Gu Lizhou narrowed his eyes and took a drag of his cigarette. “You just flipped from 301 to 306. Isn’t this ticket a bit overpriced? Are you bullying me?”
How is this bullying?!
Zhong Weishi had a whole new understanding of the term “shameless.”
“One minute on stage, ten years of practice off stage. That was just a rehearsal; this is the real performance. How could it be the same?” Zhong Weishi stuffed the money into his pocket. “If you want the full show, you’ll have to pay more.”
In all his years, Gu Lizhou had never encountered a guy with this kind of temperament before. He smiled and pulled out his wallet.
Before coming to City B, he happened to withdraw some money from the bank. Inside it was a bunch of brand new Grandpa Mao that were at least two or three thousand yuan.
Zhong Weishi’s eyes nearly popped out. He then heard the other party’s low voice, “Money isn’t the issue. It’s all about your performance. If I’m satisfied, all of this is yours.”
“…” Why did that line sound worse the more he listened?
Was this the young version of Fifth Master Qin?1Fifth Qin Master, alias Fifth Master, is an upright character in the TV Series “Deep Emotions in the Misty Rain”. He is the owner of the Shanghai Opera House. He has a clear sense of right and wrong, a sense of justice, and often helps others when he sees injustice.
Without much thought, Zhong Weishi took a few steps back to the 301 door.
A few simple flips were nothing to him, especially since it was the first time someone was willing to pay to watch him perform.
“Watch closely ah.”
Zhong Weishi adjusted his pants, his stance was full of confidence. “Let me show you what a whirlwind looks like…”
Because he was standing too far, Gu Lizhou couldn’t catch the last few words clearly. He just leaned against the balcony, watching the boy, who always had a fierce expression and kept saying things like “none of your business,” launch himself into the air with one leg.
A beautiful side flip.
It was immediately followed by several more perfectly executed front flips in succession—all without the boy’s hand ever touching the ground.
Gu Lizhou wondered if the boy had springs attached to his feet.
The boy’s legs were slender and powerful, generating an explosive force as he flipped, cutting through the air in front of him like a gust of wind.
Gu Lizhou stared intently, and the acrobatic performance he had seen on TV not long ago suddenly flashed in his mind.
This boy’s performance was even better, with various flips seamlessly flowing together, creating a dazzling display.
Watching up close brought an even more powerful visual impact.
After flipping to the door of 306, the boy didn’t stop; instead, he planted his hands on the ground and proceeded to walk forward on his hands.
His calves bent slightly to maintain balance, and he moved at a pretty fast pace.
By the time he reached the doorway of 303, his ears had turned bright red from the rush of blood.
As if provoking, the boy hooked his lips at him and smiled.
The night breeze brushed past his ears, carrying a bit of chill, washing away the exhaustion and irritation of the day.
Gu Lizhou saw the boy’s T-shirt gradually slide up from his waist to his chest, revealing a wide expanse of toned muscle. As he breathed, his lower abdomen tensed slightly, probably from the effort.
This posture wasn’t exactly sexy, but the figure was undeniably impressive.
Zhong Weishi’s eyes were fixed on the ground as he worked hard to maintain his balance, his elbows trembling slightly.
Gu Lizhou stubbed out his cigarette and tilted his head, catching a glimpse of the faint groove on the boy’s lower back…
“What are you grinning at? You look like a complete idiot.” Cao Zhiheng came out of the kitchen after cleaning up the dishes and saw Gu Lizhou staring at his phone with a silly smile.
“Good stuff.” Gu Lizhou dragged the progress bar back to where it started.
Cao Zhiheng saw a boy on the screen, walking on his hands, with taut lines along his arms and waist.
It was the kid from 301.
He had no idea how long he held that position, but his T-shirt was almost covering his face, making him look rather pitiful.
Suddenly, Gu Lizhou’s slightly hoarse and playful voice came from the side. “Great job. Come get your money.”
Zhong Weishi hadn’t expected this pretty boy to be friends with the guy from 303 who was into art—in his worldview, anyone who could make money without stepping outside was an artist.
What he didn’t expect even more was how generous this pretty boy turned out to be.
2,000 yuan.
A stack of Grandpa Mao bills with Mona Lisa-like smile was handed right in front of him.
“Take it, your ticket money. Don’t say I bullied you.”
Zhong Weishi tugged at his waistband. As he walked over, he caught a faint scent of tobacco.
That little pretty boy’s addiction to cigarettes seemed pretty big; in the time it took for him to do a few flips, he was already on his second cigarette.
But smoking wasn’t the same for everyone—different grades of cigarettes left different scents. He had smelled the overwhelming, choking stench of smoke that filled internet cafes and the faint aroma lingering on a certain famous artist.
He wasn’t sure what brand the pretty boy smoked, but you had to get close to catch the scent.
It was barely there.
There was even a drop of good smell.
Zhong Weishi figured his nose must have automatically activated a filter because of the appearance of this stack of Grandpa Mao.
For someone who barely had enough to eat but not his next, 2,000 yuan was considered a huge sum of money. But holding the money didn’t sit well with him. After hesitating for half a day, he only pulled one bill from the top.
“One hundred is enough, otherwise it’s really bullying you.”
Gu Lizhou smiled without saying a word and turned to head back into 303.
The pretty boy’s smile was quite nice—almost like a celebrity’s. Zhong Weishi thought about it while lying on his bed.
No, wait. Just because someone paid for a ticket doesn’t mean they’re a good person!
Zhong Weishi started to feel curious about the pretty boy’s occupation.
He flipped through his phone’s calendar to check the date they first met; it happened to be a weekday.
Could he also be an artist?
No, no, no. What kind of normal person would throw money around like that?
Zhong Weishi recalled the pretty boy’s exact words: “Money isn’t the issue. It’s all about your performance. If I’m satisfied, all of this is yours.”
As if he had a bubble in his brain.2Implies that he must’ve something wrong in his head.
His tone and expression were annoyingly punchable.
Zhong Weishi figured it was more likely he was some hedonistic son of rich parents, a rich and powerful second-generation…
But why would a rich second-generation live in a shitty place like this?
Running away from marriage?!
The real-life version of “The Young Master’s Escape from Marriage”?!
Zhong Weishi rolled over, deciding it was better to focus on how to get through tomorrow.
The Wi-Fi from upstairs was slow, and it took ten minutes just for the rental page to load.
There were no new messages.
When he tried to refresh the page to search for jobs, a network connection error appeared.
With a cup of instant noodles in hand, Zhong Weishi squatted on the balcony of 301, checking the group chat messages.
[Huangfu]: What do you guys think about using a honey trap to lure Er’Gou out?
[Da Fei]: Very good ah, I second the motion!
[Wei-ge]: Then, where to find a beauty?
Zhong Weishi laughed and muttered, psychopaths, as he scrolled up to read the chat history.
It turned out that last night, Qiangzi and the others had been staking out at Fenglin Community when they spotted a man who looked like Er’Gou.
A clue so soon?
Since he had nothing better to do, Zhong Weishi became interested in the honey trap idea.
[Weishi]: Tomorrow, I’ll borrow a costume from a friend in a film crew. Da Fei, you’ll have to make a sacrifice.
[Da Fei]: No, no, I can’t… I’ve never dressed up as a woman before…
[Huangfu]: Da Fei! Have you forgotten what I told you? The word can’t should never exist in a man’s vocabulary!
For the first time, Da Fei had a stroke of genius: How about you do it instead?
[Huangfu]: My figure won’t allow it. Otherwise, I’ll do it.
[Weishi]: Da Fei, don’t you want to experience what it feels like to wear a dress at least once?