pjbooks Chapter 184 The Czech Girl's Unspeakable Secret
Chapter 184 The Czech Girl's Unspeakable Secret
Chapter 184 The Czech Girl's Unspeakable Secret
The situation is obvious: the girls who work part-time here are obviously there to earn extra money, otherwise, why would they be looking for love?
But in Ma Jieke's memory, Mia didn't seem to be short of money, because her main profession was a street performer. She could play guitar and dance, and every performance attracted a large audience. She could make a living, if not live comfortably, and she shouldn't have fallen to this state.
To put it bluntly, who would willingly become a stripper unless they were desperate, with no welfare benefits, social discrimination, and the added risk of encountering violent customers?
There's an old song that goes something like this: One wrong step, and your life is ruined; she went to the sex industry as a dancer to make a living; dancers are human too, but to whom can she tell her inner pain...?
Faced with Jack's question, the girl seemed even more uneasy and simply changed the subject: "Brother Jack, let me pour you some champagne. We have 20 minutes to spend together. Do you want to see me dance, or would you like me to have a drink with you? The club has a rule that you can only have one drink with someone if you're going to have a drink with them."
As he spoke, he hurriedly opened the champagne bottle and took out two tulip glasses. However, in his nervousness, he spilled some of the wine on the coffee table while pouring it.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. This is the first time I've done something like this. It's all my fault, I'm so clumsy."
After she took out a tissue to wipe it clean, Ma Jie casually picked up the slender stem of the tulip cup and took a small sip.
To be honest, the taste is very average. It's just the cheapest mass-produced food on the market, and the wholesale price is probably no more than $20.
But I've already thrown away $300, so can't I at least enjoy it a bit?
Seeing that he had been drinking, Mia blushed and asked, "Brother Jack, what style of dance would you like to see?"
"Style?" Ma Jie chuckled mischievously. "Men who come to places like this, are they here to appreciate art?"
"I...I understand."
This girl, being a street urchin, wasn't that slow-witted. She walked over to the karaoke machine, played some upbeat tunes, and prepared to get into work mode.
The private rooms and the curtained rooms offer the same service, but the sound effects and lighting are upgraded. Sitting in a private room, you can only enjoy a solo show; it doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want just because you pay money.
Of course, this is just a club restriction. Most dancers can still be unlocked with new ways to play if you spend enough money, such as going to their rented apartments to watch goldfish.
Stimulated by the music and ambient lighting, Mia carefully spread her legs and stood on either side of Ma Jack's body, gently swaying her slender body.
At such close range, you can see her slender waist, fair and tender skin, a hint of cleavage, and a faint milky scent emanating from her.
But compared to her enthusiastic and outgoing colleagues, her dance moves looked hesitant and awkward. She only swayed slightly to the rhythm and didn't dare to do any seductive moves, such as large hip twists or electric hip movements.
By the end, even Ma Jieke was amused. He finished his champagne and got up to press the pause button.
"Brother Jack...did I do a bad job?" She realized that this was not what the guests were interested in at all, and quickly explained, "I don't know why, I practiced very well in private, but as soon as I saw you, I forgot all the moves."
Ma Jie glanced at her revealing outfit, which was almost entirely bare except for her chest, and took off his jacket and handed it to her: "What you should be most grateful for right now is California's pleasant climate all year round. If this were New York, you would have caught a cold by now. If I'm not mistaken, you don't even have health insurance, let alone be able to make an appointment with a family doctor."
Mia hesitated for a moment, then took the coat and wrapped it around herself. The coat still carried the warmth of someone's body, and given the significant difference in their body sizes, it felt as warm as being wrapped in an electric blanket.
"Take off the wig, it looks awkward to me." Ma Jie pointed to her pink hair, which seemed to be the persona the club had created for her, similar to a cyberpunk girl.
Mia then pulled off the wig, revealing her original long, wavy orange hair, and tried to calm herself down by taking deep breaths.
"Brother Jack, can you promise me something?"
"Speak."
"Don't let my brother know that I'm doing a part-time job here."
"You call what you just did part-time work?" Ma Jie frowned. "You should be glad you met me, instead of a middle-aged man being kicked out of the house by his wife. Otherwise, he would already be yelling for a refund. If it's just some random twisting and turning, it's worth $300. That's faster than robbing a bank."
At the end, Mia lowered her head in shame, her voice almost choked with tears: "I knew I couldn't do this job well. I'm so damn bad. I'm such a useless older sister."
"Alright, girl, hold back your tears. If the bodyguards outside see this, I think they'll rush in and have a friendly chat with me." Ma Jie glanced at the clock on the coffee table. "We have 15 minutes left. If you're willing to talk to me about your recent misfortunes, I'll be the best listener. If you're not willing, I won't force you. And don't call me 'brother' anymore, just call me by my name. After all, you don't trust me at all, and you've completely ignored everything I told you before."
"No, you misunderstood me, Brother Jack." Sensing the deeper meaning in Jack's words, Mia quickly explained, "I know you said you would provide protection for everyone, and that anyone who has done something in Poor Street can ask you for help. But this matter has nothing to do with Poor Street, so I don't want to trouble you, and I'm afraid of getting you involved."
After a moment's thought, Ma Jie smiled and said, "I guess it has something to do with the places you performed before. After all, when a large number of you come here, it's bound to provoke some people's dissatisfaction."
Hearing his analysis, Mia looked utterly astonished: "My goodness, Jack, you could be Sherlock Holmes!"
"Stop with the nonsense and get to the point."
In Ma Jieke's mind, this was obvious. Street performers, represented by this girl, were originally concentrated in wealthy areas such as Beverly Hills and Hollywood Walk of Fame, because there were more tourists and wealthy people there, and their income was definitely higher than in poor streets.
But half, or even 60 or 70 percent, of this so-called high income is taken by the gangs that are entrenched there, so that the money that the artists end up with is not even enough to make a living.
Well, a tree dies if it's moved, but a person thrives if they move. If I can't afford to offend you, can't I at least avoid you? I'm not working for you anymore, is that alright?
The answer is definitely no.
Under Majesty's persistent questioning, Mia finally revealed the truth: "The area where I used to perform was controlled by the Aryan Brotherhood. Everything was peaceful after I came here, but just a few days ago, a group of people suddenly broke into my residence and demanded a thousand dollars in abandonment tax from me."
Abandoning a gang tax? Ma Jie was a little flustered. He had heard of abandoning a country tax, but a gang tax... was it a tax that needed to be paid when leaving a gang?
Isn't this blatant extortion? They made up a tax name out of thin air and then came to collect it themselves. Do you really think the IRS's version of events is false?
"There was nothing I could do. I couldn't afford to offend these people, so I had to give them my remaining savings. But this money was originally meant for my younger brother to buy medicine because he has chronic myeloid leukemia. The doctor said that in order to survive, he must keep taking a drug called Gleevec. However, I can't afford the genuine drug, so I can only buy generic drugs from Indian drug dealers."
"Even generic drugs are very expensive for me, costing almost 80% of my income. To buy medicine for my younger brother, I thought about finding a part-time job in the evenings to earn more money, but all I can do is sing and dance, so I can only..."
"Alright, that's enough," Ma Jie couldn't help but interrupt her. "How much money do you still need?"
"Around a thousand dollars." Mia said, then hurriedly corrected herself, "No, nine hundred dollars is enough, because I just earned a hundred dollars."
"The club only gives you $100 out of the $300 box room fee?"
"Yes." She nodded. "Because I'm a newcomer, I can only get this kind of commission. But I heard from the older women that everyone's commission rate is different, depending on your popularity and average order value."
"Okay." Ma Jie thought for a moment, then asked, "Even if you can earn another nine hundred dollars here, can you be sure you won't be robbed again before you buy the medicine? Because that so-called brotherhood is clearly trying to extort you. They're not targeting just you, but all the homeless performers."
"That's right." Seeing that Ma Jie had hit the nail on the head, Mia responded, "You're absolutely right. Among the friends I know, some have already been approached by police. Now everyone is on edge, and some are even going back to their old performance venues because they can save a thousand dollars that way. And I dare say that in a few more days, even more people will run away."
"Then why don't you run?"
"I..." The girl hesitated before saying, "If even I run away, then no one will be willing to follow you. Besides, you helped me before and only take 20% of the performance revenue, which is much better than those vampires. So I have to stay. Didn't you say that you wanted to create a street art district in the poor area to attract more tourists? So even if I'm the only one left, I will stay."
Ma Jieke didn't expect that this girl, despite her young age, was quite righteous in her words and deeds, preferring to become a stripper rather than bow down to the forces of evil.
"Here's what we'll do. I'll lend you the remaining nine hundred yuan. Use it to buy medicine for your brother; saving his life is the most important thing."
"Really?" Faced with Jack's generosity, Mia's gloomy eyes finally regained their color: "Thank you so much, Jack brother, but there's nothing I can do for you. How about I dance for you again?"
"No, don't do something so foolish." Ma Jie pulled her coat back up. "I was just testing you to see if you genuinely wanted this job or were just forcing yourself. Now I have my answer. You're not suited for this because deep down, you're an art-loving girl. Making you flirt in front of men would be a defilement of your pure soul. You crave a bigger and better stage, don't you?"
"Hmm." Hearing Jack's accurate analysis, Mia's amber eyes were filled with longing: "Brother Jack, actually, besides getting my brother medical treatment, there is another very important reason why I smuggled myself to the United States. If you don't mind, I want to tell you, because I haven't confided in anyone for a long time, and I can't find anyone I can truly trust."
Faced with the girl's request, Ma Jie poured champagne into two glasses, pushed one of them in front of her, and smiled, "You keep calling me 'brother,' what can I say? Let's begin."
Mia picked up her glass, carefully clinked it against hers, then stuck her tongue into the glass and gently licked it. Finding the taste acceptable, she took a big gulp before speaking, "Let me think about how to tell you. Well, let's start with my country. Nowadays, when people mention the Czech Republic, they easily associate it with the sex industry. But in fact, in my hometown of Prague, it's far more chaotic than the rumors suggest. Although I don't know much about history, I know we weren't always like that. Without the injection of foreign capital, this country wouldn't be the mess it is today."
"Can you believe it, Jack? The law in our area stipulates that girls as long as they are 15 years old or older can engage in sex trafficking. They only need to pay 1000 crowns, which is about 50 dollars, and they can get a business license from the government. They are fully protected by law. So, in the streets and alleys of Prague, and in the hotels and pubs of border towns, you can see young faces that can be summoned at any time."
"What's even more outrageous is that there are no red-light districts in the city, because the whole city is a red-light district. If you're driving and waiting at a traffic light, girls will run up to you and offer you business. As a result, men from all over the world are flocking to the Czech Republic, leaving behind a lot of money and disease. Politicians see the booming tourism industry, but they never think that young girls have almost no way to make a living except by going into prostitution."
"You've probably heard the story of Zdanka Podkarbova, right? She was our national treasure, having won the national championship four times in five consecutive years. Unfortunately, she ruptured her Achilles tendon during training, which ended her athletic career. After careful consideration, she decided to accept a director's offer to participate in the filming of an adult film."
"Her decision disappointed and angered many citizens, who felt she had tarnished the country. But if even a public figure like her is willing to degrade herself for money, what about those poor girls who can't find work? I have a very good cousin, my aunt's daughter, who was admitted to the Prague Academy of Arts last year. However, due to her family's financial difficulties, she studies acting at the school during the day and takes off her clothes at night to lie on a hotel bed to earn tuition. If I continue to stay there, my fate may be even worse than hers. That's why I'm desperately trying to escape."