Chapter 1

"Oh, isn’t this Young Master Yu?"

The man sitting at the bar extended his hand towards Yu He, snapped his fingers, and greeted, "Come here! Order something."

The eyes of the patrons all simultaneously turned towards Yu He. The waiters standing by the wall, waiting for assignments, also turned their heads to observe how Yu He, standing among them, would respond.

Yu He is a well-known rich second generation in Fengcheng. He is proficient in all kinds of leisure and amusement, standing out among the prodigal sons, and is a famous good-for-nothing in the affluent circles.

There are good-for-nothings every year, but why is Young Master Yu so famous? This is all thanks to Yu He’s extraordinary looks, blessed with a handsome face.

Yu He has a basket full of flaws, but just based on his appearance, even the most critical person couldn’t find any faults.

In just two words: Gorgeous.

Yu He used to be a regular at this private club, calling friends, spending money like water, but all that was before today. From today onwards, Yu He is no longer the young master of the Yu family, but a stray dog.

Because he is not the biological son of the Yu family of Fengcheng. Due to a nurse’s negligence years ago, two babies with the last name Yu were swapped, resulting in the real young master being lost outside for nineteen years!

The real young master is said to be named Yu Qingyan, raised in an ordinary family, working and studying hard to get into a prestigious university; while the fake young master, Yu He, has achieved nothing.

As for the adopted son Yu He who took someone else’s place, the Yu family naturally kicked him out, severing all ties.

This club is called ‘Jin Se Tai’, with extremely high privacy, open only to the noble and wealthy families. Yu He was able to work here, apparently thanks to arrangements made by the real young master’s boyfriend.

Dragon

A dragon swimming in shallow waters and a tiger fallen onto a flat plain, Yu He fell from a young master to a waiter, experiencing the warmth and coldness of the world all in one night.

Just like the person sitting beside the bar, who used to be a nobody, too lowly to even speak to Yu He, now dares to call him like he’s a dog.

Yu He’s face remained unchanged as he went to the wall cabinet to get the tablet for ordering.

"That’s Chen Biao." The waiter standing by the cabinet whispered to Yu He, "He’s had quite a bit to drink already, how about I go?"

Yu He’s lips are very attractive. He curved his lips into a smile and said, "Thank you." He looked at the English name on the waiter’s name tag, trying hard to read it, "Sha..."

"Shawn," the waiter said his name first, and kindly provided the phonetic translation, "Xiao Shao, you can just call me Xiao Shao."

Yu He picked up the tablet: "Hmm, I’ll go."

"Remember to address the customers as 'Boss'." Shawn advised with evident concern.

Yu He tilted his head, giving Shawn a reassuring smile.

This was the music bar for walk-in customers on the second floor of the club. The truly wealthy wouldn’t sit on the second floor, let alone at the bar. The bar wasn’t particularly quiet, but just as Yu He turned around and took no more than two steps, he heard a snicker from behind. It was another waiter mocking Shawn.

“Shawn, you really know how to kiss up, but unfortunately…”

Yu He continued through the crowd, regretfully unable to hear what was said after 'unfortunately'.

But he could imagine; it was surely nothing pleasant. He had heard too many harsh words already and had become numb to them.

He placed the tablet in front of Chen Biao: "Boss Chen, what would you like to order?"

Chen Biao’s face was flushed red, clearly inebriated. He supported his head with one arm, while the other swiped on the tablet: "Young Master Yu." He burped, "Heard you’ve been kicked out of your house?"

"Yeah," Yu He responded without getting angry, calmly asking again, "So, what would you like to order, Boss Chen?"

Chen Biao was intentionally making things difficult for Yu He.

He swiped back and forth on the tablet, retorting, "What does Young Master Yu usually order?"

Yu He swore he had no intention of provoking Chen Biao, but Chen Biao just kept pressing.

Standing there, Yu He answered truthfully: "Boss Chen, I’ve never sat in the hall before. The menu in the private rooms upstairs might be different from the hall. I’m really sorry, I can’t recommend any drinks for you."

The surroundings suddenly went quiet, with those watching the drama exchanging glances.

Yu He was as famous for his good looks as he was for his sharp tongue.

Someone once commented: That’s truly a crane's beak at its finest, even harder than a dead duck’s bill, it really hurts when he pecks at you!

Yu He was always languid and indifferent, taking nothing to heart. He spoke in the same way, casually and carelessly, which could easily irritate others. You could be jumping with impatience on your end, but he wouldn’t even bother to lift an eyelid, causing even more frustration. Even the nicest words could sound like a provocation when they came out of his mouth, let alone when he was actually being confrontational.

Chen Biao was instantly enraged, his drunken anger surging up. He threw the tablet onto the ground and grabbed Yu He by the collar, “What did you say?”

The waiters standing by the wall quickly gathered around, all advising Chen Biao with good words. Manager Wang Wuchuan also rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

Chen Biao swung his arm, pushing everyone away without paying them any attention, and demanded from Yu He again, “What did you just say?”

Indeed, Yu He did not even lift his eyelids as he repeated exactly what he had just said.

Chen Biao flew into a rage, his brain overheating as he raised his fist to strike Yu He in the face.

Wang Wuchuan’s heart skipped a beat; he thought, anywhere but the face, Yu He’s face still had its uses! He caught Chen Biao’s hand, showing the skills that earned him the manager position at Jin Se Tai. With a slight flick, he diverted Chen Biao’s punch:

“Boss Chen, you’ve had too much to drink. Lan Qi,” Wang Wuchuan called over a clever waiter and pushed Chen Biao towards him: “Take Boss Chen to the third floor to sober up.”

After sending Chen Biao off, Wang Wuchuan turned to Yu He, pointed at him but decided not to speak in front of everyone: “Wait for me in my office.”

Yu He neither agreed nor disagreed. He bent down to pick up the tablet that Chen Biao had smashed on the ground. The screen and the body of the tablet were separated due to the force – it was clearly broken.

Yu He placed the tablet on the bar and said to the bartender, “Put the tablet on Boss Chen’s tab. It wouldn’t look good on us if we didn’t. We need to save face for Boss Chen.”

Everyone: “......”

The bartender thought: It’s not me, I didn’t do it.

Wang Wuchuan’s blood pressure soared as he called out, “Yu He!”

Yu He tapped on the bar, signaling the bartender not to forget the bill, then put his hands in his pockets and walked away leisurely.

Jin Se Tai, tenth floor, manager’s office.

Wang Wuchuan lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, observing the fake young master who had been introduced to work here by the shareholder Zhou Wenxiao.

Zhou Wenxiao was the boyfriend of the real young master, Yu Qingyan, and he was determined to grind Yu He down and take revenge for Yu Qingyan.

Jin Se Tai had its connections, and it was a place where good-looking boys and girls could take shortcuts. Zhou Wenxiao knew very well that with Yu He’s face, it would be too easy for him to fall from grace.

He instructed his subordinates to give Yu He more opportunities to ‘stand out’.

And what did ‘standing out’ mean? Wasn’t it just being sent to the powerful as a plaything?

Wang Wuchuan took another drag of his cigarette, and the gray-blue smoke spread out in the office.

Like looking at the moon in the water or flowers in the fog, through the layer of smoke, Yu He’s features were as exquisite as jade. Even Wang Wuchuan, a straight man, couldn’t help but take a few extra glances. If Yu He ended up in the hands of someone who liked this sort of thing, wouldn’t he be played to the breaking point?

“Yu He.” Wang Wuchuan leaned back in his chair, cigarette in hand, carefully choosing his words: “Brother Wang understands that you used to live the life of a young master and have never served others. But we are in the service industry, service, do you understand what that means?”

Yu He looked genuinely surprised, as if he did not understand why Wang Wuchuan had called him to the office for a private talk: “Manager Wang, is my service not good enough?”

As for how well he's doing, since he started working as a waiter today, Yu He has only managed to bring a tablet to the bar, and even then, he managed to shatter it.

What can you really discern from that? Wang Wuchuan wasn’t looking to criticize Yu He. Of course, his criticisms would be futile anyway. If Yu He were the type to take others’ criticisms to heart, he wouldn't have ended up in his current situation.

Wang Wuchuan spoke in a calm voice, “The main hall is a bit noisy. How about you go to the 16th floor? What do you think? You can earn more there.”

The 16th floor houses all the top-tier private rooms. Spending there for a night starts at a six-figure sum. From music and dance to chess and painting, from liquor to romance, it has everything. As long as you're willing to spend, the 16th floor is like a paradise on earth, a celestial realm.

Yu He understood the hidden meaning behind Wang Wuchuan’s words. He reached for the cigarettes on the office desk and leaned against the wall.

As he lit his cigarette, the orange flame reflected in his peach blossom eyes, casting a charming, star-like glow.

He took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled, not beating around the bush, and asked directly, "Manager Wang, are you asking me to sell myself?"

Wang Wuchuan, a seasoned smoker, still choked on his smoke under such a straightforward inquiry. "Cough, cough, cough, you can't really put it that way. There are a lot of alcohol salespeople on the 16th floor who only sell drinks."

Yu He smiled, an enigmatic expression in his eyes. His lower eyelids faintly visible, he remained silent, just looking at Wang Wuchuan.

Under the scrutiny of such eyes, Wang Wuchuan grew restless. He stood up from his chair, closed the office door, and laid his cards on the table with Yu He, "Young Master Yu, to be honest with you, someone higher up has asked us to make things difficult for you."

Yu He chuckled lightly, finally shifting his attractive gaze away, as if he had anticipated this all along, "I'm not surprised."

Wang Wuchuan gestured with his hands, "You know, the real big shots won’t come to a clubhouse to play. They prefer to pick a clean and pleasing boy to keep at home. There are a few who like boys and have already inquired about you.”

The word 'already' was subtly emphasized here.

Yu He lowered his eyelashes, pondering for a moment, “They started inquiring when I was still with the Yu family. Those must be really influential people.”

Wang Wuchuan sighed, affirming, “Exactly! So many people have their eyes on you…” He changed the subject, “But you’re in luck. While some people want to make things difficult for you, there are also those who want to help you.”

Help? Which decent person would come to Jinse Tai to rescue someone?

Yu He didn’t believe it, taking it as a pretty lie from Wang Wuchuan to deceive him. He lifted his eyes, his dark pupils seemingly able to see through people's hearts, yet at the same time, they revealed a sense of weariness. He felt that the covert battles were truly tiresome and boring.

Yu He said indifferently, “Whatever.”

Wang Wuchuan, of course, knew that Yu He didn’t believe him.

Someone knew that Yu He was at Jinse Tai and went through several layers of connections to ask for his protection. Coincidentally, this request was also entrusted to Wang Wuchuan. Handling both sides, and having no grievances with Yu He, he was naturally willing to do this favor that came with the flow.

Wang Wuchuan earnestly said, "Jinse Tai is not a good place; leave if you can."

Yu He flicked the ash into the ashtray, his slender and beautiful fingers looking as if they were painted, “Who is it?”

These hands reminded Wang Wuchuan of a boy who once worked at Jinse.

That boy also had slender hands, perfect for playing the piano, and was very arrogant. He was taken away from Jinse, and Wang Wuchuan didn’t see him for a long time. When he saw him again, six of his ten fingers were broken, and his body was covered in wounds. He could no longer play the piano.

The person who took that boy away had also inquired about Yu He.

“There’s a man surnamed Fu who is willing to pay the penalty for you to leave Jinse Tai,” Wang Wuchuan looked up at Yu He, “He’s never requested anyone from Jinse Tai. I don’t know much about him, just heard he has some special hobbies. If you can get close to him, he can protect you.”

Wang Wuchuan looked into Yu He's eyes earnestly and repeated, “He is the only one who can protect you.”

*

Three days later, a pure black extended Rolls-Royce Phantom stopped in the underground garage.

Wang Wuchuan handed the termination contract to Yu He, instructing, “After you go, don’t be surprised by anything you see. I heard that his health isn’t very good.” He lowered his voice, “His poor health is a good thing; it means he won’t bother you day and night.”

If Yu He had heard this three days ago, he might have believed it. However, after a few days of urgent theoretical training from his colleague Xiao Sean, Yu He was skeptical.

If someone really wants to bother you, who says they have to do it themselves?