“I… I really miss her so much… Sob, sob, sob…”
“You guys look at this-” He pointed to the tattoo of the woman on his arm. “I’ve engraved her into my life, but what about her? She just abandoned me like I’m nothing!”
The man with the floral tattoo wept in pain, while his two good buddies sympathetically wiped away tears, patting his back to console him.
“Bro! Stop, bro! You’ve even made idioms out of it, this is fate!”
“Men, we’re born unlucky, you need to accept it! Come on, let’s drink!”
The hostess on the side exclaimed, “Oh my! There really are such heartless women in the world! Big brother, you’ve really met with misfortune!”
Big brother: “Sob, sob, sob…”
Hostess: “Big brother, don’t be too sad. Seeing her true colors early is a kind of damage control too. By the way, how much did you spend on her in total?”
Under the instigation of the hostess, the tattooed man recounted his spending on the ex-girlfriend and their tragic love story, tears freely flowing down.
Younger brother A: “Bro, don’t be sad! You still have us!”
Younger brother B: “That’s right, bro! Women are unreliable, only brothers are lifelong!”
The three men downed three shots, holding their heads and wailing. The hostess picked up a bottle of wine and found it empty. She hugged another bottle to her chest. “We’ve had enough to drink, or…”
“Nonsense! Pour the wine! Pour!” The tattooed man, intoxicated, snatched the bottle from her hand, struggling to find the opening, then sloppily filled three empty glasses.
She wrote on the electronic bill: “Table 43, two bottles of Hennessy XO. Total: 3,002,000.”
Both bottles were opened by the emotionally overwhelmed big brother. She gracefully hopped off the small table. “Drinking without eating hurts the stomach. Shall I get you some hot food?”
The tattooed man sniffled, “Thanks, little sis.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. Men should remember to treat themselves well.”
“You’re absolutely right. I’ve been depressed every day recently. Today I finally let it out. Whenever I came to the bar, they just wanted me to buy drinks, not listen to me. Hey, little sis, what’s your name? I’ll find you next time!”
She noted down on the bill: “Table 43, 20 skewers of grilled synthetic meat. Total: 6,000.” She flashed a smile, “My name is Elena, just call me Xiaoli.”
Of course, the grilled meat was served by a waiter. She looked around the room, then went to the bar and got two more expensive bottles.
One can’t rely on one source of income; it’s easy to end up with nothing.
Mary followed the quick path out. During the hour Elena spent at Table 43, she had already sold dozens of cocktails, earning quite a bit.
In addition to the two of them, four or five hostesses in ultra-short skirts were wandering about. Mary was their leader, able to check the sales performance of all hostesses. Midway through the night, she opened the KPI assessment sheet—
Elena was leading by a large margin with 13 million in sales, surpassing her usual first place.
What she couldn’t see was that with each bottle of wine and each word, Elena had already moved five iron-willed tough guys to tears.
As a bioengineered human, she felt no jealousy. As per protocol, she reported the hostess team’s performance to the operations manager, who then reported to the higher-ups—the group led by Mr. Shachu.
“Ah! Interesting, the new model is indeed remarkable.”
The young man with a half-shaved head in the management lounge glanced at the display screen showing the current day’s revenue, his gaze lingering on Elena’s name with interest, “Aren’t you curious how she managed to sell so much?”
The man with a single eye glass was studying a bag of orange oil, using ultraviolet light to inspect it: “Not interested. I only care about the results.”
With a smirk, he muttered to himself, “If you ask me, the new model definitely has its own superiorities compared to the old one. Hehehe.” He chuckled lewdly, “Big brother, let me take a look!”
He reached for the small bag of orange oil on the table and asked Mr. Shachu with a grin, “Can I have this, big brother? I heard even androids can use it, I’ll go test its effects!”
Mr. Shachu remained indifferent as ever, exhaling a purple smoke, casually gesturing for him to leave.
As he was about to leave, the man overhead Mr. Shachu and the man with the single eye glass saying, “Let the one upstairs wait for another ten minutes. We cannot be too passive.”
The man with the single eye glass responded, “You’re right. This is our turf, regardless of how prestigious they may be in the metropolis, a dragon cannot suppress a local snake.”
The man with a single eye glass and a few passing android companions exchanged jokes briefly, then, following Mary’s instructions, he found Elena at a table on the edge of the bar.
He thought to himself: as expected, she chose such a remote corner, the new android model must be using her “special move!” Excited, he approached, hiding behind the sofa to eavesdrop.
The sofa creaked, sparking his interest as he overheard the man’s low growl, “Why! After serving the company for so many years, just because I’m older now with a slight decrease in thinking speed, they want to replace me with those young people who have just undergone training!”
The man thought to himself: …? Is this some unique playacting hobby?
The bald man took a swig of strong liquor, his bright blue electronic eyes faintly reddening, “Am I being phased out by the era? Tell me, can’t this era accommodate a middle-aged programmer?”
Elena poured a drink nearby, “It’s not that you’re being phased out by the times, it’s that this era needs to evolve.”
“It lacks retirement insurance, cannot secure career advancement, and fails to provide adequate rewards against future risks during the prime of one’s career. Such a system easily breeds crime and violence.”
“It’s not you who’s wrong, it’s the world.”
The man clapped excitedly, “Exactly! That’s what I mean! The social structure itself is flawed! We should be advancing bravely with the chariot of time, but now we’re being jolted on the road, becoming dust of the era!”
In a tipsy state, he discussed past and present, criticizing current issues and speaking words that the man with the single eye glass couldn’t comprehend at all. Strangely, Elena seemed to understand, not only understanding but also guiding the man to speak more and more passionately.
“Exciting!” The man exclaimed, opening another bottle of foreign liquor, pouring some for himself and Elena, “There’s no one at home to listen to me rant, my wife doesn’t understand, the kids are still young… Ah, I can only vent in front of you.”
Despite having consumed half a bottle, Elena showed no sign of intoxication, sitting leisurely with her legs crossed, making it hard to tell who was accompanying whom.
“Mr. Lu, I think you have a profound knowledge. Even if you don’t work as a programmer, you can totally become a political commentator or something, consider me your first fan!”
“Really? Oh, if it weren’t for today, I wouldn’t have known I could speak like this…”
They started discussing Mr. Lu’s future career plans, from account operations to personal branding, topics that made the man with the single eye glass consider starting a light blog as a side gig.
What kind of drinking service was this, the man wondered, furrowing his brow, finding it far from stimulating!
He stood up with a cough, catching the attention of the two. Apologizing to Mr. Lu, he led him aside, “What’s the matter, manager?”
Yin Yang Tou is the named manager of the bar. Since being entered into the staff system here, whenever Elena sees the corresponding personnel, she can automatically identify the person’s position and information, which is very convenient for her to recognize people.
He lightly draped his arm around her shoulder. “Well done, girl.” Although he didn’t understand how chatting about boring things could sell alcohol.
“Here, this is for you.” He handed her the orange ampoule.
Elena squeezed the liquid in the small bag and looked up at him in confusion. “What is this?”
Yin Yang Tou sneered. “Are the new androids so guarded? Lower your alertness to the lowest.”
The command in Elena’s ear caused confusion, as if a layer of cloth suddenly covered her consciousness, making everything around her feel so warm and friendly, even Yin Yang Tou’s obviously malevolent smile seemed sincere and friendly.
“It’s delicious, give it a try.” He goaded.
Seeing Elena obediently tear open the packaging and squeeze the ampoule into her mouth, Yin Yang Tou’s smile grew wider. He rubbed his hands, embraced the android whose body had softened. “Come, let’s go to the room upstairs and rest for a while…”
“Although direct orders work too, it’s not as satisfying. By the way, can’t you adjust the resistance level? Set it to ‘slight resistance,’ I like that.”
The sweet ampoule slid down Elena’s throat, making her consciousness even hazier. She instinctively struggled, “What… slight resistance?”
“Yes, just like that!” Yin Yang Tou embraced the android as they ascended the stairs, licking his lips uncontrollably. “Let me experience the charm of this new model.”
The second floor of the bar consisted of several long corridors that seemed endless, with rooms on both sides.
The magnificent decoration, adorned with crimson thick carpets. The color scheme, this style, Elena found it all so familiar.
“…Have I been here before?” Supported by Yin Yang Tou, Elena’s feet felt as soft as clouds as the long corridor spiraled towards her.
The soundproofing here was not very good. Some rooms had faint sounds of movement. Some rooms echoed with the sound of chips clinking and people sighing in annoyance.
The second floor was the gray area of the bar’s business, containing a mix of dirt and novelty.
Yin Yang Tou casually pushed open an empty room and threw Elena onto the soft mattress. “Been here before? Ha, can androids dream? You were only activated today.”
“Activated today?” Elena pushed away Yin Yang Tou who was pressing down on her. “Then I’m still a child, stay away from me…”
The drug started to take effect, and she felt her soul being drawn out, floating in the room, watching her own body lay there helplessly from a third-person perspective.
If the power of the android was not restrained, it was beyond what a normal human could handle. Yin Yang Tou was pushed away, stumbling almost to the point of sitting on the ground.
He stared at her in disbelief. “You set the ‘slight resistance’ strength too high, lower it by 10!”
Elena struggled to control her body and stand up from a third-person perspective. The colorful hues danced before her eyes, and the ground beneath her feet felt as soft as cotton candy. She couldn’t help but laugh, “Hehehehe—”
“I can’t understand what you’re saying…”
Yin Yang Tou looked at her, then checked the personal terminal on his wrist. Indeed, ever since this android joined the bar, she had been registered as the bar’s property, possessing administrator privileges.
Why was she so disobedient?
He almost wanted to drag the iron-skinned fatso back and give him another beating. Was this a defective product they got?
Having tried almost all the android hostesses in the bar, he encountered a problem with this new model that piqued his interest. Yin Yang Tou angrily commanded, “Cease resistance!”
“Come here, kneel.”
Elena’s limbs instantly lost strength, as if being pulled by invisible strings toward Yin Yang Tou.
Suddenly, the thought from just after she woke up echoed in her mind again:
Why should I?
Why should I do what you tell me to do?
I’ve worked all day today, and you haven’t paid me yet!
So, Elena resisted the strong force, controlling her mouth that couldn’t help but grin, and tried hard to say two words: “…pay me.”
Yin Yang Tou: …?
Yin Yang Tou: “Damn, I have to pay for my own shop’s stuff?”
He shouted angrily, “Come here!”
Elena: “Hehe, no.”
Yin Yang Tou: “…Activate admin privileges, ID748993, come here.”
Elena: “…I won’t.”
She said no, but her feet honestly took a step forward.
Body! What are you doing! Elena’s mind was horrified by her body’s betrayal, struggling to lift her hand—
“Slap.” She slapped herself.
Then she shakily extended this hand towards him: “…pay me.”
Yin Yang Tou looked at her in shock. She had a neurotic smile brought by the drugs on her face, and her slender arm contained a strength he couldn’t resist.
Seeing the stumbling android take another step closer, her exquisite and beautiful face looked terrifying under the dim light of the room. Yin Yang Tou’s mind was blank! He hurriedly stepped back, tripped over the carpet, and Elena, following the previous command to “come here,” involuntarily moved two steps forward, accidentally stepping on his calf.
“…Aaaah—”
Due to the numerous metal components, an android’s weight is 2-3 times that of a human of the same size. This heavy step almost cracked Yin Yang Tou’s shinbone!
He screamed and quickly pressed the communication button on his personal terminal: “Security! Aaah—security, come to the second floor quickly! There’s an android out of control here!”
Out of control? Elena tilted her head in confusion, was he talking about her?
She indeed couldn’t control her body very well, but she didn’t think it was her fault; it was the bag of drugs’ fault. Essentially, she just wanted to be a good worker earning her salary!
Moreover, she also somewhat understood the meaning of Yin Yang Tou bringing her to the room: Isn’t this workplace sexual harassment?
Too much, absolutely resist!
She wanted to complain to his superior! But her uncontrolled body couldn’t manage the delicate action of unlocking the door. She barely grasped the doorknob, only to pull it off.
Elena: …Ah, she just realized she had such natural strength, so why would she need a bottle opener for wine bottles? She could just flick it open with her thumb, how cool.
The drugs made her attention very scattered. While she was groggily thinking about the 20th method to open a wine bottle with bare hands, “Bang,” three identical bodyguards broke in through the door!
“It’s her!” Lying on the ground clutching his calf and howling, Yin Yang Tou immediately pointed at Elena: “She’s out of control! Catch her! Destroy her! Immediately destroy her!”
“Yes, sir!” The three spoke in unison.
Two rushed over to grab Elena by the arms, while the third took out a special electric baton for androids, which could instantly shut down an out-of-control android with a strong current.
Elena had never seen that thing, but some instinct written in her core logic made her fear it. She desperately tried to back away, struggling to explain: “No, I’m not… not… out of control… please don’t…”
Yin Yang Tou: “Shock her! Quickly!”
The discharge rod was getting closer to her body, and she held her breath -well, pretended to hold her breath- she could almost see the blue electric sparks coming from the rod-
“What are you playing at, so intense?”
A deep, magnetic voice sounded from behind the crowd. Yin Yang Tou recognized the newcomer at a glance and involuntarily spoke respectfully, “Mr. X! Oh, sorry to disturb you!”
“We have a humanoid out of control here, about to be dealt with immediately!” He glanced at three bodyguards and exclaimed, “What are you waiting for?!”
“What’s the rush? Let me take a look.” Mr. X said.
He looked to be in his early twenties, seemingly younger than Mr. Sand, but with a maturity that shouldn’t belong to his age. He stood tall in a silver-gray suit, with neatly combed black hair styled in a handsome quiff that fell disobediently over his forehead. His hands casually tucked in his pockets.
There were no signs of cyborg modifications on him, unlike most humans Elena had seen since waking up.
And he certainly did not seem lacking the funds for such modifications.
Mr. X lazily yawned and rummaged in his pocket. Just as Yin Yang Tou realized and prepared to limp over to offer him a cigarette, he pulled out a pink lollipop.
Crowd: …
He unwrapped the lollipop and put it in his mouth, casually tossing the wrapper on the thick crimson carpet. With him present, the three bodyguards dared not act rashly, cluelessly looking back at Yin Yang Tou.
It was rare for him to take an interest in a humanoid. Yin Yang Tou smiled obsequiously, “It is this thing’s honor.”
He signaled to the three bodyguards, and they immediately released Elena.
“Be careful.” Yin Yang Tou pointed to his own leg, seemingly kindly warning, “This thing can be very dangerous.”
Whether it was Mr. Sand with a face like thunder or Elena, who failed miserably, he was pleased either way.
With no bodyguards to support her, Elena slumped to the ground, leaning against the door frame, her fingers twitching uncontrollably.
The euphoric floating feeling she had earlier was gone, and she felt like she might vomit. However, knowing she was not human, she wasn’t sure what she would vomit out.
Suddenly, her chin was gently grasped by slightly cool fingers and lifted up.
She saw Mr. X’s handsome face come close, his nose near her lips, sniffing.
“Did you give her medication?” He asked Yin Yang Tou, and after receiving confirmation, he picked up Elena.
Yin Yang Tou exclaimed in surprise, “What do you mean by this?”
Mr. X replied, “Oh, didn’t I say I’d take a look? I can’t figure it out in a short time. I’ll take her back for now.”
Yin Yang Tou said, “She’s very dangerous!”
Mr. X looked down at Elena, who was limp against his shoulder, her watery eyes curiously looking up at him.
Gentle, beautiful, soft, unmoving.
Mr. X said, “If your organization defines ‘danger’ like this, then I really need to reconsider our cooperation.”
After speaking, he carried Elena into a long corridor that seemed to have no end.
Author’s note: Cue to “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”
