Chapter 16

Santana parked the car in a quiet and empty area.

Before charging, the Uber driver scanned the backseat from head to toe, lifted his hat, smiled, and chatted with Pei Huai, who was gazing at the street view. His outfit was always layered. He wore a white cotton and linen shirt with dropped shoulders and a V-neck that reached down to his chest, revealing a faint glimpse of the mermaid line beneath his ribs.

His sleeves were rolled up, and blue veins stretched beneath his skin.

"Do you need a coat?" the driver asked. "The temperature in Kensos has dropped recently and it's very cold at night." - "No, thank you." The three words he got were colder than the coming winter.

The car door slammed shut. Aside from Mingqi's farewell wave and the chime of the money-in notification, all that remained for him were two figures walking under the strobe lights, not even turning back.

I arrived at an unfortunate time. The line in front of the Blue Moth Club was long. The security guard was a lone man, uninterested, yawning constantly and only occasionally waving to the next person to come forward for security check.

The guests were restless. They chatted, complained, sometimes attacked the security system, and sometimes labeled the security guards as scum who were passive and lazy. In between the insults and ridicule, a group of young people between eighteen and twenty years old noticed the new members and turned to talk to them.

"Did you dye your hair? It looks beautiful like cream." The boy with the windbreaker on his shoulders jumped back and climbed onto the railing, freeing his hands to lift his messy bangs. "Can we talk?"

Pei Huai scratched his chin with his index finger to show his refusal.

He ignored her, didn't turn his head, leaned against the railing, and slowly picked up a thin cigarette. Before anyone else could fawn over him, Xiang Mingqi stretched out his arm, moved closer to him, and like a magic trick, he showed the lighter in his palm, blinked, and pressed it.

The two stood face to face. Xiang Mingqi held the railing with one hand, his forearm pressed against his senior's waist, his chest close.

As he offered the cigarette, he raised his hand to block the wind, held his breath, and stared at his senior's profile through the firelight. Beneath his long, thick eyelashes, his deep black eyes held a kind of almost seductive charm, very bright, like a polished or tempered old man.

The flame trembled, and Xiang Mingqi's Adam's apple moved.

"Why isn't he talking?" The man looking at his friend was at a loss.

"Maybe he's not interested in you. Maybe he doesn't understand French." His friend in a polo shirt burst out laughing. "Can't you see he already has a boyfriend?"

Pei Huai bit the butt of his cigarette, his inky black eyes staring at them unblinkingly. His shoulders tilted naturally.

His lips were half open and half closed as he exhaled a thin puff of white smoke towards the person he was trying to chat up.

"Restez tranquille s'il vous plat, porcelets." (Please be quiet, little pigs.)

The young people burst into ecstatic screams.

The commotion eventually caught the attention of a security guard, who glanced over and saw Pei Huai calmly pick up his platinum card and wave it back and forth. The guard immediately raised the barrier to ensure they could pass underneath.

Before entering, the security guard hastily checked his card, knelt, and kissed the back of his hand: "Welcome to Blue Moth, Pepper."

Xiang Mingqi suddenly heard the "crackling" sound before his hand dislocated. His scalp tingled, and he followed the sound, only to see Pei Huai clenching his fist, the veins on the back of his hand throbbing wildly.

Wow, he thought to himself, someone is going to get hurt.

As I stepped into the lobby, my body gradually warmed up. Two stereos boomed out, the lights were diffused, a muddy, dim purple, and dry ice mist swirled under my feet.

A decadent performance was in full swing on the dance floor in front. Crowded around it were all kinds of people, some well-dressed, toasting and hugging in the booths; some, with their skirts pulled up to reveal white garters and slender legs, trampled over the backs of a row of men; some even knelt under the tables, licking the spilled wine with their mouths open.

On the stage, a naked man was bound by ropes. Two teenagers dressed as bunny girls approached him, whips snapping loudly.

Pei Huai turned away speechlessly. Coincidentally, the strobe lights began flashing again. The DJ played a new reggae beat, so fast it felt like an electric shock.

"Brother, you can speak French! That's so cool, but what did you say just now?" Xiang Mingqi followed him, glancing at the stage with a hint of surprise. "So, do you speak German and Russian? I couldn't even learn a second language well in college. I envy people who can speak foreign languages ​​the most."

Pei Huai thought he was talking too much, so he quickened his pace and walked towards the stairs.

"Brother, what those three guys did was so perverted, like they were physically stamping pork—wow, this is the first time I've seen that. That guy's butt will be really swollen tomorrow."

"Wow, wow, wow, they've hung him up with a wire—Wow, wow, wow, wow, I don't want to look, I don't want to look! He's flying right above our heads. Help, he's naked!" Xiang Mingqi covered his face, clenched his fingers, and screamed miserably, "I'm going blind—I'm really going blind!"

"...Then close your eyes."

"Need some help, Pepper?" At that moment, a shirtless man stood in the middle of the road. He was tall, pale, with blood-red paint on his chest forming two bizarre patterns. The man leaned forward, his emerald eyes fixed on Pei Huai. "We have a game for twelve people. It's simple. Just be a docile pony, lift your tail, and twist your hips. I guarantee you'll have a blast tonight. Want to join?"

Pei Huai used his elbow to push his chest away, walked around the booth, and tried to pass by him.

The inviter didn't want to give up. He took a few steps to catch up and blew a breath into Pei Huai's ear, his tone sweet: "Your male companion can also join us. If you are not used to so many people, we can find a corner now-"

The invitation ends here. Pei Huai glanced at him unkindly, clenched his fists, and delivered a lightning-fast elbow strike, using his inch-force to unleash a powerful burst of force. He twisted his waist, grabbed the man's neck with his right hand, and threw him to the ground.

When the heavy object fell to the ground, he stepped squarely on the man's abdomen, forcing him to sit down.

He then lifted his hand upwards, forcing his chin upwards. Pei Huai grabbed his hair and held it in front of his eyes, his fingers tracing along the ear bone, bit by bit towards the artery.

The soft fingertips pressed down, carrying a threat and the coldness of an eagle.

His eyes were indifferent, and he stepped on his heels without leaving any trace.

"What did you call me?"

The friction from top to bottom through the boots made the latter grab his ankles and rub against them while panting: "Little..."

Before he could succeed, Pei Huai mercilessly crushed him again. The intensified pain suddenly reached its peak. The man gasped and jerked his hips upward. He only heard the person on top of him continue to ask, "—Now, do you still want to see me stick my tail up?"

A suspicious blush instantly appeared on the latter's face. He even sucked on his fingertips and nodded desperately. Pei Huai frowned, raised his hand and slapped him, then turned and left.

Xiang Mingqi, who was only watching the fun, was stunned by the scene just now. After a moment of shock, he hurriedly followed his senior.

"That guy just now was a pervert, wasn't he?" He glanced back at the thrashing man and commented, "Even though you've blocked his mouth, he still looks so excited." After mumbling a few words, he began to talk non-stop again. "By the way, what was that 'group game' that pervert was talking about? Why did he even drag me into it? It's fine if he dragged me in, but why did he make it sound like I was just an accessory? Are my factory settings that bad?"

Before he finished one topic, he jumped to the next: "Wow, bro, look at the stage! There's a new show coming up so soon? This time it's a row of... burly guys in cake dresses."

He shrank his neck and stammered, looking away: "...Is it true that I won't get a stye when I go back today?"

Pei Huai couldn't help but scold him: "Then don't look at it."

"Oh, I'm just curious!" Xiang Mingqi retorted without any hesitation, "I never saw it when I was in college, I never saw it at home, and I definitely never saw it at work. How can you kill my curiosity?"

——All that was left for him was his back.

Seeing that his senior wasn't in the mood for small talk, Xiang Mingqi had no choice but to shut up and enter the passage. Before reaching the checkpoint, his eyes occasionally met with those of the guests in the booths.

They took several photos of Pei Huai, but Xiang Mingqi blocked them all with his hands. Some sighed, others gave him the middle finger. But whenever they made eye contact, or when some nosy people nudged their chins and half-jokingly asked him about their relationship, he would raise his hand, fiddle with the can ring on his ring finger in front of them, and then give them a provocative smile.

"Mine." - Lip shape only.

They walked all the way to the checkpoint, where Pei Huai waited for a long time but saw no sign of his junior approaching. Turning around, he saw him playing finger games with a customer in a booth.

Pei Huai took a deep breath and, as gently as possible, grabbed his collar. Ignoring his pleas for mercy and the cheers of the crowd, he dragged him to the gate. The security guard also made a "stop" gesture at the right time.

After regaining his freedom, the young man's feet were still slipping and he almost fell face first.

"Hey, man, I was just daydreaming. Your clothes will get wrinkled, and ironing is such a hassle..." He muttered softly, trying to lift his leg to cross the turnstile, but the security guard in front of him shouted at him. He pushed forward with his chest puffed out, and said angrily, "What are you doing? I'm an adult, I have the right to walk through any bar."

Pei Huai, who was standing by, pinched his high nose bridge and stared at him as if he were mentally retarded.

"Card." A rough big hand stretched out in front of his eyes, hooked his fingers, and asked him for a pass.

Xiang Mingqi responded hurriedly. He searched from his right pocket to his left pocket, then from his shirt to his trouser pocket, and finally took out a platinum membership card and handed it over with both hands.

The bodyguard swiped the information on the card reader and confirmed it was correct. Then he casually asked, "Are you and him together?"

"Yes, I came here with him." Xiang Mingqi scribbled his pseudonym on the roster without looking up. "You can't believe it. Even if he's just standing in the corner, people will take the initiative to treat him as a popular male model."

"I can see that quite a few people would probably fight over a kiss from him."

"They don't stand a chance. Look, our handsome guy is waiting for me. What does this prove?" He approached the security guard, shook the paper mysteriously, and said proudly, "This proves that he's taken."

"What is your relationship?" This might be gossip, or just an unintentional question - but Xiang Mingqi let his guard down.

"Me? I'm your brother's fiancé." He handed back the signature board, took the magnetic card, waved to the security guard, and walked through the turnstile - suddenly, the smile froze on his face, and a chill suddenly rose from the soles of his feet.

He touched his arm and found goose bumps all over it - he looked forward blankly.

Pei Huai stood there, one hand in his pocket and the other hand hanging lazily beside his trouser line.

He glanced sideways, his eyes devoid of a smile, yet a bone-chilling coldness emanated from deep within. Just one glance sent a chill down one's spine.

The thin and soft lips moved, as if counting down to someone's death.

"……fiancé?"