I spent the whole evening in turmoil, unable to come to a decision. Eventually, I told Wang Xin to leave for now and I would think about it for two days.

Wang Xin, being the smart woman she was, understood right away. If I said I needed time to think, it meant there was a possibility. She left with a gleam in her eye, saying she’d be waiting for good news. As she walked away, she shot me a flirtatious glance—she knew exactly how to get to men, playing her role well.

Watching her swaying hips, I had to fight the urge to give her a good scolding. It wasn’t for any other reason but because I felt like I needed to save the world from her—her kind was a plague on society.

After she left, I settled into deep thought, weighing my options. Around noon, Xu Meng came by.

She seemed in a good mood, smiling when she entered. I asked her if something good had happened.

Xu Meng laughed and said that Chen Xiaomei, the woman who had been causing trouble, had been dealt with. Her boss, Li Qi, was the owner of an entertainment city and a former thug. People called him "Boss Li," and he was a powerful figure.

Xu Meng, now the queen bee of the entertainment world, was untouchable—if someone messed with her, they were messing with Boss Li’s business, and he wouldn’t let that slide.

It turned out that Chen Xiaomei had hired a sorcerer to perform a “borrowed corpse” ritual, with the aim of cursing Xu Meng and sending a ghost to kill her within seven days. When Boss Li found out, he gave her a chance to fix it, telling her to get the sorcerer to undo the curse, but if she didn’t, he’d break one of her hands and let her go.

But Chen Xiaomei refused. She was determined to pull Xu Meng down with her, even if it meant her own death.

That was when Boss Li lost his patience. He slashed her face with a knife over a dozen times, then sold her to human traffickers. That was a fate worse than death—who knew where she’d end up? She might be sold to some poverty-stricken village, or her organs might be harvested and sold on the black market. It was a living hell.

The woman got what she deserved—she could have saved herself with a simple hand injury, but she chose to fight to the death.

Xu Meng seemed fine, though. She was happy that her enemy was out of the picture and now just wanted to finish getting her tattoo to ensure the ghost would leave her alone. She was hoping to save herself.

I had already tested the effect of the "Ghost Beggar" tattoo on Wang Xin, so I knew it would work. Now I just needed to get to work on Xu Meng.

When we entered the tattoo studio, Xu Meng was very relaxed about the whole thing. She didn’t mind much about covering herself up. The only part she needed to protect was her back. She said her body was a product, and anyone could see it.

Despite her nonchalance, I was still careful. Xu Meng was a familiar face, and I didn’t want to take advantage of the situation. I focused on my work, not daring to let my eyes wander.

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As I was working, Xu Meng started chatting. With a mischievous smile, she asked me if I had ever been with a woman. I chuckled bitterly, not quite sure how to respond. It wasn’t like I didn’t have any interest—I was just a bit unlucky, and at twenty, I hadn’t even had a girlfriend yet. At least my grandfather had arranged for me to be with twin sisters, but I still didn’t know if that was going anywhere.

Xu Meng reached over and placed her hand on mine. “If you need anything, I can help you out. I don’t mind.”

She was being kind, and for a moment, I was touched. In the past, only my grandfather and I had ever been nice to her. Everyone else either gossiped behind her back or mistreated her. Growing up, Xu Meng had suffered a lot, especially from the people in her village. When she was eighteen and legally an adult, she had been through a terrible experience, but instead of receiving sympathy, she was ridiculed.

The only ones who ever extended a hand to her were me and my grandfather. I remembered the time I fought with some local kids to defend her—back then, I was young and idealistic. Now, though, I had almost forgotten. It wasn’t until Xu Meng brought it up that I began to recall.

However, her kindness, though sincere, didn’t change my resolve. I couldn’t take advantage of her situation. She wasn’t like Wang Xin, who was just a greedy woman looking for a rich man to cater to her whims.

Xu Meng was good-hearted, even though she had made questionable career choices. Despite being treated poorly by most of the people around her, she still occasionally sent money back to help the orphans in her village. I couldn’t judge her based on her job; I knew there was more to her than that.

I rejected her offer, and though she seemed a little disappointed, she didn’t press the issue. She asked if I thought she was unattractive. I immediately shook my head and told her I didn’t think that at all. To me, Xu Meng had always been a friend, and I respected her.

Later, I asked her why she hadn’t chosen a more legitimate career. After all, the city was so different from her rural village. With no education and no skills, it was nearly impossible to make a living here.

Xu Meng sighed, saying she understood my concern, but the reality was that she didn’t have much of a choice. She was working in the entertainment industry because, as a young woman without any other skills, it was the only way she could survive and thrive in the city. Her goal wasn’t just to make money—she wanted to buy a small house, open a shop, and live a carefree life. She never wanted to go back to that village.

As she spoke, her face lit up with hope. It was clear that was her dream—to build a better life for herself.

By six o'clock, I had finished the "Nine-Tailed Demon" tattoo. Normally, it would have been quicker, but I got distracted by our conversation, and my handwork slowed down.

After finishing, Xu Meng looked at the tattoo and grimaced. The ghost image was too scary for her taste and she was worried it might scare away her customers. I agreed to use some special lotion to gradually erase it, though it would take a few days to fully fade.

When everything was settled, Xu Meng handed me two thousand yuan and said, “If you ever need anything, just call. I won’t charge you. If you want, I can help you with that… you know.” She said it with a teasing smile, but I couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.

For a moment, I wondered if being twenty and still a virgin was something to be ashamed of. But then I remembered: I didn’t feel that way about Xu Meng.

I still had one more decision to make. My resolve was finally set—I would pursue the yin tattoos.

Money wasn’t going to come easy with yang tattoos alone. If I wanted to make enough to save my grandfather, I had to go down the darker path.

Without hesitation, I grabbed my phone and dialed Hong Wu’s number.

“Hong Wu, I’ve decided—I want to do a yin tattoo.”

Hong Wu’s voice was full of excitement. “You’ve made the right choice! What kind of yin tattoo are you looking to get done? You know, these tattoos are serious business—they require the right materials.”

“I want the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. Do you have the ghost materials ready?” I asked, my heart pounding.