The Story of Qiu Lian Pt. 01

Chapter One

Qiu Lian knew she was different ever since she was little. She couldn't understand what it was, but Qiu felt different from "normal" girls her age. Qiu tried to explore herself and her feelings in an attempt to understand why she felt this way, becoming a deep introvert. Inside her own world, she lived her life, always enjoying solitude over the 'idiotic' babbling of other kids her age. She had friends, friends that Qiu valued deeply, but Qiu distanced herself from the rest of her rural village, being content with her own thoughts.

When Qiu was sixteen she started working in the nearby city. She was able to get a job working at a phone shop selling sim cards and phones. Her work being in the city, she had to commute nearly an hour each way by bus. The scenic route quickly became tiresome, just trees and mountains with ever-increasing dots of buildings and houses until entering the city proper. She stuck with the job until she was eighteen, which is where our story begins.

"I'm off to work again," Qiu informed her mother one weekday after school.

"Oh, alright dear. Could you bring some of that good soy sauce home with you?" Huang replied, not looking up from the vegetables she was cutting.

"The kind from that barbecue restaurant?"

"Yes, that's the one. I plan to make dumplings tomorrow," her mother said.

"Sure, I'll get the usual amount?"

"Yeah, and bring home anything you think you'd like with them."

"Okay."

Qiu smiled as she bent down to collect her bag. Her mother kept continued to cut vegetables and hum quietly. The wooden pantries of the kitchen reflected a yellowish tint from the evening sun, the cicadas of summer chirping noisily through the window. Qiu walked to the den, sat on the couch and began to tie her shoes. Her mother noiselessly appeared at the kitchen door frame, and said,

"Remind me again, what day will your exam be?" She meant the college entrance exams that took place each year.

"It'll be June," Qiu couldn't forget that even if she had wanted to.

With a concerned look, she said, "Do you think you should stop working for a while before the test? To study?"

"Yea, I plan to quit work before spring sets in."

"I think that would be a good idea, the test is very important for your future." Huang's face lit up, her gaze shifting upward, then asked, "Do you have ideas yet for what you plan to study?"

Qiu's focus didn't stray from the shoelaces. "I'm still not sure, maybe history or something. I like books, stories and things."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll find something you'll have an interest in. Well enjoy work while you can!" Huang turned, waving goodbye, returning to her meal she was preparing.

"Thanks, I'll try.." Qiu said half-sarcastically. Her job was anything glamorous, but knew her mom meant well.

The trek to work was tedious as usual. Grimy atmosphere seeped into the air as the bus went slowly toward the city.

"Qiu, we've got someone over there who wants to buy a prepaid, take care of that," said the shift manager as Qiu walked into the phone store.

"Yeah, I got it," said Qiu with a sigh. Another day in the life.

With hardly any breaks, Qiu set up phone numbers, pulled phone models from displays, and did the paperwork to get people on their way. She was supposed to be smiling, but she rarely did in those kinds of rushes.

On the way home, Qiu thought about the job posting she found online. She was surfing through listings a few days ago one late evening, and came across one that looked interesting.

'Wanted: Young women for extreme contract modeling job. Must be 18+. Must inquire in person.'

Qiu turned the word over in her mind. "Extreme." She smiled as she put her hand to her forehead, head slumped against the window watching the rain fall from the night sky. 'What could it mean by that?' she thought to herself. The first thing she thought to do was call the company for more details, but strangely no phone number was listed.

"The next stop is Big Bridge stop. For passengers who are getting off the bus, please don't forget to collect your belongings," chimed the cheery computer voice from the speakers.

On the road home from the bus stop, a friend spotted Qiu.

"Hey, did you see the video I sent you?" asked Bao Zhai.

"The one with the cats? Yeah, funny."

Bao smiled. "So you got any plans this weekend? I'm getting some of the girls together for a trip to Changsha, you wanna go?"

Qiu thought. "Maybe, could I let you know later tonight?"

"Sure, I'll be on QQ."

"Okay, great. I want to check something beforehand."

"See ya online."

"Yeah, see ya."

When Qiu got home she dropped her bag next to the door, and rushed towards her room.

"How was work?" her father asked from the armchair, looking up from the paper in his lap.

"Oh, it was fine. Nothing special, nothing too hard either."

"I think it's great you're working, learning responsibility. I'm very proud of you, Qiu."

"Yeah, thanks dad. I'm going to check something now, I'll be back for dinner."

"Alright, the food is just about ready."

"Did you bring home the soy sauce?" said Huang, reaching her head around the corner from the kitchen.

"Yeah, one second." Qiu walked back to her back, took out the sauce, and walked it to her mom.

"Thank you dear, this will taste wonderful."

"Yeah, no problem," said Qiu, turning back toward the staircase.

When Qiu got to her room she started up her computer and sped to the advertisement listings. She quickly found the one she had in mind, and checked the details. 'Yes, it's in Changsha. I could check out this job while I go up for the weekend with my friends. Perfect.'

She logged onto QQ and found her friend. In a few short minutes they were planning the details of their trip, a trip that would change Qiu's life.

Chapter Two

On Friday, after school, Qiu and her friends gathered at the bus station. They would take the bus to the train station, and from there onto Changsha, the capital of the province. Qiu had only been to Changsha once in her life, years ago when her parents brought her for a vacation.

"You excited?" a voice said at her side.

"What? Oh, yeah, of course I am," Qiu replied to her friend.

"Me too, I've never been to the capital before."

"I don't remember much of it, I was there when I was a kid but that's it."

Qiu contemplated sharing her discovery of this modeling with her friends, seeing what they thought about the possibilities, but she decided to keep it secret, to have it as her own. She planned to go off from the group for a while to find it, and rendezvous back after.

The squeaking brakes of the bus pulling to a stop broke through Qiu's trance. Everyone began to pile in, dragging suitcases and bags of all colors.

"Look at all that stuff, like we're going to Beijing or something," whispered Bao to Qiu, motioning toward the girls struggling to pull everyone up the steps of the bus.

"Yeah, a little over prepared," Qiu said in agreement. She looked down at Bao's belongings, who held up a single backpack with a smile. Qiu laughed.

The journey was filled with the gossip of the village, card games, and sleeping. Qiu thought back to the conversation she had with her parents about the trip, who were happy to let her go.

"About time you had some fun, I was worrying all that work was getting under skin," said her mother.

Qiu could only smile, hesitant to say what excited her most. She almost felt like she had won the lottery. She would check out the company offering this modeling job, but the description seemed to want anyone, female and eighteen years old or older. 'That could be mine,' she told herself. She could become famous, pictures in magazines, lots of money. It seemed amazing.

Qiu laid her head back in the seat of the train and closed her eyes. As the train rocked back and forth, slowly drawing her toward the city, she fell into a light sleep and dreamt of the possibilities awaiting her.

When the train finally arrived at the city, all the girls from the village were smiling and looking around, like they'd never seen such wonder as a capital city. It took them under an hour to find a hostel for the few nights they'd be staying, and then decided on plans for the rest of the night.

Qiu planned to take time the next day to go the address listed in the ad. After googling it she saw it would be about a ten minute cab ride. Feeling settled and prepared, she joined her friends in the festivities of the night.

The next morning, after a night of visits to giant shopping centers and landmarks in the city, everyone was exhausted. They decided to have breakfast then planned to go out in the afternoon. Qiu saw her chance.

"I'm going out for a bit, an old family member is near here," she said.

"Oh, who is it?" asked one of her friends.

"Some cousin, we've never met, but we made plans to meet when I came to the city," Qiu lied.

"Okay, we plan to be going out around two, so you can meet up with us. Text us if you'll be late."

"Alright, see you then," said Qiu, and was on her way.

Qiu didn't really enjoy lying, but in this kind of situation she determined it would be best. This might not be anything worth getting excited about or telling anyone, and until she could be sure what the details of it all were, Qiu didn't want to share it.

She hailed a cab on the street of the hotel, noticing the busy city noises and bustling of people around her. She gave the driver the address, and before she knew it, was being told she'd arrived.

After paying the driver and stepping out, she looked at the building. It didn't seem like a place movie stars would be, just a dozen or so stories of office windows. She double checked the address she had written down, and when she'd confirmed it was indeed her destination, pulled open the door, and stepped inside.

In the entrance hall there was a circular desk with an attendant sitting behind.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, I'm here for a modeling job," Qiu said, not sure whether to ask or declare.

"Alright, that will be on the sixth floor. I'll let them know you're coming."

"Thanks," she said, and was on her way towards the elevators on the right.

The sixth floor had granite flooring, and purplish walls and ceiling. Qiu stepped out of the elevator and just realized she didn't know where on the sixth floor to look, but it wouldn't matter. In the hallway outside the elevators there was a single door. Qiu brushed her hair out of her face, straightened her clothes, and took a breath. 'You can do this, they'll love you,' she told herself. She walked to the door, grasped the handle and turned. She pulled it open with feigned confidence, and walked in, taking in the surroundings. Another desk at the front, another attendant behind, grey walls, beige carpeting, ordinary ceiling tiles, fluorescent lighting, chairs lined against the walls, and a camera in a corner of the room. Qiu shivered.

"Hello miss, I've been told you're here for the modeling contract?" said the desk attendant.

"Y-yes, I am. My name is Qiu Lian, nice to meet you," Qiu responded, outstretching her right hand.

The clerk smiled back, but didn't shake hands. "Please take a seat, we'll be with you shortly."

"Okay, thanks." Qiu was getting more nervous by the second. She walked to a chair, sat down, and looked around her. There wasn't anyone else in the room but her and that desk clerk. 'Is she the interviewer?' Qiu thought to herself. She put her hands under her thighs to keep warm in the cool air-conditioned office room, and waited.

In another room on the sixth floor of the office building that Qiu had just entered, a man and a woman stood over a series of television screens. They were focusing on the one that had the feed from the camera in the room in which Qiu sat waiting.

"She's pretty," said the man.

"And I'm not?" the woman joked.

"Yeah, you're pretty too. So what do you think, does she fit the requirements?"

"Let's see..." the woman said, leaning in closer to the screen. "Seems like size B cup, not too short, not too tall. Figure looks ordinary, maybe a bit on the skinny side. And yes, to adhere to your single variable measurement, she is pretty."

"Great, I'll start the paperwork."

"No need to get excited, this one might shy away from us too. We're not exactly selling ice-cream here, ya know?"

"Fine. I'll be in my office, let me know if we get the green light."

A door opened back in the hallway behind the front desk after what felt like an hour, and out walked a tall woman in business attire. Her hair was curled in a tight bun and she wore black rimmed glasses. As she walked toward Qiu with a stern demeanor, Qiu opened her mouth and slowly stood up. Then the woman spoke, and when she did her face lit up like a lantern.

"Hello, my name is Zheng Yuan," the woman said with a big smile. "I am the Head of the Testing Department, and I represent the company that posted the modeling advertisement, which is what I'm assuming you're here to inquire about?"

"Y-yes, I'd like to know more about it before-" Zheng cut her off.

"Of course, we can get to all of those details and clear any questions up you might have. Now, I must ask, are you eighteen years old?"

"Yes, I turned eighteen this year," Qiu said.

"Excellent. We will need to verify that, but first please come with me to my office where we can discuss in depth the details of this position."

"Sure," Qiu said.

Qiu followed the woman back through the doorway. Qiu heard the door shut behind her as she followed Zheng down a carpeted hallway. She took note of the shoes the woman wore, the heels higher than anything Qiu had seen anyone wear before.

"Are you from the Changsha area?" questioned the woman as she turned her head slightly without breaking pace.

"No, I'm from a village a few hours by train. I'm here visiting with my friends for the weekend," Qiu said.

The woman nodded slightly. They approached a door on the left of the hallway, and the woman ushered Qiu inside. In the office there was a desk covered with folders, pictures, trinkets, candy. Two chairs sat in front, one executive looking one sat behind. The woman went behind the desk and sat down with a smile and a sigh. Qiu then took her seat.

"May I see your ID first?" asked Zheng.

"Oh, sure," said Qiu. She pulled it from her purse, and handed it across the desk.

After a moment of inspection, Zheng smiled, and said "Alright, now one last thing before we begin. Are you currently pregnant? "

"No, I'm not," Qiu said, the idea of being pregnant being hard to imagine.

"Okay. How much have you heard about our company?"

Qiu swallowed. "I only saw the advertisement, I've never heard of your company." The ID was handed back.

"Alright, well it would be best to make that clear first." Zheng cleared her throat. "Our company is one of the world leaders in chastity design and device production. We are funded by numerous major investors, as well as scientific organizations focusing on chastity, control, and the effects on the body."

Qiu took a moment to digest what she had just heard. "...You mean, like, those things from ancient history that people wore so they couldn't have sex?"

"Exactly that, although our designs are no longer considered 'ancient'. We have state of the art technology at our disposal, and implement cutting edge and innovative ideas for maximum customer satisfaction. Do you follow?"

"Uhm, I think so. I'm still not sure what the whole modeling job is though."

"The position we are advertising is a trial run for our new designs. We're looking for people like yourself to wear our products so that we may study both the effectiveness of the design, as well as the effects on the individual wearing the pieces."

"You mean I would, wear, a-"

"You would sign a contract in which you agree to wear a chastity harness, which might include many fringe utility pieces. There are multiple levels of intensity of the style you select, and the compensation increases accordingly with the level of intensity."

Qiu was stunned. She didn't know what to say. Priorities came into her mind, and she asked, "How much is this, compensation?"

"There will be a signing bonus, as you must have read about, as well as a monthly check lasting each month for the entirety of the contract. The contract is a one year long agreement, would you like to examine it?" Zheng turned to reach down to a drawer in her desk.

"No. No, thank you though, I'd like to think for a moment."

"Very well," Zheng said with a smile, straightening back into her chair.

Qiu's mind was racing almost as fast as her heartbeat. She felt scared, 'What kind of place am I in?' she thought. 'What is going on here, this is ridiculous, I can't believe something like this would be real.' A part of her told her to turn around, get out, never look back at this building and forget all this. Another part of her, though, was excited. Excited in the face of the unknown. The words this woman had spoken to her, she understood them all, but it still didn't make sense. Qiu thought it felt like a dream, but couldn't tell if it was a good one or bad one.

"I'm really not sure I'm interested in this. I'd never imagined the advertisement to be something this, this-" Qiu said, cut off by Zheng.

"This exotic? Yes, well we take pride in our business, and maintain a very professional attitude about it all."

Qiu looked down at the desk in front of her, and decided. She didn't want to do with this kind of thing. "Thank you for explaining this all to me, but I'm really not interested. I think I'd like to leave, now."

Zheng blinked, and a smile formed on her lips. She started, "I completely understand, that is no problem at all. You can leave whenever you'd like, we won't keep you." There was noticeable disappointment in her tone, but also a sense of acceptance.

Qiu began to rise, and looked down. At Zheng's voice, she snapped her attention up.

"If you would like to get your measurements into our system though, before you go, we could keep a file for you in case you ever change your mind." Zheng's face held a look of earnest persuasion.

"What do you mean, measurements?" Qiu said.

"Well, all of our equipment is specially made for each of our customers, so everything fits without a hitch. It's just a measurement on, rather intimate parts of the body. But it's completely harmless, and afterwords you can be on your way out the door."

Qiu paused. 'Is that a good idea?' A dialogue formed in her mind. 'How bad can it be? She looks trustworthy. You can maybe find out more about this place doing this.'

"Sure, why not," Qiu said with a smile.

"Marvelous, the measuring station is just down the hall. Please come with me," said Zheng as she walked out her office door.

Qiu followed Zheng down the hall away from the front room she had entered through. 'I'll just do these measurements, and be gone,' she told herself.

Coming to another door, this one a little heavier looking, Zheng motioned Qiu in.

"We'll have one of our engineers take your measurements, I won't need to be present. If I don't see you again, it was great to meet you. Please always feel free to contact us if you take an interest in what we have to offer."

"Okay, I'll remember. Thanks for informing me about all this," Qiud said. Zheng waved with a smile and turned, closing the door as she left.

Qiu examined the room she now occupied. 'Looks like some doctor's office or something,' she thought. The floor had white tiles, white walls, white ceiling. There was a stainless steel table on one side of the room, bolted into the ground. A few chairs, white exterior cabinets, and a small desk built into the wall.

The door opened, and in walked a woman that Qiu guessed was in her forties. She wore a white lab coat, her hair in a short ponytail.