Chapter 35
"Ulvis' daughter is named Bree. She started working as a prostitute on Gardenia Street in Baihua three years ago. We found a total of 22 people who had seen her. The general opinion is that Bree was only pretty, but she was quite open-minded, so her market was not bad. There was no sign of being forced, and she was not controlled by drugs or force. She came and went freely. Half a year ago, she died of illness."
Howling is no longer what it used to be. As long as they spread a little bit of information, countless people will be willing to provide them with information. In just half a day, Germain found out the whole story and came back to report to Rongyuan.
Although Bai Le was frightened by Rong Yuan before, he still ran back after being stunned for a while. He didn't even look at Rong Yuan's expression. He sat on the sofa with a swagger, like a master - this was originally his house.
After listening to what Germain said, he nodded seriously and said, "In that case, it was a matter of mutual consent. Her death can only be regarded as bad luck. Then why did the old man quarrel with Baihua?"
"It's impossible for a person to completely let go of his only daughter's death, no matter how open-minded he is. Ulves once said in Baihua that his daughter was a good child, and it was Baihua's fault that she became like that." Germain said, "Besides, if the girl hadn't been sold to Baihua, she might not have died."
"Oh, and then what? What did he do?" Bai Le asked with interest.
"They assassinated three important officials of the Baihua Society, caused havoc in their head office, and set a fire. Because the rescue was timely, it is said that only a few people were slightly injured, but the house was basically burned to ruins." Germain said.
"Well done!" Bai Le praised, "I didn't expect the old man to be so fierce! Haha, so when you calculate it this way, the one who suffers is Baihua! Oh, by the way," he turned to ask Kadi, "In that case, don't bother them. It sounds like Hanyue is quite pitiful! Hahaha..."
Cuddy deadpanned, "I've been there."
"Haha... huh?" Bai Le's laughter stopped abruptly, and he asked in surprise: "You went? Then why didn't you tell me? What was the result?"
"Don't mention it." Kadi said depressedly, "There was not even a fight. I guess they had received the order a long time ago and closed the store. There was no customer. When we went there, their own people ran away, leaving behind a few tables, chairs and some decorations. We smashed a few of them, but found it boring, so we all went back."
Bai Le's face also fell. Speaking of it, it sounds powerful to defeat the enemy without fighting, but what fun is there in this? They were just venting their anger, not going after the tables and chairs. This result made Bai Le's teeth itch, and he immediately forgot what he had just said about not causing trouble for them, and said angrily: "How unreasonable! Bring people with you, let's go and cause trouble for them tonight! I will lead the team myself today!"
"Since they hid yesterday and showed a concession, they have lost all the face they could. Are they going to fight you openly tonight?" Germain said coldly.
"Besides," Cady added pathetically, "the old leader knew what happened last night, and he called all of us over and beat us with a stick. He really beat us, boss, with that old rattan stick. My butt still hurts!"
"Hiss——" Bai Le gasped and moved his butt uncomfortably.
"The old captain also asked me to tell you something." Kadi added, imitating Bai Xiang's rough voice, and said with some anger: "You little bastard, are you itching for trouble? Have you forgotten what I told you? You better behave yourself during this period of time, and there must not be any more casualties! Do you understand? If you still can't remember, I will come here and teach you in person!" Then his face changed, and he looked at Bai Le lovingly, and his voice sounded like sugar as he said: "Be good, son. Even if you feel wronged, you have to bear it for the time being. After you get through this period of time, dad will buy you whatever you want, ok? - Ah!"
When Kadi finished speaking, Bai Le, who could no longer bear it, jumped up and grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall with a "bang". The muffled sound made people's hearts skip a beat. Kadi let out a scream and knelt down against the wall, covering his head and said aggrievedly: "The old captain asked me to tell you word for word, why did you hit me?"
"Don't talk like my dad!" Bai Le said even more angrily than him.
"What do you mean by getting through this period of time?" Germain noticed a certain implication in Cady's retelling and asked, "Which period of time?"
"Nothing." Bai Le said hesitantly, his expression suddenly becoming a little gloomy.
Mia listened for a while - they went to the surface to bury the bodies and then came back - and saw that they seemed to have no intention of paying attention to the murder of Ulvis, so she couldn't help but ask: " Baihua, they killed Ulvis... and they don't care?"
Everyone looked at him, even Zhihuo and Okoto's eyes were full of disapproval. Mia shrank back, then raised her head suddenly and said, "I know, I know that neither I nor Ulves are qualified to ask you to avenge us. I also know that I can only talk, but I can't do anything, but...but..." Mia Qiang held back tears and asked, "Baihua is doing that kind of business, how can it be a clean place? Mr. Rong, I heard from the children that Paradise City is a hell that eats people, and you destroyed it alone and saved them all. Why...why do you allow a place like Baihua to continue to exist?"
She said it all in one breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her face showing some accusation and regret, but mostly determination.
Several men looked at each other, and finally Germain held his forehead and said, "Well, Miss Mia, I think you don't understand the situation here, so there are some misunderstandings."
"You have to know that on Prison Star, propriety, righteousness, and integrity are not important things. Staying alive is the most important thing. Most people pursue only two things in their lives - to have enough food and to be able to wake up after falling asleep. In this case, if giving up one's body can be exchanged for a comfortable and better life than most people, many people will be happy to do so. Most of the 'young masters' and 'young ladies' in Baihua are from this way."
Zhihuo lowered his head uncomfortably, reached out to brush the hair by his ears, and secretly glanced at Rongyuan.
"So, there are actually a lot of people doing this kind of business in the city - more than you can imagine, and it's not just Baihua." Germain added: "Many people just hang a sign on their windows and start doing business. Of course, the business is much worse. In this kind of thing, both parties are voluntary, so there is nothing to prevent or ban. Even the emperor of the empire can't control it. We can only let it take its course."
"Then...didn't they force people to sell themselves there?" Mia said stubbornly, "You also said that the girl from Bree was sold there."
"Well, there are not many people who would rather starve to death than compromise, but there are some." This time it was Kadi who spoke up, "But there is a reason why Baihua was able to stand out from countless secret doors and become the largest, most popular, most influential, and even one of the four largest in the central city."
"In the past four major groups, Tyrant Army relied on their accumulated foundation, we are warlike, Ming Zhao Academy relies on connections, and Baihua Academy's ability to survive is not because it has the most handsome men and beautiful women, but because of the rules."
"Baihua will not force anyone to sell themselves out. This is well known. When they encounter those who are clean and self-disciplined, not only will they not use tricks to force them, but they will also provide them with a job, such as chopping wood, boiling water, washing clothes, etc. As long as they save enough money to redeem themselves, they can leave."
"Huh? But..." Mia was confused and asked, "Is Baihua still a good person?"
"Ha." Bai Le chuckled, a little mockingly, and said, "Let's put it this way, for example... you were sold to Baihua, but you refused to sell yourself, and in the end you were assigned a job as a laundryman. You washed clothes day and night, slept less than three hours a day, and were so tired that your back ached and your hands and feet were numb. In the end, the steamed buns you got couldn't even fill your stomach, and it would be a long time before you could save enough money to redeem yourself. At this time, you found that those waiters who served tea and water in the private rooms and sometimes chatted with guests didn't have to sell their bodies either, but their work was much easier than yours, and they got more money. Would you be envious? Would you feel it was unfair? Would you want to change jobs?"
He asked three questions in a row, "Yes." Mia wanted to insist on saying "no," but she imagined the scene and felt that she might not be able to hold on.
"Then, after a while of hesitation, the supervisor agreed to your request, but he also told you that sometimes you have to suffer some grievances in the box, and you have to learn to be patient, otherwise you can go back to your original position." Kadi also found a place to sit down, crossed his legs and said, "You started to be a waiter, and found that this job is indeed much easier, but sometimes the guests would make a move, touching your hands and hugging your waist. But on the one hand, you don't want to go back to suffer, and on the other hand, the guests don't dare to really offend Baihua, so you are sensible, and there are tips, so you endure it."
Germain continued, his tone much gentler, smiling as he said, "People's bottom line is constantly lowering. First it's the hands, then the waist, and then the rest of the body. You wear less and less clothes, and the tips get more and more. But you will gradually become more dissatisfied, because those who are not as pretty as you, not as smart as you, and not as capable as you, can get several times or even dozens of times more income than you just because they are willing to sell their bodies, and they can also boss you around and even beat and scold you at will. In that kind of environment, you will feel that the things you insisted on before have become ridiculous. Anyway, you are only a little bit away. As long as you take a step back, you can live a more glamorous life like them."
Cuddy finally said, "It's just a method of boiling a frog in warm water. People who have been in the Central City for a long time know it, but there are still many people who hold the idea that they will never fall, and step by step fall into it. Over the years, there are not many people who can really stick to it. Baihua has two stores that are specially used to teach newcomers TIAO. Those who are unruly, disobedient, and self-respecting will be sent there. Many people who like this kind of tune also go there on purpose. After a while, they will turn people into what they want. It can be said that it comes naturally without them noticing."
Mia was already stunned.
Should we blame the Hundred Flowers for being too deep and insidious? But every turn and every change was chosen by those people themselves; should we blame them for not being able to stick to themselves? But what's wrong with pursuing a better life?
"Mia, you haven't seen enough." Okoto also said, "Some parents treat their children as cash cows, and husbands use their wives to exchange for some cheap wine or local tobacco. Those methods are cruel. In comparison, Baihua is already beyond imagination. Gentle."
Mia bit her lip and said, "I still can't accept it. This kind of dirty place, no matter how beautiful the skin it covers itself, shouldn't exist in the first place."
Bai Le spread his hands and said, "No one asked you to accept it! It's already there."
Mia looked at Rong Yuan for help.
"Existence is reasonable." Rong Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Someone once said that there are two oldest professions in the world, one is prostitute and the other is killer. They exist because there is a need. Compared with killers who take other people's lives, people who trade their bodies only hurt themselves. You think this is dirty because of the influence of chastity. However, in order to survive, selling the body, selling wisdom, and selling force are essentially no different. In the final analysis, the body is a person's innate property and private property. How to deal with it is naturally the person who has the most power to decide." He looked at Mia and said, "You don't need to accept its existence, but you don't need to impose your own views on others."
Mia lowered her head and said nothing.
After everyone else left, Bai Le came up to Rong Yuan and winked, "So? You must have other plans, right?"
"Hmm?" Rong Yuan made a nasal sound, not wanting to comment.
"The Rong Yuan I know is a man who can't tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes." Bai Le looked like he had seen through the mystery, and said smugly: "It may be true that you don't care about others using their bodies as bargaining chips, but I don't believe you can stand a place like Baihua. Tell me, what are your plans? How do you need my cooperation?"
He imagined with great anticipation the scene of himself and Rong Yuan wreaking havoc in Baihua and being invincible, and his face turned red with excitement.
"No plans." Rong Yuan took out the book and said, as if the topic had come to an end, "I really don't plan to do anything."
"Really?" Bai Le was very disappointed and provoked: "You don't really think that Baihua is so clean, do you? Baihua also does a lot of bad things in secret! Apart from other things, do you know how many people are killed by it every month?"
"Where is Whistling?" Rong Yuan asked back.
"ah?"
"Whistling is warlike - then when you fight, don't any people die?"
"This..." Bai Le's eyes rolled around and he was speechless.
"Adults should be responsible for their own choices, even if they are wrong or stupid choices." Rong Yuan said lazily, "As for you and Baihua, I have no interest in identifying who is guilty and who is innocent one by one. Someone will make the judgment."
"Someone? Who?" Bai Le was confused.
"You will know." Rong Yuan said vaguely and lowered his eyes to read the book.
"Damn, you're keeping me in suspense again! I hate it when you do that!" Bai Le snorted. He lay down on the sofa, his legs on the coffee table, his hands behind his head, his eyes staring at the white ceiling, no one knew what he was thinking. Ten minutes later, he suddenly spoke seriously, "Hey, Rong Yuan, I have something to tell you."
Rong Yuan didn't say anything, but Bai Le knew he must have heard it, and after a moment he said, "Dad asked me to follow you closely. He said that you have a way to leave Prison Star, and for the sake of our past friendship, he will take me with you."
With a "rustle", Rong Yuan turned a page of the book.
"But I know that this is the condition he put forward for you, right?" Bai Le said: "When he left home for the last time , I was only sixteen years old. After so many years, he still treats me as that child who has not grown up, hiding everything from me."
"So what?" Rong Yuan asked.
"So... I want to ask you, can you change someone?" Bai Le said.
"Change to your dad?" Rong Yuan looked up at him.
"No." Bai Le shook his head and said, "If I stay here, he will definitely find a way to come back no matter where he goes. But I am worried about leaving him here. After all, the old man is so old, who knows how many years he can live. I have to accompany him."
"Then who do you want to replace?" Rong Yuan asked.
"What do you think of Germaine and Kadi?" Bai Le asked nervously.
"two?"
"Hey, if you can take one, then take another one or two, or thirty or fifty. It's not a big deal, right?" Bai Le came over and said with a grin.
Rong Yuan closed the book, glanced at him, and asked, "Do you want to bring another thirty or fifty? Do you think you can exchange so many by yourself?"
"Don't bluff me! If we want to leave here, we will definitely need a spaceship, right? Even if it's a small spaceship, we can squeeze in an extra 100 or 200 people, and at most reduce the quality of life a little, right?" Bai Le said with an expression that said "I've seen through you" on his face, "There are a total of 321 children downstairs. You are raising them so that you can take them away together when the time comes. Am I right? How can you take care of so many children by yourself? You will definitely need manpower, right? Mia and the others, let alone whether they can be trusted, are obviously far from capable. But! Loyal, careful, good at fighting, and obedient, I have such talents! I have several dozen!"
Rong Yuan just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to finish speaking.
Bai Le swallowed his saliva and continued, "Well, you don't have to worry about bringing criminals out. The older generation of big thieves who followed my father have basically passed away over the years. Most of Germain and his gang were born after my father and his gang came to Prison Star, and they don't have any criminal records in the outside world. Uh... there are one or two people recruited from outside, but their character is absolutely trustworthy, I promise!"
"How many people are there in total?" Rong Yuan asked.
"One hundred and thirty-three." Bai Le said without thinking, obviously he had been thinking about this matter for a long time.
"I'll take them away, and you'll stay?" Rong Yuan asked again, "Compared to here, even the more remote habitable planets outside can be considered heaven. Don't you want to leave?"
"Of course I do." Bai Le said without hesitation. He had a toothache expression and said, "I miss the Death Star Network! And my account in the "Great Magic Age". Back then, I was always ranked in the top three in the level list! How many girls cried and shouted to marry me! And, there's also the grilled fish in the Cloud Restaurant, the chilled fragrant fruit, and the thirty-layer ice cream. I'm drooling just thinking about it! And, there's also..."
Bai Le began to list all the delicacies he missed. When he counted to the twenty-second item, a string of crystal saliva flowed down the corners of his mouth. He sucked it back with a "slurp", wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, and sighed regretfully: "Alas, the more I talk, the hungrier I get. It's a pity that I can't eat any more..." He looked at Rong Yuan and blinked several times before he remembered the topic they had just discussed. He continued: "Well, I really want to go back, so you see, I've been thinking about it for many days before I finally made up my mind! I haven't played games or eaten those things for so many years, but I only have one dad. If I leave this time, it will be a farewell forever."
"Don't you regret it?" Rong Yuan asked.
"No!" Bai Le thought for a moment and added, "Absolutely not!"
"I'm asking..." Rong Yuan said slowly, "Have you ever regretted anything in these years?"
Bai Le was stunned.
"Your assassination attempt failed, and the chaos you created for the assassination were not serious. At most, you will be sentenced to Blue Prison Star and can be released after serving a dozen or twenty years." Rong Yuan looked at Bai Le and said, "Considering that you are not very old, I, as the client, will give up the pursuit and work hard. Maybe the sentence can be reduced by half. But you asked to come to Red Prison Star. Don't you regret it after all these years?"
Bai Le was surprised: "Hey, the sentence is so short? I thought it would be one or two hundred years!"
Rong Yuan: “…”
Bai Le's face turned serious, and he said, "It would be a lie to say that I have never regretted it. Over the years, I sometimes wondered if I hadn't come to this damn place, what would have happened now... There is nothing here, while there are countless delicious foods and fun things outside. I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want. I don't have to put a knife next to my pillow when I sleep at night to protect myself, and I don't have to... I don't have to pretend to be a big-tailed wolf to scare people, and I don't have to worry about the people around me turning against me at any time."
"But you know what? Rongyuan, sometimes I am actually glad that I am here. Most of the uncles and aunts who came in with my dad are dead. Some of them died suddenly without any illness or disaster. If I hadn't come, my dad might not have survived until now. This damn place... is not a place for people to stay! But in fact, my dad has lived longer than anyone else, and he is still strong and can fight for another hundred years! For me, this is enough."
“So, no regrets!”
Rong Yuan stared at Bai Le. He didn't expect that Bai Le, who had a straightforward mind and simple personality, could see through this.
Many people think that Bai Le is an idiot who is always happy and has no ability. He can live so freely on Prison Star only because of his good father. But in fact, the one who really relies on the father and son is Bai Le. Because of him, Bai Xiang did not lose hope of survival, and howling became one of the four great masters of Prison Star.
"Haha, you were scared by me, right? You didn't expect me to be so smart, right?" Bai Le ruined his image in a second and concluded: "So, I'm not going back! You can take the others away, okay? One sentence!"
"no!"
"Ah? What? Why?" Bai Le asked with his eyes wide open.
"Taking you away was indeed the condition proposed by Boss Bai, and it was the only condition, but I didn't agree." Rong Yuan said: "The deal I made with him was about other contents."
"What...is it?" Bai Le asked blankly.
