Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Five

Mr. Anderson showed up without warning, sat down on the bar stool next to her, ordered her a glass of ice water, and ordered whiskey for himself.He didn't smile at her, and acted as if he didn't see her at all.Even so, Emiko was still very grateful. For days she had been holed up in bars, waiting for the moment when White Shirt decided to throw her into a digester.A minimum of tolerance combined with a huge bribe beyond imagination allowed her to survive.But now, just look at the expression on Luo Li's face when he looked at her to know that he would never let her go.He invested too much in her and would never allow her to leave.

At this moment, Mr. Anderson appeared.She felt safe and felt as if she was back in Mr. Iwato's arms.She knew this feeling came from her training, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.Seeing him sitting next to her, she couldn't help smiling.The phosphorescent light from the glowworm illuminated his foreign face, which stood out among the countless Thais and the few Japanese who had come for her. The two were very different, he didn't greet her in public, but he stood up and walked towards Raleigh, so she immediately understood that her performance was over and she could sleep peacefully tonight.For the first time since that accident, she didn't have to be afraid of white shirts showing up at any time.

Luo Li quickly came to her side, "It seems that you have done a good job, that Farang is going to let you leave work early." "Aren't you going to perform tonight?" Raleigh shrugged. "He paid for it." Emiko breathed a sigh of relief.She packed up quickly and ran down the stairs.Raleigh had made special arrangements so that the white shirts would only be unannounced at certain times, which meant she could do whatever she wanted in Phnom Chit.Even so, she was cautious.Before the formation of the new structure and the new protection fee system, the white shirts conducted three surprise inspections, and many bosses in this area vomited blood, but Raleigh was not among them.Raleigh seems to have a psychic insight into law enforcement and bureaucracy.

Outside the Phunchi building, Anderson waited in his hired rickshaw.He smelled of whiskey and tobacco and had a new mustache.She leaned on him, "I've been waiting for you to come." "I'm sorry it took me so long to come. Things are a little shaky around me." "I miss you." She was surprised to find that it was true. Weaving through night traffic, they glide past shambling giant elephants, glowing Cheshire cats, burning candles and sleeping mansions.They even encountered a lot of patrolling white shirts, but the officers were too busy checking a vegetable market to pay them any attention.The street lamps shone on them in flickering green light.

"Are you okay?" He nodded at the white shirts. "Has the Ministry of the Environment raided your place?" "It was bad at first, but it's much better now." When the surprise inspection was first encountered, everyone panicked.The white shirt rushed up from the stairs, chased away the bustard, shut off the privately connected methane gas pipe, and brandished a baton to beat anyone he saw.The ladyboys cried and screamed, and the owners ran wildly to withdraw cash, but failed to bribe the white shirts that set up the barricades, and fell under the sticks instead.Emiko hid among the other girls, not daring to move like a statue, while Shirt walked up and down in front of them, pointing out problems and threatening to beat them so that they could never work again.They had no sense of humour, only the fury of the death of the Bangkok Tiger, intent on lashing out at those who had laughed at the white shirts.

Incomparable fear.Emiko was so scared that she almost peed her pants when she was among the girls.She was sure that Kannika would find her out and bring her death. Raleigh had great respect for the white shirts, but those he regularly took bribes knew.Some of them even stared directly at her—Suthiporn, Adine, and Sanachai—who knew of her existence and who she was in the place, and some even tasted her.All these people stared at her, wondering if they should "discover" her.It's a farce, with everyone playing their part, and Emiko waiting for Kannika to break through all pretense and force everyone to "see" the clockwork girl who's always been the source of big bribes.

Emiko shivered. "It's better now," she said again. Mr. Anderson nodded. The rickshaw parked in front of his apartment complex.He jumped out of the car first, made sure there were no white shirts nearby, and then led her into the building.The two security guards at the gate carefully pretended not to see her.When leaving, she would tip them again and make sure they completely forgot about it.Of course she hated them, but as long as she pretended to respect them, they would play by the rules.Provided she has to pay.With white shirts on the line, she has to pay more.But it can be done.

She walked into the elevator with Mr. Anderson.The woman driving the elevator, expressionless, announces the estimated total weight on the intercom. Once safely inside his suite, the two immediately embraced.He touched her skin, he wanted to touch her.Emiko was surprised that this made her so happy.She had forgotten what it was like to be treated more or less the same as a human being.When she was in Japan, she didn't pay much attention to this feeling.But every day here makes her feel like an animal. It was a relief to be loved by someone else, even if it was only fondness for her body.

The sex made her completely forget that people called her the Clockwork Man, the monster.In that moment, she felt fully human.But after the sex was over, her inherent depression returned. Mr. Anderson knew what she needed.He got up and poured her a glass of cold water, then lay down next to her naked, careful not to let himself touch her so as not to increase the heat accumulated in her body. "What's wrong?" he asked. Emiko shrugged, trying her best to turn herself into a smiling human, "It's nothing, I can't change it anyway." It was almost impossible for her to say what she wanted.It was totally against her nature.Misumi-sensei would beat her up for it.

Mr. Anderson watched her.He was a man covered in scars, but his eyes were unexpectedly soft.She remembered all the scars on his body, each one a record of violence on his pale skin.She didn't know exactly what violence was.Maybe the cascade of scars on his chest were from a spring pistol, maybe the long scar on his shoulder was from a machete, and those on his back were almost certainly whiplashes.The only thing she could be sure of was the scar on his neck, a memento of the accident at his factory. He reached out and stroked her gently, "What's the matter?" Emiko turned around, her back to him.Waves of shame made her almost speechless, "White shirt...they will never let me leave this city. And now, in order to save my life, Luo Lisang paid more bribes than before I don't think he'll let me go either."

Mr. Anderson didn't answer.She could hear his breathing, slow and steady, but nothing else.Shame surrounded her. Stupid and greedy clockwork girl.You should be content and grateful for all that He is willing to provide. The silence continued.Finally, Mr. Anderson asked, "Are you sure I can't convince Raleigh? He's a businessman after all." Emiko listened to his breathing.Was he offering to redeem her with money?If he is Japanese, it is a carefully expressed proposal.But this is Mr. Anderson, it's really hard to judge. "I don't know. Rollisan likes money, but I think he also likes to see me abused." She waited, searching desperately for clues that might reveal his thoughts.Mr. Anderson didn't ask any more questions, letting her hints hang in the air.But she could feel his body, he was so close to her, the heat on his skin.Is he still listening?If he had been an educated man, she would have known that this lack of response was a clear sign of rejection.But he is a foreigner, and foreigners are very slow in this respect. Emiko made up her mind.She wanted to make her request again and in more detail.Just now she had violated the training she had received, which made her almost speechless with shame.But she didn't want to cringe like a dog again, so she tried again. "I live in a bar now. In order to keep the white shirt from checking in the bar, Rollisan paid a lot of bribes. Now the price is three times that of before, some directly paid to the white shirt, and some paid to other bars, It’s all about getting people to allow me to exist in that place. I don’t know how long this situation can last, I think my niche will disappear soon.” "Are you..." Mr. Anderson paused, as if hesitating, and then he said, "You can stay here." Emiko's heart seemed to miss a beat, "Lori-san will find this place." "I can deal with people like Raleigh." "Can you get me out of his control?" "I don't think I have enough money to buy you out." Emiko's heart sank, and Mr. Anderson continued: "The atmosphere is too tense now, and I can't just take you away to anger him. In that case, he might let White Shirt come to investigate this place. It's too risky to do so Big. But I figured, at least I could arrange for you to spend the night here every day. Raleigh might even thank me, which would reduce his risk of exposure." "But won't this cause you problems? White Shirt doesn't like Farang, and you're not safe now. If I can pay my debt to Raleigh-san... I can go north." Mr. Anderson gently pulled her shoulders, and Emiko fell into his arms at once. "You expect too little," he said.His hands covered her abdomen, stroking back and forth subconsciously.He is thinking. "It won't be long before many things will change. Even the status of the Clockwork Man may change." He gave her a mysterious smile. "The white shirt's rule won't last forever." She was begging him to give her a way to survive, but he was talking about wild fantasies. Emiko tries to hide her disappointment.You should be satisfied, greedy girl.Be grateful for what you have.But she still couldn't completely stop the bitterness in her heart, "I am a clockwork person, and there is no possibility of any change. We will always be cast aside." He smiled and pulled her closer. "Don't be so pessimistic." His lips brushed against her ear and whispered in her ear, like a schemer, "If you pray to the god you believe in that looks like a Cheshire cat, I may be able to give you some Something far better than a village in the jungle. With a little luck, you might even be the master of an entire city." Emiko pushed him away and looked at him with sad eyes, "I can understand if you can't change my fate. But you shouldn't tease me." Mr. Anderson just laughed again.