The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 18: The Light Behind the Door
Holding an address and a business card he had obtained from Mr. Fox, William found the “friend’s shop” Mr. Fox had mentioned, a small place called Space Light Bath.
It was not quite what William had imagined. There did not seem to be many people here, especially at the entrance. No one was waiting in line, which did not quite match the behavior of a trend.
He had just pushed the door open when a bored young girl at the front desk came over to greet him. “Gentleman, what can I do for you?”
The girl looked only about twenty. There were a few freckles around the bridge of her nose, and she carried the freshness of youth about her. She gave off a comfortable feeling.
William’s gaze shifted from the girl to a corridor behind her. Every few yards along the corridor, there was a door, on both sides. Behind them were light-bath rooms.
Ever since some institution claimed that light baths could effectively kill pubic lice and certain mild visible skin diseases, many people had begun enjoying the effects of light baths naked.
Whether they were effective was hard to say. But clearly, this satisfied some people’s urge to be naked in a semi-open public setting, releasing pressure while also turning something that could originally have been done by many people together into an awkward affair.
In the end, most light-bath shops changed from semi-open venues into semi-enclosed private rooms, to protect certain people’s privacy, and certain people’s eyes.
The girl was just about to say something when the sound of a door opening came from the corridor behind her. Then a naked girl wearing sunglasses stood in the hallway. She stretched her body and looked at the two people outside the corridor, showing herself to the air without the slightest concealment.
The sunglasses she wore were something like aviator goggles. Once worn, they basically covered most of the face, leaving only the nose and mouth exposed. Add to that a bathing cap capable of wrapping up all her hair, and even someone fairly familiar with her would find it difficult to discover her true identity through the thick disguise.
That was why these people dared to strip in public places. They were not at all worried about being recognized.
The front desk girl screamed, apologizing as she escorted the restless woman back into her room. She also warned that if the woman ran around again, her later appointments would be canceled. Only then did the woman settle down a little.
“I’m very sorry for troubling you...” After handling the matter, the girl returned to the counter and apologized to William.
“It’s fine. That woman had a very good figure. I feel like I came out ahead.” The remark made the girl blush slightly. At the same time, she felt William was ... she did not know how to describe him.
Call him a bad man, and he was honest.
Call him a good man, and he made no attempt to conceal the filthy things in his heart.
For a moment, the girl stood there speechless, not knowing how to express what she felt. William smiled and said, “Please contact your boss for me. Tell him Mr. Fox introduced me. I’d like to meet him.”
The girl breathed a sigh of relief. After saying to wait a moment, she picked up the telephone. About thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight seconds later, she put down the receiver and pointed toward a side door not far away. “The boss is waiting for you in the back. You can go in.”
William thanked the girl, then entered an office through the side door. A somewhat balding boss in his thirties took the initiative to come over and greet him.
The boss was named Tobyin. When he first opened this light-bath shop, he had not had enough money on hand and had borrowed some from Mr. Fox. Because the light-bath business became more and more popular, he quickly repaid the debt.
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