Chapter 15

The cold hit hard. Xu Heng blew his nose so many times his nostrils were sore. He stayed home to rest for a day. The next day he felt a little better and went to work in a loose-fitting khaki knit cardigan. The girls in the studio took turns coddling and comforting him.

He was eager to learn and worked hard. He was always the last to leave after work, staying behind to help clean up and organize. Everyone at the studio liked him.

Their makeup studio offered both makeup and photography services. Sometimes they went on location, other times clients came in for business shoots. Xu Heng was still a bit out of it, sneezing now and then, so he was just helping out from the sidelines.

“Sister Ting,” Xu Heng called softly through his mask while handing over a brush.

Zhang Ting jumped a little. “Oh no, you’re sick?”

Xu Heng sniffled hard. “It’s nothing. Probably just the dry air from the season change.”

Zhang Ting glanced around, then pulled him into a corner. “What do you think about the thing I mentioned last time?”

They were technically distant relatives, but the connection was so weak it felt like they weren’t related at all, just two people from the same hometown. She was more like a big sister than any kind of blood relation. She was twelve years older than Xu Heng and one of the reliable ones. She also had a stake in the studio, making her a small-time boss. When Xu Heng first left home, it was Zhang Ting who took him in. Maybe due to some tension about revenue splits, Zhang Ting had been thinking of starting her own thing. She’d been quietly trying to get Xu Heng to join her.

Xu Heng said quietly, “You trust me too much. I’m still not that skilled. I’ve only been learning a few years.”

Zhang Ting said, “Don’t say that. You’re way sharper than the others. I’ve seen the videos you post online…”

Xu Heng flushed with embarrassment. “Don’t watch those. I was just fooling around.”

Zhang Ting said, “Remember I went to Japan for that training camp? I learned a lot. Now they’re launching another round. What if you joined this one? I can recommend you. You’ll probably get in. I still need time to prepare everything here anyway, and when you come back from training, you’ll be just in time to help me.”

Xu Heng was stunned, totally thrown by her words. “I… I can’t. How could I go overseas? I don’t even speak the language…”

Someone called her name, and Zhang Ting waved her hand casually. “If you’re going, start getting ready early. You’ll need at least three to four months just to get a grasp on the language.”

Xu Heng’s mind was stuffed full of what Zhang Ting had just said. When he left home at eighteen, he was clueless and broke, with only a thousand yuan saved from years of red envelopes. He washed dishes at a restaurant for a few months but barely got paid. One day, some money went missing. He was the easiest target, so they pinned it on him. He was on the verge of ending up on the street when he met Zhang Ting. He started with odd jobs, picked up makeup little by little, and realized he really liked it. The better he got, the more he enjoyed it.

But going abroad to study felt impossibly far away.

By evening, his cold had mostly eased up, though his nose was still blocked and his energy low. He had already delayed it for days, but he had promised to prep a Halloween look in advance, so he forced himself to power through and went live.

As soon as the stream started, he spotted that familiar rich fan again. They sent another round of big tips, making their username glow gold. Xu Heng’s viewers all recognized them now.

Xu Heng forced himself to stay energized as he put together a Halloween-themed little devil makeup look. He even wore the fake pointy fangs he had bought. When he grinned, his tiger teeth poked out adorably against his lower lip. He wasn’t feeling great, so he didn’t interact much with viewers during the stream. When he ended the broadcast and checked, he realized that rich fan had sent him a huge amount of tips. It startled him, and he quickly sent a private message.

“Hello. Thank you so much for the support, but you really don’t have to spend so much.”

There was no reply for a while. Xu Heng kept an eye on the chat box as he slowly removed his makeup.

“Still not over the cold?”

His hand paused mid-motion. That message caught him off guard. Who was this?

Chen Ang hadn’t been having a smooth week. The official transfer notice hadn’t come down yet, but word had already spread through backchannels and office gossip. For days, the rumors lingered in the air. Some coworkers were all smiles, trying to curry favor and suggesting meals together. The few others in competition weren’t as nice, throwing around passive-aggressive remarks with barbs hidden in polite words. Chen Ang had to smile through it all and pretend he didn’t hear.

It was the peak of seasonal flu. People sneezing and coughing left and right. The thought of Xu Heng suddenly came to mind. On the way home, he even saw someone with a small frame walking ahead, who looked just like him. He took two steps forward to check, only to find it wasn’t him. When he got home, he opened Xu Heng’s stream and tossed in some tips, but Xu Heng didn’t react at all.

“Who are you?” Xu Heng typed.

Chen Ang lounged on the sofa, holding his phone, feeling unusually good.

“You get out of bed and suddenly pretend you don’t know me?”

Xu Heng: “…”

Chen Ang took a screenshot of his WeChat QR code and sent it over.

“Add me.”

Xu Heng added him right away. His profile picture was of the whale tattoo on the back of his neck. Chen Ang’s avatar was a square photo of a blue sky.

Chen Ang sent: [rose][rose][smile][smile]

Xu Heng: “?”

Chen Ang: “Wrong button. I use those too much out of habit.”

Xu Heng: “Why’d you send me so many tips anyway? I’ll send you a red packet to return it.”

Chen Ang: “No need. Just buy me a meal.”

Xu Heng: “…Alright. When and where?”

Chen Ang: “I’ll decide. Something light. You’re still sick.”

Even though Xu Heng knew it was all smooth talk, the kind Chen Ang probably used on boys and girls alike, being cared for still felt nice. He obediently replied, “Okay.” Then opened Chen Ang’s Moments to have a look. Only one post was visible from the last three days, and it was just a work-related voting link. Nothing interesting.

Chen Ang: “I’ll let you know once it’s booked.”

“Alright,” Xu Heng paused, then added, “Good night.”

Chen Ang replied with a voice message.

Xu Heng tapped on the voice message and brought the phone to his ear.

Chen Ang’s good night sounded like it whispered straight into him.