Wait, I Got in the Wrong Car (GL) - Chapter 1

Annie Plaza was buzzing with life. The rhythmic pulse of rock music stirred up those born to dance. They moved with agile grace, vibrant with youthful energy. Now and then, a passing tourist, drawn in by the joyous atmosphere, would stop to join them. Among the crowd, the most captivating sight was a striking duo that drew every pair of eyes, the Beast and the Beauty.

The man was no more than 170 centimeters tall, with a body hefty enough to match two and a half of the slender beauty beside him. His bulging beer belly rivaled that of a woman six months pregnant. The briefcase jammed under his arm had been squashed into a misshapen lump, its yellowing zipper poking out. He tried his best to mimic the beauty’s movements with his clumsy limbs, but his lack of coordination only got in the way of those behind him. His worn leather shoes, barely holding together, started to gape open at the seams from his wild steps. He did not even offer an apology.

But no one was watching him. Everyone’s eyes were on the radiant beauty with the sweet smile on her face. She danced on tiptoes, spinning like a fairy who had accidentally stumbled into the human world. Her rare emerald-green eyes reflected the astonished faces around her. Golden hair cascaded freely with her movements, catching the sunlight like strands of holy light, too dazzling to look away from.

The beastly man kept hopping, drenched in sweat and panting hard. Beads of sweat trickled down his cheeks and soaked into the faded collar of his shirt. Every greasy strand of his hair had caught the floating dust in the air. His tiny squinting eyes gleamed with obsession and lust. When he sensed something wet dribbling from his mouth, he swallowed hard and waddled over to her again.

“Miss Mo, not to brag, but I, Brother Tang, can say without doubt that you’re a once-in-a-century beauty. That devilish figure, that angelic face, you were born for this line of work. Just a little help from my golden touch—”

The greasy pig’s paw reached for her chest as he spoke, and with his chubby face stretched out by his swollen cheeks and squinting eyes, he looked extra sleazy.

Mo Ying slipped past him with ease, still spinning in her dance.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. For a moment, even the thumping rock music faded. The plump man seemed to realize he had gone too far and hastily pulled back his hand. Still trying to sound persuasive, he said to the beauty who had spun countless times already, “With a bit of my guidance and some polish elsewhere, I guarantee you’ll debut in the spotlight. Center stage.”

“Debut… is that something you can eat?”

Her voice was clear and melodic, like a chorus of larks, or the gentle babble of a mountain spring. Mo Ying’s mood had not been dampened by the stranger pestering her through three whole blocks. Not even the endless nonsense from this so-called talent scout had managed to quench her joy at hearing the music.

It felt amazing to dance on legs like a human. No wonder her siblings had all rushed ashore. She had been the only fool snoozing in the deep sea all this time.

She danced like a noble princess, chin lifted high. Her gorgeous puffy skirt twirled with the music, endlessly spinning. If no one stopped her, she could have spun forever.

“Wow.”

“How many times has she turned?”

“I missed the count.”

“Must be over a hundred by now. She’s been spinning nonstop.”

At first, the crowd had gathered out of curiosity at the strange pairing of the Beast and the Beauty. Now, they were marveling at Mo Ying’s perfect one-legged pirouette. Phones came out to capture her graceful posture.

As Brother Tang had said, she was born for the stage. Simply standing in one spot drew all eyes to her. Seeing more and more people gathering, the beastly man knew he had to secure his spot or risk being pushed out. So, he played his trump card. He shouted, “Miss Mo, I’ll take you for rice noodles!”

“Really?”

The moment she heard “rice noodles,” Mo Ying finally slowed down. She had learned from her streaming friends that eating a bowl of noodles each day was said to bring heavenly joy. That was the very reason she had stepped out today, eager to finally taste the delicious food she had heard so much about…

The onlookers, however, scoffed at the idea of the beast man trying to woo such a beauty with a bowl of noodles.

…

Brother Tang watched with mixed feelings as Mo Ying sat in the corner, her mouth bright red from devouring three huge bowls of noodles. Even crouching beside a man like him, she retained an air of purity untouched by grime. He felt like a pearl had been tossed into a pile of fake gems. For a brief moment, he genuinely wanted to quit this business.

Mo Ying stole a glance at him while still slurping. “This debut you mentioned, does it let me eat lots of noodles?”

That single question shattered any shred of decency Brother Tang might have felt. He forced a chuckle. “Once you debut, you can have as many noodles as you like.”

Rice noodles, fish noodles, snail noodles… heck, she could even indulge in heroin noodles if she wanted to.

Her slurping gradually slowed. In her bright green eyes, the greasy man’s reflection was joined by a wisp of gray smoke. She licked her burning lips and slurped at the smoky thread. The taste in the bowl suddenly dulled. She stuffed the empty container back into his hands. “Take me to that company you mentioned. I want to debut!”

Brother Tang sneered inwardly. No way this was some lost princess. Clearly just a clueless country bumpkin who could be bought with a ten-yuan bowl of noodles. “So, Miss Mo, where are you from? Your Mandarin is impressively fluent.”

Why do people here always ask where you’re from? Mo Ying grumbled inwardly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small card she had recently tricked someone into giving her. Apparently, it was essential to live here legally. She had used some underhanded methods to get it.

The ID photo hardly did her justice, capturing barely a fraction of her real beauty, maybe just a tenth. Only her pure green eyes were unmistakable. Brother Tang squinted at it for a long time. “Building 9, Apartment 110, Linjiang Fishing Village…”

Now he was sure. This Miss Mo was just a penniless fisher girl. All looks and no depth. A perfect puppet.

“You seem educated, Miss Mo. What university did you graduate from?”

“University? What’s that? Is it tasty?”

Brother Tang smiled even more kindly. “Truth is, lots of folks in this industry can’t read a word. As long as you listen and do what you’re told, you’ll be slurping noodles in paradise.”

Mo Ying smacked her lips and touched her empty belly. She longed for the colorful flavors she had once enjoyed during her livestreams… sweet, sour, bitter, spicy. They tasted so much better than the smoky scent she had slurped from Brother Tang.

He saw her troubled face and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Did the noodles upset your stomach?”

She looked pitiful. “I’m hungry.”

He was stunned. “You just had three big bowls and you’re still not full?”

“I’ve been starving for over fifty years. That was barely a nibble.”

He laughed awkwardly. “Miss Mo, you sure have a sense of humor.”

She stared at him like he was an idiot and said nothing.

Flagship Entertainment was tucked in a filthy alley behind Annie Plaza. The walls were painted in a riot of colors, flashy and chaotic. Anyone with an ounce of awareness would know that a company hidden in a dingy corner like this was either dead broke or a scam.

Mo Ying didn’t care about any of that. Her eyes sparkled at the messy wall colors. “This place is so pretty.”

Brother Tang laughed dryly and rushed upstairs. In the room, he signaled to the six shirtless men lounging around in shorts. “Clean up! We’ve hit the jackpot today!”

Five minutes later.

The door opened to reveal a man in a suit and glasses. His greedy eyes roamed over Mo Ying’s curvy figure. Her fair skin was like a lotus in water, evoking images of intimacy with just a glance. Without realizing it, he felt himself harden.

Mo Ying looked past him and saw the room’s setup. So-called “company”? It was barely ninety square meters, divided by cloth into two sections. One side was cluttered with all sorts of machines that vaguely resembled streaming equipment, something she immediately recognized!

Takeout boxes littered the floor. Even with the windows open, the choking stench of smoke still lingered, swirling like a cloud. It looked just like the underwater garbage heaps.

A hint of anger crept onto Mo Ying’s delicate face. Her green eyes darkened. She blinked and the dangerous glint vanished.

“Nice face. Let’s shoot a few photo sets first.”

“Yeah, someone help her change.”

The men exchanged glances and jostled each other to get closer. Even Brother Tang wanted a slice of the action. In the end, the assistant, taller and stronger than the rest, won the right to escort her inside. Pulling back the curtain revealed a full-length mirror, a shabby couch, and an array of cheap women’s underwear in various colors hanging above.

Mo Ying casually picked up a pink bra printed with kittens and mystery stains. She tossed it aside in disgust.

The assistant, standing behind her, ogled her slender waist. His filthy hands reached toward her with a perverse smile. “Little missy, I’m real good at undressing. Let me help you.”

Outside, the others leaned in close, listening eagerly. Suddenly, a yelp from the assistant was followed by Mo Ying’s curious voice. “Oops, I’ll be gentler next time.”

Before he could get close, she had knocked him out with a single slap. Then two loud cracks of pain jolted him awake. His face was buried in the couch. Those lingerie pieces were stuffed into his mouth. His hands were twisted behind his back. He could not move, pinned under a force like a boulder. He could only groan through the fabric.

It was terrifying.

What had attacked him?

He thought he saw a golden light descend from the heavens. His head exploded with pain, and he blacked out.

Mo Ying slurped a crimson thread drifting from his body. The slightly spicy taste reminded her of the red oil in rice noodles. But there was too little of it to be satisfying.

A lightbulb went off in her head. She peeked through the curtain, meeting the lustful eyes of the men outside. Mo Ying smiled sweetly, breathtakingly. “My clothes are tricky. Anyone else want to come help me?”

The six of them jostled again, nearly brawling for the chance.

Mo Ying’s lips curled in satisfaction. Crimson threads floated all around like fine rice noodles. She slurped up a few more in delight. The curtain collapsed completely.

The assistant, still struggling on the couch, groaned through the lingerie gag. Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. This 187-centimeter man was reduced to snot and sobs…

The rest were stunned. “???”

Mo Ying realized the act was up and stopped pretending. She adjusted her intact clothes and beamed. “You guys don’t look like good people either. I’ll take your endurance into account and try to go easy. Don’t be scared.”

No one said a word.

In less than a minute, all of them were face down on the floor. They had not even seen what hit them.

Brother Tang caught a blurry glimpse of her clean, innocent face floating before his eyes. Her words echoed clearly in his ears. “Humans who casually litter all deserve a beating.”

…

What a harvest.

The little mermaid Mo Ying practically floated as she walked, strutting through the alley with unshakable confidence. She had only come out today to taste some earthly delicacies. Who knew she would score such a feast?

Should I come out every day?

But her joy lasted only three seconds. A patch of golden scales shimmered faintly at the back of her neck. If not for her long hair, it would have been spotted by humans by now.

Mo Ying shook her head and took a few more steps. Her legs suddenly gave out, and she nearly fell.

“Oops, I overdid it just now.”

At the street corner, two cars were parked side by side, as if standing guard at opposing ends. One silver car caught her eye. Without hesitation, Mo Ying abandoned the white one behind and slipped into the silver car.