Chapter 4: At Two in the Morning, Insomnia Proves to be Excellent Company

Chapter 4: At Two in the Morning, Insomnia Proves to be Excellent Company

Chen Bai's timing was impeccable, securing him a successful trial at his new post.

He shed his wool sweater and donned a tie kindly lent by the manager, perching on the piano stool with an air of professionalism that seemed fitting.

Not only did he look the part, but his skills were unexpectedly impressive. His repertoire was impressively broad, ranging from challenging études to popular tunes favored by patrons.

—Such proficiency was to be expected.

Before arriving in this world, Chen Bai had accumulated considerable experience in similar roles, honing his craft to perfection.

A couple took their seats, and as the man presented a bouquet of sunflowers to his companion, Chen Bai seamlessly transitioned into "Sunflower," executing the switch with effortless grace.

The recipient recognized the tune, her smile brightening with delight as she cradled the flowers, her gaze turning toward the pianist.

Meeting her eyes, Chen Bai offered a courteous smile.

His smile was polite and warm, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor of quiet reserve.

With a vast repertoire, excellent improvisation skills, social graces that shine, and the ability to pleasantly surprise guests, even the manager standing not far away was taken aback by the strength of this last-minute hire.

Initially, he hadn't held high expectations. Typically, those on equal footing belonged to the same social class, and given this person's acquaintance with Huochuan, money wasn't an issue. For various reasons, he had arranged for the performance, yet in his mind, it was merely to provide the guest with the experience of listening to live piano music. Now, this turned out to be a delightful surprise.

A regular pianist's working hours were two hours long, and although today's start was slightly later than usual, it still amounted to one and a half hours. The pianist truly remained seated on the piano bench without moving.

Truly dedicated.

Upon completing the trial, Chen Bai secured a job with a four-digit hourly wage. The manager was delighted to have found someone without a hitch, and so was he.

For a meal, he received a job offer as well, and from the bottom of his heart, Chen Bai thanked the domineering CEO surnamed Huo who had conveniently left halfway through their meal, presenting him with this opportunity.

Grateful, he began planning to end his role as a stand-in for this new client who had inadvertently provided him with employment.

After this meal, he finally realized, comprehensively, that this job was not suitable for him, regardless of any perspective.

Once his shift ended, he slipped back into his wool cardigan, bid farewell, and left the restaurant to board the elevator. As the elevator descended, he scrolled through his contacts to find the domineering CEO's number.

Before leaving earlier, Huochuan had said that if anything came up, Chen Bai could contact him directly by dialing this number.

These words were spoken just at noon and now they proved useful. After a brief two-second deliberation, Chen Bai dialed the number straight away.

"Beep—beep—"

In the quiet space, the only sound was that of his phone ringing. Just as he was halfway down in the elevator and about to hang up, the call was answered on the other end.

However, the voice that greeted him wasn't the one he had heard just that afternoon.

It was Huochuan's personal life assistant on the line, who politely inquired, "May I ask who is calling?"

Chen Bai gave his name.

"So it's Mr. Chen."

The assistant recognized him immediately upon hearing the name, greeting him before explaining, "Mr. Huo is currently indisposed. If you have any matters to discuss, you can relay them to me, and I will pass them on truthfully later."

Chen Bai found this acceptable. The matter of terminating the contract could be discussed with anyone; the main goal was to feel out the situation first.

"I…."

Before the "I" could fully leave his lips, the person on the other end seemed to recall something and said, "Your total compensation for today is 120,000 yuan, which will be transferred to your account in the next two days. Please check for its receipt."

120,000 yuan for a single meal.

"...."

Chen Bai was struck with awe, his back straightening considerably from its casual lean against the elevator wall.

The assistant asked again, "Is there anything you called about?"

"It's like this,"

Chen Bai said, "I want to learn more about Mr. Huo's preferences, such as habits, inclinations, or interests—the more detailed, the better."

As he continued speaking, his posture became even more upright, his attitude profoundly earnest.

He solemnly retracted his previous statement. Though he was not accustomed to this job, it wasn't that he couldn't adapt to it.

It wasn't so much about the 120,000, but rather to offer some small comfort to the domineering CEO.

The assistant on the other end was likely taken aback by his dedication, momentarily stunned before regaining his composure and responding affirmatively.

After his reply, the person opposite him mentioned there was one last thing he wished to ask, his tone sounding considerably more serious than before.

He leaned in to listen attentively, then heard a bold yet cautious voice through the phone:

"May I ask if the 120,000 is before or after tax?"

The assistant was momentarily speechless. "After tax," he replied.

With that, the call came to an end.

Upon hanging up, Chen Bai immediately bowed his head in reverence, changing the contact's note from "Huochuan" to "God of Wealth."

As he pocketed his phone, the elevator conveniently came to a halt.

On his way home, he made a detour to the library.

From the city center to his familiar old neighborhood, "An Actor's Self-Cultivation" was now in his hands.

In today's fiercely competitive society, even being a stunt double requires extremely high professional standards. Chen Bai understood the ways of societal survival and intended to start learning from this book.

As he walked down the street with the book in hand, he noticed that the locksmith shop was open, but no one was inside. He glanced to the side, and sure enough, he spotted his landlord and shop owner chatting with several other proprietors at the neighboring store, with his great-grandson in tow.

The landlord spotted him too, waved him over to join the conversation, and the other proprietors warmly called out to him as well.

Following the incident last time, his title in this old neighborhood changed from "the guy who doesn't go to work every day and nobody knows what he does" to "that young man who went to the hospital."

The young man sidled up to the group of bosses, casually patting the landlord's great-grandson as he learned that they were discussing matters next door.

They said half of the neighboring old street was cordoned off, as well as the now-defunct factory two doors down. Every day, people had been seen carrying stuff in and out. Apparently, a film crew was going to shoot here, not just one but two different ones.

Having lived here for so many years, these bosses hadn't encountered such events before, especially not two at once. They appeared quite intrigued, even joking about the possibility of spotting some celebrities.

Chen Bai also chuckled. After his laughter subsided, the landlord remembered something and informed him that his long-unoccupied neighbor's place was now inhabited. The owner had just replaced the lock today, suggesting that someone would be staying there for a while.

He found the landlord's expression odd as he spoke but didn't dwell on it, merely acknowledging with a nod.

Behind that simple statement lay a sorrowful tale.

Last time, his neighbor had sought him out to unlock the door because he'd forgotten his key; this time, by changing the lock outright, it seemed that his neighbor had truly lost the key for good.

"These are the two spare keys he requested," the landlord momentarily released his hold on his beloved grandson, fishing two keys from his pocket and continuing, "I've prepared them, but since I won't be around when he returns tonight, I'll leave it in your hands."

He wasn't often at the shop, and after today, who knew when he'd next visit. It was best to hand over the keys sooner rather than later.

Chen Bai accepted the keys without lingering further.

With the landlord present to mind the store, Chen Bai didn't have to stick around. After fondling the landlord's grandson one last time, he exited the group chat of several shop owners. With some free time on his hands, he decided to return home and delve into the new book he had just borrowed.

Ascending the stairs to his home, Chen Bai, while retrieving his own keys, couldn't help but glance at his neighbor's door, noticing that the lock indeed appeared newly replaced. Though not drastically different from the previous one, having observed it up close, he could spot the subtle distinctions.

Poor neighbor.

His sympathy lasted but a moment before he turned to enter his own abode, closing the door behind him with practiced ease.

Having a stream scheduled for the evening, Chen Bai had his dinner earlier than usual, leaving him with only a brief window in the afternoon to read. It was nearing his regular streaming time, and Brother Neighbor still hadn't returned. Chen Bai decided not to wait any longer, putting on his headphones and launching the game.

Not having rested much throughout the day, he was feeling somewhat drained by this point. Before starting the stream, he poured himself a cup of the always-ready black coffee.

While the game's interface was still loading, he opened up the live streaming room, which immediately saw an influx of viewers upon going live.

The number of people entering his streaming room had sharply increased over the past two days. He wasn't sure what had happened but guessed that he must have made it onto some sort of list, resulting in greater exposure than before. Despite the rise in audience numbers, he carried on as usual, only extending his streaming hours by an extra half hour.

"Hello, hello, hello... everyone. What am I drinking? Black coffee."

Gazing at the incessant barrage of messages in the lower left corner with his light grayish eyes, Chen Bai greeted everyone uniformly before lowering his head to take a sip from the cup of black coffee he had picked up. He couldn't help but furrow his brows and sincerely exclaim, "It's awful."

"The episode I relate to the most."

"Who on earth is the target audience for black coffee! Every time I drink it, I feel like I'm going to yue!"

"How could anyone in this world not like black coffee! [Unbelievable.jpg]"

"Erbai is drinking coffee now, will he be able to sleep tonight?"

Chen Bai set down his coffee and glanced at the barrage of messages, saying, "I sleep like a log, the kind that hits the pillow and is out."

The game finally finished loading. His mouse moved toward the friends list as he said, "Let me check if any of my buddies are online today."

"Buddies, referring to bait."

"Let's see who's the unlucky one caught to be the bait today."

"Erbai and his delightful baits (lighting a cigarette for the captured buddy)."

Capturing a random online bait, Chen Bai began his game.

With caffeine coursing through his veins and his spirits high, tonight's gameplay felt particularly smooth. His rank was climbing, nearing the peak level that he had previously paid someone to achieve for him - a level set by Brother Supporting Actor. Despite this, he didn't push his luck further, still signing off from streaming only half an hour later.

It was nearing two in the morning, and outside the window, darkness reigned supreme, with only a faint glow from a distant streetlight seeping in through the corner of the window.

After checking his earnings, he removed his headphones and powered down his computer. Having finished his evening routine, he wasted no time in collapsing onto his bed, where he promptly fell asleep.

The light switch clicked, plunging the room into darkness, leaving only the sound of shallow breaths hanging in the air.

"..."

A few minutes later, the man who had fallen into an immediate sleep turned over.

Following that, the sound of fabric rubbing against itself echoed, as the person lying in bed sat up, his unruly hair standing in all directions, paused motionlessly in mid-air for a moment, then collapsed back down, falling right back to sleep.

Falling right back to sleep, falling right back to sleep... yet unable to actually sleep.

Lying in bed and using his overly excited mind to think calmly for a while, Chen Bai made a cool-headed judgment.

The black coffee today must have been a bit too much.

Can't sleep, and feeling a bit hungry.

Dinner was way too early today.

"..."

Between the choice of continuing to lie there and getting up to forage for food, Chen Bai chose to sit up with his eyes wide open.

It was already two in the morning, yet the set remained brightly lit, bustling with activity.

As the last scene of the day wrapped up, a collective sigh of relief echoed through the crew. Having pushed through the schedule without dinner, the director, cinematographer, and several from the props team began to conspire, suggesting they head to the nearby open-air diner still in operation for a late-night snack.

With rumbling stomachs, most agreed to the plan. One crew member, however, kept glancing at the figure emerging from the break room, hat already on, before mustering the courage to ask, "Professor Xu, are you coming? For the night snack."

Xu Sinian casually pulled on his face mask, his dark eyes glancing sideways as he replied, "No, I have something to attend to. Enjoy your meal."

His deep voice muffled by the mask, the group watched as the tall silhouette departed, followed shortly by his assistants who also left the set.

A natural rejection. Observing the crestfallen expression of the person who extended the invitation, the director patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Rejection is normal. He never participates in these things. Consider this a lesson learned."

Xu Sinian, born into nobility, was an actor of undeniable talent. In just a few years since his film debut, he had swept through major awards ceremonies, rightfully earning the title of a triple-crown winner in acting accolades. On the surface, he appeared approachable, albeit a bit distant, but he was generally amiable, refraining from embarrassing others in public.

But that was merely a result of his impeccable upbringing. The more one interacted with him, the clearer it became that he maintained an unbridgeable distance from everyone.

Engaging in activities beyond the scope of work, such as having late-night snacks together, was something he never participated in, nor did he accept any invitations. His interactions with fellow actors outside of work were scarce, the only exception being the wrap party, where he would make an appearance. After working with him a couple of times, those who had collaborated with Xu Sinian learned to be considerate of his boundaries.

Finally, it was indeed hard for them to imagine such an otherworldly person sitting on plastic stools at a bustling street stall with them.

After leaving the film set, several assistants headed off in another direction. These past few days had been packed with night shoots, so every moment of rest was precious. As a result, they all chose to stay at nearby hotels, bidding farewell to those who weren't joining them as they parted ways.

Walking down the quiet streets now devoid of people, Xu Sinian proceeded straight up the stairs of the residential building.

The corridor was lit, albeit dimly, but enough to see his way. Pausing before his door, he lowered his head to retrieve his keys.

"Click."

Before he could insert the key into the lock, a sound came from one side. He turned his head, lowering his gaze, and found himself meeting a pair of pale gray eyes that were looking up at him.

Chen Bai hadn't expected to actually bump into his good neighbor at such a late hour.

Unable to sleep and feeling a bit hungry, with no 24-hour convenience stores in the old district, he decided to fend for himself and made some buns. Just as these buns were freshly steamed, he heard footsteps in the hallway, which then stopped by his door.

To be honest, peering through the peephole, if he didn't know that his neighbor favored this attire, he might have thought he was facing a would-be intruder.

The steam from the kitchen continued to spill out, but there was no time to tend to it. Chen Bai quickly returned to his buns, turning to the tall neighbor standing at the door and saying, "Your keys are ready. Leaving them at the store wouldn't be safe, so the boss asked me to give them to you. They're on the table in the living room. I can't leave my post here, so I'll have to trouble you to fetch them yourself."

The pot lid was lifted, and the already overflowing steam completely filled the small kitchen. A head emerged tenaciously from the mist, saying, "Just come in, it's alright; I'm going to clean tomorrow anyway, no need to take off your shoes."

From a not too distant vantage point, Xu Sinian spotted two keys resting on the living room table. The person in the kitchen continued their valiant battle against the steam, clearly oblivious to his presence after their brief exchange. With a courteous acknowledgment of his intrusion, he stepped through the door.

A door, like a boundary, once crossed, easily allowed him to feel the warmth emanating from the kitchen. He retrieved the keys from the living room and, upon turning around, noticed that the kitchen window had been opened, allowing the fog to gradually dissipate.

"Friend, just got off work?"

Chen Bai used chopsticks to delicately remove a plump steamed bun, one of his own making, from the steamer basket, casually inquiring of the man approaching from the living room, "Have you eaten yet?"

Xu Sinian pocketed the keys, responding with a simple denial.

Finishing work at a little past two in the morning, and still without a meal, Chen Bai cast a sympathetic glance at his good neighbor, asking, "Would you like a couple of buns? They're freshly made."

The good neighbor declined, as was his habit: "I have something to do back home."

To still have work following a shift ending at two in the morning!

As someone who had previously juggled eight jobs in a single day, Chen Bai empathized deeply with the struggles of working people, offering a consoling pat on the shoulder.

His neighbor was rather tall, so much so that he had to raise his hand considerably to reach the guy's shoulder. Not wanting to strain himself, he gave just two quick pats before swiftly lowering his arm back down.

Subsequently, the good neighbor acquired a plate bearing two steamed buns.

"Take this back so you can eat while you work," Chen Bai mused for a moment before adding, "Remember to return the plate to me next time."

In his pitifully empty cupboard, every single plate was a cherished possession.

Recall that the neighbor's brother still had work to attend to upon his return; he did not squander anyone's time. After handing over the buns, he let the person go, and before the main gate closed, he casually added, "Rest early."

This isn't so much a concerned instruction as it is a heartfelt wish, hoping that all wage earners may retire to bed early.

The door shuts, and Xu Sinian finds himself back in the dimly lit hallway, holding an unexpected plate in his hand. At last, the buzz in his ears subsides, leaving behind a serene quietness.

No clatter from the kitchen, no hiss of steam, only silence in the hallway, and beyond that, the thick darkness of night. It was at this moment that he was once again reminded—it was two o'clock in the morning.

At two in the morning, his neighbor was awake, busily making steamed buns.

"..."

The key slid into the lock, followed by the click of the door opening and then the soft thud as it closed, leaving the hallway once again enveloped in silence.

Author's Note:

Additional note: With a little extra touch, the dough is ready for wrapping dumplings without needing to rest for two hours.