Chapter 6: Actor’s Attire

Chapter 6: Actor's Attire

"It's okay, these people are heading to the second floor too. Just follow them. They're not here for you, and they won't have time to bother you later."

The equestrian club has specially hired tea artists, all of whom have won awards in competitions. Today, a very famous team in the industry happens to be here.

The people around Ye Man are clearly not real tea artists. The system warned him not to make any sudden moves. He is blind and can't see their faces, so he poses little threat. As long as he cooperates quietly, he'll be fine.

Ye Man nodded quietly without resisting, planning to do as these people said.

To change into the cheongsam they provided, he would have to take off his own clothes first.

Ye Man really wanted to cooperate.

But being surrounded by people, past experiences surfaced in his mind, and he couldn't help but tremble.

"What are you dawdling for?"

Someone next to him pulled him, and Ye Man was already sweating, his pale lips quivering.

"What did you say? What about paying back the money?"

"Forget it, don't bother with him. We don't have time. Find him something he can just slip on."

"Ye Man? Ye Man, are you okay?"

Ye Man took a few deep breaths, suppressing the feeling of suffocation.

He was fine.

He pinched his slightly numb palm and caught another piece of clothing thrown at him by the group, slipping it on casually.

This one was larger than the cheongsam originally meant for the female tea artist and could be worn over his current clothes.

Only after putting it on did Ye Man realize it was a white stage costume. Of course, it wasn't a full set—full costumes have many pieces, and these people didn't have time to wait for him to change slowly. It was just a white outer robe, wide-sleeved, with a smooth and light texture, not the cheap material used in photo studios.

When wealthy people hire tea artists, they appreciate not just the tea but also the ambiance. Therefore, tea artists usually wear traditional Chinese clothing, most commonly cheongsams or Zhongshan suits.

They couldn't find a Zhongshan suit, so they thought a stage costume would do, as it was also quite traditional and ancient, making it a suitable substitute.

Ye Man raised his head, his face randomly turned toward someone: "Is this okay?"

There was a brief silence, and the person in front of him muttered something.

They took away his cane and tossed it aside, then sandwiched him in the middle, pulling him forward by his thin wrist: "Don't speak out of turn later. Just do as you're told."

Ye Man stumbled as he was pulled.

This time, when they went upstairs, there was no obstruction.

"This is our tea artist, and we're the assistants."

The security guard at the staircase glanced at him, did a quick check, and let them pass.

Following these people all the way to the door, the system said: "Meng Yao is inside."

"Knock knock."

"Come in."

The group entered one by one.

The room, specifically set up for the bigwigs to relax and enjoy tea, had an antique charm to its decor. The tables, chairs, and cabinets were all made of antique huanghuali wood, with the gentle sound of flowing water nearby. In the center sat several casually dressed, affluent young people. They had all grown up together in the same courtyard, unlike the kids downstairs. Everyone present had already taken the reins of their families.

At a glance, the young master of the Sheng family found the newcomers amusing, "Are they here to put on an opera or to serve tea?"

The young master from Jingjin Securities next to him stroked his chin, "You know, standing in this room, he's the one who fits the mood."

Ye Man's slender frame didn't look bulky in the opera costume. The belt around his waist made his waist appear even slimmer.

The young man was slender and lean, with smooth black hair framing his cheeks. His skin was slightly pale, and his naturally light lips had lost even more of their color. His brows were faintly furrowed, standing alone there, truly making one feel as if they had encountered a beautiful, stubborn, and aloof opera singer forced to serve the powerful.

What started as a teasing remark, upon closer thought, indeed stirred a tickling sensation in one's heart, like being scratched by a cat.

Secretary Chen, who had been silent until now, noticed the shift in the room's atmosphere. The surrounding gazes were subtly but surely fixed on the young man dressed as an opera singer.

He took a secret breath.

What is Young Master Chi doing here!

Secretary Chen instinctively glanced towards Mr. Xu.

Xu Huaiting was surrounded by a group of people, sitting in the center with a calm expression, his eyes downcast, showing no emotion.

Ye Man was checking Meng Yao's location with the system.

With so many people around, even though he could still make out some Gaussian-blurred outlines with one eye, it was too hard for him to pinpoint Meng Yao in this crowd of strangers.

Besides, thinking about it is one thing, but actually doing it is another.

Having him sit directly on someone's lap in front of so many people, even Ye Man, who was quite cunning and manipulative, couldn't help but blush with shame.

"Brother Tong, I, I'm scared, what should I do?"

Ye Man felt the gazes around him fall on his body, his thin shoulders trembling slightly.

Being in the center of attention for a long time made Ye Man feel very insecure. He instinctively began to show weakness, putting on a pitiful and fragile expression.

The young master of the Sheng family next to him half-jokingly egged him on, "Hey, little beauty, why do you just stand there as soon as you come in, don't you see Mr. Xu is here?"

"That's right, hurry up and come over to pour tea for Mr. Xu."

The teasing voices gradually took on a different tone, each mixed with some unclear implications.

Everyone saw the beautiful young man, amidst a wave of ill-intentioned teasing, his fair face slowly turning a faint red, helpless and pitiful.

His dark eyelashes hung down, making him appear even more delicate and fragile, making one want to hold him in their arms and lick those fluttering long lashes, to see if he would cry in anger.

"Mr. Xu...?" Ye Man stammered.

His heart sank.

"Brother Tong, you didn't say the big shot is here too!"

Moreover, the system had clearly said Meng Yao was here, but just now it told him that Meng Yao wasn't in the room.

"Strange, the system detects Meng Yao is here?"

With the target missing, Ye Man wanted to leave even more.

He bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears.

Xu Huaiting glanced at him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "Come here."

Ye Man, who was about to make a big move, stood there in a daze for a moment.

Young Master Sheng and Young Master Xu couldn’t help but look at the man in the center with surprise.

Although they had teased about having someone come over to pour tea, they didn’t expect Xu Huaiting to actually agree.

The Xu Family was in turmoil recently, and rumors said Xu Huaiting had faced a poisoning attempt while inspecting Zhonghai. Why would he, at such a critical time, let someone unknown handle his things?

Young Master Sheng had planned to wait until the beauty was scared off by Xu Huaiting’s cold rejection, then comfort him and pull him close.

With Xu Huaiting’s command, no one dared to say more.

A person behind Ye Man nudged him. "Mr. Xu is calling you, hurry over."

Ye Man reluctantly shuffled forward.

He wasn’t a real tea master, so he knew nothing about tea brewing.

Kneeling at the table, he fumbled with the teacup, and it was obvious something was wrong. But for some reason, no one interrupted him from start to finish. Only his 'assistant' stepped in, handed him the items, and helped him barely manage.

After sweating through the effort, he finally brewed a cup of tea. Ye Man stood up.

His recent injuries had mostly healed, but he was still anemic. His legs were numb from kneeling. Ye Man took two steps, felt dizzy, and nearly fell.

He couldn’t keep the tea steady, and it was about to spill on Xu Huaiting.

Ye Man turned pale with fear and instinctively closed his eyes tightly.

He felt a tug on his wrist and suddenly found himself sitting sideways on Xu Huaiting’s lap. One hand supported his lower back, and the tea had only splashed a small part, still firmly held in his hand.

Frequent gasps of surprise were heard in the room.

System: "Meng Yao isn’t here, we don’t need to stay. I’ve checked, Xu Huaiting hates those who approach him with ulterior motives. In the past, people have pretended to stumble and fall into him, but they were all escorted out by his bodyguards."

Without the system needing to say more, Ye Man quickly understood the implication.

He immediately picked up the tea and offered it to Xu Huaiting. "Mr. Xu, please have some tea."

Then he waited to be escorted out, eager to leave this situation.

But he waited and waited, and no bodyguards came.

He only felt the gazes around him becoming more and more piercing.

Being watched by everyone while sitting in another man’s lap made Ye Man almost unable to hold the teacup steady.

Xu Huaiting watched as the boy sitting on his lap’s ears turned redder and redder, almost as if they were about to drip blood.

"Mr. Xu... please have some tea," he lowered his head, looking pitiful.

Who wouldn’t soften at such a sight?

Even Secretary Chen, who had been deceived by Ye Man before and knew what kind of person he was, was amazed.

This acting, this face, if he entered the entertainment industry, he would surely be at the level of a film emperor. It’s a waste to use it here. Mr. Xu doesn’t fall for this.

Secretary Chen was prepared, ready to summon someone to escort Young Master Chi out the moment the boss made a move.

But after waiting for what felt like an eternity, no instructions came.

Xu Huaiting's hand firmly gripped the waist of the young man seated on his lap, his fingers gently caressing.

The body beneath his palm trembled faintly, the movement so slight it would be imperceptible unless one was right there in his embrace.

The fingers holding the teacup were pale and slender, their tips red and slightly swollen from the heat.

Though scalded by the hot water, he remained silent, his face filled with timidity, as if fearing something.

Ye Man, uncomfortable from the hand gripping his waist, shifted slightly, only to hear a lazy voice in front of him: "Don't move."

In the next instant, the 'assistant' who had been tidying the tea set suddenly lunged forward, pulling a knife from his coat and charging at Xu Huaiting.

"Xu! You're dead!"

Ye Man was startled as chaos erupted around him. The sounds of scuffling, muffled groans, and the dull thud of bodies hitting the floor filled the air.

Young Master Sheng cursed under his breath, and then the tea set on the table shattered with a loud crash.

Ye Man strained his neck, trying to see what was happening, but all he could discern were blurry shadows moving oddly around him.

Since his vision began to fail, he had remained optimistic, thinking it wasn't a big deal.

He believed that as long as his face remained unscathed, he could still navigate the world as effortlessly as before.

But this was the first time he vaguely grasped what it meant to be unable to see.

People were fighting around him, yet he couldn't even find a safe place to hide. He didn't know where to go, couldn't discern others' movements, and couldn't evade the dangers closing in.

He was at the eye of the storm, yet all he could do was stand there dumbfounded, powerless to act.

He was no longer able to protect himself.

The moment this thought struck him, Ye Man's chest tightened.

He felt like a rootless piece of driftwood, instinctively clutching at the clothes of the only person he could rely on in that moment.

The little vision he had left not only failed to comfort him but also transformed the world around him into a melting oil painting.

The boundaries between people and objects blurred endlessly in the interplay of light and shadow, the colors merging into a chaotic and horrifying mess.

His ears rang, and fear had completely scrambled his thoughts.

He heard the system shouting something frantically, but when he tried to respond, his throat was too sore to make a sound.

It was then that Xu Huaiting's hand pressed against the back of his head. Ye Man yielded to the pressure, burying his face into the clothes that carried a faint scent of tobacco, his fingers clutching the fabric so tightly they turned white.

Xu Huaiting's voice was deep and magnetic, exuding the casual authority of someone in power.

"What are you afraid of? With me here, who dares to hurt you?"

He sat amidst the chaos, holding Ye Man steady, not moving an inch. His cold gray eyes calmly observed the red-eyed attacker.

Somehow, Ye Man's heart suddenly eased.

The frozen blood began to flow again, and his body gradually relaxed. But just a second later, he stiffened once more.

The door burst open with a loud bang.

Chi Jue appeared at the doorway, tense and anxious, calling out, "Xiao Man!"

When he saw what was happening inside, his eyes widened in shock.

His little brother was perched on the lap of a tall, commanding man, and when Chi Jue's gaze met Xu Huaiting's from across the room, his face shifted through a range of emotions, finally turning ghostly pale.

"Mr. Xu," he growled through clenched teeth, barely containing his anger, "please let go of my brother!"

The system: "..."

The script seemed on point, but something didn’t quite add up.