This godforsaken place is not legitimate.
Squeak.
A pair of small hands pushed open the rusty iron door a crack, and then a tiny figure tiptoed out through the crack. The sounds of slamming and cursing inside the house suddenly became clear, but were quickly dispersed by the howling cold wind.
Everything in sight was dilapidated, and the uniform red lanterns of the tenement buildings made it look extremely eerie. Suddenly, firecrackers went off, and children covered their ears in fear, closed their eyes, and ran away.
The tightly closed eyelids could not block the blinding flashes of light. The withered branches that were rapidly retreating as the child ran were stained with blood, transforming into ghosts that pounced on the child one after another.
The child cried out in surprise, lowered his head, and ran faster and faster. However, his ill-fitting shoes couldn't keep up with his pace and swung far away. He lost his balance and fell forward violently.
Instead of the pain of slipping, I was met with a warm and comforting embrace.
Hesitant eyes slowly opened, and a long, slender hand lifted the cheek, chapped and red from tears, gently turned it, and then pinched it lightly. The owner of the hand clicked his tongue, squatted down, and wrapped the child in his down jacket.
"Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't be exposed to wind when you have a fever?"
-
On Christmas Eve, a VIP booth on the second floor of Diamond Ash, a landmark nightclub in Manners.
Jiang Songhe sat slumped in the cramped square between the sofa and the table, his face dark. The speakers above him blasted out a melody that turned the sounds of boating into music, the volume and pitch of which were extremely loud. He rubbed his ears hard with his knuckles, which were white and cold from clenching his fists, to neutralize the redness and heat.
Standing outside the booth was Ni Haolang, Jiang Songhe's only mischievous friend from age 8 to 17, who was whistling at the men and women dancing wildly downstairs.
This evening, Jiang Songhe had just brought Jiang Songyun to Maner. Since they were new to the city and had a lot of luggage, he contacted this "artist" who had lived in Maner for many years and boasted that he was doing very well, to pick them up from the airport.
The three checked into the hotel they had booked in advance. Ni Haolang winked and said he wanted to be a good host and take the two brothers out to see the world. Jiang Songhe knew Ni Haolang all too well. Judging from his arrogant look, he was definitely up to no good. She gave him a sharp look and shut him up.
My agreement to let Jiang Songyun come to Maner to participate in the competition was conditional: it still couldn't interfere with my studies.
Jiang Songyun has always attended prestigious private schools with excellent teaching staff and privacy. Because of his child star status, the school is very lenient about his leave requests. However, Jiang Songhe had made prior arrangements for the school to require Jiang Songyun to attend a full set of online classes every day with his webcam on.
Jiang Songhe hadn't seen Ni Haolang for many years, and he'd already owed him a favor. His younger brother was staying at the hotel for online classes and wasn't allowed to go, so it wouldn't be right for him not to go. He changed into clean clothes, washed his face, and was then dragged by Ni Haolang to Diamond Ash—
This godforsaken place.
As soon as he entered, he felt that this was not proper. At that time, a group of muscular men with big waists were squatting on the central stage. Two men in black clothes wearing shiny tight-fitting clothes stood on the side of the stage, each holding a riding whip, and they were hitting the muscular men's butts one by one, making a loud cracking sound.
With each crack of the whip, the audience erupted in excited screams. The man in black would then extend the whip to randomly lure a lucky audience member onto the stage for interaction. Some would grope the audience, some would ride on the waist like cowboys, and some would snatch the whip and do the work for them...
Ugh, that's an eyesore.
After sitting for a while, Jiang Songhe finally came to her senses. This was what Ni Haolang meant by "worldly experience"? This bastard even wanted to bring Songyun along?
Ni Haolang then gestured and crawled back into the semi-enclosed booth. Seeing Jiang Songhe's unpleasant expression, he shouted recklessly, "What's wrong, brother? Your face is darker than your clothes on this holiday."
"You're so damn irresponsible..." Jiang Songhe got up to leave.
"Get serious?" Ni Haolang started taking off his clothes halfway through the conversation, swinging his fur-trimmed coat around his head like a propeller a few times before tossing it onto Jiang Songhe's lap. "We look so stylish~ Give us a smile! You're going to scare the girl!"
A few tufts of hair floated up, and Jiang Songhe squinted, squeezing out a sentence through his clenched teeth: "What girl?"
Ni Haolang leaned half his body out of the booth's mesh, staring intently at the direction of the person coming from the aisle: "A beauty! Janus's the main act tonight, there are plenty of good-looking and not-so-good-looking girls piled up downstairs, I spent a fortune to call you one..."
What's J? What's it called? Is it legal?
Jiang Songhe's brain throbbed with rage as he haphazardly pieced together the information. He realized he had underestimated Man'er's openness and Ni Haolang's frivolity. Just as he was about to leave, Ni Haolang bounced out of the booth with a smug look on his face, raising his arms and shouting, "Songhe! Bro! I'll show you Man'er's passion! Passion—"
Three strippers with wasp waists and peach-shaped hips appeared at the entrance of the booth, each holding a bottle of foreign liquor, turned around, and struck a pose.
Jiang Songhe: "..."
-
Diamond Ash Artist Lounge
A figure sat on the sofa with one knee bent, its limbs encircling and locking the curled-up sleeping Jonathan beneath it in a small space.
Jonathan loosened his arms slightly, and murmured through his thin lips, "Hmm...you're here..."
A hint of greed flickered in the man's eyes. He brought his nose close to Jonathan's silver hair behind his ear and took a fascinated sniff. Then, his nose tip moved downwards, and his palms slipped under the fabric of Jonathan's costume, pushing it up little by little against his skin.
"I'm so cold..." Jonathan shivered involuntarily, his voice soft and aggrieved.
The man stopped using one hand and instead began to stroke Jonathan's delicate chin. After rubbing his thumb against her cheek for a moment, he smiled wistfully and said, "Such an artpiece."
"No...don't go..." Jonathan felt the temperature drop and his delicate features were filled with panic and loss as he reached out to grab that hand in a daze.
"Also a dirty one."
The man bent down and kissed Jonathan's waist, continuing the kiss heavily, leaving a string of red marks on his porcelain-white skin.
The hem of his costume reached his armpits, and Jonathan obediently opened his arms as if asking for a hug, his costume being easily removed. However, instead of receiving any comfort, he was roughly grabbed by the throat and his shoulders were pressed down, his face turned face down.
On the left sphenoid bone corresponding to the heart, a pinkish-white tattoo turns crimson due to increased body temperature; it is a longevity lock, with the four characters "Chang Le Wu You" (meaning "long life and no worries") surrounded by layers of auspicious cloud totems.
"What is this sh*t hum?"
Jonathan felt his tattoo being licked and bitten, and instantly opened his narrow eyes, waking up in shock.
With his wrist bent back against his waist and pinned down by the man's knee, Jonathan was unable to move. He struggled to turn his head by violently shaking his upper body.
He saw in the full-length mirror opposite him that a person was currently choking him with one hand, while the other hand was slipped between the sofa and his waist, about to—
"Ryan? What the f*ck?!"
-
Jiang Songhe didn't make it out in the end. He had just moved to the exit when he was forced back to his original position by the hot dance moves of the stripper. The aisle was narrow and he was stuck in a dilemma. To avoid physical contact, he had no choice but to sit down again.
The three dancers set out the cups and plates and immediately got into character, swaying and moving to the beat of the drums, perfectly staggering each other, yet subtly flirting with each other as they lifted their legs to pass the guests.
Jiang Songhe had sword-like eyebrows and black hair. His sharp and handsome Eastern face was mysterious and rare, especially in a multi-ethnic country like Manel, particularly in nightclubs. The dancers, perhaps out of curiosity, stared at his face as they passed by, lingering for an unusually long time and dancing with extra energy.
The dancers ignored Jiang Songhe's aloof demeanor and raced faster and faster than ever.
The gaudy, overpowering fragrance, mixed with the damp, salty smell of sweat, seeped into Jiang Songhe's nostrils, causing his facial proportions to become unbalanced. He was extremely sensitive to smells, and the magical attack intensified; if he held his breath any longer, he might suffocate.
Damn it, this is an act of defiance against the Heavenly Gang!
He shoved the bottle into his hand and poured himself a full glass. Every time the dancer came by, he would take a big gulp while enjoying the aroma of the wine. His hands were also busy; he took out his phone and kept refreshing the WeChat interface, but unfortunately, the little red dot on Jiang Songyun's profile picture never lit up.
Left with no other option, he resorted to sending messages in the Yunhe Entertainment production group, aggressively pushing and shoving.
▉: Where has the later stages of Yan Ge Xing progressed?
It was still morning in Jingting, and someone quickly responded in the group chat.
Producer Xu from Yunhe: We have already sent it back for revisions based on the suggestions you gave before you left. The new rough cut is expected to be completed in three months. We will arrange a screening with the platform and other production companies as soon as you return to Jingting.
▉: That's all?
Producer Xu from Yunhe: @190, is there anything to add regarding the execution of "The CEO's Leg Hair"?
Producer Xu of Yunhe withdrew a message.
Producer Xu patted Executive Producer Lin
Executive Producer Lin: Good evening, Mr. Jiang~ I'm currently compiling the schedules and fees of potential OST singers. Once everything is compiled, I'll send the table and links to the singers' works to the group chat.
Jiang Songhe felt a little dizzy looking at the string of tildes on the screen, thinking that he had drunk too fast and was feeling tipsy.
Looking at Ni Haolang again, this bastard was currently holding the most voluptuous dancer between his thighs, with a roll of banknotes dangling in front of her bra, seemingly about to give her something. Even the Turkish ice cream vendor was more generous than him.
It's better not to watch it at all.
Jiang Songhe rubbed his eyes and waited for another three to five minutes. When no one responded in the group, he replied with a "1", put his phone in his inner pocket, finished the last sip of wine, and put down his glass. He was not going to stay any longer.
"Don't drink and drive, I'm leaving."
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