Chapter 5 Do You Still Keep In Touch With Rosalie

• Melanie picked up her clothes and got dressed, then plopped down on the edge of the bed. She grabbed a cigarette from the pack of Marlboro on my nightstand and lit it skillfully.
• After exhaling a puff of smoke, she chuckled, “I didn't expect you to be so upright!”
• Her smile left me with mixed feelings. I couldn't tell if she genuinely thought I was righteous, or if she was mocking me for not doing what a man is “supposed” to do.
• Even in my innocence, I now fully understood what her job was.
• She was one of those young people striving to make money, working hard to get by—or at least that was what I told myself to feel better.
• I couldn't understand why she had fallen into this line of work.
• “Melanie, um... do you still keep in touch with Rosalie?”
• Melanie, being my deskmate and close friend, naturally knew about my history with Rosalie.
• She took another drag of her cigarette and thought for a moment before answering, “Not really, but I heard she got into Bronzestad University of Technology. I ran into her once during last year's New Year's celebrations, but we didn't talk. By the way, how did you end up working here? Didn't you go to university?”
• I let out a bitter laugh and recounted what happened after the university entrance exam.
• After listening, Melanie shook her head and clicked her tongue, “What a shame. If you hadn't acted impulsively back then, you'd be a student at Bronzestad University of Technology by now—one of the top schools, with a bright future ahead!”
• “There's no such thing as a cure for regret.”
• I sighed and asked her, “What about you? Your scores weren't great, but you could've gotten into a second-tier university. Why are you...”
• Melanie smiled. “I'm still in school. This is just a side gig! My family can't afford tuition, so I have to earn it myself. Sure, this line of work isn't respectable, but it's quick money. Aside from paying for tuition, I have enough left over to buy plenty of things and live a little.”
• Her words made me frown. “Is money really that important? Enough for you to degrade yourself like this, using your body to please men?”
• Melanie gave me a dismissive look and scoffed, “When my mom got sick, we couldn't afford surgery. I had to watch her leave the hospital and go home to wait for death. Hospitals won't refuse to treat bad people, but they definitely won't treat poor ones. So, you tell me, isn't money important?”
• Her words hit me like a bomb, shaking the foundations of my worldview.
• As much as I didn't want to admit it, Melanie was brutally honest.
• She glanced at me, then stood up. “Okay, I'm out of here. Since you made it out, make sure to do your job well.”
• She paused at the door and added, “A word of advice: the world isn't as clean as you think it is. This place, Saint Riveria Spa, is pretty complicated. Watch yourself.”
• I frowned slightly, unsure of what Melanie meant by “complicated.”
• But at that moment, my mind was buzzing with excitement because I had just learned about Rosalie's whereabouts from Melanie.
• Bronzestad University of Technology wasn't far from Saint Riveria Spa—only seven or eight kilometers. Yet, I was torn.
• The memories of my youth, which I had tried to bury, suddenly sprang to life like new buds on an old tree. The idea of finding Rosalie popped into my head and wouldn't leave.
• “It's been three years. I should go see her,” I muttered to myself, making a silent decision to visit her in the next few days.
• I needed to close that chapter of my youth properly.
• I lit a cigarette, dangled it between my lips, and walked out of the room.
• As I passed the front desk, Irene suppressed a laugh and asked, “Mr. Skye, you're out already?”
• I forced a smile. “Just feeling a bit tired today. Not in the best shape.”
• “Oh, by the way, has Mr. Carlson arranged anything for me next?” I asked.
• Irene pointed down the hallway behind me. “Mr. Carlson said you can pick a room for tonight and stay over. Tomorrow, he'll help you look for a place to rent.”
• “Got it. Thanks, Ms. Jennings!” I thanked her and followed the hallway toward Tigre's office.
• When I reached the door, I knocked. After hearing Tigre's voice, I pushed it open and walked in.
• Tigre's face lit up with a big grin when he saw me. His jowls bunched up as he laughed.
• “So, Theros, how was the full-package experience?”
• I nodded.
• “It was great, Mr. Hackett. Thanks for helping me find a job!”
• Tigre waved it off.
• “C'mon, no need to be so polite! You and I get along, and I'm happy to call you my buddy.”
• As we chatted, Tigre filled me in on the main services offered at Saint Riveria Spa.
• The first service was just basic spa and body scrub, which needed no explanation.
• The second service was the guest room department—the area I'd be managing.
• Some might wonder why people would rent a room at a spa instead of a hotel.
• Well, Tigre's guest rooms were better decorated and more comfortable than many average hotels.
• Plus, staying here didn't require ID registration, offering convenience to those whose sensitive identities made checking into regular hotels difficult.