the ponytail. Finally, she securely wrapped the wig bun with long hair and secured it with a metal hairpin.

Even if the security scanner detected the wig bun and sounded an alarm due to the metal hairpin, it wouldn’t raise suspicion.

Jin Zhou paid attention to others’ gazes and discreetly hid the camera in his sleeve.

After a while, the venue door opened, and twenty to thirty men in suits and leather shoes walked in from outside.

Due to the dim lighting, Jin Zhou could only see a dazzling set of masks, but he had previously learned about WangTai’s features. Since he was sitting close to the drinks counter, he quickly found WangTai wearing a jade ring on his thumb among the group of men holding drinks.

WangTai, the mastermind who caused the deaths of his parents, didn’t look like someone in his fifties. The half of his face hidden under the mask showed no signs of sagging, and his body remained in good shape, with no signs of gaining weight.

His left hand rested on a model’s butt, and his right hand held a champagne glass as he happily chatted with the man opposite him.

Looking at the mastermind behind his parents’ death from such a close distance, Jin Zhou couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat accelerate, blood rushing through his veins, and irrational thoughts surfacing in his mind.

However, he calmed himself down quickly by tilting his head back and finishing the champagne in his hand.

“Why are you alone?” Suddenly, a man with gray hair appeared beside him. Jin Zhou was sitting in a corner, hoping to go unnoticed, but it turned out he couldn’t escape.

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He politely smiled, raised his empty glass, indicating that he was going to get more drinks, and the man, being a gentleman, didn’t stop him.

The men at the party were mostly sophisticated, unlike the young men in bars who would take a girl to a hotel as soon as they met her.

Those wealthy men were like hunters, confidently observing the prey in the venue, even if they already had someone in their arms, they wouldn’t miss out on a more enticing choice.

Jin Zhou walked towards the drinks counter, deliberately passing behind WangTai.

“That shot you made this afternoon was impressive.”

“It’s just luck. Sometimes I can’t even get the ball in the hole after dozens of shots.”

The two men chatted casually about golf, but Jin Zhou could tell that the man opposite WangTai had a distinct accent.

He discreetly scanned the man’s face with the camera hidden in his sleeve, then calmly placed the empty glass on the drinks counter and picked up another glass of champagne.

He intended to minimize his presence as much as possible and eavesdrop on WangTai’s conversation. However, as soon as Jin Zhou turned with the glass in his hand, he noticed at least two or three men staring at him.

Among the models flaunting their thighs, Jin Zhou’s legs were only partially visible through the slit in his dress.

His sturdy legs were not thin like bamboo poles. Whether it was his thighs or calves, the muscles were visible when he walked, exuding a subtle sensuality amidst classical elegance.

A man with a beer belly raised his glass towards Jin Zhou, and his eyes, hidden behind a mask, openly scrutinized Jin Zhou’s legs.

In his mind, Jin Zhou cursed at the lewd man but pretended not to notice, calmly turning his head in the opposite direction.

However, coincidentally, he locked eyes with WangTai.

It’s said that enemies meeting each other makes their eyes turn red, but the atmosphere in that situation was especially unsettling.

WangTai retracted his left hand from the models and inserted it into his trouser pockets. He raised his glass with his right hands, took a sip of wine while tilting his head slightly, and his gaze remained fixed on Jin Zhou, filled with a hunting desire.

Being a man himself, Jin Zhou knew that WangTai’s actions were subtly displaying his masculine charm as a high-ranking individual.

But all he felt was nausea and a headache, accompanied by a sense of foreboding.

Originally, his plan was to quietly blend into the crowd, discreetly gathering useful information. However, the other models, one by one, drew attention to themselves, inadvertently highlighting him.

This was WangTai’s territory. If he came to talk to him, how could he pretend to be clueless?

Just as he was thinking about this, WangTai made a move.

He  leaned slightly forward, and his heels showed a sign to leave the ground.

Jin Zhou immediately sensed something was wrong. He pretended to remain calm, shifted his gaze away, raised his glass towards the air, and then walked in the direction where the glass was raised.

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There were many models moving around the venue, each wearing high heels and standing close to 1.8-1.9 meters tall, forming a natural moving human wall.

WangTai’s gaze remained fixed on Jin Zhou, but he naturally couldn’t see whom Jin Zhou was toasting.

And Jin Zhou’s appearance clearly indicated that he was going to talk to other guests, so WangTai didn’t follow him anymore, as it would only make him look cheap.

After averting the crisis, Jin Zhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thanks to his years spent in bars, he had mastered the ability to remove himself from difficult situations.

But Jin Zhou didn’t stay safe for long.

He walked towards a corner, intending to lay low for a while, but the beer-bellied man from before suddenly appeared by his side and grabbed his wrist.

“What’s wrong? Haven’t you decided on your target yet?”

The beer-bellied man’s words were blunt, rude, and vulgar.

Jin Zhou frowned and initially wanted to pull his hand back directly, but his peripheral vision caught sight of several men watching them, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to act.

Those men were positioned to strike.

Jin Zhou immediately reached that conclusion.

Unlike the ignored models who formed small groups to entertain themselves, Jin Zhou, with his qualifications, had yet to find a benefactor. It was evident that he was still in the process of selection.

Those onlookers were observing whether the beer-bellied man could succeed in seducing Jin Zhou.

If he couldn’t, they were likely to take the initiative, not wanting to be outdone by others.

To make matters worse, on the other side of the venue, WangTai was also watching intently.

Jin Zhou abandoned his previous thoughts.

ThOse men in the venue were merely skilled at disguise, using gentlemanly behavior to hide their vulgar nature.

Once their prey didn’t meet their expectations, they would have no problem revealing their true selves and tearing off their masks of civility.

Jin Zhou suddenly regretted. If he had known this,  he wouldn’t have agreed to Luo Xueqing turning him into a beautiful woman?

“Let me give you some advice, know your place.” The beer-bellied man held Jin Zhou’s wrist, while his other hand reached into his skirt. “You don’t have the privilege to be choosy here.”

The greasy touch came from his thigh, and Jin Zhou forcefully suppressed the urge to kick the man away.

He gritted his teeth, twisted his waist, trying to dodge to the side. However, the beer-bellied man pulled his wrist forcefully, and the camera was hidden in the sleeve not far from his wrist. He didn’t dare to yank his hand too hard, afraid the camera would fall out.

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“You came to a place like this, and you still pretend to be a chaste and virtuous woman?” The more Jin Zhou struggled, the more excited the man with a beer-belly became. His hand under the skirt reached Jin Zhou’s butt, and the high-slit cheongsam was lifted, revealing the edge of white underwear and the roundness of his buttocks.

The onlooking men downed their alcoholic drinks, and their eyes flickered with wolf-like greed.

Jin Zhou found himself in a dilemma. While hesitating whether to follow the man with a beer-belly to the upstairs room or simply knock him out, a strong and powerful arm suddenly reached out from the side and circled Jin Zhou’s waist, pulling him into a warm embrace.

“Sorry, she belongs to me.”

A familiar voice came from beside him, carrying restrained and suppressed anger.

Jin Zhou turned his head and saw a man wearing a magnificent black mask. Beneath the mask was a tall nose and rosy lips, along with a tight jawline due to the anger.

Most masks worn by other guests were ordinary elastic bands, but the black mask before him was different. Behind his ear, Jin Zhou recognized the gold-colored anti-slip chain.

The anger seemed to be vented entirely on his arm, squeezing Jin Zhou’s waist like tightened steel bars, causing him pain.

He had to lean on the man’s shoulder, disregarding everything else. He leaned close to the man’s ear and lowered his voice, “Be gentle.”

It had been a while since he spoke, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.

“When did she become yours?” The man with a beer belly dropped the corners of his mouth, showing a dissatisfied expression. “She has been wandering around here for a while, and I didn’t see her talking to anyone. Just because you said she’s yours, does that make her yours?”

Several guests and models gathered around, all anticipating a good show.

WangTai, as the host of the party, arrived promptly and tried to defuse the situation, saying, “There’s no need to ruin the fun atmosphere.”

“You have good taste.” WangTai raised his glass towards the black mask. “Seeing how composed you usually are, I didn’t expect you to compete.”

The black mask didn’t hold a drink in his hand. He slightly raised his chin and looked at Jin Zhou in his arms. “I’m also a man so it’s expected of me to also compete.”

“Take your time.” WangTai said, “Upstairs, rooms have been prepared for the guests.”

After WangTai left, the onlookers gradually dispersed.

One of the highlights of the early stage of the party was who Jin Zhou would end up with, but now that the black mask had claimed him, the others lost interest.

The black mask – or more precisely, the elegantly dressed Judge – finally loosened his grip on Jin Zhou’s waist, but the anger in his tone hadn’t faded.

“How did you end up here?” His angry eyes mixed with possessiveness, and it was unclear which one was stronger.

Having recovered from the crisis, Jin Zhou couldn’t help feeling both angry and amused. He showed a playful side that didn’t match his makeup and looked at Yang Shi Yu, asking, “Working overtime?”

Yang Shi Yu pursed his lips and didn’t answer.

Jin Zhou flicked the anti-slip chain behind the black mask with his middle finger, almost whistling, “You’re quite something, Yang Shi Yu.”

A trace of unbearable resentment flashed in the eyes behind the mask, and Yang Shi Yu hoarsely said, “Go to the room upstairs.”

Naturally, Jin Zhou was unwilling. “I’m still undercover – hiss, don’t pinch my waist!”