Commercial KTVs are fascinating places—glamorous havens packed with beautiful people, where money flows like water.
Crown International KTV in Hangzhou ranked among the city's top ten entertainment venues, and it's where Li Yan worked.
Not as a male escort or gigolo, obviously.
Sound engineer—that was Li Yan's job. He handled all the audio equipment maintenance and setup throughout the club.
His base salary was 6,500 yuan, plus performance bonuses ranging from 1,000 to 3,000. Monthly income usually hit around seven or eight thousand. When he picked up freelance gigs helping bands or shows with their sound setup, good months could break ten grand, sometimes more.
In this hormone-fueled playground of desire, Li Yan felt ancient.
The feeling started after he turned twenty-five.
Well, twenty-five by Western count. According to his mom's traditional age calculation, he was already twenty-seven.
Either way, it didn't change the fact that he watched his peers getting married left and right, having kids, moving on with their lives.
Hard not to feel something about that.
"Come back early next month, okay? Send me your measurements soon—I need to get the groomsman suits ready in advance."
"Yeah, got it. I'll text you later."
Li Yan sat in a room thick with competing perfumes, hanging up on his childhood friend. He was already mentally planning to take three to five days off next month for the wedding, maybe get some rest while he was at it.
"Li Yan! Come play a round—we need one more!"
Lost in thoughts about gift money and groomsman duties, Li Yan barely glanced up at the sultry voice calling out to him.
"Not interested."
His flat refusal came as no surprise to the owner of that voice.
But just as Li Yan was about to text another friend about how much to give as a wedding gift, a pair of pale arms wrapped around his neck in a chokehold.
His head was instantly buried in softness that smelled faintly of perfume and felt warm against his skin.
Giggles filled the air as the arms' owner pressed down harder, crushing Li Yan's face deeper into that soft, firm embrace.
"Come on~ Just one game~ I'll give you some perks~"
The camera would have captured Li Yan's completely expressionless face, showing zero reaction to the warm softness engulfing the back of his head.
Even as the pretty girl in the tight black dress—maybe twenty-five or twenty-six—pulled him into her embrace, making his position increasingly awkward.
But none of this stopped Li Yan from holding his phone with both hands, typing out his wedding gift question one character at a time.
The spacious office held about ten young women, all dressed to kill—some sexy, some playing innocent, all perfectly made up with makeup that could stop traffic.
Four girls squeezed onto Li Yan's couch, including his current "attacker." Some showed off long legs in black stockings, others sat cross-legged and barefoot, a few held cigarettes between manicured fingers.
But they all had one thing in common: phones held horizontally, with the sounds of Honor of Kings drifting from their screens.
"Li Yan~ Look how good Lily's being to you~ Just give in!"
"Exactly!"
"Play one round, Li Yan. It's so boring! Want me to give you some perks too?"
The room filled with sweet laughter and teasing voices. Li Yan finally escaped from Lily's embrace.
He straightened his messed-up hair and looked at the girls with mild exasperation.
"If you don't have customers, go bug Sister Liu and Brother Wang. Slip them some cigarettes, throw in bigger tips—guaranteed to get you booked."
That comment instantly triggered a chorus of complaints from the dozen girls in the office.
The sudden chatter was so loud that even Lily forgot about Li Yan, joining in the collective grumbling about the unfair treatment from the two floor managers.
Li Yan straightened his clothes, watching the office turn into a gossipy duck pond. The noise didn't bother him—he was used to it by now.
At least he could finally have some peace without playing Honor of Kings coach for these girls.
As expected, these women were all employees of Crown International KTV.
Their job titles went without saying: hostesses.
The non-escort kind, of course.
Li Yan added that disclaimer for legal reasons, though whether they provided "extra services" was really up to the individual girls. Who could say for sure?
He'd worked at this company for two years. His job wasn't demanding—most of his time was spent goofing off.
Just like right now.
The pay wasn't terrible either, especially considering how much free time he had.
From an outsider's perspective, working alongside all these gorgeous women seemed like paradise.
And yes, they were stunning. Beyond ordinary pretty.
Crown International KTV, as one of Hangzhou's top ten entertainment venues, maintained serious quality standards. Any girl from this room could be some loser's dream goddess.
And these were just the mid-tier talent. The top-tier girls were in a league of their own.
In today's society where people mocked poverty but not prostitution, these girls earned obscene amounts of money—more than most people could imagine.
Li Yan's salary wouldn't even cover one of their shoe purchases.
Though to be fair, most of their clothes, bags, and jewelry were gifts from clients anyway.
Li Yan slouched in his corner of the couch, half-watching the chattering beauties through droopy eyes, drifting into a strange, meditative state.
He was caught between sleep and consciousness when an odd voice in his head jolted him awake.
[Life-Style Tycoon System Activated]
[From this moment forward, this system will help the host become what humans call a "tycoon"]
[Complete various daily life tasks to earn rewards including but not limited to money. The system hopes the host will understand the true meaning of life and wealth]
[Within three days, donate clothes and shoes from your closet that you haven't worn for over a year to a welfare institution]
[Task completion reward: 10,000 yuan]
[A gift of roses leaves fragrance on the hand—how long has it been since you showed kindness to strangers?]
The voice in his head and the glowing interface that appeared before his eyes shattered Li Yan's composure completely.
His heart pounded as he sat on the couch, staring blankly at this sudden "surprise."