The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

The shops on both sides were lit with pink and purple neon lights, and several women stood at the entrances soliciting customers. They were dressed in various colors—white, black, and dark brown—and all dressed very simply.

Some shops have floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor, with bright lights inside. Several women in high heels walk back and forth behind the glass, glancing out every now and then, as if they were on display in a shop window.

As Lin Feng passed by, several women waved to him, but seeing that he didn't stop, they didn't bother him. The street was deeper than he had expected; the further he went, the more chaotic the lighting became. Explicit posters were pasted on the walls, and several burly men in black jackets leaned against the corners smoking, their eyes scanning the passersby.

After wandering around for more than an hour, Lin Feng roughly understood the business model here. It was quite humane, after all, it was out in the open and subject to government control, so the safety was also very high.

Lin Feng naturally didn't make any purchases, nor did he talk much to anyone.

It was past 11 o'clock when they walked back to the parking spot. Will was leaning against the car looking at his phone. The two greeted each other, and Lin Feng opened the car door to get in.

Just then, a half-open door next to them was suddenly kicked open, and a white figure rushed out.

It was a young woman, barefoot, wearing only a short, sequined silver dress. She seemed to be stepping on something, and she stumbled as she ran.

Two men chased after her, shouting in a language he couldn't understand. The woman looked around and spotted Lin Feng standing next to the Mercedes. Almost instinctively, she rushed over, threw herself at his feet, and hugged his legs.

He looked up, his face covered in tears, his mouth opening and closing as he spoke words he couldn't understand, interspersed with a few English words: "help," "please," and "take me away."

Lin Feng looked down at her.

The other person's skin was strikingly white, gleaming with a cold, white light even in the night. Their golden-brown hair was disheveled and draped over their shoulders, clinging to their sweaty forehead.

When she tilted her head back, her features were so exquisitely detailed they seemed unreal, like a porcelain doll displayed in a shop window. Wearing that silver sequined dress, her chest was bunched up in two large, white mounds that pressed against Lin Feng's calves, the touch incredibly soft. Her legs were bent in front of him, her thighs almost entirely exposed, so white you could see the blue veins.

The two men followed the car to the front, and when they saw the Mercedes-Benz van behind Lin Feng and the hotel logo on the vehicle, they noticeably slowed down.

One of the older men spoke a few words to Will in German, which Will then relayed to Lin Feng in English: "He said that the woman is an employee of their store, and she ran away today after experiencing some distress, causing trouble for you, sir."

Lin Feng looked down at the young woman who was still clinging to his leg.

Her fingers were twisted together as she looked up at him, her lips trembling as she repeatedly said, "I'm forced, I'm not a prostitute," tears streaming down her face and landing on Raymond Lam's shoes.

From her words, Lin Feng sensed she wasn't a prostitute from this area; she seemed to have some kind of grievance. So he turned to Will and said, "Ask her what's going on with this woman."

Will stepped forward to negotiate.

After speaking for a while, the man turned around and went back into the store. A minute later, he came out with an older, fat man with a gold chain around his neck.

The fat man was covered in sweat. When he saw Raymond Lam, he forced a smile and spoke first in German, then in broken English.

Will translated the gist of the message: This girl is a Ukrainian refugee bought on the black market. They were supposed to start her on the job today, but she resisted and ran away. The shop doesn't intend to harm her; they just want to take her home. If Mr. Lin is willing, he can offer a price to take her away—a one-time buyout with all the necessary paperwork, legal and compliant.

After listening, Lin Feng thought for a few seconds and then asked, "How much?"

Will negotiated with the other party, who held up ten fingers and said, "One hundred thousand euros."

Perhaps because of the tip, and because Lin Feng was a VIP customer of the hotel, Will pulled Lin Feng aside and lowered his voice, saying, "Mr. Lin, he's ripping you off. A Ukrainian refugee woman like that would only fetch 20,000 on the black market. She's pretty, but she's not worth that much. If you're interested, I can help you negotiate."

Lin Feng said, "Let's find out first what procedures are required."

Will nodded, then went over and talked to the fat man for almost twenty minutes. The fat man gestured constantly, and even had someone bring out a stack of documents from the store.

When he returned, he was carrying a brown paper bag and explained to Lin Feng in English, "This woman's name is Sofia, she's eighteen, Ukrainian, and she illegally crossed the border from Ukraine to Germany a month ago. She was scammed out of all her money and sold here on the black market. Her documents are legal residency sponsorship documents; with this document as backing, she's not considered an illegal immigrant and can stay freely within the EU. The boss said this girl is still a virgin and has never been with a client, so he asked for a high price. I negotiated a price of 85,000 euros with him; the documents and her passport are inside."

Lin Feng pulled out the document and glanced at it. The words on it were dense and he couldn't understand them very well, but he could recognize that the photo on the passport was of the young woman standing at his feet.

Looking to the side, Sophia was still kneeling, her tears had stopped, but she was trembling all over. When she saw Lin Feng looking at her, she stood up in a panic, her knees covered in dust. She was surprisingly tall; Lin Feng estimated she was at least 1.8 meters, with narrow shoulders and a patch of white skin below her collarbone that almost reflected the light under the streetlights.

Two men were watching her intently from either side, and she dared not move.

"Are the paperwork all in order?" Lin Feng asked Will.

"I know a lawyer who does this kind of work. I can take her to sign an employment protection agreement tomorrow. Take her away tonight, and I'll keep an eye on the agreement," Will said.

Lin Feng nodded.

Will went to the fat man to complete the transaction. The fat man took a stack of cash from Lin Feng, then had someone next to him cross out the signatures on the documents, and finally stamped them.

Will sealed the file folder and handed it to Lin Feng.

The two men said a few words to Sofia, then turned and went back into the shop. Sofia seemed to have lost her last bit of strength; she staggered, then slowly squatted down, holding onto the back of the car, burying her head in her knees.

Lin Feng didn't rush her. He stood under the streetlight, lit a cigarette, and smoked it slowly.

Halfway through her cigarette, Sofia looked up at him. Her eyes were grey-green, with thick, long eyelashes, and the whites of her eyes were red from crying. She stood up, crossed her arms, and whispered, "Thank you."

Lin Feng stubbed out his cigarette, opened the back door, and said in English, "Get in."