After eight o’clock, when night had fallen, the dazzling neon lights made Jinxiu look like a fairy tale world. The distant sound of lively dance music drifted over, and at the entrance of Jinxiu, taxis came and went in a steady stream. In the parking lot, all kinds of domestic and imported cars began to gather. William Smith was directing guests as they parked. It was at this time that Jinxiu’s booming business truly began, accompanied by the nightlife of Fengcheng’s people.

Chapter 06: Attending to Every Detail Personally

At exactly eight o’clock, it was the time when all of Jinxiu’s entertainment venues started to receive a large influx of guests. William Smith, like a soldier tidying up his uniform, began to straighten his security outfit in front of the mirror, putting on the equipment issued by Gecheng—basically a fairly decent-looking utility belt and a rubber baton. To prevent accidents, two months ago Gecheng started issuing security guards with pepper spray—the kind taught in women’s self-defense classes. These things were mostly for show; William Smith had never actually used them. Still, he liked to carry everything on him. Even though the uniform’s color wasn’t great, once he had all the gear on, he looked almost exactly like a soldier. Plus, with William Smith’s well-trained physique and square face, this getup really brought out his masculine energy. At the very least, he no longer looked like some street thug.

After being promoted to security team leader three months ago, William Smith actually didn’t have to do much work anymore. At Jinxiu, the security duties were clearly divided: there were guards for the main entrance, guards for the karaoke hall, those specifically managing the sauna rooms, those watching the parking lot, and of course, security dedicated to VIP clients. William Smith’s job was to coordinate—basically, to walk around and check on things, sending people wherever there was an issue. Gecheng had even given him an office, but William Smith didn’t like chaotic environments and often holed up in the security room by the parking lot. It was quiet and undisturbed there, and since it was on the central line of Gecheng, it was convenient to run in any direction if needed.

As usual, he started his patrol. The first stop, of course, was to check on the gate guards.

When the security guard at the gate saw him approaching, a tall guy hurried over and offered him a cigarette with a fawning smile, saying, “Captain, doing an inspection?”

“No worries, get back to work. And don’t sneak off to drink!” William Smith took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, then said, “Ma Gan, keep an eye on that guy under you, what’s his name, Dongzi? Don’t let him sneak off to hang around with the girls!”

“Of course, Captain, don’t worry.” The tall guard called Ma Gan quickly replied.

“If anything comes up, report it right away… get back to work,” William Smith said, then walked off on his own.

……

The second stop was the sauna center. At this hour, it wasn’t yet time for sauna guests to arrive. When William Smith walked past the sauna rooms, he saw two security guards hiding in the lounge smoking. Just the sight of them annoyed him. These idle guys looked impressive in uniform, but when it came to actually working, they were far from it. None of them had any sense of discipline!

“What the hell are you two doing, hanging out here during your shift? Where’s Henry Johnson?” William Smith cursed as he looked at the two junior guards.

“Here, here! Captain, what brings you here?” A voice came from the stairs, and a chubby figure with an enormous head appeared in front of William Smith.

“What the hell are you doing? Why isn’t anyone on duty?”

“Captain, the guys just got here, and a few new girls came by to visit. We’re registering them, just like you told us!” Henry Johnson looked much older than William Smith, but ever since he’d seen William Smith handle a group fight, he knew he couldn’t match him and willingly accepted William Smith as the boss.

“Visiting girls, how many?” William Smith knew that “visiting” meant girls who came to the sauna temporarily to make money with clients. These girls were usually a bit wild and hard to manage, but since the sauna department collected room fees and commissions, they didn’t mind.

“Three, from Yueyang, Hunan girls, each one prettier than the last.” As Henry Johnson spoke, his face was full of lecherous excitement. William Smith even saw his thick, upturned lips glistening—this guy was practically drooling.

“Don’t scare them all off, you bunch of pervs. The clients haven’t even arrived yet and you’re already getting ready to go first?” William Smith laughed and scolded him.

“Come on, boss, you’re wronging me! I haven’t even touched them yet!” Henry Johnson looked dejected, clearly unhappy with William Smith’s lack of trust.

“Cut it out, enough with the nonsense… Just keep an eye on the place! I don’t care what you do as long as they’re willing, but don’t you dare force anyone. If something happens, I won’t let you off!” William Smith said with a laugh. He knew that keeping these security guys from taking advantage was almost harder than keeping the girls from selling themselves.

“Of course, Captain, don’t worry. With you here, no one dares cause trouble. We’re just hoping not to get in their way… Captain, those three are really something. Want me to set you up with one?” Henry Johnson said with a grin.

“Get lost!” William Smith kicked him and cursed, “One of these days you’ll catch something nasty and finally fix that habit of yours…”