This was Duanmo's first time visiting a place like this. In her impression, dance halls should be a product of the 1980s and 1990s. Today, with KTVs, disco bars and various entertainment clubs, dance halls have obviously failed to keep up with the trend.
But after buying tickets and entering with Lu Wuchuan, she found that this place was completely different from what she had imagined.
The ballroom was pitch dark, with only a spherical spotlight rotating, and the light and shadow flashing by, making it even more dreamlike and unreal.
There were only a few people sitting in the surrounding booths, mostly men. There were about four or five pairs of men and women on the dance floor, swaying to the low music, and a few fashionably dressed women wandering around the venue.
He took off his down jacket and wore a black sweatshirt. The ends of his jeans looked a little out of place here. Lu Wuchuan was calm, with still no expression on his face, and took her to find an empty booth to sit down.
After a while, several women passed by them intentionally or unintentionally. Perhaps because Duan Mo was there, no one took the initiative to talk to them.
A few minutes later, a woman in a tight dress strolled over and said tentatively: "Handsome man, this is the first time I have ever brought a girlfriend here."
Regarding her words, Duan Mo didn't know whether to explain or not, so she heard Lu Wuchuan say: "My sister, children are very curious, so she insisted on letting me bring her to see things."
When the woman heard this, she smiled sweetly and sat on the empty sofa next to him: "Can my little sister know how to dance?"
Duanmo shook his head: "No."
The woman's smile became even brighter: "How about I dance a few songs with my brother? The fee is not high, I guarantee you will be satisfied."
"Is there an extra charge for dancing?" Duan Mo looked confused.
The woman covered her lips and smiled tremblingly: "It's my first time here, little sister. I'll tell you that you have to pay for dancing in the ballroom. It's not expensive, just 20 yuan for three songs."
"It's quite cheap, brother, go dance with this sister."
The corners of Lu Wuchuan's lips were slightly raised, but his eyes were cold: "I'm not worried about you being here alone. Here's the money. You can talk to us and tell my sister the ropes here."
The latter sentence was said to the woman, and at the same time he handed her a hundred-dollar bill.
After saying that, he stood up and sat next to Duanmo, called the waiter, and asked very thoughtfully: "What would you like to drink, little sister?" He looked like a good brother.
It was the first time I met such a customer, but as long as there was money to be made, the woman didn't care too much, not to mention that the ballroom was not crowded at this time, so it was idle. She leaned on the sofa and folded the banknotes.
He stuffed it into his small bag and said, "Okay, little sister, if you want to know anything, just ask, and I promise to tell you."
The ball was kicked back silently, obviously letting Duan Mo do the talking, so she could only say: "What do you call sister?"
"Ali." A woman like this obviously wouldn't use her real name in a place like this.
The drinks were served and placed in front of the three people. They were playing with the straws in the cups, looking like an ignorant girl. They were saying something here and there. After ten minutes, Ali let down her guard.
She told Duan Mo that she had been here for several months and bought tickets every day. Making money by dancing with others was entirely a personal act and had nothing to do with the dance hall.
The reason why I came to New World is because there are many customers here. Although three dances only cost 20 yuan, you can still make one to two hundred yuan in one day.
She also kindly reminded Lu Wuchuan that if he just wanted to dance, don't go inside. The ballroom had unwritten rules. Different dancers stood in different positions. The darker the place, the more open it was and the larger the scale.
Especially in the innermost part of the dance floor, the dancers there have no bottom line. As long as they pay, they can do whatever they want. But no one will mess around in the dance hall. They all take advantage of the opportunity of dancing to negotiate a price, and then leave to make transactions outside.
Duan Mo opened his mouth into an O shape: "Is this okay?"
"What's wrong? If you buy a ticket and enter, you're a guest of the ballroom. You're not doing anything here, so no one can care about it!" Ali disagreed.
Duanmo moved forward and said, "Sister Ali, a neighbor moved next door to my house a few months ago. Her name is Li Chunhua. I heard from others that she always comes to New World to dance. Is that what she does too?"
Ali raised her eyebrows: "Little sister, are you here specifically to inquire about gossip?"
"It's like this. One time, there was no one at home and I forgot to bring my keys. I happened to meet her and went to her house to sit for a while. From then on, we became acquainted. I thought she was quite nice, but my brother didn't.
Let me interact with her." Duan Mo glanced at Lu Wuchuan beside him, with a bit of timidity, "She seemed to have been beaten once. My brother said that she was hit by her first wife. I didn't believe it, so I wanted to find out.
inquire about."
Ali pursed her lips and smiled: "There used to be a woman named Chunhua, I don't know if her surname was Li. However, she was not beaten by her original wife, she was beaten by another woman who always came here.
"
"Why?"
"What else can I do to get jealous? I got into a fight to win customers, and ended up getting a black eye. Then I just stopped coming."
"That person is so powerful that he scares people so much that they don't dare to come?"
"Hey, you can't blame Hua Zi. Originally, that man was Hua Zi's lover, it was not an ordinary relationship. As for Chunhua, when Hua Zi was not around, she hooked up with that man, even in front of Hua Zi.
Show off, do you think I can make people not angry?"
"Sister Ali, which one is Hua Zi? Point it out to me!"
"She hasn't been here for a long time. Some people said she disappeared. Others said she was raped by someone from Chunhua. I don't know if it's true or not."
Ali's words made Duanmo immediately think of someone, and she asked tentatively: "What is Hua Zi's name?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I heard from the aunt downstairs that after Li Chunhua was beaten, a woman came to see her and the two had a quarrel. There was a lot of noise. The aunt downstairs said she heard Li Chunhua scolding Cui Hua for being shameless."
Duan Mo said it vividly.
Ali obviously also likes gossip: "That's it, Hua Zi's surname is Cui, I didn't expect that she actually went after someone else's family!"
"Is that man Hua Zi's boyfriend?" Duan Mo approached Ali and asked, "Is he rich? Or is he good-looking?"
Ali curled her lips: "What kind of boyfriend is that? He's just a good friend. If he had money, he would have gone to high-end places to find girls. How can he hang out here? As for his appearance..."
She looked at Lu Wuchuan and laughed: "No matter how good-looking he is, he is still in his forties, and he can't compare to a young man. But this guy is not stingy at all. I heard Hua Zi say before that if he goes out for a meal,
He is willing to spend money on shopping or something."
"I would like to see what this person looks like. Has he been here recently?" Duanmo looked curious.