Lai Feifei's witty remarks left Li Zhiyan somewhat at a loss for words.
He realized he was still way too conservative—after all, mature women are in a league of their own.
A true mature woman's world was something Li Zhiyan had never quite imagined before—case in point, Zhao Shumin's rapid-fire mood swings.
It truly opened Li Zhiyan's eyes; not many young people these days could pull this off anymore.
However, Li Zhiyan found this crowd far healthier and more normal compared to the boys-versus-girls drama and immature antics of the younger girls in his class.
"I swear, I'm going to sew up your mouth!"
"Lai Feifei, you're corrupting children!"
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop scrolling through TikTok and forums? Look at you now—your words are getting more ridiculous by the day!"
As they bantered, He Yanrong led the group into the private room reserved exclusively for the three women.
"Aunt Rong, why does everyone call you 'Mom'?"
"Because Aunt treats them well, so they've grown accustomed to calling me Auntie Mom."
As she lounged in the chair, Lai Feifei teased, "How about you call her 'Mom' too?"
"If you do, then Aunt Rong wouldn't have to hold back and could pamper you properly!"
"Yanrong, you take the left."
"Hongmei, you take the right. We can't let this kid go hungry, haha."
Li Zhiyan: "..."
Just looking at He Yanrong's sultry face made Li Zhiyan's heart itch—it was a thought he couldn't suppress.
That face alone was enough to involuntarily steer his thoughts in *that* direction.
Not even Zhao Shumin had ever made him feel this way before.
"Don't listen to your Aunt Lai's nonsense, Xiao Yan."
"Lie down. Aunt will call a masseuse to give you a foot bath so you can properly relax."
Shen Hongmei lay back, waiting for the masseuse to arrive. Suffering from menstrual cramps, she wanted to soak her feet to ease the pain and unwind.
"Yanrong, why don't you personally give our precious Xiao Yan a foot bath? He's the only little one in our group of girlfriends."
"You do it instead!"
To be clear, He Yanrong had been managing Century Palace for a long time, but she had never once acted as a masseuse—she was always the masseuses' "mom."
The idea of personally bathing someone's feet made her inherently reluctant.
But when she saw Li Zhiyan, barely over twenty and still somewhat green, He Yanrong eventually agreed.
"Fine, I'll do it. Xiao Yan, come here."
"This… doesn't feel right…"
Li Zhiyan felt a little uneasy, though deep down, he very much wanted He Yanrong to wash his feet.
There was one reason: her face was irresistibly sultry and attractive. And another reason: she was Liu Jinxin's biological mom.
Back in school, Liu Jinxin had always called him a toad; now, even as a colleague, he continued tarnishing Li Zhiyan's reputation.
Regarding both Liu Jinxin and Xu Qianqian, Li Zhiyan harbored a fair amount of resentment.
If he could get He Yanrong to wash his feet…
It would be a deeply satisfying mental victory.
"Relax, Xiao Yan. You're just a kid; Aunt washing your feet isn't a big deal."
After stepping out and calling someone, three foot-massage-only technicians walked into the room.
Under normal circumstances, He Yanrong maintained a considerable distance from the hair-washing technicians, wary of potential health risks.
Though the likelihood was small, caution was necessary.
Even the living arrangements for the foot-washing technicians were separate from the hair-washing technicians.
Once three basins of hot water were brought in, He Yanrong took one and sat down directly in front of Li Zhiyan.
Lai Feifei and Shen Hongmei both slipped off their stockings and high heels and set them aside.
The sight of their two pairs of snow-white, beautiful legs kept drawing Li Zhiyan's peripheral vision time and again.
With his radar effectively locked, he felt as though he had entered paradise—this room seemed to be filled with alluring scenery everywhere.
"Come on, Xiao Yan, have some orange slices first."
After Li Zhiyan placed his feet in the basin, He Yanrong sat beside him.
She began peeling oranges for him.
Her fair and delicate hands carefully peeled the oranges, even removing the webbing before placing a peeled segment gently into his mouth.
The tender and meticulous care she displayed left Li Zhiyan feeling slightly overheated.
He never imagined such a seductive-looking woman could be so gentle and considerate.
After peeling a few orange slices for him, Li Zhiyan grew a bit restless.
"Auntie, I can do it myself."
After all, he wasn't that familiar with He Yanrong yet.
"Look at him, getting shy now."
Glancing at Li Zhiyan's natural reaction, her mood didn't shift. "Young men being full of vigor is perfectly normal."
It was merely a sign of Li Zhiyan's robust health.
In the wooden basin, He Yanrong gently grabbed his feet, tenderly massaging them, carefully cleaning between his toes.
The soft, soothing sensation made Li Zhiyan instinctively close his eyes in bliss.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lai Feifei reclined and started sipping another cocktail—her signature drunkard antics as unabashed as ever.
"Hongmei, I don't think your plan to make my masseuse moonlight for you is going to work."
"People these days, even if the pay is slightly lower, still prefer stable jobs."
Li Zhiyan chimed in, "My cousin is currently at home preparing for the civil service exam."
As she continued massaging his feet, He Yanrong's supple hands cradled and caressed his toes, making him thoroughly entranced.
But in her mind, He Yanrong didn't think much of Li Zhiyan. She was only giving him this treatment out of respect for Lai Feifei and Shen Hongmei.
Otherwise, there was no way she'd bother with someone like him, a barely-grown rookie just stepping into society.
Having seen countless ups and downs, He Yanrong was intensely pragmatic—unlike Lai Feifei and Shen Hongmei.
Clutching her abdomen, Shen Hongmei said, "Just ask her to come over, and we'll talk."
"Alright, but don't get your hopes up. Mia's business over here keeps her busy, and her monthly earnings from commissions far exceed what she'd make moonlighting for you. She probably wouldn't bother."
At her call, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman named Mia soon entered the room.
"Mom, you called for me?"
"Yes, Mia. This is Shen Hongmei—Boss Shen."
"Your Chinese is impressive lately. Would you be interested in a part-time job for her? We can discuss the pay."
Shen Hongmei added, "Part-time, only when needed. The pay is 1,000 yuan per day."
"But when we need you, you must show up that day."
Li Zhiyan's eyes lit up—1,000 yuan?!
For a fresh graduate like him, 1,000 yuan a day was an absolute dream!
Even so, foot-washing work seemed ridiculously lucrative. Monthly commissions of 60,000 yuan? If it's a 50/50 split, that means washing 120,000 yuan's worth of feet per month. This foreigner's earning power sure was impressive.
"Ms. Shen, my monthly commissions amount to over 60,000 yuan."
"This part-time job doesn't make much sense for me. Sorry."
Mia's Chinese was near-flawless, clearly the result of dedicated effort.
She wanted to establish herself in the country; in her homeland, she couldn't earn much. But here, her rarity made her highly sought after—a phenomenon she understood well.
"Alright, I'll look for someone else later."
If it were five years ago, Shen Hongmei would've invested even more to hire a translator. But these days, with the economy struggling, company costs had to be tightly controlled to survive.
Still, finding an on-call translator for 1,000 yuan a day was proving nearly impossible.
Graduates from specialized language programs typically preferred stable jobs at bigger companies.
Just as Shen Hongmei was feeling exasperated…
Li Zhiyan interjected, "Aunt Shen, how about I take this part-time job?"
All three women turned their gazes toward him.
"Xiao Yan, don't joke around with Auntie. Your major doesn't match the requirements—you don't even speak German!"
Already stressed over the matter, Shen Hongmei felt even more irritable hearing Li Zhiyan's lighthearted suggestion.