The young man’s vague words did nothing to clear up Luo Li’s confusion. If anything, they only left him more baffled.
He fiddled with the wristwatch for a bit and soon figured out how to operate it. Then he noticed a prominent memo reminder on the screen and tapped it open right away.
The handwriting inside was crooked and messy—clearly his own.
It looked like a note he had written to himself.
“First rule: When heading out, make sure to wear the first item of clothing on the left side of the closet! This is the most important one! If you don’t wear it, you won’t be able to leave!”
Luo Li opened the closet. The first item on the left was a long black leather coat. Judging by its size and length, it would cover him all the way down to his ankles.
“Second rule: If the customer specifies no extra items, don’t wear any underwear! TT Last time I forgot, and that customer called me a stinky little rabbit 5555.”
…
No underwear?
It was only then that it slowly dawned on him something was seriously off.
He hurriedly opened the delivery app and tapped into the merchant page. Scrolling down the order interface, sure enough, he found a long row of photos of boys and girls.
His own photo was right at the top. In it, he wore a fluffy white miniskirt. The outfit wasn’t overly revealing, but the focus was on his delicate, soft-pink knees and the plump thighs—half-hidden, cinched into little dips by leg rings—that peeked out teasingly.
All of them were labeled as “pet groomers,” but even Luo Li could tell that was just a gimmick.
What was really being delivered to doorsteps…
…weren’t pets at all.
These “pet groomers” were the product.
So this was… prostitution?
His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
The end times combined with illegal passage permits had already terrified him. And now, to top it off, this delivery wasn’t even real food!
No, wait—it might not be exactly what he was imagining.
He needed to double-check.
Luo Li scrolled down to the third note.
“amb is in the second drawer of the nightstand—don’t forget it when you leave!”
He bent down and pulled open the nightstand drawer.
What he saw inside left him completely frozen in place.
The drawer was stuffed to the brim with an array of shockingly lifelike sex toys and all sorts of lubricants.
~~~
The Store Manager was tallying up the day’s credit points earnings when he lazily picked up the communicator.
“Hello? What made you decide to call me all of a sudden?”
There was a long pause on the other end before a hesitant, stumbling voice came through. “S-Store Manager, I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately… Could you cancel my orders?”
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that voice, but every time it still filled him with a sense of wonder. That soft, sweet tone could put even the most famous songstress in Jacob Flock to shame.
“Hold on a sec, let me check,” he said casually.
Their shop ran on an appointment system. Every staff member’s house calls were scheduled in advance—one after the other.
And on Luo Li’s schedule for today, there was only one client.
The address was in Jacob Flock, prime real estate where only humanity’s elite tycoons could afford to live.
This big-spending customer had booked Luo Li for the entire day—his very first order.
“You do know what Jacob Flock is, right? Canceling is one thing, but if he lifts a finger to report us to the patrol division, how am I supposed to keep this business running, huh?”
“No, he won’t!” Luo Li said anxiously.
He fumbled for an excuse. “Um, since he’s rich, he must have plenty of other options. Canceling should be fine.”
The Store Manager chuckled at his naivety. “Exactly because he’s rich, he’s probably going stir-crazy from all these restrictions. These guys are used to wining and dining every night—how do you think they handle this kind of boredom? Repress that for too long, and if something ticks them off… who knows what they’ll do.”
He cleared his throat. “Besides, he didn’t order anything too extreme. Shouldn’t be any trouble for you this time. Who knows, you might even make a killing.”
“But… but…”
Luo Li’s voice turned plaintive. “He wants me to send him a photo.”
The Store Manager brushed it off. “A photo? What’s the big deal?” He paused. “…That said, if you really don’t want to go, you can pay me thirty thousand credit points as compensation for my losses. Sound fair?”
There was silence on the other end. Luo Li was probably checking his pitiful balance and had nothing to say.
The Store Manager knew he wouldn’t dare defy him. “Alright, alright. It’s getting late—go take that photo and head to Jacob Flock.”
“Make sure to wear something skimpy when you snap it. Wouldn’t want the customer dissatisfied and coming back to complain.”
He rapped on his desk. “After all, when those rich folks get mad, it’s a real headache. Be careful, or you might end up like the others—fished out of some ditch with no one the wiser…”
The call cut off abruptly. Luo Li must have been scared.
The Store Manager sighed inwardly. He’d probably gone a bit too far.
Poor kid must be terrified out of his mind.
~~~
Jacob Flock lay to the east of Central Base, ringed by the sturdiest, tallest defensive wall humanity had ever built.
Inside, the artificial weather system maintained a perpetually warm, pleasant climate. Lush greenery complemented the engineered blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
Luxury light skiffs and speeders lined the streets, crammed with elite socialites rubbing shoulders as if the apocalypse had never happened.
But to Saibansi, it was all scenery he’d seen for over twenty years—stale and tiresome.
His communicator buzzed. He answered casually, and a hologram projection flickered to life: several guys his age lounging in a light skiff.
“Little Saizong, where’s the wife? How come he’s not with you?”
Saibansi ruffled his hair indifferently. “He’s on his way. Be here soon.”
“That ain’t right, Little Saizong! Why didn’t you send someone to pick up the wife? Making him come alone?”
Saibansi frowned. “I don’t know where he lives.”
The guys on the other end burst into laughter. “Oh man, you haven’t even been to his place? The young master of high society going full pure romance this time!”
Saibansi’s expression soured instantly. “You guys stuffed or what? If you’re coming, come. If not, piss off. Quit yapping.”
“Alright, alright, no more chit-chat. We’re almost there—have the booze ready!”
The call ended. Saibansi rubbed his temples irritably, feeling inexplicably unsettled for no reason.
…
What was wrong with him, pretending to be all cool in front of those idiots?
His father was the CEO of a massive tech firm, putting their family at the pinnacle even among the upper crust. But dear old dad had been brutally strict with him since childhood. Saibansi had never tasted true freedom.
This time running away from home, he’d made these friends. They were decent guys and got along with him fine, but as young hotshots, they couldn’t help but one-up each other and show off.
Just a few days ago, this pack of bachelors had made a bet: who could score a date first.
It started innocently enough, but they kept hyping him up, insisting he’d be the first to snag someone. Truth was, Saibansi hadn’t found anyone yet, so it stung a little.
In the heat of the moment, he’d bragged that he already had a partner and would show them soon.
With the citywide lockdown, “soon” could mean who knew when.
But his friends had shelled out big for passage permits and insisted on a group visit to meet the “wife.” Desperate, he’d scoured the net for a solution.
That’s when that special “pet shop” had popped up in the recommendations.
Saibansi tapped back into the app.
Truth be told, he wasn’t entirely sure what the shop sold, so he’d picked the cutest boy on offer and thrown in a popular package deal.
It was just pretending to be a couple for a bit… should be fine, right?
As he mulled it over, a notification pinged from the seller interface.
[Ai Li]: Sent a photo.
Oh, right—the one he’d asked for.
Saibansi figured a photo would make it more convincing. He could even set it as his wallpaper, like any other couple.
But the moment he opened it, his communicator nearly slipped from his hand.
The boy in the picture wore nothing but a white silk bodysuit.
Exactly as it sounds: an extremely sheer white silk number, held up by thin spaghetti straps over the shoulders.
The top seamlessly connected to white long stockings that sheathed both dainty feet.
The front offered the only coverage, while the small of the back and spine… were completely exposed.
Even the “coverage” up front was illusory. Beneath the translucent silk, the soft curves of his chest and the dizzying pale pink were all too visible.
The boy gazed downward demurely, his exposed skin flushed red. Long black hair cascaded over his shoulders, making him look all the more shy and enticing.
Nothing like the innocent teen in the shop photo.
Saibansi suddenly realized what kind of establishment this was.
Shit. This wasn’t… that kind of place, was it?
If this guy showed up, there’d be no explaining it away…
He fumbled to cancel the order—but right then, the doorbell rang.
His friends had arrived.
Saibansi’s face darkened as he yanked open the door. The group piled in, grinning and ribbing him the whole way.
Saibansi couldn’t muster a smile at all right now.
He responded to his friends with half-hearted replies, his mind racing as he scrambled for an excuse to use later.
Then the app notification popped up: “Your order has arrived.”
The doorbell rang again right after.
“Whoa, is that the wife? Hurry up and get the door for him!”
Saibansi steeled himself and walked to the door, opening it with gritted teeth.
“Hello…”
A timid boy’s voice came from outside. There stood a boy much shorter than him, with a delicate, petite frame.
The instant Saibansi looked up and saw that face, his heart skipped a beat.
So… so beautiful.
The photo hadn’t done him justice at all. The real thing was gorgeous, like a virtual model who had stepped straight into reality.
He wore an oversized leather jacket that swaddled him completely, paired with plain little leather shoes that looked a bit on the cheap side. A glimpse of white silk stockings hugged his dainty ankle.
Saibansi’s heart suddenly pounded: Could it be that under that leather jacket, he was wearing those white stockings from the photo?
Seeing that Saibansi wasn’t saying anything, the boy called out uncertainly. “Hello?”
Saibansi snapped out of his trance, but for a moment, he had no idea what to say.
His friends crowded up behind him, and when they caught sight of the boy, they all let out exaggerated gasps of awe.
…
Luo Li’s face drained of color as more young men appeared behind Saibansi.
How… so many people?
Did that mean… they all wanted to… with him…
