Nightclub 3

"Of course I couldn't go like that!" Xie Yibai didn't dare imagine the public relations crisis that would erupt if he were photographed going in and out of a nightclub with an unidentified beauty.

If the unidentified beauty were then revealed to be his mother-her son accompanying her to order male models-having his reputation destroyed would be getting off lightly. His rivals would surely seize the chance to spread damaging rumors about him, muddy the waters, and manipulate public opinion to send him straight to hell, never to rise again.

He Limei understood that her son's work was unusual and he couldn't show his real face at a nightclub, but when she saw him fully armed with a bucket hat, sunglasses, and a mask, she couldn't help laughing. "Who dresses like that to go to a nightclub? Aren't you just drawing attention to yourself? The less people can see, the more they'll want to see. You stand out too much."

"Then what do you suggest?" Xie Yibai asked irritably.

"Come sit down. Mom will do your makeup. I guarantee nobody will recognize you." He Limei pushed him onto a stool and fetched her full set of makeup tools. "Close your eyes first. I'll be quicker that way."

An hour later, He Limei put down her makeup brush and said, "All that's missing is a wig, and it'll be perfect."

Xie Yibai picked up a mirror and looked at himself. "You made me look like a ladyboy!" he shouted in despair.

He Limei hadn't lied. He looked as though he were wearing a face mask painted with greasepaint. His liquid foundation was as thick as wall putty, his eyeshadow was a riot of colors, pearlescent glitter covered the inner corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose, and his lips were so red they were almost black, as though he'd been poisoned by cherries. Even a die-hard fan standing in front of him would never believe it was him.

"What's wrong with looking like a ladyboy? That's exactly the effect I wanted." He Limei went back to her bedroom and fetched a wig she wore herself: glossy, straight black hair that reached the chin, with blunt bangs cut straight across.

She was his mother, after all, and managing her son's image was child's play. With just a little trickery, she had made Xie Yibai look nothing like her biological son.

Xie Yibai stared at his terrifying face in the mirror and said, "If mainland China ever lifts its ban on ghost movies, I'll recommend you to a film crew as a special effects makeup artist."

"Hahaha, see? Your mom isn't completely useless. She's got a bit of talent, doesn't she?" He Limei waved a hand grandly. "There's no need to change your clothes. It doesn't matter what you wear. Anyone who walks past you will think you're a trans person who hasn't had surgery yet."

"..." Xie Yibai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Only for his own mother would he ever sacrifice this much for a woman in his lifetime! Because she was his mother!

Xie Yibai hadn't told his assistant or agent about this outing, nor had he called for a car and driver. He couldn't bear the embarrassment. Since this was a top-secret private outing for him and his mother, he hadn't even booked a ride online, so as to leave no trace. Mother and son hailed a taxi by the roadside.

In the car, Zou Yan messaged him to ask what he was doing that evening.

Xie Yibai told a harmless little lie: Watching a movie at home with my mom tonight.

Zou Yan: What movie?

Xie Yibai made something up: Gone with the Wind.

Zou Yan: That's such an old movie.

: Yeah, my mom likes Vivien Leigh.

That was a lie. His mom liked Brigitte Bardot.

Zou Yan: Have you eaten dinner? Does your mom want anything to eat?

: Haha, we've eaten. We ordered delivery.

Zou Yan: Okay, enjoy your movie. I'm going to see a play later too.

: Going by yourself?

Zou Yan: No, a friend gave me the tickets. I almost forgot about them and only remembered today. He gave me several, and the seats are great. I was going to ask if you and your mom wanted to come, but since you already have something you want to watch, never mind.

: Why don't you get Director Ke to go with you?

Zou Yan: He's busy writing a script. He doesn't have time.

: Okay.

Xie Yibai chatted with Zou Yan for a bit, then pitched up his voice to bicker and trade barbs with He Limei. Tonight, he and she weren't mother and son, but a pair of good friends who didn't get along very well.

The taxi arrived at their destination, and Xie Yibai paid the driver in cash, telling him to keep the change.

After getting out, He Limei hooked her arm through his and walked with him into the colorful nightclub.

As soon as he entered the Blaze Era, Xie Yibai realized he'd worried too much. Amid the deafening music and flashing lights, all sorts of demons and monsters roamed about, dressed in every conceivable way, each wearing heavier and more flamboyant makeup than the last. If there was anything distinctive about him, it was that he looked neither male nor female.

But on this wild night of revelry, zero people cared about his gender.

He Limei had been a dutiful daughter for over twenty years, then a good wife and loving mother for over twenty more after getting married. This was her first time in the glitzy nightlife scene, and she was dazzled, having so much fun she didn't want to leave. She held up her phone and kept filming the handsome male models dancing sexily onstage.

Xie Yibai was also attracted to men, but because of his profession, male actors had long since raised his standards. Watching these young men show off their muscles and dance with all their might, he felt only bored. Beautiful bodies were certainly pleasing to look at, but flaunting one's sex appeal took skill. Putting it on display so bluntly was the crudest approach. It might work very well on some people, but he didn't fall for that kind of seduction.

Once He Limei had finished recording, Xie Yibai took her phone and held her coat for her, then left her free to enjoy herself however she wanted. He just wanted to sit in a booth, eat from a fruit platter, play on his phone, and have a few drinks.

"I'm going to sit down and wait for you!" he shouted to his mom.

He Limei answered him with an excited scream, because a male model onstage was kneeling by the strip of lights with a lollipop stick between his lips, leaning down to feed the candy into a lucky female audience member's mouth.

Xie Yibai gave up. He made his way through the packed dance floor toward the seats.

But he'd only taken three steps when someone grabbed his arm. He turned around in surprise and suspicion and found himself looking straight into Sheng Ke's eyes. At first he could hardly believe it, until he looked down at the man's wrist and saw the familiar watch.

Xie Yibai opened his mouth, not daring to make a sound.

Assessing actors' faces was part of Sheng Ke's job, and he had developed an exceptional eye for it. Recognizing Xie Yibai was both a rational judgment and an emotional intuition.

"Why did you make yourself up to look like someone else?" he asked.

The music was loud and noisy, and Xie Yibai couldn't hear him clearly. Eager to deny it and shake off the hand, he yelled, "You've got the wrong person!"

Sheng Ke refused to let him leave. When he saw that Xie Yibai wouldn't admit it, he reached for his wig. Xie Yibai immediately panicked and pressed both hands to the sides of his head.

That was as good as a confession. Sheng Ke pulled him a little farther away from the speakers and asked loudly enough to be heard, "Does Zou Yan know you came here?"

Xie Yibai dropped the act and shot back, "I was going to ask you the same thing! Weren't you writing a script?"

"I am writing a script," Sheng Ke said. "My computer's in a private room. Want to go take a look?"

Xie Yibai wasn't sure whether to believe him, but what did it matter to him whether Sheng Ke was writing a script? Why should he go and check? He was only annoyed that an acquaintance had seen through his disguise, and challenged him, "What respectable director comes to a nightclub to write a script?"

Sheng Ke didn't try to prove anything to him. Convinced that he was changing the subject out of a guilty conscience, he asked again, "Did you come alone?"

Xie Yibai was angry and had to let it out. Glaring, he said, "What's it to you?"

"Then I'll call Zou Yan and have him come pick you up." Sheng Ke took out his phone and was about to dial.

"Oh, no, you can't!" Xie Yibai snatched his phone away. "No, no!"

"So you came here without telling Zou Yan?" Sheng Ke's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the dance floor, sweeping over the flirtatious male models. "For them?"

"Of course not!" Xie Yibai defended himself. "I'm not interested in those vulgar beauties!"

Sheng Ke said, "Really?"

Xie Yibai was genuinely afraid Sheng Ke would tell Zou Yan about this.

Coming to a nightclub wasn't the problem, and neither was watching male models dance. The problem was that he'd lied. All he'd thought at first was that accompanying his mother to pay for male eye candy would sound bad if word got out, and was quite improper too. What kind of son would do something so absurd? So he'd planned to keep it a secret and tell no one-but of all people, he'd run into Sheng Ke!

Once someone had lied, no matter how they explained themselves, their credibility was low.

If you were so open and aboveboard, without the slightest selfish motive, why hide it in the first place? If you couldn't tell the truth, it had to be because the truth wasn't respectable enough.

If Zou Yan came to see him as a fickle person who had one lover but kept an eye out for another, changing that impression would be next to impossible!

Xie Yibai offered a halfhearted resistance. "Really, I came with my mom... She's never been to a place like this and wanted to broaden her horizons."

Sheng Ke said, "Your mom? ...Where is she?"

Xie Yibai pointed to the center of the dance floor. A woman there wore a tight, waist-length, short-sleeved top and low-rise jeans that exposed her navel. She had taken out her hair tie, letting her long, ink-black curls cascade down, and was moving her body to the rhythm of the music. She couldn't dance, but her smile was radiant, and she was beautiful and shapely, shining brilliantly in the crowd.

Looking at his mom like that, people would believe she was twenty-five.

Xie Yibai said, "The prettiest one, dancing with the most energy-that's my mom."

Sheng Ke nodded. "Actually, my mom came too."

"Huh?" Xie Yibai couldn't believe there could be such a ridiculous coincidence. "Your mom came too?"

"Yeah, she's over there." Sheng Ke pointed out the female DJ onstage. Her hair was done in dreadlocks, and she had a slender, bony figure. She wore a tube top and a short skirt, her exposed skin covered in tattoos, and headphones over her ears as she moved her arms to the beat.

A puzzled look on his face, he was about to say, "Wow, your mom is so cool and young," but then he met Sheng Ke's eyes. There was a smile at the corners of his otherwise stern brows and lips. He was clearly making fun of him.

"Like hell!" Xie Yibai roared.

Sheng Ke put away his faint smile and grabbed his wrist again. "There's nothing shameful about coming to a nightclub. You and Zou Yan aren't dating, so he has no say over what you do. Since we happened to run into each other today, come with me."

Xie Yibai was at a loss for words, full of grievances he couldn't voice, but he understood that Sheng Ke didn't intend to tell on him. He obediently let himself be pulled away.

Chapter 26: Nightclub 3

To Xie Yibai, coming to a nightclub to write a script sounded like a fairy tale.