Chapter 30

People always wanted to get to the bottom of things they didn't believe, so he obediently followed Sheng Ke into the private room.

The lights inside were a deep rose color. The room was empty and silent, with no music playing. A lavish fruit platter and foreign liquor sat on the table, along with a slim work laptop and a spare phone, both plugged in to charge. Coiled, tangled cables stretched across the sofa, where a black backpack had been tossed.

Sheng Ke took a thermos out of the bag and placed it beside the computer. "Have a seat. It's too noisy outside. We can talk better in here."

Xie Yibai looked at him as though he were a freak. "Wouldn't a coffee shop be quieter than a nightclub?"

"I'm here to gather material." Sheng Ke unlocked the computer screen and sorted through the documents scattered across the table. "I made an appointment with someone. He was supposed to be here at eight, but he's forty minutes late. I was just about to go outside and meet him when I found you instead."

"Who? A producer?"

"No, a top host with a very good reputation."

What "top host" meant was all too obvious. Xie Yibai was so shocked that he spoke without thinking. "You hired a gigolo to gather material?"

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

"The male lead in your new movie is a gigolo?"

"That's right," Sheng Ke said. "I wrote the role for you. That's why I said it was a coincidence. Since you're here, you might as well meet the source of my material."

Xie Yibai slapped the table. "Who said I was going to play him?"

Was he kidding? He was a dashing young gentleman famous for his pure, aloof image! And what was Sheng Ke supposed to mean by this? Was he mocking him to his face and behind his back? He and Zou Yan hadn't even developed that kind of relationship, so how could he slander him by calling him a gigolo?

"Weren't you the one who said you didn't want to spend your whole life acting in idol dramas? Then you need to learn to step out of your comfort zone and try some challenging roles." Sheng Ke unscrewed the lid of his thermos, took a sip of warm water, and asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

Xie Yibai leaned forward and picked out a bottle of beer. Annoyed, he pried the cap off with his teeth instead of using an opener, then raised the bottle and took a swig.

"Very convincing," Sheng Ke praised. "I told you I had a good eye. You're right for the part."

Xie Yibai couldn't tell whether he was joking or talking business. Sheng Ke's mouth was as wicked as his heart, and this wasn't the first time he'd teased him. He said nothing, watching coldly to see what the man was up to.

Two minutes later, a young man with light purple hair and a Chanel jacket pushed open the door. He and the two men stared at one another. "Private room nine, is this the right place?"

Sheng Ke said, "Yes, come in. We've been waiting for you for a long time."

By Xie Yibai's exacting standards, the top host was indeed rather good-looking. His makeup was on the heavy side, but his skin was genuinely good. More remarkably, he hadn't had any plastic surgery, and his features came together pleasingly.

The top host usually entertained more female customers who came looking for a good time. Faced with a man who looked like he was working overtime and another whose gender was hard to distinguish, he appeared awkward and at a loss. Still, he remained professional. "Sorry, something happened to my car on the way here. Just call me Xiao Qian."

"Did you come from another establishment?" Sheng Ke asked.

"Yes, I was having dinner with a client earlier." Xiao Qian answered each question as it came. He looked alluring, but his personality was plain and straightforward, a far cry from the smooth-talking male host Xie Yibai had imagined.

"How many appointments do you have in a day? What do you usually do with your customers?" Sheng Ke opened a blank document and placed his fingers on the keyboard, ready to take notes.

Xiao Qian asked cautiously, "Is this an interview? Are you recording it?"

"No, I'm just doing research," Sheng Ke said. "You don't have to answer anything you don't want to. Just be yourself, and don't be nervous. I'll pay your hourly rate."

"Do you guys make online content? You're not going to write an article about me and post it on a public account, are you?" Xiao Qian asked in detail.

"No. My written notes won't be made public, and they won't invade your privacy either. They're just very ordinary questions, so there's no need to be afraid."

Only then did Xie Yibai realize that Sheng Ke and Zou Yan were two entirely different kinds of people. In Sheng Ke's place, Zou Yan would never have revealed why he was there; he would have drawn out the answers he needed while joking and having fun. Sheng Ke's straightforward approach, on the other hand, seemed more like an inability to adapt, yet that sincerity and diligence were indispensable qualities for getting things done.

No wonder the two were partners. They complemented each other.

"All right, but no videos or photos," Xiao Qian stressed. "This is a part-time job, and I'm still in school. It wouldn't look good if word got out."

"That's impressive," Xie Yibai said. "You made it to top host even though you only work part-time!"

"Not really," Xiao Qian said modestly. "It's all thanks to my regulars. I get bookings almost every day. On weekends, when business is good, I have three appointments in one night. Mostly I drink, sing, and play games with the customers."

Sheng Ke clacked away at the keyboard. "Then you must be able to hold your liquor. Can you get up for class during the day?"

"Just about, but I doze off in class. If I can't get up, I hire someone to attend for me."

"Then what about final exams? Do you hire someone to take those for you too?"

Xiao Qian scratched his head, unwilling to answer.

Sheng Ke moved on to the next question. "Is your work limited to drinking with customers? Do you do anything else? Like going out with them?"

"That depends. I'm not greedy. I won't sleep with a customer just because they offer enough money, unless they're my type."

Xie Yibai said, "You pick your customers too? You turn them down if you don't like them?"

Xiao Qian smiled. "I'm the top host, after all."

"How far do you go when you play games with customers? Do you strip?"

"No. As far as it goes, they can touch my hands and face and things like that... No kissing, and no touching private parts."

Sheng Ke pointed at Xie Yibai. "Try playing a game with him. I want to see."

"What!? Did I agree to this before you started making arrangements?" Xie Yibai said. "I'm not playing!"

Xiao Qian couldn't figure out who they were. If they were colleagues, they didn't seem much like they worked together; if they were friends, they weren't in sync. He confined himself to what concerned his job. "They're just ordinary drinking games. We can play board games too. Whether I win or lose, I do the drinking."

There's a deal like that? Xie Yibai immediately thought of his great mother.

"Wait," he said, asking the person who had started all this, "you're paying, right?"

"Of course," Sheng Ke said. "I'm not going to make you split the bill, am I?"

He Limei's stamina couldn't compare to that of a girl in her twenties. After jumping around for an hour, she was too tired to stay on her feet. She said goodbye to the flamboyantly dressed male models onstage and sat down in a booth to eat fruit and snacks. She had followed her son's instructions and stayed away from alcohol, drinking sparkling beverages instead.

But there was a problem-her son was gone.

It didn't matter that her son was gone. What mattered was that he'd taken her phone!

Fortunately, Xie Yibai returned quickly. Taking her hand, he said, "Come on, I'll take you to have some fun with the top host."

He Limei perked up at once. She had been wondering: her son liked men too, so how could he be indifferent to handsome guys? It turned out his standards were high, and only the top host caught his eye!

Xie Yibai made an agreement with her. "Once we get into the private room, I'll say you're my superior, the lady boss. You need to be tough on me, like I'm your lackey. Don't let anyone see that we're mother and son. It'd be shocking if word got out."

He Limei assured him, "Don't worry! Your mom can act too!"

Leaving the noisy dance floor for the quiet private room was like stepping into a hidden paradise. The boys in this paradise were fully dressed and sitting properly.

He Limei looked at the exquisitely featured pretty boy with light-colored hair and a collarless tweed jacket, then at the other young man, who had black hair and eyes and wore simple clothes. Delighted, she asked, "Which one is the top host? Are they both top hosts?"

Hahahahaha! Leave it to Mom. She got revenge for me the moment she opened her mouth.

Xie Yibai laughed wildly inside, but pretended to be calm. "No, just the one with dyed hair."

"Oh." He Limei still hadn't figured out what was going on. Looking at Sheng Ke, she said, "This one's handsome too. Isn't he popular enough?"

Objectively speaking, Sheng Ke had nothing effeminate about him. He had a healthy complexion and a tall, lean build, his whole figure lithe and fit. But his face was striking, and his keep-your-distance air stood out, so it was reasonable to mistake him for someone who made a living with his looks.

Xie Yibai was afraid his mother would ruin things if she kept talking. "No, Ms. He! This is my friend. He's here on business."

He Limei asked the same question he had. "Doing business at a nightclub?"

Sheng Ke maintained his composure and nodded to her in greeting.

"Come, Ms. He, let me introduce you. This is Xiao Qian. He'll be keeping you company tonight." Xie Yibai put his heart into playing the female CEO's little lackey.

He Limei put on the airs of a lady boss and glanced sidelong at Xiao Qian. "What shall we play? You decide!" she said grandly.

With a female customer before him, Xiao Qian finally felt back on familiar ground. His voice instantly turned soft and coquettish. "Jiejie, do you like playing dice?" he asked ingratiatingly.

That "jiejie" melted He Limei's heart. She had already learned how to play with male models on the dance floor. Taking Xiao Qian by the chin, she shook his face as though teasing a puppy. "Jiejie likes everything. We'll play whatever you say."

"My boss can't have alcohol," Xie Yibai warned. "Whether you win or lose, you're the one drinking."

Xiao Qian meekly agreed. "All right. I'll wait for Jiejie to pour me drinks."

Sheng Ke closed his laptop and stopped taking notes, concentrating fully on watching Xiao Qian interact with the female customer.

Who could stand having someone watch their mother like that? Xie Yibai raised a hand to block Sheng Ke's eyes and interrupt his view. "What are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen people play dice?"

"Stop fooling around," Sheng Ke said, moving his hand away. "I really need to know what their work involves and how it goes."

So as not to spoil He Limei's fun, Xie Yibai spoke very softly. "Then why don't you experience it yourself? Wouldn't that give you a better feel for it?"

Sheng Ke lowered his voice. "I'm the director. I need to be behind the camera, so I can only take a third-party perspective. Speaking of experience, I've watched all your dramas. The biggest mistake you make in your acting is that you only portray a character profile, not a person. There's a real, living person right here. Watch more closely, and it can deepen your understanding of the role."

Xie Yibai wanted to retort, What qualifies you to teach me how to act? But Sheng Ke really was qualified. Irritated again, he said, "If I'd known I was going to run into you, I wouldn't have come."