Above the Galaxy
Chapter 290 - 191, Outrageous!

Chapter 290: Chapter 191, Outrageous!

Old Land also had a Red Light District.

In some human-gathered areas, places like that operated, trading women for food and supplies.

There were also men who were unwilling to hunt or failed to catch game, who traded their own women for a bit of sustenance.

Some women without men and without food, in order to survive, would willingly hang a resin lamp outside their homes...

It was all in order to live.

Everyone was trying their best to survive.

After coming to New Star, Tang Fei only then learned that the place adults like to frequent was called the "Red Light District."

Tang Fei didn’t expect Sheng Xinhua to actually take him and Little Fatty to such a place.

To jeopardize herself was one thing, but Little Fatty was still a child.

Regardless, he had to leave Little Fatty at home...

Bang!

Sheng Xinhua, extremely angry, slapped Tang Fei on the head and said, "Who said I was taking you to that kind of place? So young and not studying well, always thinking about filthy, indecent stuff..."

"Besides, could I even take you there? Would I dare? If your person found out, wouldn’t they skin me alive? Do you want me dead or something?"

"Just kidding, just kidding..." Tang Fei, holding his head from Mr. Sheng’s slap—which he did not dodge—laughed and said, "I know Mr. Sheng isn’t that kind of person."

"Joking? I think you are indeed interested in that kind of place. What? Want to risk your neck to try it out? If you really want to go, I could actually make it happen..."

Sheng Xinhua, with a playful smile, sized up Tang Fei and spoke with a seductive tone, "Shall I find a friend to give you a taste? I heard it’s thrilling..."

"No, thanks." Tang Fei decisively refused, saying, "Mr. Sheng, Little Fatty and I are not the kind you think. We maintain our purity; our strong bodies will only be appreciated by women who genuinely like us."

Sheng Xinhua curled her lip and said, "Little Fatty certainly is, but I’m not too sure about you."

"Mr. Sheng, I’m the same as my brother." Little Fatty hurriedly said.

He didn’t want to be different from his brother; they would always be on the same team.

How could Mr. Sheng divide them?

Sheng Xinhua sighed and looked at Tang Fei, saying, "You don’t know what good karma you’ve accumulated in a past life to have such a good brother..."

She then looked at her wristwatch and said, "The two of you hurry back and change clothes; I have already made reservations, so be quick..."

Little Fatty looked at Tang Fei, who nodded and said, "Wait for us a moment; we’ll go change our clothes."

Since Mr. Sheng had already come knocking and the reservations were made, it seemed inappropriate to decline now.

"Hurry up, just tidy up a bit. No need to dress too handsomely; I still have to watch you for Phoenix..."

Tang Fei and Little Fatty changed into more casual clothes and then got into Sheng Xinhua’s car.

Sheng Xinhua activated the autopilot, entered the destination into the map, then leaned back in her seat.

The leather jacket opened to the sides, making her breasts appear more prominent.

Tang Fei quickly averted his gaze to the front, making small talk, "Today is the Winter Solstice, why are you out? Didn’t you stay home to have dinner with your parents?"

"How long can dinner take? At home, my dad doesn’t allow me to drink alcohol, so I ate a few bites and rushed out," Sheng Xinhua said.

"Is Phoenix coming out?" Tang Fei asked.

Sheng Xinhua turned to look at Tang Fei, her long eyelashes fluttering, purple eyeshadow giving her a peculiarly sensual allure.

"Why? Missing your little lover?"

"I’m just curious to ask... Figured since you were coming out to have fun, you must’ve told her."

"I told her, but she said she couldn’t come out," Sheng Xinhua said. "She’s not like us—a princess of the Empire, born into royalty. After the last assassination attempt, Chen Fenglei probably killed who knows how many people... Now, who would dare let her out? Or maybe you should give her another call?"

Tang Fei sighed softly.

Phoenix, while enjoying the privileges of being a princess, also lost the poverty and misery.

Yet, Tang Fei would not call.

Today was the Winter Solstice; who knew what the palace rules were?

Maybe the family was together, drinking and chatting, celebrating the festival.

However, he could send a message.

It wouldn’t be nice to let her think he went out to have fun without inviting her.

Sheng Xinhua parked the car in front of the bar, then led Tang Fei and Little Fatty upstairs.

"Rebirth!" Tang Fei looked at the bar’s dark sign and laughed, "This bar has quite the grand name."

"This is one of the liveliest bars in Phoenix City," Sheng Xinhua said. "Phoenix and I used to come here often to play."

"Phoenix came too?" Tang Fei asked.

"She’s not a vegetable; why couldn’t she come to the bar?" Sheng Xinhua rolled her eyes and said, "She’s a lot more fun than you."

"How would you know?" Tang Fei asked.

Sheng Xinhua froze for a moment, then licked her voluptuous red lips and said, "Kid, are you driving me?"

"What driving? I don’t even have a driver’s license," Tang Fei denied.

"Coward," Sheng Xinhua muttered, then led them into the elevator.

The elevator doors automatically slid open, releasing a powerful wave of sound.

Numerous people were dancing wildly in the vast dance floor, with a line of scantily clad women wearing bunny ears dancing on a platform in the middle.

Seeing Sheng Xinhua arrive, the bar manager quickly came over, smiling and saying, "Miss Sheng, you’re here? Your booth is number 18; I’ll show you the way."

"Thank you," Sheng Xinhua responded coolly, walking ahead with an air of superiority.

The bar manager gave Tang Fei and Little Fatty a fawning smile, making an inviting gesture before quickly catching up to Sheng Xinhua’s pace, introducing the night’s program while leading the way.

The booth location was excellent, offering a full view of the entire stage.

"Miss Sheng, what would you like to drink tonight?"

"The usual," Sheng Xinhua said in a cold voice.

"Right away, I’ll get that arranged for you," the bar manager said.

Once the bar manager had left, Sheng Xinhua explained to Tang Fei and Little Fatty, "You can’t get too close to these people... Show a bit of warmth, a smile, and they start pushing the most expensive drinks at me... With my monthly salary, how can I afford that?"

Tang Fei had an epiphany and gave Sheng Xinhua a thumbs-up, "Mr. Sheng is wise."

"Don’t call me ’teacher’ here."

"What should I call you then?" Tang Fei asked.

"Call me Miss Sheng," Sheng Xinhua said, "or Shengkai."

"Shengkai?"

"Yes, that’s the alias I’ve chosen for myself," Sheng Xinhua said. "Phoenix goes by Xiao Xue."

"..."

"Should Little Fatty and I get aliases too?" Tang Fei asked.

Sheng Xinhua glanced at Tang Fei and Little Fatty and said, "You two don’t need to."

"Why not?"

"Because no one cares anyway," Sheng Xinhua bluntly said. "I’m a literature professor, a teacher, and being seen in a place like this isn’t really appropriate, and Phoenix, well... her name is quite unique and her identity should definitely not be revealed."

"What if a student recognizes you?"

"I’d say they got the wrong person," Sheng Xinhua said. "If they kept pestering, I’d slap them and tell them to come up with a fresher pickup line."

"..."

Tang Fei knew that Mr. Sheng must have been recognized before.

Otherwise, how could he have come up with such specific solutions?

"With technology so advanced, haven’t humans found more interesting forms of entertainment? Still sticking to drinking, singing, and dancing?" Tang Fei looked at the crowded dance floor area and voiced his doubts.

Sheng Xinhua looked at Tang Fei and asked, "Do you know what the most important value-added service is in a game for a high-level player?"

"What is it?" Tang Fei didn’t bother guessing and directly asked for the answer.

He hadn’t played many games anyway.

"It’s not the graphics, not the storyline, not the technology innovation, nor the monster-slaying level-ups..." Sheng Xinhua looked at Tang Fei and said, "It’s the other players."

"What do you mean?" Tang Fei asked.

"Those players are the source of your enjoyment and your pride," Sheng Xinhua explained. "Those who can’t play as well as you, who don’t spend as much money as you, who don’t dress as well as you... their astonished looks or words of praise are your true enjoyment in playing the game."

"Humanity has been able to traverse space for quite some time now, but who wants to go? What’s the point of floating alone in space? Everything is available in the virtual world—whatever you want, whenever you want it..."

"But does it have the atmosphere of a fireworks display? Does it have human warmth? Can it facilitate communication and interaction? Can you feel someone else’s heartbeat or their breath?"

"The more advanced technology gets, the more humans... need each other’s company."

Tang Fei fell into deep thought.

After a while, he asked, "So, for the King, all the citizens are..."

"Treasonous," Sheng Xinhua interrupted, "Try saying that in front of Phoenix and see what happens."

"I wouldn’t dare," Tang Fei said with a laugh.

Little Fatty was unusually quiet by his side. Tang Fei turned and saw him staring absent-mindedly at the bunny girls on stage.

Tang Fei patted his shoulder and asked, "Do you like what you see?"

Little Fatty pointed at the women, his face full of surprise. "Bro, they aren’t wearing any clothes..."

"Don’t you often watch bikini beauty contests? Isn’t it the same?"

"It’s not the same," Little Fatty shook his head, "That’s on TV; this is... reality."

"Sometimes, reality is more absurd than what’s on TV," Tang Fei laughed, "The things they can’t show on TV happen every day in real life."

When the waiter brought the drinks, Sheng Xinhua sent them away and picked up the bottle to pour the drinks herself. "Is this your first time in a place like this?"

Tang Fei nodded, "This is our first time out since coming to New Star... Phoenix took us shopping at a mall before."

"That doesn’t count," Sheng Xinhua said. "You should get out more, enjoy life while you’re young, and not end up old and fuddy-duddy like my dad..."

"..."

Sheng Xinhua raised her glass of Whiskey and said, "Here’s to your first time."

"Here’s to our first time," Tang Fei and Little Fatty echoed as they raised their glasses.

"If you like, you can go down and dance..." Sheng Xinhua suggested, "Relax a bit. Mixing work and play makes you more effective."

"Coming here once in a while is fine, but if it’s a regular thing... getting drunk every day, where would the energy to cultivate and comprehend come from?"

"Maybe you’ll comprehend it while drinking? Isn’t alcohol said to be the best source of inspiration?"

"That’s what people who like drinking say."

"..."

Just then, a waiter came over with a tray carrying an exquisitely packaged, obviously expensive glass of Whiskey, saying, "Miss Sheng, this is from the customer at table one—a gift of Dragon’s Son."

Sheng Xinhua didn’t even look and waved it off, "Send it back, we have our own drinks."

"But..."

"No buts."