Manager Jin immediately went to fetch the drinks himself, taking the chance to slip away.
"Mei has one last song. Once she's finished, she has to move on to the Yunhua Nightclub. Then it'll be Miss Judy's turn to take the stage and sing," Young Master An said, sitting across from Chu Xiaoxin.
The flower-giving episode had held things up for a few minutes, so Gu Mei made a last-minute choice to sing the short "The Bright Moon Sends Longing a Thousand Miles." She finished in barely two minutes. Without time to return backstage and change, she walked straight down from the stage in her evening gown and came to Chu Xiaoxin's table specifically to offer a toast.
Seeing that Young Master An was at the same table, Gu Mei breathed a small sigh of relief. Neither of the two young masters before her was someone a little songstress like her could afford to offend. She picked up the champagne Manager Jin had just brought, filled a glass, and bowed slightly to Chu Xiaoxin.
"Thank you for your support, Young Master Shun. Please accept this humble drink as a small token of Gu Mei's gratitude."
Song Tianyao sat beside Chu Xiaoxin, studying Gu Mei. She was about twenty, and though she wore light makeup and an evening gown, dressed just like a typical songstress, she had an unusually quiet, elegant air in these surroundings. She looked more like a schoolgirl than a singer.
No wonder she had attracted the admiration of so many wealthy young men.
Wu Jinliang whispered to Song Tianyao that the ten rose baskets Chu Xiaoxin had casually sent cost a hundred Hong Kong dollars apiece, a thousand in all. Under the nightclub's revenue-sharing arrangement with its singers, that meant Chu Xiaoxin had casually tipped Gu Mei four hundred dollars.
Song Tianyao's expression remained unchanged, but he reckoned that the little money in his pocket would probably only be enough to let him play the wealthy young master for one night.
Just then, another songstress came onstage. As she appeared, five or six young men dressed much like Young Master An and Chu Xiaoxin emerged from backstage, applauding her as they walked toward the tables.
The singer had barely taken her place onstage, before the music had even started, when she spotted Chu Xiaoxin sitting in the front row. Once she saw clearly that the woman offering him a toast was Gu Mei, her expression changed at once, and she called out instinctively, "Young Master Shun..."
The moment the words left her mouth, the singer, Chen Judy, knew she had said the wrong thing, but it was too late. The people at the tables who had been waiting for her to sing immediately broke into jeers.
"Now there's an interesting singer. She gets onstage and calls out a man's name instead of singing..."
"Your sweetheart's not by your side? Missing him terribly? Come down and let big brother comfort you, no matter..."
Seeing the singer embarrass herself, some of the customers promptly began mocking her loudly.
When the five or six wealthy young men saw Chen Judy make a mistake and become the target of ridicule, every one of them flew into a rage. They turned and cursed at the tables behind them, but their standing was apparently considerably lower than Young Master An's, and none of the customers showed them any respect. A few particularly brazen ones even traded insults with them.
Like a young man who had quarreled with his girlfriend, Chu Xiaoxin turned his head away from Chen Judy, who was already in tears from embarrassment onstage. Across from him, Young Master An understood that Young Master Shun had fallen out with Chen Judy. He immediately exchanged a discreet glance with Gu Mei and settled in to watch the show.
"Young Master Shun, whatever happened, you're still the head of that lady's Young Masters' Club. Ignoring her earlier was enough to teach her a lesson. If this goes on, other people may start laughing at you," Song Tianyao said softly beside Chu Xiaoxin.
Chu Xiaoxin gave a grunt, his face dark, but said nothing to help the singer out of her predicament. Song Tianyao immediately realized that Second Young Master Chu was worried he would lose face if he spoke first, so he added:
"You don't need to say anything, Young Master Shun. I'll do it."
With that, Song Tianyao stood up and pointed his left index finger around at all the customers at the tables behind him. With his right hand, he took out his wallet, pulled out all the banknotes, and held them in his hand as he spoke.
"Which one of you just insulted Miss Judy? I have two thousand Hong Kong dollars here. Young Master Chu Xiaoxin wants to see who's got the nerve to embarrass a singer he supports. Whoever spoke just now, come over to this table. These two thousand dollars are yours for your medical bills. If you don't have the guts, shut your mouth! Otherwise, Young Master Shun will use the two thousand to buy flower baskets for Miss Judy onstage."
Chu Xiaoxin's eyes lit up. Even Young Master An, who had been sitting opposite them watching the show, looked impressed. The young man Chu Xiaoxin had brought along had put that beautifully!
First, Chu Xiaoxin had helped Chen Judy out of her predicament without saying a word. Two thousand dollars, twenty flower baskets, was enough to overshadow the ten baskets he had sent Gu Mei earlier.
Second, he had named Chu Xiaoxin as the head of Miss Judy's Young Masters' Club, without requiring Chu Xiaoxin to lower himself by stepping forward and speaking personally.
Third, the speech was grand and generous. Once the money was out, it wouldn't be put away again. That was the mark of a veteran of the pleasure scene. On the strength of that move alone, probably every dancer and singer there would want to know the young man's name tonight.
Song Tianyao kept pointing his finger around at the crowd. "I've had my say. Anyone coming forward?"
Chapter 11: Police Are a Vulnerable Group
In truth, Song Tianyao himself felt stupid standing up to say all that. But he had transmigrated into an eighteen-year-old, and a hot-blooded youth standing up for a woman didn't seem out of place to the others. On the contrary, combined with Song Tianyao's gestures and expression, it gave everyone the impression that he was full of fighting spirit.
Young men, especially those who looked wealthy, were supposed to be high-spirited.
"I don't care what bloody Young Masters' Club or Young Master Chu you're talking about. Well, isn't this something? You can get paid for making fun of a dancer onstage? All right, I'll take it." A young man in a floral shirt stood up drunkenly somewhere in the back row. With a deliberately exaggerated flourish, he lifted his shirt to reveal the gun holster at his waist, showing everyone that he was a cop. Then he cast a sidelong glance and sauntered toward Song Tianyao.
When someone stepped forward, Song Tianyao's expression didn't change. He kept a faint smile on his face and even nodded to the plainclothes policeman. Chu Xiaoxin, on the other hand, turned back to look at the approaching cop, his face grim.
If the money in Song Tianyao's hand was taken, it would have nothing to do with Song Tianyao; it was Chu Xiaoxin who would lose face. Song Tianyao could keep his composure, but Chu Xiaoxin couldn't possibly stand by and watch the policeman take the money.