0007 Asian Neon Ch. 01

Not again, Fei thought.

She ran out of the store carrying a large package.

Fei zig-zagged through corridors packed with shops and stalls. Ordinary people would not find their way among the identical-looking passages, but Fei knew the place well. This part of the megabuilding housed commercial floors that were full of businesses catering to the needs of the not so well-to-do. Gaudy, cheap, but the sellers were friendly. They were all in it together. Human, frail, sometimes greedy, but the eight-floors were like a big family. Most never left, and Fei called the place home.

She was late. It was not her fault, but her client was not going to be interested in excuses. She also had to hurry because she was to meet Vivian again after the delivery, which made her nervous. She hated to say no to her, but there was no other way.

She ran a little faster, darting past porters carrying bent carton boxes and lost tourists savoring the exotic, oriental smells lingering along the corridor. Most ignored the girl. She must have looked plain and ordinary in clothes that were always simple and makeup that made almost no difference. Yet, even in her cheap clothes, people could see, if they cared to look, that she was beautiful.

But they did not care.

People barely noticed her now as she ran up escalators, whizzed down dark staircases, past greasy fans, and across neon-light soaked floors.

Panting, she slowed to walking speed as soon as she saw the elevator doors. Fei used her elbow to push the elevator button and edged herself in as soon as the door opened, ignoring those who wanted to get off.

There she was again. Going down to the SB floors.

The elevator was slow. It stopped at almost every floor, and the neon light inside kept flickering every time the doors opened or closed. All kinds of people entered and exited, but Fei had no time to study their faces. Finally, they reached level SB-3.

Fei pushed herself through the half-opened door and ran down the hallways.

The floor made Fei uneasy. Brothels, soaplands, and other shady establishments surrounded the girl, making her feel out of place.

She stopped. The golden lion statues in front of the Red Court stared at Fei menacingly.

Already, ten minutes late.

Panicking, she entered the entrance hall filled with red light and went straight into the dim inner room. Cigarette smoke and the indecent smell of naked women hit her.

Unfortunately, she had to run errands to the Red Court quite often, and the whores did not treat her particularly well.

A woman appeared from behind transparent curtains. She was completely naked, with ripe breasts and a beautifully curving waist.

Miss Chong.

"You're late again," she said coldly, not even looking at Fei. Standing sideways, she was waiting by a rope-curtain.

"Come on, I don't have all day," she said. Fei moved closer and handed her the package. She was about to apologize when the woman slapped her.

And it hurt.

It was not the first time. The woman took the package and opened the small carton right there, pulling out a box of cigarettes. She tore the package open and put a cigarette between her lips. Now she was looking upwards, glancing down on the world. Another girl in a bikini rushed there and lit her cigarette. Miss Chong sucked on the cigarette and blew the smoke into Fei's face.

"Apologize to Miss Chong," one of the younger women said.

"Why do you have to make her angry all the time?"

"You're our delivery bitch", said a third woman, "When she calls you, come running. Miss Chong is doing you a favor for using that store. Maybe she should have you fired."

Miss Chong put one of her legs on a stool, exposing her private parts. She continued puffing smoke with a stern face.

"I'm really sorry, Miss Chong. I'll be faster next time," Fei said. Despite the mistreatment, she did feel a little bad about being late. Though not entirely her fault, this time, she was also to be blamed.

"Good. Now give me your other cheek. I want to slap that too," she said, still looking upwards, enjoying the cigarette. Fei dutifully turned her face and let Chong hit her again. The other women laughed at the pitiful sight. Giggling at each other, they looked Fei up and down with scorn. Chong took another mouthful. Then blew it out again towards the others. She looked around slowly, finally settling on Fei.

"Women, look at this girl. Did you know that she has made her own video channel online showing off her pitiful naked body? She even got a little money for it. I wonder who would pay for that? I guess some are just into ugly."

How did the girls find out? Fei blushed in shame.

"Do you think that the number one courtesan of the eight-levels does not know what's going on in this business? How do you think I got to number one?"

She leaned very close to Fei and gently stroked the girl's face.

"I give you a piece of advice. For your sake, stay out of it. You are an ugly errand girl; you should stay that way."

Ash flew off the end of the cigarette. Chong squeezed it and narrowed her eyes, looking away towards the room.

"Maybe, just maybe, you could work as a cheap whore, but as a pornstar? Don't make me laugh," she turned away, threw the cigarette away onto the floor, and entered the room through the curtains. The others shook their heads with scorn.

One of the women pulled off her bra, exposing her large tits. She caught Fei's gaze, who could not help staring at them.

"Now go," the topless woman said and turned away.

Fei was finally free, but her pride lay in ruins. The women in the Red Court were not always this bad. Once one of the girls even kissed her cheek. Depending on their mood, sometimes they even gave her a tip. Of course, that only happened when Miss Chong was not around.

...

The paint was peeling off the walls, and the merchandise on the shelf looked colorless, but Fei loved the shop. The owner, an old lady, was not easily described as nice. Always yelling, she was constantly negotiating with clients or having arguments with the other shop owners. Harsh would probably be a better way to describe her, but she also seemed to like Fei, whom she lectured whenever she found the time. Some would call it motherly care, though the woman was not a relative.

"Girl, did they treat you badly again?"

"It was not that bad."

"Did they hit you?"

"It went okay."

"This is why I say that decent girls should not be whores," she said scornfully. "They take the easy way. They think it will bring money. Nah."

"Sometimes they're nice."

"Ah, don't tell me you want to be a whore?"

"No. Of course not."

"Ah, all the girls want to make money with sex these days. You're pretty, but maybe you should catch yourself a husband instead."

Fei turned away, looking at the floor.

"Come on, what are you going to do with this lesbian thing? Huh?"

"Auntie, lower your voice."

"Everyone knows. In this place, gossip flies. I know the guys well in the video store," she said, chewing on a small candy.

"You keep wasting your money on those lesbian magazines and whatnots. Isn't it free on the internet? Who would buy these things?"

Fei felt ashamed. It seemed that everyone knew about her sexual preferences and her love of pornography.

"Are you okay with me being a lesbian?"

"I don't care that you're a lesbian. Now, it's fashionable. It usually passes."

Fei knew that this was not true in her case.

"Are you saving up?"

"I'm trying."

"Did you make money with the videos?"

"A little."

"How much?"

"Two hundred."

"That's better than nothing, but not much," she said, spitting out some of the seeds. She looked at the people walking past the store.

"You need money. Stop dreaming about this and that and focus on money," she said,

"if making a sex video brings money, then make more, but don't be a whore. That's not good."

The owner fell silent. She was looking outside. Was she thinking? Fei looked as people walked past the store. It was as if Fei had suddenly had become invisible. After a minute, the owner stood up. She looked back at Fei and spoke again.

"That woman came again today. She said she wants to talk to you. She went up to the beauty salon. The fancy one on floor twelve," she said and walked to the front.

As a customer came closer, she started yelling slogans again. Fei stood there for a few short seconds.

Vivian had come early again.

Now, she's going to have to go and wait in front of the salon. She went inside a small closed-off space at the back, filled with boxes and a lot of junk. There would be no time to put on makeup, but she desperately needed to fix her hair. Fei felt ashamed meeting such an elegant woman in such a classy place, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

She thanked the lady and asked her permission to leave. A disinterested nod came back.

...

Floor eight was just two floors below the main upper street-level. But even here, she could see the elevated-roads crisscrossing in front of the building. Double-decker buses and colorful taxis were hurrying past around them.

Humid, rain-scented air wafted in through an open door kept open by a bucket filled with dirty water. Outside, it was dim, as the roads blocked the light, but Fei could make out the skyline and a lush canopy of exotic plants in the far distance.

Fei found her way to the beauty salon.

Large plants made the entrance look like a gate to a tropical jungle, making Fei feel small and insignificant. She decided to stand by a large window.

She did not have to wait long. The woman emerged from behind the glass doors with shining hair and a confident smile within minutes. A clerk came following her and bowing at the entrance. She smiled at her and then nodded towards Fei.

"Oh, you've been waiting here? I just wanted to go down to the store. Your auntie said that you'll be back soon."

"Sorry for not being there."

"That's okay. I arrived early."

"Should we talk somewhere?"

The woman looked left and right.

"Let's just sit down there," she said, pointing to a few seats in an alcove. Fei usually avoided places like this because they looked too fancy, but she did not object.

"Okay."

The woman handed Fei an envelope, and she put it in her bag.

"So, what do you say to my proposal?"

"Umm... I think I'm going to say no. I'm sorry."

"This is an unbelievable chance you don't want to lose."

"I know. I'm very grateful for offering me this, but..."

"Look, this kind of proposal simply never happens. Many of the girls here would do anything to get this job. I only do this because we're so close."

Fei nodded.

"This thing is easy. Someone liked your video, and they're willing to pay for escort services. Naturally, it would also include sex, though not on paper. I met the guy, and I can tell you that he is a decent guy. Good looking too and young. A banker. You're really lucky. You let him fuck you a couple of times, and even if you don't like him, maybe this can lead to more work. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for a girl like you to become a proper escort? It never happens. Thousands of girls dream of becoming a luxury whore instead of working for cheap brothels. This is your chance."

The woman was very persuasive, and Fei knew that it was more than just eagerness to do business. She felt that the woman genuinely thought that this would help Fei.

"Look, I know that selling your body does not sound like the best career, but you can make tons of money and then move on. How do you think I got to where I am now?"

"It's not that I totally against the idea of using sex to make money, but..." Fei blushed. She knew that the woman was right. This was a straightforward way, and many girls in her position would have taken it. A long time ago, she found whores glamorous and sexy. She looked down. Would she be able to have sex with a man?

"I'm not sure I can do it. I mean, I..."

"Everyone is nervous at first. You'll get the hang of it. I can teach you a few tricks."

"It's not that, it's just..."

The woman looked at her as if she was lost in thought. She watched the girl and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't tell me, you don't..."

"I'm more into women..."

"Totally lesbian?"

"Yes."

"That's a pity. Are you sure you can't at least pretend?"

"I don't think I can."

"Oh, that's a lost chance. But, maybe there's something else I can do for you."

"Really?"

"Yes, you see, it's not always easy to find girls willing to do lesbian scenes."

"A video?"

"Yes, just a short scene in a cheap movie. There are two actresses already, but we need a third one who pretends to sleep. There's only a short kiss scene at the beginning. I think there will be barely any payment."

"I'll take it. When is it?"

"I like this! You're my kinda girl. Greedy," she said smiling, "I'll set you up. It's tomorrow. The crew is decent. It's here on the fifteenth floor."

"Thank you so much," Fei looked gratefully at the lady. Filming was exciting, and Fei knew that if she was serious about porn, she needed to have actual sex in the videos.

"Here's the address."

She handed Fei a crumpled business card printed on cheap material.

***

Fei looked up from the business card. The door was rusty and old. Just an apartment with the room number fading.

Dare she knock?

She was hesitating. To the woman, she said yes, but now she was not sure. With a glance, she looked at the business card again. Lucky Gold Production was written on it. A very unpromising name. There would be no payment for this small debut role, but she was intrigued.

All she did was posing and stripping in her short videos. Now, she could actually make a pornographic movie. It would be a step forward and also a step into a dark new world.

After this, there is no going back.

It's not just that she would become a porn actress, but a lesbian one. Probably, a lot of people would see her having sex. Most were already gossiping about her sexual preferences anyway. Nervously, she licked her dry lips with her tongue. Will they like her?

Fei knocked on the door. A young man with a small hand-camera appeared. With men around, she might not be able to perform well. She was ushered in. Inside were three men and the actresses still dressed.

"Let's get this started. Girls, she is Fei. A beginner, so go easy on her, okay?"

One of the girls smiled at her and shook her hand. The handshake was very weak, feminine, but the smile was warm. Short, she had a round face with Southern features. Her eyes drooped downwards like a raccoon. Still, they were sexy, highlighted with purple eyeshadow and glitter.

Cute, Fei thought, though she was not exactly her type.

"We'll go easy on you. I'm Mei," she said and looked at Fei closely as if measuring her. She seemed to like her. The other girl was cold, barely reacting. She impatiently nodded towards Fei and refused to give her name. She was taller, looking more like a typical model.

"So, you're the girl I have to kiss. I can live with it for sure," beamed Mei. She did not hide the fact that she found Fei kissable. One of the men sighed in relief.

"Enough introductions, let's get started. We need to work on her makeup."

A man washed her face with a towel and started applying makeup. She had to change into the clothes provided. They did everything quickly, but the set-up still took a very long time.

Finally, everyone assembled on the set.

"We start shooting soon. Girls, the scene is simple. Fei is Mei's girlfriend who is going to sleep in that bed. Mei kisses her goodnight. Then, Erika comes in and starts to have sex with Mei. The couple should try to stay quiet. We had talked about the details, the lights, the moans. Do you think you can all do it?"

The girls nodded, but Fei was nervous.

Fei was not sure she could just kiss a girl she had no feelings for. Fei used to think that sex was meant to be done only with a special woman.

But, Mei's gentle smile put her at ease.

They shot the kiss scene several times. Each time the kiss lasted for about a minute. Passionate, erotic. Fei kissed naturally. She did not have sex for a long time, and the joy was genuine. She was happy that she could kiss Mei because she knew that she would have struggled with the other girl, though her lips also looked tempting.

Then, they moved on. There were lots of instructions and movement, but Fei needed to pretend to be asleep, so she could not see much of what was happening. She heard moans, kisses, the flesh of two women rubbing together. Whenever she tried to get up when the cameras were not rolling, a man directed her to lie back down and continue her act of sleeping.

After a while, the instructions waned. Fei forgot about the camera and just listened to the muffled moans of the girls. The staff was silent, and the act just unfolded. Sometimes they moved around, but for a long stretch, they remained in the background with the rhythmical noises of the girls. Either Mei enjoyed the sex very much or was a very good actress. She moaned, panted, and seemed to be having many smaller orgasms. Fei could not see the girls with her eyes closed but knew that Erika's lips were probably tasting Mei's most intimate parts.

There were some cuts and retakes, but all in all, the scene finished relatively smoothly. The girls dressed up afterward. Erika was now more lightened up. Did she enjoy the sex? The men started to pack everything into bags. One of the guys came over to Fei.

"Too bad you didn't get naked," said the man. "Do you want to stay and taste my cock?"

Fei was startled, not knowing how to respond. Mei pushed the guy away from her.

"Come on, let the girl rest. You can fuck a whore on SB."

"Ah, well, it's always worth a try. Law of big numbers, you know."

Mei pushed him towards the door, grimacing. The man was just smiling and walked towards the door.

"Keep friendly, okay. I'll give you a call," he said, waving at the girls.

"Just go."

With that, the men went out of the flat, leaving the girls behind.

"We really should have an all-female staff," Mei grumbled, but Erika did not seem to hear it. Her long fingers were adjusting the pantyhose on her leg.

After a minute, she finally looked up at the girls.

"Oh, it was nice shooting with you, Mei," she said and walked past Fei, at first ignoring her. But before reaching the door, she stopped and leaned back, suddenly kissing the unsuspecting Fei. A long, deep kiss. Her tongue expertly moving between Fei's lips.

She was a better kisser than Mei.

"I needed to try. Not bad," she winked without smiling. Her face was still like a mask.

Grabbing the doorknob, she turned back towards Fei.

"I don't hate you. Which is a big thing. See you around," she said, opened the door, and left. For a few seconds, the girls stood in silence. Mei's eyes were wide open.

Fei blushed as the thought occurred that she was now alone with a girl she just kissed several times.

"Oh, Erika says she does not hate you after the first time? That has never happened before."

"I guess that's a good thing?"

"In Erika's world, that's huge. The girl hates everyone by default. To be honest, we always fight, but we made a couple of good films together. She is in for the money. She is not a lesbian, you know. She prefers shooting with men."

"You know her well?"

"Not all that well. I kinda had a crush on her at first, but she was a huge jerk. Still, she is my type. I mean the way she looks."

"I think you look great together."

"Thanks," she said, blushing.

Fei was almost ready, but the other girl was still struggling to collect her things lying here and there around the apartment.

"Do you want to go on a date?" Mei asked suddenly.