Chapter 20

"Diamond Tongue 5, The Beauty of Taboo"

Mo Fei finally managed to climb out of the pile of newspapers, took a breath, and glanced at An Geer, who innocently picked up a newspaper from the floor to skim through it, then pointed towards the coffee table, saying, “Put them all there.”

Mo Fei rolled his eyes to the sky, got up, dusted himself off, and gathered the newspapers onto the table, while An Geer, legs crossed, lounged on the sofa, flipping through them.

“You're looking for clues here?” Mo Fei picked up a yellowed newspaper and frowned.

“Mhm,” An Geer nodded, “I think there might be some clues here.

“How long will it take to go through all these newspapers?” Mo Fei scratched his head.

“Just look for the odd and peculiar news,” An Geer said while browsing, “Someone like Black JK, tasteless and attention-seeking, would definitely be into that.”

“Heh...” Mo Fei laughed, “You describe him quite accurately. I too think he’s quite a handful, always up to some gimmick.” He glanced at the black roses in the vase as he spoke.

Then, An Geer quietly continued flipping through the newspapers, while Mo Fei casually browsed, suddenly starting to scratch his back… and then his arm.

“What are you doing?” An Geer looked up at him.

"Ah... feeling itchy all over," Mo Fei pondered and then sprang up to head upstairs, muttering, "Damn, must be bugs from the old newspapers on me!"

An Geer watched, bemused, as Mo Fei dashed into the bathroom, his lips curving involuntarily as he lowered his head back to the newspapers.

Upstairs in the bathroom, the sound of running water indicated Mo Fei had started his shower. An Geer, absorbed in the newspaper, suddenly heard a whistling sound from the kitchen. At first, he ignored it, but the persistent whistling, accompanied by a strange crackling noise, drew his attention.

An Geer, newspaper in hand, went into the kitchen to find that the water Mo Fei had put on was now boiling. He stared at the kettle for a moment, then turned and headed back upstairs.

The sound of water in the bathroom had stopped. An Geer opened the door, saying, "Mo Fei, there’s a kettle whistling in the kitchen."

Inside the bathroom, Mo Fei was drying his hair, wearing nothing...

An Geer blinked, looking him up and down, stroking his chin.

"Uh..." Although Mo Fei didn't mind being seen by An Geer, both being men, he still felt awkward under An Geer’s scrutinizing gaze, "Oh, the water’s boiling. Just turn off the gas, I’ll be right out." He quickly closed the door.

An Geer paused at the door, then turned and went downstairs to the kitchen, wondering—where do you turn off the gas?

Soon after, Mo Fei hurried down, wearing only jeans, his shirt forgotten in his rush, guessing that An Geer would have no idea how to shut off the gas. The last thing they needed was a kitchen fire.

Sure enough, he found An Geer in the kitchen, staring at the still whistling kettle.

Mo Fei rushed to turn off the gas, while An Geer, standing behind, continued to admire Mo Fei's back, hand still on his chin.

Pouring the hot water into the kettle, Mo Fei turned back to An Geer, asking, "Did you find any clues?"

"Yes," An Geer nodded, holding a newspaper, "This club, let's go there tonight!"

"A club?" Mo Fei took the newspaper and examined it closely, noticing a news piece circled in red by An Geer, headlined "Three Sudden Deaths at Club Party." The club was located in the heart of S City, named Baroque.

"Baroque?" Mo Fei scratched his head, looked closely at the bar's picture alongside the news, furrowed his brows, handed the paper back to An Geer, and suggested, "I think it’s better if you don’t go."

"Why?" An Geer looked at him, puzzled.

"It's a gay bar," Mo Fei said, finishing pouring water and starting to make tea.

An Geer pondered for a moment and asked, "You mean a bar for homosexuals?"

"Yes," Mo Fei nodded, "They generally don’t welcome people outside the community."

"How can they tell if someone is gay or not?" An Geer asked curiously.

"I heard they can tell at a glance," Mo Fei shrugged, "Also, they like to come in pairs. They might kiss in front of the security at the entrance, and that gets you in."

"Then let's go together," An Geer suggested.

"Cough cough..." Mo Fei, who was drinking tea, coughed and looked at An Geer, "Are you serious?"

An Geer blinked, "Isn’t it just about pretending to be gay to get in? That shouldn’t be hard."

Mo Fei felt somewhat awkward, but his gaze involuntarily fell on An Ge'er's exquisite face. Looking into his eyes, Mo Fei knew he wouldn't think of anything else. For some reason, Mo Fei felt that kissing An Ge'er would be slightly advantageous to him...

"We'll go tonight," An Ge'er put away the newspaper and returned to the living room with another cup of tea.

"Is there anything suspicious about this bar?" Mo Fei asked.

"Hmm," An Ge'er nodded, "The people they require to enter all wear black clothes. Also, the neon sign of this club has a font very similar to this one." As he spoke, he showed Mo Fei the Dark Night Carnival card that Black JK had sent.

Mo Fei took the card and compared it with the photo in the newspaper, nodding, "Indeed, they're very similar."

An Ge'er smiled, "Then it's settled. We'll go in tonight and see what kind of organization this really is."

"Hey," Mo Fei suddenly asked, "do you still remember what Oss told you?"

"Yes, he said he would send me some materials this morning, but they haven't arrived yet," An Ge'er said, dissatisfied.

"Not that," Mo Fei shook his head weakly, "It's about his descriptions of Black JK and the Dark Night Carnival. If that place is really a stronghold, it should be very dangerous... What can we find out by going in?"

An Ge'er thought for a moment and said, "I'm just curious to take a look. I'm not aiming to find any clues. Besides, if there are any clues, they should be inside the club, and we might discover them." After saying this, he casually went upstairs with his cup.

Mo Fei asked him, "Aren’t you going to eat?"

An Ge'er, opening the door to his studio, said, "I'm going to paint. Don't disturb me." With that, he closed the door and went inside.

Mo Fei sat on the sofa, sipping tea, and continued to flip through the pile of newspapers to pass the time.

As evening approached, Mo Fei set the fragrant dinner on the table. Glancing at the clock, which showed nearly six o'clock, he saw An Ge'er emerge from his studio, his mood seemingly uplifted.

"Can painting really bring you that much joy?" Mo Fei handed him a bowl and chopsticks, having deliberately packed more rice into the bowl today so An Ge'er could eat more. The man was incredibly lazy when it came to food, eating only one bowl regardless of hunger or fullness, and indifferent to whether the bowl was a soup basin or a tea cup – he just couldn't be bothered to get more... Seeing that he had skipped lunch, Mo Fei served him extra.

"Do we need any special equipment for the club later?" An Ge'er asked.

"Cough..." Mo Fei nearly choked on his rice, looking at An Ge'er, "What equipment do you have?"

"I mean, do we need to change clothes or something?" An Ge'er asked while eating.

"Probably not... But if you have one, it might be good to bring a gun," Mo Fei said casually, sipping his soup.

"There's one in the drawer in my room," An Ge'er replied.

"Pfft..." Mo Fei, in an ungraceful manner, spat soup back into his rice, turned to An Ge'er, and saw him smiling slightly, "Just kidding."

Mofei took a deep breath, "Heh... Anger's true nature is increasingly showing. I thought he was just a somewhat lazy painter, a bit dazed, but lately, I've realized he really enjoys playing pranks, especially when he's in a good mood."

After finishing their meal and tidying up, they got into the car and drove towards the Baroque Club in the center of S City.

An Ge'er suddenly asked Mo Fei, "Have you ever kissed a guy?"

Mo Fei, caught between laughter and tears, responded, "How could I have?"

"I haven't either," said Anger awkwardly, rubbing his chin. "If we really have to kiss later, how should we do it? Where should I look? Where should I put my hands?"

Mo Fei looked at him helplessly. "So, you've never kissed a woman?"

Anger thought for a moment. "I've kissed my grandmother. How about you?"

Mo Fei shrugged. "You're ahead of me; I've never even kissed my grandmother."

"Then what do we do when the time comes?" Anger asked.

Mo Fei replied resignedly, "We'll figure it out then. Maybe we'll be lucky and won't have to kiss."

"Hmm," Anger nodded, "That makes sense."

Unfortunately, as they arrived at the bar's entrance, Mo Fei and Anger hadn't even parked the car when they saw four burly men standing at the door, scrutinizing every patron. Those entering the bar were all in pairs, exclusively male, and under the stern gaze of these men, each couple had to passionately kiss for over thirty seconds before being allowed in.

Anger reached out to pull Mo Fei, asking, "What do we do, Mo Fei? We really have to kiss for that long?"

Mo Fei, also feeling helpless, asked, "Do you still want to go in?"

"I want to go in," Anger said honestly, "but I don't know how to kiss."

"You decide," Mo Fei unbuckled his seatbelt and said to Anger, "Remember to close your eyes later!"

"Close my eyes?" Anger was puzzled. "When?"

"When I kiss you," Mo Fei said, opening the car door and stepping out.

Anger also got out of the car, a bit nervous. He had never been to such a place before. Walking to the entrance with Mo Fei, the four burly men there seemed surprised by them, especially Anger. Mo Fei noticed their awestruck looks at Anger, feeling a bit annoyed. Anger's appearance might cause trouble here.

"Ahem." One of the men coughed when they tried to enter without kissing, blocking the entrance and focusing on the duo.

Mo Fei sighed, realizing there was no avoiding it, and stopped. Anger, meanwhile, was curiously looking around.

Mo Fei raised his hand, gently holding the back of Anger's head.

Confused, Anger turned to look at him, only to have Mo Fei hold his chin and lean in for a kiss...

Instinctively, Anger closed his eyes. Mo Fei, holding Anger's chin with one hand, slid the other down from the back of his head, across his neck, then to his back, resting it lightly at his waist and pulling him closer. Anger, on instinct, leaned back slightly, placing his hands on Mo Fei's shoulders and slightly lifting them. The sounds of gasps from the onlookers, coupled with Mo Fei's rapidly beating heart, filled the air.