"Yes, my master."
"My name is Chu Yuan. I allow you to call me 'Sir'." Chu Yuan commanded.
"Yes, Mr. Chu." Ye Jiuting changed her address, her tone mechanical.
She tried hard to suppress the discomfort in her heart.
It was never his coercion from start to finish; she needed his tameness to survive.
"You may rise. Follow me one step behind. Do not walk ahead of me, and do not take your eyes off me."
"Yes, Mr. Chu."
Chu Yuan led her out and swiped a card in the elevator.
The elevator stopped on the ninth floor, but the ship only had eight floors in total.
This floor was a hidden level, accessible only to designated clients.
Unlike the noise of the other floors, this level was eerily silent.
Uniformed greeters stood on either side of the elevator, bowing at a 90-degree angle.
"Mr. God of Gamblers, welcome to the Beauty Palace."
Chu Yuan strode forward. He was tall with long legs; one step of his required one and a half from Ye Jiuting to keep up.
After only a few steps, as if noticing she couldn't keep pace, he slowed down.
They walked down the corridor, past a lounge, to a gilded door.
The greeter at the door pulled it open gently.
Deafening music and a mature male voice erupted from inside.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Beauty Palace. Today's debut performance is..."
After the host's fiery opening, there were no screams or cheers for the performance.
Only an overly cold air, and an overwhelming wave of lust and desire.
Inside, a huge stage dominated the room, with a wall of high-definition LCD screens hanging above it, broadcasting the performance in real time so no detail was missed.
At that moment, a tall man led a girl onto the stage, holding a three-meter-long whip that coiled like a living snake in his hand.
The woman, with a graceful figure, swayed as she was led by the whip to the center of the stage.
The man held out his hand, and the girl leaned in to kiss the back of it.
The ambiguous atmosphere seeped into every pore of Ye Jiuting's body, making her shiver and snap back to her senses. Chu Yuan had already moved on.
She remembered his order not to take her eyes off him.
She had made a mistake!
She hurried after him, cutting through the middle aisle of the audience.
Ye Jiuting clearly felt countless malicious stares fixed on her, and the unbridled whispers around her reached her ears clearly.
"The God of Gamblers has taken a servant! My God, is this woman an angel? How did she make him break his rules?"
"Look at that figure, a waist as thin as a water snake. Maybe our God of Gamblers has a thing for slender waists!"
"Miss Li doesn't know yet, does she? Hehe, this is going to be good!"
Every player on The Mortal Realm dreamed of being a servant at the God of Gamblers' feet, but he never played that game, so no one had the chance.
Even the noble Miss Li had knelt before him in public to declare her love, and he had remained unmoved.
Who exactly was this woman?
Ye Jiuting followed Chu Yuan to the VIP section, which was partitioned into booths, each containing only one chair.
On the expensive crystal round table lay fresh fruit and Wuyi Dahongpao tea.
Chu Yuan sat majestically in the chair.
Ye Jiuting stood before him and bowed at a 90-degree angle.
"Mr. Chu, I lost sight of you just now. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Chu Yuan lifted his eyes slightly. "I do not tolerate those who make three mistakes in a day, Miss Ye. This is the second."
"There will be no third." Ye Jiuting bowed slightly, completely submissive and respectful.
Chu Yuan said, "This is your last warning."
"Thank you, Mr. Chu."
From the corner of her eye, Ye Jiuting saw that the other maids were kneeling at their masters' feet to serve them.
She was still standing.
It was one thing in the privacy of the room, but in public, under everyone's gaze, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Mr. Chu, can we… do this later when we're back?"
"Don't worry. Nothing that happens on the ninth floor will ever leave it." Chu Yuan's deep, resonant voice was a guarantee of authority.
Ye Jiuting bit her lower lip, her face pale, fists clenched tightly. She resisted both mentally and physically.
She wanted to cooperate, but wanting and doing were two very different things.
"Stand behind me." Chu Yuan suddenly showed mercy.
Ye Jiuting let out a breath of relief, walked behind him, and clasped her hands in front of her.
The performance began.
The rhythmic crack of the whip echoed through the speakers, each strike hitting Ye Jiuting's heart.
The deliberately amplified gasps and extreme acts exceeded her understanding.
At that moment, she finally understood why Enzo was so certain she would fall back into his hands.
This assessment was not something she could pass simply by cooperating; it required a surrender of body and soul.
Without lifelong training, it was nearly impossible for a normal person to achieve absolute submission to another in such a short time.
Ye Jiuting didn't know how she got through the performance.
When the music stopped, she bowed to Chu Yuan. "Mr. Chu, I need to use the restroom."
"You have ten minutes to return."
"Yes." Ye Jiuting hurried toward the VIP restroom.
As soon as she entered, she turned on the faucet and washed her hands and face with hand soap.
The cold water washed away the images of the extreme, ambiguous acts from her mind.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
Not wanting to see anyone, Ye Jiuting slipped into a stall.
Shortly after, two people entered, their voices deliberately lowered.
"Sister Yueqian, the ship will dock in Canada in three days to restock. I've contacted reliable people there who can smuggle you off in an empty cargo crate. It's 50,000 yuan per person."
"Okay, I'll transfer the money right now. Please, you must help me escape. I'll repay you for the rest of my life, even if it means working like a horse or an ox."
They secretly discussed the details and prepared to leave.
Ye Jiuting pushed open the stall door and stepped out, startling the two girls so much their faces paled.
She recognized one of them immediately: the girl who had knelt at Chu Yuan's feet in Enzo's suite.
Her name was Li Yueqian.
Ye Jiuting walked up to her and smiled politely.
"Miss, take me with you. I'll pay you ten times the fee once we're off the ship."
"You heard us?" Li Yueqian looked around nervously, terrified of being discovered.
Her legs went weak, and she knelt before Ye Jiuting. "Please, don't tell anyone. I just want to leave this ship."
Ye Jiuting quickly helped her up. "Don't kneel. We're in the same boat. I want to leave too. I'll kneel to you. Please, take me with you."
In the face of life and death, everyone is equal; no one is more noble than another.
Li Yueqian hastily helped Ye Jiuting up. "Alright, let's not kneel. I'll help you, but I only have enough money for one person."
Ye Jiuting had no money or phone. She patted her pockets, finding nothing of value to use as payment.
Just as she grew anxious, Li Yueqian pointed to the silk ribbon around her neck.
"Give me this. This ribbon should be enough."
Ye Jiuting touched the ribbon Chu Yuan had just tied around her neck.
Her fingertips felt its luxurious texture, as unattainable as the man himself.
Li Yueqian said, "Don't hesitate. We'll be discovered if we stay here any longer. I have to go."
With that, she hurried toward the door.
In desperation, Ye Jiuting tore the ribbon from her neck and handed it to her. "Then I'll leave it in your hands."
Whether it worked or not, she had to take the gamble. She couldn't let this chance slip away.
Li Yueqian said, "Meet me at the loading dock entrance at 4 a.m. in three days. We'll leave together. If you're discovered along the way, don't mention my name, understand?"