Shen Ruoxi picked up the meat pie and began eating it in big bites — she was absolutely famished.

After finishing one piece, she placed the other in the kitchen, saving it for the next day.

The few apples she had received, she couldn’t bring herself to touch, carefully storing them away instead.

She had only just started working at the dance hall and hadn’t yet received her first paycheck. Yesterday, she had been made to pay compensation for the smashed makeup case, so whatever remained in her hands was already next to nothing.

She had to treasure every single cent.

Every evening when the dance hall closed, guests would leave behind peanuts and melon seeds. She planned to collect some each night and bring them home.

Yesterday’s incident with Chen Xiaoman had caused quite a bad scene, and as a result, the floor manager had banned her from performing for two days, while Shen Ruoxi took over Chen Xiaoman’s shift in her place.

Shen Ruoxi knew the floor manager wasn’t being kindhearted. The reason she could take Chen Xiaoman’s place was likely because some guest had put in a request for her by name in front of the manager.

That evening, Shen Ruoxi did not see Chen Xiaoman in the dressing room. Instead, Yun Jing — ignoring her earlier warnings — slipped over again to talk to her the moment no one was looking.

“I heard that Sister Xiaoman is ill,” said Yun Jing. In the dance hall, she was just like her name — as quiet and unassuming as a drifting cloud, barely noticeable.

Even when the other singing girls were chatting and she sat right beside them, they acted as if she weren’t there at all.

Yun Jing didn’t know how to flatter guests, and her manner was rigid and old-fashioned. The only reason she was still kept on at Red Gate was her exceptional singing voice.

Shen Ruoxi’s hand paused as she was drawing her eyebrows. “Ill?”

“After what happened yesterday, Sister Xiaoman let her anger get the better of her and fell sick on the spot,” Yun Jing said. “Sister Xiaoman has always been so proud. After something like this, she probably won’t want to show her face for a long time.”

Shen Ruoxi gave a slight curve of her lips. “She’s been spoiled by her own arrogance. A small setback and she gets sick over it.”

“She and Meimei are the two headliners of the dance hall — especially Meimei. With someone backing her and pushing her forward, it’s hard not to be famous. It’s only natural she’s become a bit haughty.”

Shen Ruoxi understood well enough: a headliner like Meimei always had a powerful and wealthy patron behind her. Without one, no matter how many singers there were in the dance hall, no one could hold their position for long — the turnover was far too fast.

As for this Meimei everyone spoke of, Shen Ruoxi had yet to meet her. Ever since she started working there, Meimei had supposedly been unwell.

Though that was just a polite excuse. Yun Jing had heard from others that she had gone off touring scenic spots with some wealthy magnate.

“Meimei has her heart set on marrying into a wealthy household,” Yun Jing said with a sigh. “But would a truly prestigious family ever accept a singing girl? Those rich men are just toying with them. They’ll never give their real feelings. In their eyes, women are objects — bought with money, discarded when they’re bored.”

What Yun Jing said was plain reality. In a place dripping with luxury and vice, the patrons came seeking drink and amusement. Who would be foolish enough to fall genuinely in love with a singing girl or a dance girl?

“I shouldn’t linger — I still need to go put on my makeup.” As she spoke, Yun Jing set a small wrapped package down in front of Shen Ruoxi. “This is for you.”

Before Shen Ruoxi could decline, Yun Jing had already darted away.

“Really…” Shen Ruoxi shook her head helplessly. No matter how many times she had warned the girl, or even turned a cold face toward her, Yun Jing simply loved talking to her — there was no chasing her away.

Shen Ruoxi had grown accustomed to being alone, and now suddenly having someone check in on her, showing up in front of her every day, left her feeling slightly unsettled — yet at the same time, there was something oddly warm about it.

She picked up the bag in front of her and read the text on the packaging: it was a pack of imported biscuits.

Shen Ruoxi often went without enough to eat, and it showed — she looked painfully thin, as though a gust of wind might knock her over.

She had no idea how Yun Jing had come to know that she wasn’t getting enough food, but the girl had thought to give her a pack of biscuits.

Shen Ruoxi pressed her lips into a small smile. Even something as small as a pack of biscuits managed to bring a touch of warmth to this place so steeped in snobbery and cold calculation.

That evening, Shen Ruoxi was scheduled to sing three songs — one solo performance and two numbers together with the dance girls.

After she finished her third song, the floor manager came backstage.

“Shen Ruoxi.” The manager called out to Shen Ruoxi, who was about to remove her makeup. “Come here for a moment.”

Shen Ruoxi reattached the earring she had just taken off and stepped over to stand before the manager.

“Mr. Dai has asked for you to go over.” The manager wore an expression that clearly said you’ve struck gold today. “You really are lucky — to have actually caught Mr. Dai’s eye.”

Shen Ruoxi knew that as long as she continued working here, meeting with guests was unavoidable.

Though the singing girls at Red Gate Dance Hall supposedly sold their art and not their bodies, some guests were forceful and overbearing — with money and power behind them, they could do as they pleased. The floor manager would simply turn a blind eye, for in the end, the interests of the dance hall always came first.

“Quickly touch up your makeup — don’t keep Mr. Dai waiting.” The manager added one more reminder: “Shen Ruoxi, know your place. Don’t go making a scene like last time. That Prince Wenren of Wen was a foreigner — he wouldn’t bother stirring up trouble for you here in Xin Guo. But Mr. Dai is different. With just a flick of his finger, he could make you vanish completely. Do you think anyone would care about the whereabouts of a singing girl?”

After the manager left, Yun Jing hurried over.

“Ruoxi, what did the manager just want with you?”

Shen Ruoxi said, “She told me Mr. Dai has asked to see me. Do you know who this Mr. Dai is?”

“Mr. Dai?” Yun Jing covered her mouth, seemingly taken aback. “It wouldn’t be Mr. Dai Jing, would it?”

“Who is he? From the way the manager spoke, he sounds like quite a formidable figure.”

“Dai Jing is connected to the political side of things. His family is enormously wealthy — the Dai family are major magnates — and within the Qingzhuan Building, his standing is no small matter.” Yun Jing recalled. “Mr. Dai does come here fairly often, but he has never once sent for a singing girl to drink with him. In the past, Meimei tried every means she could think of to get his attention, but Mr. Dai would only leave a tip for her and never had any sort of intimate contact with her.”

“So this man isn’t actually a lecherous type.”

“That’s hard to say — he might just be hiding it, a secret deviant of some kind.”

Shen Ruoxi was amused by Yun Jing’s serious face. “Thank you for telling me all this. I’ll be on my guard.”

“Ruoxi.” Yun Jing tugged at her sleeve. “Whatever his reason for calling you over, you’ve now become the target of everyone’s resentment. If Meimei comes back and finds out, she’ll make your life difficult in every way she can.”

“I know.” Shen Ruoxi patted her hand. “What will come will come — hiding is no solution. Besides, I came here to sing, and I want to become famous, because only by becoming well-known can I earn more money, and only then will I have the chance to take charge of my own life.”

Yun Jing let out a sigh. “I also want to be in charge of my own life. I wonder if I’ll ever live to see that day.”

In the midst of their conversation, the manager’s voice rang out again from outside: “Shen Ruoxi, what are you still dawdling for?”