James could hold his liquor well these days. He could drink vodka like it was beer. After downing three shots of vodka with Chi Hui, he offered him some beer too. Soon enough, Chi Hui was feeling high.
Noticing that the tall, muscular guy hadn't arrived yet, Chi Hui decided to let loose and drink more. Under James's skillful coaxing, he opened up and shared his entire life story: his parents divorced and both started new families, his average grades that were surpassed by his good looks during art exams, his admission to a prestigious school, his weak personality that stemmed from being too attractive as a child, leading to rejection from other boys and thus spending time mainly with girls. It wasn't until a serious mistake in high school nearly cost a life that he distanced himself from girls. Since then, he had little interest in either gender, focusing solely on achieving success.
James was his first boss. Eager to impress him, Chi Hui, drunk and with a borrowed guitar, began to sing in front of the barbecue shop, capturing everyone's attention.
"Blue thoughts wave goodbye, like the seasons that never change. Just a season passes, and I'm back to where it all started, that summer blown by the wind."
His gentle voice stirred something nostalgic in the audience, making James shiverâhaving a guy sing to him like that was undeniably cheesy. In any other story, he'd be the main character; yet here, he was just getting berated by a drunken customer who threw a beer bottle at them.
"Shut up and sing at home!"
A group of five or six shirtless tough guys, clearly not the kind to mess with, loomed nearby. Chi Hui flinched and stopped singing, as no one in the crowd dared to step in.
Only James stood up, matching their aggression and smashing a beer bottle down in front of them. "If you don't want to hear it, shut your mouth!"
Avery stifled a laugh, thrilled to see James standing up to them; the confrontation felt surprisingly entertaining from her safe vantage point. She was eager to see him teach those thugs a lesson. But thankfully, the opposing group had some sense; seeing James's intimidating stance, they refrained from escalating the situation.
One intermediary stood up, apologizing to James, "Hey man, sorry about that. He's just drunk; you guys go on with your night."
The barbecue joint owner rushed out, offering drinks to placate both sides and smooth over the incident. It was a minor disruption that James shrugged off, but Chi Hui engraved it in his memory, gazing at James with admiration. He envied that unyielding confidenceâthe kind that made him want to be a real man.
But his frail physique left him feeling powerless, with nearly no male friends to back him up; his only one seemed to be interested in his looks. This left him with a sense of despair.
Having drunkenly lost his inhibitions, he slurred, "Master King, thank you for your support. From now on, I'm yours. I'll do whatever you want."
"Just act well, and you'll be working towards your own ambitions," James responded, holding back a quip about whether Chi Hui would eat shit for himâany answer would have been awkward. After all, he was technically his boss, not just a friend.
After checking that Chi Hui had drunk enough, he called the owner to settle the bill and prepare to leave. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"I... I can."
Chi Hui swayed as he stood up, but after just a couple of steps, he plopped onto the ground. "Forget it, I'll sleep right here."
Seeing Chi Hui ready to lie down on the pavement, James was taken aback. Drinking too much made someone truly reckless.
Avery had only downed a bottle of beer, and watched the whole scene unfold with amusement. "Congratulations, Uncle, the beauty is almost yours!" Her teasing made James abandon any thought of carrying the dashing man back himself. He pulled out his phone and ordered takeout, adding in the notes: "Send two strong guys to help lift a person, $200 each."
The delivery folks arrived promptly, and two of them easily hoisted Chi Hui up. However, they soon found it cumbersome to carry him like that, so they alternated between piggybacking him as they walked towards their destination.
In his daze, Chi Hui felt strong hands lifting him, creating a sense of unease. He struggled to refuse but was too tired to keep his eyes open. As he vaguely overheard the two men chatting:
"Damn, is this guy a girl? He's way too pretty!"
"He's got an Adam's apple; he's a dude."
"Crap, didn't expect such a beauty would be a guy."
"If he were a girl, would you even be carrying him?"
"I can't stand such a pretty boy!"
"Shh, keep it down; the people around here are loaded. Don't be stupid!"
Later that night, inside another lavish villa.
After a passionate encounter, Theo lay flat in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"What's gotten into you today? It's been just a while!" The hefty woman, whom he called 'Sister Hua,' attempted to turn over for another round.
Theo resisted, "I just found out the show's been canceled. It's got me down; no motivation."
Sister Hua soothed him, "What does it matter? I can find you another crew. Just be good, okay?"
Theo felt like crying. To distract her, he quickly said, "I'm not just mad about that; when that rich kid was acting up against me, I brought up your name. He mocked you and said some really nasty things."
Her curiosity piqued, Sister Hua's interest was taken. She took offense to people talking poorly about her. "What did he say?"
"He called you a fat pig, said you had three layers of fat hanging on your belly, and that the grease on your face could be used to fry food. He said anyone could smell your body odor from far away..."
"Enough!"
Her mood shifted immediately. Her face trembled with rage. "Did he really say all that?"
"Absolutely, without a doubt! He was so rude, throwing around words with such arrogance like you were nothing in his eyes."
With the film crew disbanded, she had no way to verify his tale. To escape her wrath, Theo embellished the story as much as he could.
The anger made Sister Hua's face quiver as she grabbed her phone, unwilling to let the late hour stop her.
"Have you found out about that rich kid named Qin? What does his family do?"
After a long pause, the voice on the line answered, "His parents aren't big shots, but he owns two properties. Recently, he set up a media company and signed two artistsâAvery and an unknown streamer. He's rumored to be putting in three billion to elevate Avery's career. Not sure if that's true, but he seems to be trying to break into the entertainment world after suddenly coming into money."
Upon hearing this, Sister Hua chuckled darkly.
A novice stepping into the entertainment scene? He really has no idea what he's getting into.
"This guy thinks he can just muddle through the entertainment industry like it's a walk in the park. Get in touch with Avery's parents and tell them their daughter has three billion now. Also, send me the contact for that streamer..."
She intended to show him just how naive the entertainment industry could be. The more money you throw in, the harder the fall.