Lu Qing grabbed Xu Xuan’s chin between his fingers and pulled her close. “Is this how you beg?” he whispered in her ear.

Her eyes were wide with fear. “What do you want me to do?”

Lu Qing sneered and released her, shaking his head as he walked back to the sofa.

He lounged back lazily and gestured to the man closest to him.

The subordinate nodded in understanding and walked forward carrying a tray. In it was a pink dress with lace trapping. He held it up for Xu Xuan.

“Go and change your clothes!” Lu Qingbarked.

Xu Xuan was silent for a moment. After considering her options, she shook her head timidly and said, “I’m not working today.”

“Oh?” Lu Qingplayed with the bracelet, spinning it around his index finger. “All right, then I suppose you won’t be getting this precious item back today, either. I’ll just cut this up and return the pieces to you on your next shift. What do you think?”

“I’ll change! I’ll go change right now!”

Xu Xuan scrambled to her feet.

Without another thought, she hauled the dress out of the tray and ran to the bathroom.

When she passed by the sofa, however, Lu Qingstretched out his leg and purposely tripped her. “Where are you going, huh? Are you going to deprive me of the chance to get a good look at your body?”

“That… I… I can’t.”

All the color drained from Xu Xuan’s face.

Her voice shook a little, and her eyes welled up.

Lu Qing reached out and stroked her face before blowing on it. He flashed her a sinister smile and said, “Have it your way, then. Hurry up and go change!”

Although relieved, Xu Xuancouldn’t help but shoot the man a look of disbelief.

From what little she knew of him, he shouldn’t be this easy to coax. What else was he planning? Whatever it was, it wasn’t like she had much choice in the matter, anyway.

Xu Xuan scampered off to the bathroom and did as she was ordered.

She found out too late that the dress was nothing like any other outfit she had worn before. The skirt came down to just a little below her thighs, and the bodice was very tight. It clung to her figure like a second layer of skin.

Sure enough, Lu Qing’s eyes were glued to her body the moment she stepped out. His hungry eyes looked her up and down, as if he was examining a valuable product he had just acquired.

He clicked his tongue in approval, his eyes burning with lust. “I didn’t expect your figure to be this good.”

The men around him laughed at his crude remark. They wore the same lascivious expressions as their master, and like Lu Qing, they openly leered at Xu Xuan, too.

A sense of foreboding gripped her heart, accompanied by another bout of fear.

She took a few steps toward Lu Qing. “Young Master Lu, may I have my bracelet back now? I’m begging you. I need it back.”

But the man only chortled with glee. He patted the space beside him and said, “Come here. Come and sit for a while.”

Xu Xuan stepped back then, unwilling to come any closer.

Thankfully, her action didn’t seem to anger Lu Qing. “Oh, I know what you’re doing,” he said, grinning maniacally. “You don’t want there to be any distance between us, right? You’d rather sit on my lap, is that it?”

Another round of sinister laughter came from his henchmen.

Xu Xuan gritted her teeth and stood her ground. But whenLu Qingtook out the bracelet again, she broke down.

She took a deep breath and plopped down beside him.

Deep down, Xu Xuanknew all too well that she would never be able to refuse this man anything. After all,Lu Qingwas a guest in the establishment she worked in.

Even if there was no bracelet involved, she couldn’t defy him easily.

Unless, of course, she didn’t want her job anymore.

And she very much wanted her job. She needed the money.

Xu Xuan hung her head and braced for the worst.

Lu Qing clicked his tongue again, this time in irritation.

“What are you doing, sitting around like some piece of stone? Haven’t you seen what the hostesses do in this situation? You might have never done it, but you’ve definitely seen it, right?”

Xu Xuan pressed her lips together to keep herself from reminding Young Master Lu that she was a waitress, not a hostess. Not that it would do her any good if she said that.

She struggled with her conscience for what felt like ages, but she finally reached for the wine bottle on the table and poured a glass. She handed it to Lu Qingwith a respectful bow. “Please enjoy your drink.”