Advice

Sheng Ke patted him reassuringly. "Since you're already here, learn something before you leave."

Xie Yibai had inherited his mother's looks and personality in every respect. Once he got stubborn, he wouldn't listen to anyone. He defiantly played on his phone, as though none of it concerned him.

But Zou Yan was on his phone, so he couldn't even scroll through videos in peace.

Zou Yan: Finished the movie?

Xie Yibai roughly estimated the time and replied: Finished! Is your play over too?

Zou Yan: No, I left halfway through. It was terrible.

: Weren't you there to support your friend?

Zou Yan: I won't support my friend if he makes a lousy play. Terrible is terrible.

: Hahahahaha

Zou Yan: Want a late-night snack? I can pick you up.

: Not really... I ate a lot for dinner.

Zou Yan: /sad/sad

Zou Yan: Can't you just keep me company?

Xie Yibai scratched his head anxiously, tugged on Sheng Ke's sleeve, and wailed, "Why doesn't he ask you out? Aren't you best friends?"

Sheng Ke caught a glimpse of their chat and said casually, "Aren't you two flirting? Of course he'd ask you out when he has time."

Desperate for any solution, Xie Yibai said, "I don't care, think of an excuse for me. I look horrifically ugly like this, and I'm not going! You know him best. Think of a reason that won't make him suspicious."

Sheng Ke said, "It's not like he doesn't know what you look like. Seeing you dressed like this, he'd just think you were cute."

"I don't want to, I don't want to!" Xie Yibai said angrily. "I have an image to maintain!"

"Just say you don't want to go."

"Wouldn't that make me look like I'm playing hard to get?"

Sheng Ke smiled and helped him face reality. "It's not like you and Zou Yan are in love with each other. What's wrong with playing hard to get? Haven't you done enough of it already?"

The words were blunt, but the point was sound. Xie Yibai worked up the courage to reply: Sorry, Brother Yan, I'm sleepy today and want to go to bed early.

Zou Yan: Good night, then.

He felt guilty for lying to Zou Yan and told Sheng Ke, "We just ran into each other by chance. Neither of us wanted that, so you can't tell anyone!"

"What about hush money? What are you planning to bribe me with?" Sheng Ke asked calculatingly.

Xie Yibai hadn't expected anyone in the world to be so shameless. His mood darkened. At worst, they could both go down together!

Watching his mood change, Sheng Ke changed his tune. "All right, I won't tell. You don't have to feel guilty either. We just ran into each other; it's not like we're having an affair."

Chapter 27: Advice

He Limei played three or four rounds of games with the top host. Once the novelty wore off and her energy was spent, she suddenly found it dull.

Being sought after by young, beautiful members of the opposite sex could give a person the distorted impression that they too were growing younger and time was turning back. But He Limei had never considered herself old. Both her mind and body were still full of life; she had only wanted to try something new and have some fun.

And because her life was complete, with nothing missing, she could experience the thrills and move on without becoming addicted.

Xie Yibai knew his mother's temperament well. Understanding the hint in her glance, he handed her his phone.

He Limei pretended to receive a call, said "Hello? Hello?" and stood up and walked out of the private room.

Xie Yibai picked up the sweater she had left behind and told Sheng Ke, "We're leaving. Carry on with your business."

Xiao Qian also stood up. "I'll see you out."

"No need. Stay with your boss." Xie Yibai told him not to come.

"Want me to give you a ride? I drove here," Sheng Ke asked.

It was quite likely just an insincere courtesy, but for some reason Xie Yibai's heart skipped a beat. It was like missing a step on the stairs, leaving him dizzy and weightless for a brief moment. It had to be the indelible, awkward memories left by his previous rides in the same car as Sheng Ke, which had traumatized his mind and body.

While asking himself, Is my heart really that fragile? Xie Yibai pretended not to hear and fled in a hurry.

Sheng Ke wasn't annoyed that his kindness had been ignored. Determined not to waste a single cent, he continued questioning Xiao Qian now that his acquaintances were gone. "You receive different customers every day. Does your mood change? Can you describe exactly how you feel?"

Xiao Qian said, "I don't feel anything special. It's just work. Happy or not, you have to put up with it. That's how making money is. Before I got into this line of work, I made milk tea and sold cakes. It's all the same: repetitive labor and selling smiles. But it's true that you can't develop feelings for customers. The men and women who come out to have fun are all heartless. When I first started, there was a lady who really liked me. She called me her baby and sweetheart every day, but once, when my mom was hospitalized, I didn't have enough money and wanted to borrow two thousand yuan from her. She said, 'I can't help you with that. You'll have to figure it out yourself.' After that, I only ever saw customers as customers."

After leaving the nightclub, Xie Yibai and He Limei returned to being mother and son. He stood by the roadside with his mother to hail a cab. Having come out of the well-heated building into the howling cold wind, they both pulled their coats tight.

Xie Yibai asked, "Well? I showed you something new. Did you have fun?"

He Limei considered her answer carefully. "It was all right. It really wasn't as much fun as I imagined."

"When you go back, don't go telling all your girlfriends that your son brought you here."

"I won't. They're rather conservative. Who knows what they'd say behind my back if they found out I'd come to a place like this?"

"Don't let it slip to Dad either."

"Do you even need to tell me that? He's my husband."

Xie Yibai said disdainfully, "Now he's your husband again."

He Limei said, "Your father's strengths and flaws are about evenly matched. If I were only thirty this year, I'd definitely divorce him. But my life is more than halfway over, and I don't want the upheaval."

Xie Yibai's idea of his father was still rooted in his childhood. The man who earned money to support the family always came home smelling of cigarettes and alcohol. Whenever he answered a call from his boss, he would grin and laugh along, only to put on a stern face as soon as he hung up, never cracking a smile for his wife and son. When he was young, he liked watching television; as he grew older, he became obsessed with fishing.

He had only two things to say to his son. One was, "Why are you so skinny? Doesn't your mother give you meat?" The other was, "Dad doesn't know. Go ask your mother." It was as though he had a mechanical program built into him, with no sense of fun or warmth to speak of.

His mother was such a sensitive woman, yet she had spent decades with a man like that. Just thinking about it made Xie Yibai feel suffocated.

"Mom, I'm grown up. You don't have to worry about me. If you want a divorce, go ahead. I'll support you," he said.

"What child hopes for his parents to divorce?" He Limei muttered. "Your dad has plenty of faults, but he hasn't treated us badly over the years. He used to hand over his entire salary, and he had to ask me for money even to buy a pack of cigarettes. He didn't fool around with other women, either. Now he's as frugal as ever and doesn't argue with me about money at all. If I kicked him out, could I find another man who'd give his whole heart to both you and me?"

Xie Yibai and she had limited common ground too, so he only said, "You choose how you live. I just want you to know that you don't have any burdens now. Marriage and children can't hold you back. As long as you're unhappy with the way things are, you can make a different choice anytime."

"I understand that, but I'm very happy with the way things are. My husband doesn't meddle, and my son is independent and doesn't give me cause to worry. We just have arguments. What married couple doesn't? No matter when I come home, your dad picks me up at the airport. He just talks tough; he's softhearted."

Xie Yibai covered his ears. "I don't want to hear it."

In his eyes, his mother was the best woman in the world. She deserved the most perfect man.

"Son, Mom has just one piece of advice for you. Listen carefully," He Limei said.

Xie Yibai lowered his hands, exposing his ears to receive her lesson.

His mother's voice flowed through his world like a clear stream. "When you choose someone to share your life with, pick the person you like best. Money is a worldly possession; having enough is all that matters. Don't put too much stock in fame and fortune, either. As I've always said, I only hope you'll be happy and free from illness and misfortune. That would be more than enough."

His mother's hopes and wishes were beautiful, but his world was mired in a harsh reality. He still couldn't work out how much money counted as enough, or what it meant to be indifferent to fame and fortune. What he could work out was what he had, what he could give, and what he could ultimately get.

Money couldn't withstand extravagance, and fleeting fame vanished in an instant. Only after standing high enough and having once possessed them could one say that everything in the mortal world was but passing clouds. Mom was still too naive. Xie Yibai looked at her helplessly and said, "I understand."

Equally helpless, He Limei said, "I hope you really do."

Xie Yibai fulfilled his duties as a son and spent the full four-day holiday with his mother. Whatever she wanted to buy, he simply followed her around and paid by card. What he lacked in companionship, he made up for with material things. That was all he could do.

Thinking of time and companionship, Xie Yibai thought of Zou Yan, an extremely busy man with countless matters to attend to who still found time to build a relationship with him. In the entertainment industry, where people played at romance and traded money for sex at every turn, someone was willing to spend time on him that was worth more than a fortune. How was that not a kind of sincerity?

He was guarded and not easily moved, but he believed in repaying kindness. If someone gave him a little sincerity, he would weigh its worth and return it in full.

So, while he was still at the counter, Xie Yibai asked the saleswoman to recommend a gift suitable for a male friend. It shouldn't be too expensive, but it couldn't be cheap either. It needed to show his sincerity and thoughtfulness without being overly suggestive, and it had to be memorable.

Zou Yan didn't usually wear accessories, so watches, rings, and bracelets were all out. It had to be distinctive and useful.

His requirements were numerous. The saleswoman racked her brains and recommended a series of bestsellers, bringing out everything from scarves, fragrances, phone cases, and charms to home decorations, fountain pens, and cups. In the end, only three tie clips caught his eye. They were small and inconspicuous, but exquisite and pleasing to look at, and they would come in handy on formal occasions.

Zou Yan was immensely wealthy and treated luxury watches and cars like toys, playing with them when he was pleased and scarcely sparing them a glance once he grew tired of them. No matter how expensive a gift Xie Yibai bought, it wouldn't serve as a bribe or help him curry favor. Zou Yan had plenty of flowers and plants in his yard, but Xie Yibai knew nothing about them and was afraid he wouldn't choose the right ones. A small trinket would be better. It wasn't expensive, but he had carefully chosen it and put thought into it.

He Limei watched him pick for a long time and guessed it was for someone important. "A boyfriend?" she asked.