Off to Clean Toilets
At seven thirty that evening, Chu Tianqing followed the location pin to the meeting place and found herself on a street lined with bars—and not particularly upscale ones.
All sorts of people mixed here, and the place was filthy and chaotic. On the bright side, she didn't have to worry about running into anyone she knew.
In her previous life, Chu Tianqing had never been to a bar. In this life, Shen Xixi was a regular, but she and her girlfriends only went to upscale, members-only bars, not places like this.
As she looked around, Jiang Lean came through the crowd and stopped in front of her. Tilting her head, she gestured for Chu Tianqing to follow. "Come on, I'll take you there."
Chu Tianqing agreed and followed her, discreetly studying Jiang Lean.
Unlike that afternoon, Jiang Lean had changed out of her uniform into a short black leather skirt that showed off her long, slender legs. She wore black ankle boots and had casually thrown on a sports jacket.
The outfit made for a striking contrast on her, because her features were pure and delicate, yet now she looked like a gaudy girl.
Chu Tianqing couldn't help making the connection. It was probably because of her that Jiang Lean had fallen to this point.
The manager had said life wasn't easy for Jiang Lean: she worked as a waitress by day and at a bar by night. Chu Tianqing didn't know exactly what had happened and didn't dare ask casually, for fear of offending her.
They passed through an alley and entered the bar through the back door. Deafening music immediately filled their ears.
Jiang Lean led Chu Tianqing to the changing room, past women changing clothes, arguing, and laughing, until they reached a curly-haired older woman who still retained her charms.
"Sister Bai," Jiang Lean greeted her respectfully. "This is my classmate. She's really short of money and wants to find a part-time job here."
The curly-haired woman raised her eyes and looked Chu Tianqing up and down. "Pretty face, good figure too. You're cut out for our line of work. How old are you, little sister? What have you done before?"
Before Chu Tianqing could speak, Jiang Lean answered for her. "Nothing much. She has a paralyzed elderly relative at home, so she's especially good at cleaning. I think we might as well have her clean the toilets. Haven't we been short of someone ever since Sister Wang left?"
The curly-haired woman laughed. "She's so pretty. Wouldn't it be a waste to have her clean toilets?"
"No waste at all. It's her first time in a place like this, so she can't loosen up. She's happy to clean toilets." Jiang Lean shot her a provocative look. "Isn't that right, Shen Xixi?"
Chu Tianqing choked, but quickly made a decision. If this was what Jiang Lean wanted, she was willing to make a concession. "Yes. Please give me a chance, Sister Bai. I really need the money."
"All right. Who in this room doesn't need money? Selling smiles and selling your labor are the same." Sister Bai stood up and motioned for Chu Tianqing to follow. "I'll find Sister Wang's clothes for you to wear. We don't have any particular standards for cleaning the toilets here. Just do your best. You'll be paid daily, three hundred a night, from eight in the evening until four in the morning. Any questions?"
No questions.
Half an hour later, Chu Tianqing arrived at the restroom entrance in a cleaner auntie's uniform, carrying a set of cleaning tools, and discovered something even more outrageous.
This was actually a gender-neutral restroom!
That meant that, apart from all kinds of filth, she would also find all kinds of condoms. Shine a UV light in there, and the restroom would probably be quite a sight.
With the expression of someone marching to her death, Chu Tianqing carefully put on her mask and gloves and bravely stepped onto her battlefield.
It was still early, and there was nobody in the bar, nor were many people using the restroom.
Chu Tianqing swiftly gave the place a cleaning. She was spraying cleaner on the mirrors and wiping away the various spots when Jiang Lean walked in from outside.
She looked around and said in surprise, "I didn't expect the great young miss Shen to actually know how to do this kind of work, and do it pretty well too. Who would believe it if word got out?"
"Tell me about it." Chu Tianqing sighed. "I never thought I'd end up cleaning toilets one day either."
Jiang Lean took out her lipstick and applied it in the mirror, speaking quietly of the past. "Do you remember Zhang Meng? She was a somewhat chubby girl. She'd sweated a little because it was hot, and you didn't like the smell of her, so you pushed her into the mop sink and washed her there. I wanted to ask you back then: didn't you think the mop sink was dirty? That whole cleanliness obsession of yours was an act, wasn't it? Just an excuse to bully people."
Chu Tianqing didn't dare make a sound. Yes, that really had happened.
After finishing her makeup, Jiang Lean suddenly raised her phone. "Smile. Let's take a commemorative photo."
Chu Tianqing didn't react in time, leaving a bewildered expression in the photo.
Jiang Lean looked at the photo on her phone and began laughing with satisfaction, but as she laughed, she started crying. She said viciously, "Shen Xixi, look how ridiculous you are now. But it's not enough, nowhere near enough!"
Chu Tianqing raised both hands. "Calm down. It's nothing. As long as you want to see it, I can keep coming here to clean toilets."
She could atone and earn money at the same time. Why not?
Jiang Lean blinked back her tears, sneered, and strode away with her head held high.
About an hour later, customers began trickling in, and more people came to use the restroom.
Then they gave Chu Tianqing a proper lesson, showing her all the many faces of life.
There were girls dressed especially sexily and prettily, yet you'd never imagine that, in private, they didn't flush after taking a dump.
And there were handsome guys decked out in clanking accessories, looking cool and dashing, only for their family jewels to malfunction. They just couldn't aim at the urinal and peed all over the floor.
After dealing with N such incidents, Chu Tianqing really wanted to stand guard in the restroom with her mop raised. Anyone who didn't flush or peed all over the floor would get a swing of the mop, so they'd all remember the lesson!
Close to eleven or twelve, things grew even more chaotic.
Drunk men and women hogged the stalls, not only making noise but also taking their sweet time coming out.
Some people who couldn't hold it even wanted to relieve themselves in the sinks. Chu Tianqing's head was about to explode!
Where was their humanity! Where were their morals! Where was their bottom line!
Chu Tianqing had no choice but to go from cleaner to restroom attendant, knocking on doors and urging the people inside to hurry up and finish.
"Handsome guys, pretty girls! Go home and do it!" Chu Tianqing said bluntly. "The people out here are about to burst. Can you show a little consideration?"
A stall door flew open, and Brother Shuai emerged with an irritated look, heading straight for Chu Tianqing. "Do you know who I am? You dare spoil this young master's fun? Are you tired of living?! Get your manager over here!"
Chu Tianqing felt stifled. Now she understood why Sister Wang had left, and why they couldn't find anyone for this job.
Brother Shuai stared at Chu Tianqing, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He raised a hand to pull off her mask. "Oh? Are cleaner aunties this pretty nowadays? Auntie, are you lonely? Jealous of us young people fooling around?"
"Don't touch me. Take your filthy hands off me!" Chu Tianqing bristled, unable to imagine where this stinking man's hands had just been.
"What a fiery temper. I like it!" Brother Shuai was drunk and getting worked up. He pulled Chu Tianqing toward a stall. "Come on, come on, I'll give auntie a good time for free!"
Chu Tianqing couldn't break free. She looked around and saw a circle of onlookers, but none of them showed any sign of coming to help.
Her blood rushed to her head. Gritting her teeth, she raised her mop and swung it at him. "Fuck you! Auntie's going to teach you a lesson today!"