The battle was spreading to Baghdad, Iraq’s capital. The sound of explosions made for a sleepless night as it cast a gloom of war on the once prosperous city.
Of course, that was only for the natural citizens of Baghdad.
As for the foreigners like Jiang Chen and Robert, they drank and caroused, untouched by the events around them.
Amidst the bar’s flashing lights, heavy metal rap pierced through everyone’s ear drums. A Lebanon beauty writhed on stage with her snake-like waist and dark blond hair swinging. The men sitting by the dance floor howled and screamed as one as they threw Franklins in exchange for more exotic moves.
Behind the bar, a black bartender placed mixed cocktails in front of Robert and Jiang Chen. The establishment was rumored to belong to a British man as most of the customers were either foreign soldiers or laborers and reporters.
The people here didn’t have to bear the burdens of this war, even if the battlefront was at the doorstep. They knew their country’s army would come and cover their departure.
It truly made people envious, to have your home country always be your staunchest ally and protection no matter where you were.
“Safe trip.” Robert raised his cup.
“Safe trip.” Jiang Chen toasted him and threw it back.
The cocktail tasted rather odd. Other than the alcohol, there seemed to be something else mixed with it.
“I heard they banned alcohol.” Jiang Chen swirled the crystal glass as he enjoyed the beauties dancing on the floor.
“That’s for religious people. The owner here has an influential background which grants him a special license to sell. Also, the majority of the people here are active UA soldiers or Black Water International mercenaries. Even if the occasional drunk were to cause problems, they’d be kicked out immediately. This place doesn’t even need bouncers.” Robert smiled with narrowed eyes as he took a sip. “For these guys that live on a knife’s edge, only this sort of stimulation can give them the peace of mind again to feel alive.”
Speaking of the people who could die any second, Robert referred to not only the soldiers who were in danger of stepping on landmines, but also to himself as a firearms merchant.
Jiang Chen’s hand holding the glass briefly trembled as he thought deeply about the chaotic apocalypse and the people who suffered there.
He did not feel any pity.
It was only that he realized he was one of those who could lose his life at any moment.
[I’ll be more careful in the future.]
He shook his head as he took another gulp.
“Handsome, do you want a shot?” Two Middle Eastern beauties in tank tops stopped in front of Jiang Chen and Robert and winked seductively.
“Which one do you want?” Robert whistled at the two beauties as he glanced slyly at Jiang Chen. “This is on me.”
“Neither, I have a headache. I’ll go sleep since I have to catch a flight tomorrow.” Jiang Chen didn’t feel tempted in the slightest as he sighed and tossed the cup onto the counter.
“Don’t act like a middle-aged man, buddy. Haha, then I’ll take both.” Robert laughed, gathering both of the beauties into his arms and caressing them in his drunkenness.
Jiang Chen rubbed his slightly sore temple and stood up to leave.
He left the bar with its heavy metal screams and desire-filled cheers as he drowsily searched for the hotel door in his alcohol-driven stupor.
He shoved the door open and dived into the soft bed, snoring almost immediately with a pungent, alcohol smell wafting from him.
Ayesha, who was curled up on the side, smelled the liquor and slightly raised her eyebrows before she let out a sigh.
He was a non-believer after all.
Once they reached the hotel, Jiang Chen brought her here. Not only did she take a shower, but he also brought her a hot lunch to enjoy. He also requested the hotel attendant to purchase new clothes for her from a store nearby. Although it was not in their job descriptions, a hefty tip took care of the problem.
After settling her in, Jiang Chen left the hotel.
And then he didn’t come back until almost midnight.
Ayesha didn’t sleep until he came home, acting out her role as wife as she courteously waited for her man to come home. This was what her mother had taught her, but unfortunately, she would never be able to see her daughter get married.
Marriage was an uncertainty as Ayesha heard that many countries believed in monogamy. For her who was “picked up”, she didn’t envy the ritual—only, she was happy that Jiang Chen did not leave her behind.
Different from before, she was clean and dressed in new clothes.
The exotic beauty was just under the surface, ready to bloom at any moment. Yet even now, it was hidden under an emotionless expression. The rigid and thin body was noticeably malnourished, but the existing curves were accentuated by the slightly thin fabric of the clothes. After a bit of care, Ayesha would become a beauty like her mother.
There were many beauties from her country.
But in this forsaken piece of desert, beauty was a sin.
Ayesha’s eyes were different from Xia Shiyu’s pride-filled gaze. They were instead apathetic, perhaps towards life itself? Jiang Chen couldn’t know for sure with just an intuition.
The day she saw her parents brutally murdered, her tears, her fears, and her sorrows were drained from her body along with her hatred. She had seen far too many tragedies that she even questioned her feelings for her own life.
If faced with the decision between death and a greater pain, she was prepared to calmly choose to end her own life. It was a logic taught to her by war, virulent and widespread among the people.
Despite all that happened, however, this sympathetic Eastern man accepted her.
Ayesha ignored the awful smell of alcohol as she shifted Jiang Chen’s body. She then took a hot towel and placed it on his forehead.
[This place is like heaven.]
Pristine bedsheets, beautiful decorations—she was never so happy before, and she treasured this contentment dearly.
Once she wiped Jiang Chen’s face, a hint of softness showed in her apathetic eyes. Her finger lightly touched Jiang Chen’s chest as she hesitated before she took a deep breath and made up her mind to unzip Jiang Chen’s clothes.
She placed the sweat-drenched clothes to the side and blushed at the muscular body. Embarrassed, she still reached out with her trembling hands as she gently toweled Jiang Chen’s body.
“Mhmm…” Jiang Chen snorted and turned around, scaring Ayesha.
Only when she saw that Jiang Chen was still asleep did her rapidly pumping heart calm down.
She knew she didn’t do anything wrong, but she was still afraid to have him wake up. Gathering her nerves once more, she gently bit her lips.
When his breath became regular again, Ayesha finally pulled up the courage once more to wipe the sweat from his back.
Although she made up her mind to continue, she was still not completely prepared which explained her unabated apprehension.
“Sun Jiao, Yao Yao,” Jiang Chen murmured in his sleep as he turned around and grabbed Ayesha’s hand.
Ayesha jumped and then froze in place.
[Sun Jiao… Yao Yao? Are these the names of the mistresses?]
Not knowing Han, her sixth sense as a woman proved to be a scary and sensitive weapon.
When she heard the names, Ayesha felt relieved, but at the same time, an ambiguous emotion crept in.
Jealousy? Not quite… Maybe it was just unease.
She gazed at Jiang Chen’s face with her head close to him. Just as she realized her embarrassing act, Jiang Chen shifted until he was on top of her.
[What to do? Will I get eaten right away?]
Her face suddenly blushed a dark red. The once-apathetic eyes became flustered and confused. She was unable to register that she was leaning into him as her brain melted into a mess.
[But… this is not too bad since it was inevitable.]
Ayesha tried to convince herself as she bit her lip and obediently wrapped her arms around his neck.
[Rather than ending up a devil’s sex slave without any dignity or human rights, this ending is much better.]
[At least this way, my purity will only be for one person, and I will serve only one man.]
Ayesha persuaded herself into calming her racing heart. She urged away her embarrassment and brought her lips closer to Jiang Chen’s alcohol-filled breath.
This was making him commit a crime.
Or adding oil to the fire.
－
Half drowsy, Jiang Chen felt like he was in heaven. A beautiful servant placed fresh grapes by his mouth, prompting him to eat it without any hesitation. Not only were there delicious grapes, there were also sweet wine, fresh juice, and passionate joy.
Wait, why was there passionate joy?
Maybe it was because of the sweat.
Who cared, it was euphoric after all.