Chapter 165: The Feather Nightclub

"Take a look around. The entire club has been renovated just the way you wanted. Come and inspect it to see if you are satisfied."

Ji Mao threw his arm around Yan Xu's shoulders. He had followed the guidelines in the report given to him by Yan Xu down to the letter for the entire renovation and operational setup of the club. Initially, he had been somewhat skeptical about the plans, but after seeing the finished result, even he found himself tempted and immensely astounded.

Following Ji Mao into the main hall, Yan Xu listened as his companion introduced the layout: "The first floor operates on a general consumer model, where all guests can spend. We have two systems here: Japanese-style hostesses for serving drinks and Hong Kong-style dance hostesses for sitting rooms. The dancing ladies are divided into two shifts for tea dances and evening dances, and guests can also take hostesses out by the hour."

The grand hall was completely decorated. Aside from private rooms lining the perimeter, there was a fairly large stage in the center of the outer hall. This stage consisted of three sections: the largest area in the middle served as the main performance zone, while the two smaller stages on either side each featured a vertical pole.

Because clubs of this nature had not yet appeared in Hong Kong, the first floor still resembled a conventional nightclub, whereas the second and third floors operated on a membership basis. Access to the second floor required a silver card, while the third floor required gold card status.

"I took your advice, you know. Those two sides feature blonde pole-dancing shows, and right in the middle, I specially brought in a ladyboy performance from Thailand, alongside an Indian dance performance. It is completely internationalized," Ji Mao said, clapping his hands twice. A bevy of beauties emerged from the backstage area.

The appearance of these glamorous women immediately lit up Yan Xu's eyes, and not just his—any man's adrenaline would have surged at the sight.

At the very front were two blonde women wearing sexy, playful lingerie, presumably beauties from Eastern Europe.

Standing well over six feet tall, though their skin pores were slightly coarse, their fair and tender complexions completely masked any flaws. Their lingerie was practically transparent, and particularly in the area between their legs, it was completely bare without a single strand of hair, instantly drawing every man's gaze straight to that spot.

Lacking the reserved nature of Asian women, they flaunted their bodies boldly and unrestrainedly. These two women were clearly the pole dancers.

Following closely behind them was the ladyboy dance troupe, each dressed in a golden bikini with expanses of snow-white skin exposed. As they walked, their opulent busts jiggled, heavily made up and giving off a strong fragrance from afar. Combined with magnificent headpieces adorned with colorful feathers plugged into the crowns and waistbands, had it not been for their prominent Adam's apples and broader bone structures, they would have passed entirely for gorgeous, alluring young women.

Thai ladyboys were quite famous in Hong Kong, with many locals even making special trips to Thailand just to catch a glimpse, but such performances by a Thai ladyboy troupe were rarely seen in Hong Kong. A troupe like this was guaranteed to draw a massive stream of customers.

Emerging last was a squad of Indian dancers. Despite being called Indian dancers, not a single one of them was actually from India; Ji Mao had specially invited this troupe from Taiwan.

Leaving aside their facial features, the physique of every single woman was enough to make most women green with envy. Their papaya-like busts were massive and dazzling, and their attire was even skimpier than that of the blondes.

Their upper bodies were practically bare of fabric, save for tiny golden bells affixed to the very tips of their bountiful assets. Every movement these dancers made set off a crisp, clear chime of bells, while their lower bodies were clad in minuscule thongs—the kind of underwear you would practically have to part their buttocks just to catch a glimpse of.

"Not bad at all." Yan Xu nodded as he looked over the array of beauties. The men who frequented such a place were wolves on the hunt; regardless of the dancers' technical skill, merely exposing these pale, flawless bodies before the crowd was enough to leave those men staring blankly with drool hanging from their mouths. In this era, the social climate in Hong Kong remained relatively conservative, and such public exposure was virtually unheard of.

"You really have the sharp eye of a director. Just 'not bad'? From this group alone, I can already picture men from several blocks around lining up outside our doors," Ji Mao chuckled.

"How about it? Want me to have them put on a private show for you?" Ji Mao nudged Yan Xu's arm. "Don't worry about getting worked up over nothing; upstairs, we have facilities specifically designed to help you blow off steam."

"Forget it," Yan Xu waved a hand, currently in no mood for such distractions. "Let's head upstairs and take a look."

"Alright!" Ji Mao flicked his wrist, and the bevy of beauties retreated back behind the scenes in an orderly fashion.

Because the second floor and above operated on a membership system, the interior styling contrasted sharply with the ground floor.

Passing the reception desk, visitors were greeted by a massive glass pane. Once again at the sound of Ji Mao's applause, the lights inside the room on the other side of the glass suddenly snapped on. Rows of beauties—wearing black bras on top and ultra-short miniskirts with black silk stockings on the bottom—sat inside. Each woman tried her utmost to display her most beautiful and seductive side. While they could not see the patrons outside, the guests outside could clearly observe everything within. Men could point out and select the women of their liking, from plump to slender, spanning every possible taste and style. The sensation was akin to an emperor selecting consorts, vastly satisfying a man's vanity.

The second floor not only featured private rooms equipped with karaoke systems imported from Japan—where guests could take their chosen beauties to sing—but also housed individual body massage rooms in the rear, allowing the women to administer various styles of therapeutic massage.

These massage rooms were tucked away in far more discreet locations than the outer private rooms, complete with dedicated access corridors and stringent security. Although Ji Mao had already secured a massage parlor license, and while Hong Kong law did not explicitly criminalize single-person commercial sex transactions conducted within a private residence, having more than one person engaged in such activities inside a single residence, living off the earnings of prostitutes, or soliciting others for immoral purposes in public spaces were all illegal. In an establishment like this, certain operational aspects inevitably skirted the law; the specialized corridors and tight security were designed precisely to thwart unannounced police inspections.

The third floor offered an experience entirely distinct from the second floor. There was no emperor-style consorts selection here; instead, entering members were handed a catalog containing photographs of the various resident beauties.

Unlike the uniform attire on the second floor, these women were not universally flawless beauties. Some possessed thoroughly ordinary looks, others were already in their forties, and some possessed youthful faces paired with mature, voluptuous figures.

They were carefully packaged according to various client preferences. Some were dressed as corporate pantry assistants, white-collar professionals, or female executives; others posed as students, teachers, nurses, or doctors; still others donned the uniforms of policewomen or female soldiers; and some appeared directly in the guise of domestic housewives or married women. The selection covered a vast array of identities and occupations. Once a guest chose a companion and an occupation, they were even free to choose specific scenarios and storylines. The private rooms within were decorated to replicate numerous different settings, including corporate offices, classrooms, hospital wards, and cozy homes, thoroughly catering to every conceivable male fetish or eccentric preference.

Seeing everything Ji Mao had arranged, Yan Xu was thoroughly satisfied. Although it could not compare to the high-end clubs he had frequented in the past with producers and directors, for this era, it was remarkably novel and luxurious. The opening of such a club could easily be described as printing money daily.

"None of these hostesses are underage, and there's no coercion involved, right?" After finishing the tour, Yan Xu offered a reminder. Even though this industry universally operated in gray areas, some lines were best left uncrossed.

"Of course not. We aren't doing a one-off run; we're building a long-term business. The base salaries and commissions I offer are extremely high, so these girls are practically fighting to get in here. As for the older women, previously they were streetwalkers whose only clients were scavengers, homeless men, and drug addicts, wearing clothes bought from temple street stalls and unable to afford even basic cosmetics. Now, they're earning comfortable livings here making dozens of times more than before, and they use high-end cosmetics and designer clothes," Ji Mao explained.

Declining Ji Mao's invitation to sample the services, Yan Xu left Tsim Sha Tsui alone. Under normal circumstances, he certainly would have unwound and indulged in the services; some of the long-legged beauties suited his tastes nicely, and playing out housewife or office scenarios sounded entertaining enough. However, the ongoing complications with the two women had left his mind tangled in a knot of anxiety.

Traveling from Tsim Sha Tsui across the harbor to his residence on Old Peak Road required passing through Queen's Road Central, and Lan Kwai Fong was situated just off the southern side of Queen's Road Central. Of course, Lan Kwai Fong referred not merely to the small L-shaped sloping alleyway, but rather to the mid-to-high-end consumer district packed with bars and restaurants formed by the intersection of D'Aguilar Street, Wellington Street, Wyndham Street, On Lan Street, Yan Shou Lane, and Wing Wah Lane. As one of the five major nightlife hubs, it was frequented mostly by expatriates and white-collar professionals. Because it was located relatively close to Old Peak Road where Yan Xu lived, it served as his usual spot for unwinding, as well as the place where he had recently been drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He stopped by to drink a few glasses every evening, finding that a gentle buzz helped him sleep more soundly upon returning home.

By this time, happy hour had concluded. Although many white-collar workers had already departed for home, the nightlife in Lan Kwai Fong only grew more brilliant as the night deepened. Following nine o'clock, fashionable youngsters and expats took over for a night of revelry. Along the streets, one could easily spot intoxicated individuals stumbling about or openly vomiting against roadside lampposts and trash cans.