The Black Queen

"Darling Li, do you have time tonight?"

After the audition, Scarlett waited for Li Chen and extended an invitation in her husky voice.

Li Chen had been busy lately, leaving her itching for him.

"Sorry, darling."

Li Chen sounded regretful. He really did have something to do.

Otherwise, seeing Scarlett dressed so seductively, he would have thrown her over his shoulder and gone straight home.

Scarlett was deeply disappointed. "It's all right."

"But don't worry, Catwoman is yours."

Li Chen told her.

"Really?"

Sure enough, she soon perked up.

The woman had an agenda, but Li Chen didn't mind.

At its core, this was an exchange of benefits. Surely no one thought there were real feelings involved?

That was why Li Chen never held back, standing up and pounding away every time...

As the saying went, there were no saints in Hollywood.

That evening, Li Chen took a car to the Hellfire Club.

The White Queen had sounded very formal on the phone, and Li Chen figured things were just about ready.

Sure enough, when he arrived at the Hellfire Club that night, security was much tighter.

But Li Chen was already one of them. As long as he wore his Batman mask, no one would stop him.

So Li Chen made his way to the White Queen's secret room, following the familiar route.

He hadn't seen the White Queen for a few days and missed her a little.

The two gentle, lovely maids at home were captivating, but the noble, aloof White Queen had a charm all her own.

All men had a desire to conquer; the harder something was to obtain, the more they wanted it.

That was why so many people failed to keep themselves in check and ended up becoming simps.

He pushed open the door and walked in, but the person inside wasn't the White Queen.

A woman dressed entirely in black lay languidly on the red sofa, a striking contrast to the White Queen. Her silky black hair reached her waist, and she wore a black bodysuit, black leather pants, and even black gloves.

It felt as though he had wandered into an ancient European castle and encountered a beautiful vampire sealed away inside.

Compared to Emma Frost, the White Queen, she gave only one impression: black.

When she saw Li Chen enter, she raised her eyes and looked curiously at him in his Batman mask.

She leisurely picked up the wineglass on the table. The red wine inside was as vividly rich as blood. She took a gentle sip, and even her black lips seemed to turn bright red.

She and the White Queen were two extremes: one bright white, the other deep black.

"So you're the pretty boy Emma found?"

Only then did she speak.

She remained sprawled on the red sofa, her pose utterly seductive.

Li Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He walked straight over and sat on the sofa opposite her.

"Black Queen?"

The senior positions in the Hellfire Club were named after chess pieces.

So if there was a White Queen, there was naturally a Black Queen.

"Emma Frost mentioned you to me."

Li Chen said deliberately.

That piqued the Black Queen's curiosity. "What did that bitch say about me?"

It was obvious from that alone that there was considerable bad blood between them.

That was normal. Beautiful women never appreciated one another. The Black Queen was gorgeous too, though her looks were far too fierce.

"She said you were powerful, and that you were the one who led Hellfire to glory."

Li Chen's words made the Black Queen, Selene, smile.

"No wonder that bitch likes you. You've got such a sweet mouth."

The Black Queen held her wineglass out to him. "Stop following that bitch and be my man. As long as you're obedient, I can give you anything you want."

She ran her tongue over her lips at Li Chen. At some point, a whip had appeared in her hand, completing her dominant-woman act.

Li Chen's face darkened at once. This was completely backwards. Wasn't this what he had done to Psylocke?

He liked being the master, not the other way around.

Before Li Chen could refuse, someone shoved the door open roughly from outside.

"Selene, you old hag, Li would never be interested in you."

Emma Frost, the White Queen, strode in first, her white cape billowing behind her, an imposing presence.

Emma Frost walked in without so much as looking at the Black Queen and spoke to Li Chen instead. "Li, don't let her fool you. She's lived for thousands of years. If you listen to her, she'll suck you dry."

"Thousands of years?"

Li Chen's brow twitched.

Good grief. As the saying went, marry a woman three years older and you'd hold a gold brick; marry one three thousand years older and you'd join the immortals.

Could this Black Queen be a normal person?

Seeing the White Queen expose her flaws as soon as she entered, the Black Queen's expression turned cold. "Bitch, so eager to defend your little lover?"

"I may have lived a long time, but unlike some rich girl, I don't spend every day pretending to be innocent, then kick people away once I'm done using them."

"Darling Li, if she fools you, I'm afraid she won't even let you touch her hand. But I'm different. All of me is yours."

The Black Queen spoke to Li Chen seductively.

The White Queen snorted. "Of course. You just suck people dry outright. Li, this old hag is scarier than a vampire."

"I've heard she's lived this long by absorbing other people's lives."

Li Chen said nothing, merely watching the two trade insults with interest.

The two women, both of exalted standing, were now little different from shrews, exposing each other's faults.

He wondered if, when they started fighting, they would pull each other's hair like ordinary women...

However, the two women didn't grant his wish. When they noticed Li Chen had gone quiet, they turned to find him looking as though he were watching a show.

Only then did they realize they had made fools of themselves in front of Li Chen.

The Black Queen was the cannier of the two. She changed the subject. "You didn't call us here just to quarrel with me, did you?"

Although the two women couldn't stand each other, they felt the same way about the Hellfire Club.

They both wanted to see the Hellfire Club grow and prosper.

And to grow, they naturally needed talented people.

"Hmph."

The White Queen chose to call a truce as well. "It's mainly about Li."

With that, she called outside, "Everyone, come in."

Several people entered from outside the door.

They wore either white or black suits, divided as distinctly as two opposing camps.

"Li, let me introduce you."

The White Queen said to Li Chen with a smile.

"This is the Black Rook, Sunspot."

"This is the White Warrior, Viper."

"This is..."

She introduced them to Li Chen one by one, and he nodded.

The members of the Hellfire Club looked at him curiously, seemingly wondering what was so special about him.

Once the introductions were over, the White Queen said, "I formally propose that Li Chen become the White Rook of the Hellfire Club."

"I object."

Sunspot stepped forward, looking agitated. "I made enormous contributions to the Hellfire Club before I became the Black Rook. Why should he become the White Rook as soon as he joins?"

That was what he resented.

He had been in the Hellfire Club for years before becoming the Black Rook, yet Li Chen had gained the same standing the moment he joined. Who could take that?