The heavy, mahogany double doors of the Jade Lotus Pavilion opened, revealing an interior that screamed of obscene, overflowing wealth. The air inside was cool, heavily perfumed with the scent of burning sandalwood, crushed lotus petals, and expensive essential oils. Silk tapestries hung from the high ceilings, and the gentle sound of trickling water echoed from an indoor fountain.
It was a paradise of relaxation for the elite, but as Su Mei stepped across the threshold with Kai right behind her, the intoxicating atmosphere was abruptly shattered.
"Ah! There she is!"
A loud, grating voice boomed across the grand reception hall, completely lacking the refined elegance of the establishment.
Kai looked past Su Mei's shoulder. Waddling toward them over the polished marble floor was a man who looked entirely out of place in such a beautiful environment.
This was Su Mei's husband, Lord Jin.
The contrast between husband and wife was almost comical, yet deeply tragic. Where Su Mei was a towering, voluptuous goddess of high-class beauty, Lord Jin was remarkably short-the top of his balding head barely reached the massive, swelling cleavage of his wife's crimson qipao. He was incredibly fat, his rotund belly straining against the buttons of his expensive, but poorly fitted, emerald green silk robes. His face was round and slick with a permanent layer of greasy sweat, his eyes small, beady, and gleaming with an ever-present, calculating greed.
He had the look of a man who loved money far more than he could ever love a woman.
"Honey! You came back from your friend's house?" Lord Jin laughed, a wet, wheezing sound that made his chins wobble. He stopped in front of them, wiping his sweaty brow with a silk handkerchief. He didn't reach out to touch or embrace his wife; he simply looked her up and down as if inspecting a piece of valuable property. "I hope you didn't have any inconvenience in that filthy outer district."
Su Mei's jaw tightened imperceptibly.
Standing right behind her, Kai could literally feel the heat of her absolute disgust radiating through the silk of her dress. The memory of her screaming his name in the carriage, completely surrendering her high-class dignity to his magical touch, was still fresh. Looking at this fat, oblivious toad of a husband, Kai understood exactly why her 'muscles' were so painfully tight.
Su Mei forced a sickeningly sweet, entirely fake smile onto her glossy red lips. She subtly shifted her weight, stepping just a fraction of an inch closer to Kai, seeking the comforting, dominant heat of his tall, muscular frame.
"Everything was perfectly fine, husband," Su Mei replied, her sultry voice taking on a cold, polished edge that the fat man was completely blind to. She rested her hands on her wide, plush hips, her massive breasts heaving as she took a deep breath. "I had a wonderful time. Ye Rou is as sweet as ever, and I was having so much fun talking with her."
"Excellent, excellent," Lord Jin nodded dismissively, his greedy little eyes already scanning past her.
His gaze landed on Kai.
Lord Jin paused, his beady eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of the boy. Kai stood tall, his broad shoulders and hard, chiseled chest making the older man look even more pathetic. Kai's dark eyes stared down at the fat merchant with a cool, arrogant indifference that made Lord Jin subconsciously take a half-step back.
But then, the merchant's greedy mind did the math, recognizing the cheap outer-district uniform Kai wore. A slimy, patronizing smile spread across his greasy face.
"Oho!" Lord Jin chuckled, clapping his chubby hands together. "And who is this strapping young man? Wait, let me guess... is he Kai? Your poor friend's son?"
Su Mei blinked, her thick eyelashes fluttering in genuine surprise. Her perfectly manicured hand fluttered up to rest on her heavy cleavage.
"Honey... yes, he is," Su Mei said, her brow furrowing in confusion. "But how do you know his name? I haven't even introduced him yet."
Lord Jin puffed out his chest, looking incredibly pleased with himself. He let out another wheezing laugh, his fat belly jiggling.
"Ah, you underestimate my memory, my dear!" he boasted, waving a pudgy hand. "You told me before you left that your dear friend Ye Rou had a son who just entered the Academy. When I saw him standing here in those... humble clothes, following you like a lost puppy, I just assumed. I have a sharp eye for these things."
He looked at Kai, expecting the boy to bow or show deference to a man of his wealth.
Kai didn't bow. He just offered a smooth, polite smile that didn't reach his dark, predatory eyes. "It is an honor to meet you, Lord Jin."
Su Mei quickly stepped in, her massive, crimson-wrapped breasts bouncing as she took control of the conversation. She knew her husband's greed intimately, and she knew exactly how to play him.
"Yes, this is Kai," Su Mei announced, her voice returning to its sultry, commanding purr. She reached out and placed a delicate, jade-ringed hand on Kai's strong bicep, giving it a subtle, reassuring squeeze. "And he is going to work here at the Pavilion. He is going to help me with the heavy lifting, inventory, and reception duties."
She tilted her head, giving her fat husband a look that dared him to challenge her business decisions.
"Do you have any problem with that, honey?" she asked sweetly.
Lord Jin's beady eyes lit up with the unmistakable glint of a man seeing cheap labor. He looked at Kai's muscular physique, calculating how many gold coins he could save by having this desperate kid do the work of two grown men.
"Of course not, sweetheart!" Lord Jin beamed, rubbing his sweaty hands together. "It's good to have someone young and strong work here. The heavy lifting has been breaking the backs of our older servants."
He waddled a step closer to Kai, trying to look authoritative by puffing out his chest, though he still had to crane his neck upward to look Kai in the eye.
"I hope you will not disappoint, Kai," Lord Jin said, his tone suddenly taking on a condescending, lecturing edge. "You must do your work properly. You are very young, and this is a high-class establishment. Our clients are noblewomen. They demand absolute perfection. Do you understand?"
Kai looked down at the sweaty, fat man lecturing him. He glanced at Su Mei, who was biting her lower lip, secretly terrified that Kai's dominant pride might snap and he would punch her husband through the mahogany doors.
But Kai was far too smart for that. He played the game flawlessly.
"I understand completely, sir," Kai said, his voice dropping into a tone of humble desperation. He lowered his gaze slightly, playing the part of the dutiful, impoverished son. "My mother... she needs money very badly. The Academy fees are high, and she works so hard in the dirt just to feed us. That's why I want to work. I will do whatever is asked of me, no matter how hard, to provide for her."
The lie rolled off his tongue like poetry.
Lord Jin's greasy face softened into an expression of patronizing approval. The fat man loved nothing more than having power over desperate, poor people.
"Ah, filial piety! Very admirable, young man," Lord Jin nodded wisely, thoroughly convinced of his own superiority. He reached out and awkwardly patted Kai's hard, muscular shoulder with his chubby hand. "Your mother is lucky to have a son willing to break a sweat for some silver. Work hard for my wife, keep your head down, and you will earn your keep."
Lord Jin turned back to Su Mei, completely satisfied that he had established his dominance.
"Well, I have meetings with the silk merchants guild," Lord Jin announced, waving his hand dismissively. "I leave the boy in your capable hands, my dear. Show him the Pavilion and the place where he will work. Make sure he knows exactly what his duties are."
"I will, honey," Su Mei smiled, her sultry voice thick with a dark, hidden promise. "I will make sure he learns every single duty expected of him."
"Good, good," Lord Jin wheezed, turning his back on his gorgeous, deeply unsatisfied wife and the incredibly dangerous, virile young man standing beside her.
He waddled away, his fat ass shifting clumsily under his expensive robes, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just personally handed the keys to his wife's chastity over to a wolf.
As the heavy wooden doors to the inner offices clicked shut behind the fat merchant, the stifling, oppressive atmosphere instantly evaporated.
Su Mei let out a long, shuddering exhale. Her shoulders dropped, and she leaned back against a marble pillar, the crimson silk of her dress clinging tightly to her massive, heaving breasts. She looked at the closed door with a mixture of absolute disgust and profound relief.
Then, she slowly turned her head to look at Kai.
Her heavily lined eyes were dark, dilated, and blazing with a completely unrestrained, filthy hunger. The contrast between her repulsive husband and the towering, dangerously handsome boy in front of her was too much for her already fried nerves to handle.
She reached out, grabbing the lapels of Kai's Academy uniform with both hands.
"Now that the dead weight is gone..." Su Mei whispered, her voice a raspy, seductive purr that sent a jolt of heat straight to Kai's groin. She pulled him a fraction closer, her heavy, massive cleavage practically spilling out right under his chin. "Let me show you exactly what kind of work I have planned for you, Kai."