Hormones That Can't Be Hidden - Chapter 27

The next morning, the damp smell of mold mixed with the lingering scent of cheap tobacco poured into the crowded dormitory with the first rays of grayish-white light.

Master Liu rolled out of bed, shuffling into his shoes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Dong Junhao, in the bunk below, had long since sat up. His back was as straight as a bowstring pulled to its limit and suddenly held still, staring blankly at the light seeping through the doorway.

“Hah, up so early?” Master Liu grumbled, his hazy sleepiness dissipating slightly the moment he caught sight of Dong’s side profile. A web of red capillaries filled the whites of Dong’s eyes, making the dark circles beneath look even deeper, almost etched into his bone structure. “Kid… did you not close your eyes all night?”

Hearing his voice, Dong Junhao turned his head slowly. There was a hollow quality to his gaze after a night of torment, like ashes after a fire, yet deep within those ashes lay a cold, bridge-burning clarity.

“Master Liu,” he spoke, his voice as raspy as coarse sandpaper over hardwood. “The things you said last night… I’ve thought them over.”

Master Liu’s heart skipped a beat. The “guidance” he’d given in a half-awake, wine-tinged state nothing more than talk about the “fast money” to be made in the darker corners of this trade slammed back into his mind with vivid clarity. He frowned, a flash of regret and wariness crossing his weathered face. “I was just talking nonsense in the middle of the night! That water is deep enough to drown a man! Don’t you go taking it to heart and throwing yourself away!”

“I don’t intend to throw myself away.” Dong Junhao interrupted him, his tone exceptionally calm, even possessing a resolute finality. “Illegal things, the business of selling my body I can’t do that, and I can’t get past my own conscience.”

Master Liu let out a small sigh of relief, but suspicion soon followed.

“However,” Dong Junhao continued, his gaze falling on his own open palms. Those hands were well-defined, the skin rough from long-term soaking and scrubbing, the pads of his fingers calloused—the marks of pure labor. “The VIP section on the second floor… I still want to try it. I can refine my technique and do only legitimate massage and treatments. Earning a living through skill and craft should be okay, right? I heard the commissions there are much higher than down here in the main hall.”

“If others can do it, why shouldn’t I try!”

Master Liu looked at him for a few seconds, clicking his tongue with a complex expression. “That’s naturally true. Earning money in the VIP section isn’t just about technique; it’s about observation, a sense of boundaries, and… tsk, that mouth and ’emotional value.’ Having nothing but raw strength won’t get you far there.”

“But talking to me about this won’t do you any good. You need Boss Xu’s nod. The technicians in the VIP section are our ‘face’; you can’t just transfer there because you want to.” He paused, lowering his voice with the sigh of someone who had seen much. “And don’t be fooled by how busy he is with social climbing now. When he was young… he was a top-tier male technician. His handiwork and his ability to read people’s minds were this.” He gave a silent thumbs-up. “His beautiful ex-wife and his current business were all built on that skill and wit. He has a sharp eye and high standards. I suggest… don’t get your hopes too high.”

Before the morning shift handover, the corridor was still filled with the scent of disinfectant and fatigue. Dong Junhao stood silently outside the boss’s office for a moment, his palms sweating slightly. He took a deep breath that pressed heavily into his lungs, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Xu Jun seemed to have just arrived, holding a cup of tea so dark it was nearly black. Seeing it was him, Xu Jun’s eyelids lifted, a flash of surprise in his eyes that was quickly covered by his usual shrewdness. “Something the matter?”

“Boss,” Dong Junhao stood before the wide executive desk, his eyes slightly lowered and fixed on the polished surface, trying to keep his tone steady despite the underlying tension. “I’d like to apply… to transfer to the VIP section on the second floor. I’ll work hard to learn I’ll definitely improve my scrubbing… no, my massage technique.”

The hand Xu Jun used to hold his teacup paused for a fraction of a second. How could he not understand Dong Junhao’s “assets”? The tall, sturdy frame; the rugged contours sharpened by life; the masculine air that mixed hardship with stubbornness; and even that occasional air of rustic purity that clashed so sharply with this murky environment… all of it was a unique attraction.

When he’d first recruited him from the labor market, it was exactly that frame and that steady nature he’d wanted as a “billboard” for the public bathhouse. But he was equally aware of Dong’s shortcomings: his bluntness, his lack of eloquence, and the clumsy pride and sense of boundaries inherent to a laborer.

In the past, Xu Jun would have told him to forget such ideas and stick to the main hall as a “living sign.” But now, things were different.

Why did Fang Mingxuan invest in this mediocre bathhouse? Having spent years in the “underworld,” Xu Jun’s instinct for reading intentions was sharper than a bloodhound’s. That “perfectly timed” investment, those highly targeted contract clauses… he was well aware of the benefactor’s unspoken “special interest.”

If he let the subject of this “special interest” continue doing the dirtiest, most exhausting work downstairs, and the man got sick or got into a fight with a rude guest… or if the man simply decided he didn’t want to work anymore now that he had a backer, Xu Jun would be the one losing out. He didn’t know exactly how deep the friendship between this honest man and the benefactor went, but judging by the benefactor’s posture, it wasn’t shallow!

Xu Jun had actually been calculating how to find an excuse to move Dong Junhao to a more relaxed, respectable position. Even if he had to keep him as a “mascot,” he had to keep the benefactor satisfied. Now that Dong Junhao had proactively suggested going to the VIP section… Xu Jun wasn’t sure for a moment if this was Dong’s own idea or the benefactor’s intention.

Regardless, the work on the second floor was relatively easy and the income was much higher. By going with the flow, he could do Fang Mingxuan a favor and appear as a “considerate” boss to his own people. It was a move that couldn’t go wrong!

In just a few seconds, several thoughts crossed Xu Jun’s mind. He set down his teacup, his face showing no particular emotion, merely a thoughtful nod. “Mm, the VIP section… does indeed need some fresh faces to boost the energy.”

He leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. “However, Junhao,” his gaze fell on Dong Junhao like a searchlight, “the people we host up there are particular; the requirements aren’t as simple as they are downstairs. Knowing a few scrubbing and massage moves with raw strength isn’t enough. It’s another world.”

Dong Junhao’s heart tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing once. He expected a rejection in the next second.

Instead, Xu Jun’s tone shifted, taking on a mentor-like quality. “Tell you what. Since you have this ambition, I’ll give you a chance. You can transfer, but you can’t start immediately. You need special training first.”

“I’ll take the trouble to personally train you for a while. There are certain tricks, rules, and… ways to serve those picky guests that you need to thoroughly understand first.” He even paused to throw out a more tempting bait. “If you really can adapt and perform well, I can even send you to a high-end wellness institution for further study to get a proper, impressive certification. That’s a long-term career.”

The unexpected success and what could even be called “preferential treatment” left Dong Junhao momentarily dazed. A ghostly buzzing sounded in his ears, and the solid ground beneath his feet seemed to turn to cotton. He nodded quickly, his voice trembling with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. “Thank you, Boss! I’ll definitely learn with my whole heart. I won’t let your cultivation go to waste!”

Xu Jun waved his hand, a “kind” yet meaningful smile appearing on his face a smile that looked like a thin layer of oil floating on unfathomable water. “Don’t thank me too early. The training won’t be easy. It remains to be seen if you have the endurance and talent to stick with it.”

His gaze swept over the tensed lines of Dong Junhao’s body. “Starting tomorrow, after your shift, stay for two hours and come to the small training room in my office.”

The so-called “special training” was indeed far more detailed, larger in scale, and more aimed at the darker side of human nature than Dong Junhao had imagined… it would leave him sitting on pins and needles, as if he were being slowly dipped into a vat of lukewarm, yet sticky dye.