Chapter Forty-Two: A World of Desire

To Chai Han, "Teacher Song" was a man shrouded in mystery and possessed of boundless abilities. Even now, though he remained ignorant of the true identity of this man, he still harbored that deep sense of awe for "Teacher Song."

During Chai Han's days of dissolution, he had practically severed all ties with those back home, never daring to contemplate a return to his country. Day after day, he idled away his life in his small courtyard, drinking and seeking pleasure, lost in decadence. Yet Chai Han knew all too well that reality would never allow him to live like this forever. After all, he hadn't brought a money tree with him to Annam, and a life of idleness would soon exhaust his funds. When that happened, he would be left with nothing, and even those few subordinates who still lingered around him would eventually abandon him. This knowledge gnawed at him, making him restless and anxious as he racked his brains for a way out of his predicament.

It was at this time that "Teacher Song" reached out to him through JuLiao, asking whether he was willing to return to his former line of work and expressing an intention to partner with him. Chai Han had never lost his desire to reclaim his title as "King of Desire," but he dared not go back home, and here in Annam he could barely speak the language. One wrong move and it wouldn't just be his business at risk—his very life might be forfeit.

At this impasse, "Teacher Song" showed Chai Han a new path—a ray of hope: the adult livestreaming platform. By running a platform for erotic performances, he could profit without ever having to set foot on home soil again—he need only apply the experience he'd accumulated in the past to this new medium. The girls would livestream from within the country, while he directed operations from abroad.

Chai Han was intrigued by the opportunity "Teacher Song" had presented. Recruiting girls was no great challenge for him; in fact, it was the only part he was sure he could handle. As for everything else, he was at a loss.

As a graduate of the "School of Hard Knocks," Chai Han was utterly clueless when it came to technology. Asking him to build a livestreaming platform was a fool's errand, but what seemed insurmountable to him was trivial to "Teacher Song." Soon enough, "Teacher Song" sent him an able assistant—Qian Ning. Qian Ning was no more virtuous than Chai Han, but he was vastly more skilled in technical matters. He knew exactly how to build a livestream platform and even helped Chai Han recruit a technical team from back home.

With technical personnel in place, setting up the platform posed no difficulty. Recruiting girls and appointing trusted people to manage them within the country was likewise no problem for Chai Han. But there was one problem he could not solve: money. The girls would be streaming domestically, earning money from within the country, but Chai Han himself was abroad—the cash would not grow legs and walk to him. How, then, could he transfer the funds? If he couldn't get his hands on his earnings, all his efforts would be for nothing.

Yet what stumped Chai Han was, for "Teacher Song," no obstacle at all. "Teacher Song" explained that online streaming meant payment was handled over the internet, not in cash as in Chai Han's old business. The problem of moving funds thus vanished; in the world of the internet, there were no borders, and they could move freely as they pleased.

With "Teacher Song's" help, the money issue was resolved. Of course, "Teacher Song" was no philanthropist, and none of this came free. Chai Han was required to split the platform's income with him. Nor did Chai Han need to transfer the money back home for "Teacher Song," nor did "Teacher Song" have to travel to Annam to collect his share. Every so often, "Teacher Song" would send Chai Han a list of names, and before long those people would arrive to collect the money. Occasionally, "Teacher Song" would provide a list of sums to be spent on virtual gifts for a particular female streamer. These amounts were not to be split—those belonged to "Teacher Song" alone.

At first, Chai Han was puzzled by these instructions—was "Teacher Song" trying to promote these streamers? But after a while, he noticed that the names on the lists were always changing, with each sum being quite substantial. He began to suspect the true purpose behind "Teacher Song's" actions.

He realized he was being used for money laundering. Chai Han even considered cutting "Teacher Song" out and running the business himself. After all, with his own problems solved, "Teacher Song" no longer seemed indispensable, and Chai Han had never fully trusted this faceless man.

But no sooner had he tried to go it alone than his payment channels were abruptly severed. He even found a bomb from "Teacher Song" at his bedside. The message was clear: "Teacher Song" was the true master of the enterprise; Chai Han was merely his steward. From then on, Chai Han never again dared to think of cutting him out.

Chai Han’s other benefactor, Jiang Bin, helped him finally find a powerful backer in Annam and establish himself securely. To be sure, Jiang Bin wasn't much of a figure in his own right, but having grown up on the border, he was fluent in both languages. While this ability had brought him little advantage at home, it had secured him a lucrative position in Annam as a procurer.

Even in the same trade, there are distinctions between high and low. The reason Jiang Bin's job was considered "good" was that his client was no ordinary man, but the son of General Batu, the true power behind the scenes here—the young prince. Ordinarily, Chai Han and Jiang Bin's paths would never have crossed, but through a twist of fate they did, and, sharing similar lines of work, they found a strange sense of camaraderie.

When Jiang Bin discovered Chai Han was running an adult livestream platform, he asked if Chai Han could bring some girls from back home for the young prince. Though Chai Han dared not return to his country, he agreed to the request—after all, he could have the girls sent out, which posed little trouble for him.

Thus, with the young prince as his patron, Chai Han’s business became the prince’s business as well. Chai Han proved his prowess in the adult industry, and before long, his platform boasted thousands of streamers. Nearly a hundred "family heads" worked for him domestically, recruiting and managing girls, while the technical team and his own associates in Annam numbered in the hundreds.

What delighted him even more was that the mysterious "Teacher Song" bestowed upon Chai Han a great gift—over a dozen new identities that allowed him to travel freely within the country, without fear of arrest. No longer did he have to cower in that tiny place, wracked with anxiety. Now, not only could he move at will in Annam, but he could even return home as he pleased. Thus did Chai Han stage his great comeback, embarking on a new, stormy chapter in his life.

Had things continued thus, Chai Han would surely have considered himself fortunate. But happiness is always fleeting, and the one who shattered it was none other than the young prince he had relied on as his backer. In truth, the prince had not meant any harm—it all stemmed from a certain frailty of his.

As the son of the region’s de facto ruler, the prince enjoyed near-absolute power, yet he was far from free. Surrounded by enemies, he was confined to his father’s domain, unable to venture out and savor the world beyond.

That was why Jiang Bin asked Chai Han to bring girls from home—if the prince couldn’t travel, he could at least enjoy a taste of exotic beauty. This suited the prince’s tastes perfectly. Each girl Chai Han brought over delighted him for a while; he would lavish them with affection, vent his desires upon them, treat them as slaves to be abused, and once he tired of them, cast them off to his underlings.

It was Chai Han’s job to collect the girls after the others had had their fun, give each a sum of money as payment, and then present her with recordings of her streaming sessions, warning that if she failed to continue working for him upon returning home, the videos would be released online and everyone in her contact list would be notified. Simultaneously, Chai Han would promise that diligent work would earn them higher commissions and more money. Through this blend of threat and inducement, he easily bent most girls to his will—except for one.

It was from "Teacher Song" that Chai Han learned of Li Tangmei’s suicide. The previous night, he had been reveling with the young prince, and when "Teacher Song’s" JuLiao call came through, Chai Han was still deep in slumber. Had anyone else interrupted his dreams, he would have flown into a rage. But seeing "Teacher Song’s" name on the screen, he could only swallow his anger, asking in a somewhat aggrieved tone, "Teacher Song, what is it? Why are you calling me so early? It’s only seven in the morning! I’m still half asleep!"

"Did you know that Li Tangmei is dead?" came the calm reply.

Chai Han was baffled. Who was Li Tangmei? Why was Teacher Song asking about her at this hour? What did it have to do with him? He asked in confusion, "Who’s Li Tangmei? I don’t know her!"

"It’s the girl you lured to Annam to please the prince," Teacher Song replied.

Chai Han was even more puzzled. "I’ve brought so many girls from home, how could I possibly remember their names?"

Teacher Song’s tone grew sharp. "I mean the one you tricked over here recently—the university student from Mingcheng University!"

Chai Han still couldn’t recall who Teacher Song was referring to. He racked his brains but could not remember any student named Li Tangmei.

Moments later, Teacher Song sent over a photo via JuLiao. Seeing the picture, Chai Han finally remembered the girl. He laughed and said, "Oh, her! Yes, I remember. Even after becoming an adult streamer, she still tried to act the part of a chaste maiden. The prince spent a long time with her, and he was very satisfied—he likes the ones who fight back!"

Teacher Song asked, "Did you know she committed suicide?"

Chai Han paused, then replied, "Dead? What a pity—I thought she’d make me a lot of money. Still, it’s not a problem. With so many streamers, what’s one less?"

Teacher Song’s anger at Chai Han’s obtuseness was palpable. "Is money all you can think about at a time like this? Do you realize you’re in deep trouble?"

Chai Han was momentarily stunned. Could the girl have been related to someone powerful? But if so, why would she become an adult streamer for money? For Teacher Song to be so concerned, had he really crossed a serious figure?

He sat bolt upright in bed, glancing anxiously around, ready to flee again—only to realize that he was not at home but in Annam. Calming himself, he said to Teacher Song, "So she’s dead. What’s the big deal? Some official’s daughter? I’m not back home, and besides, I have her videos. What do I have to be afraid of?"

Teacher Song sighed at his composure. "Do you know she was a student at Mingcheng University?"

Chai Han laughed, "Student girls aren’t rare. We’ve even got high schoolers on our platform. College girls are a dime a dozen."

Teacher Song pressed on. "Did you know Haifeng visited Mingcheng University? You might already be on his radar."

Chai Han was even more bewildered. "Who’s Haifeng?"

"‘Ghost Bane’ of Mingcheng," Teacher Song answered.

At the mention of that nickname, Chai Han’s face lit up with sudden recognition. "You mean the one who took down half the leadership of the Mingcheng police?"

"That’s right," said Teacher Song.

"I thought I’d provoked someone important. What’s there to fear from ‘Ghost Bane’? I’m not in the country—what can he do to me? But Teacher Song, how do you know so much about Mingcheng? Don’t tell me you’re from there?"

"Where I’m from is none of your concern," Teacher Song replied. "You’d best worry about yourself. Weren’t you negotiating a deal with Qian Zhen? Have you been able to reach him lately?"

Chai Han was once again struck by Teacher Song’s uncanny abilities. He’d never mentioned this to him—how could he possibly know? He asked, "How did you know I was talking to Qian Zhen? What does that have to do with the girl’s death?"

"Qian Zhen and his brother Qian Gui were taken down by Haifeng," Teacher Song replied. "You’d better be careful not to become the next Qian brothers."

Chai Han was thoroughly confused. Wasn’t "Ghost Bane" from Mingzhou? How did this get tangled up with Tanghua? Just as he was about to ask, the call was cut off. A sense of bafflement washed over him—he felt as though he had missed something crucial. What had really happened? He could not help but wonder to himself.