Video calls were indeed expensive, costing 188 yuan for just ten minutes. Ever since his brief chat with Xie An’yu, Li Ying had been eager to order his services again. But the staff member hadn’t been online since then, and what had started as a casual interest in chatting with a virtual boyfriend had turned into an agonizing wait as the other party remained offline for days.
Today, he finally managed to catch him online and, on a whim, placed a large order.
Fortunately, the money wasn’t wasted. The high price had its reasons; at least the handsome guy on the screen was undeniably real.
Xie An’yu sat on a park bench, occasionally glancing around nervously, worried someone might pass by. Since the other party hadn’t turned on their camera, he didn’t know where to look, his gaze darting around awkwardly, making him appear very stiff.
“Are you socially anxious?” Lying‘s voice carried a hint of amusement.
“Mm?” Xie An’yu didn’t understand.
“Are you outside?” Lying asked. “Is someone watching you? Why so nervous? You’re so handsome, why would you be afraid of being seen?”
Xie An’yu was indeed a little nervous. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he replied, “No one’s watching me. Just you.”
Xie An’yu was merely stating a fact, but his pleasant voice lent the words a suggestive ambiguity. It seemed intentional, yet was entirely unintentional, making its subtle allure all the more potent. Li Ying remained silent for several seconds.
“Actually, I’m also socially anxious,” Lying said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have paid to chat with you.”
“Socially anxious?”
The other party was silent for a moment, then spoke, “Is this a persona the platform set for you, or are you really like this?”
Xie An’yu’s thoughts couldn’t keep up. “What?”
Lying chuckled. “Never mind. I just find you quite unique and interesting. Social anxiety is a fear of social situations, a difficulty in interacting with people.”
Understanding the meaning of social anxiety, Xie An’yu nodded slowly. “Mm… I am like that.”
Another brief silence followed before Xie An’yu heard the other party say, “You’re so cute.”
Being called ‘cute’ by a guy was far more embarrassing than hearing it from a girl. Xie An’yu felt a little awkward.
“Are you doing this because you need money?” Lying asked. He sensed that someone with Xiao Dao’s personality wouldn’t be working as a virtual boyfriend online unless he was truly desperate.
Xie An’yu hummed in affirmation.
“Then you should be online more often. I’ll place more orders with you, and we can both get what we need.”
***
That afternoon, the boss called, urging Xie An’yu to return to work. Xie An’yu hurriedly rushed back. He had originally bought the phone and installed WeChat to contact Xiao Zhou. But in his haste to get back to the restaurant, he ended up completely forgetting about Xiao Zhou and didn’t even reply to his message right away.
Unable to place an order, Yu Feng logged off. He thought to himself, Student Xiao Dao is quite popular. He finally catch him online, and someone else immediately monopolizes his time as soon as he appeared.
He shouldn’t dwell on it, but the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt—Xiao Dao had time to video chat with others but not time to reply to his message?
Seeing Yu Feng’s stern expression, Zhou Yi assumed he was upset about being dragged along as a third wheel. He brought Yu Feng some fruit and offered a conciliatory smile. “What’s with the long face? It’s just a little third-wheeling. You don’t have to be so grumpy about it.”
“Next time, tell me in advance about this kind of thing.”
“Would you still come if I told you in advance?”
“No.”
“See? I know you too well.”
Zhou Yi’s blind date was in the restroom. Yu Feng lowered his voice and asked, “Why did you bring her home? Didn’t you say you weren’t interested?”
“Would I invite her here myself? It’s those two old folks at home digging a pit for me. They secretly arranged it with her first, catching me completely off guard,” Zhou Yi sighed. “Do you think I’m being too accommodating to them?”
Yu Feng hummed in agreement. “You’re just realizing that now?”
“Sigh, I’m used to it. I can’t help it. If I raise my voice even slightly when talking to them, they get all sad and gloomy.”
“Keep getting used to it, and this kind of thing will keep happening.”
Zhou Yi frowned and fell silent.
“If there’s nothing else, just send her home,” Yu Feng glanced at the restroom. “She’s not even a friends with benefits, and you’re bringing her home. Make things clear, don’t waste her time.”
Yu Feng’s words were blunt but true. Moreover, Zhou Yi lived alone. The more Zhou Yi thought about his parents’ actions, the more inappropriate it felt, he felt they had crossed a line.
“I’m heading back now,” Yu Feng stood up.
“Hey, wait, I have something for you.” Zhou Yi rummaged through the coffee table drawer and pulled out a ticket to an underground concert. “The day after tomorrow. Come wave a glow stick for me.”
Yu Feng reached for the ticket in Zhou Yi’s hand, but Zhou Yi suddenly pulled his hand back. “It’s not free.”
“Transfer the ticket fee,” Zhou Yi said.
Yu Feng turned to leave, but Zhou Yi quickly grabbed his arm. “You’re so generous with your online ‘little fresh meat[mfn]小鮮肉 (xiǎo xiān ròu): (neologism, slang) young handsome boy; (coll.) teen idol (male); a term popular in brothels in the old society. It was used by older women to refer to young and good-looking clients. In Internet slang, it refers to young men in the film and television and modeling circles.[/mfn]’, but stingy with me? You can’t leave! This is a charity concert—all ticket proceeds go to donations. It’s for a good cause!”
Yu Feng turned back, pulling out his phone as he asked, “How much?”
“50.”
“Quite cheap.” Yu Feng transferred 50 yuan to Zhou Yi.
“It’s a charity event, after all,” Zhou Yi said, handing Yu Feng the ticket after receiving the money. “Thanks for your support, Boss Yu. May good people live long and prosper.”
“The concert address is on the ticket. Remember to come early the day after tomorrow and find me. I’ll have them save you a good spot.”
Zhou Yi’s blind date happened to emerge from the restroom at that moment, smiling as she asked Zhou Yi, “A concert? What kind of concert?”
Yu Feng glanced at Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi licked his lips, not wanting to hide anything, and frankly said, “It’s a charity concert—underground bands playing music and stuff. All ticket proceeds go to charity. Do you want to go?”
“Sure! Let’s go together?”
Zhou Yi smiled. “Can’t go together. I’ll be performing on stage.”
The girl was a little surprised. “You’re going to sing on stage?”
“I’m not singing. The lead singer will handle that. I’m just the drummer.”
“I didn’t know you were in a band! Aren’t you a teacher?”
“Teachers can’t be in bands?” Zhou Yi chuckled.
“You’re amazing!”
“It’s just a hobby, really. We’re just messing around,” Zhou Yi said. “If you’re interested, you can come watch. It’s the night after tomorrow.”
“I’ll definitely be there. Hmm…” She glanced at the ticket in Yu Feng’s hand and asked, “How do I get tickets?”
Zhou Yi only had one ticket left, the one he gave to Yu Feng, so he said, “Tickets can be bought on the spot. You can just buy one there when you arrive.”
Actually, the girl was probably hoping he’d offer her a ticket himself; even if it meant waiting a day or two. A ticket given by the person involved definitely held a different meaning than one bought by oneself. Zhou Yi understood this perfectly well, but he wasn’t interested in her and didn’t want to appear too considerate. So he played dumb, pretending to be oblivious and acting like a clueless straight man.
***
Lying kept his word. That very night, as soon as Xie An’yu logged into his account, Lying seized the opportunity and placed another order.
Xie An’yu was indeed very short on money right now. So, even though he didn’t particularly enjoy chatting with strangers online, he couldn’t afford to pass up any opportunity to earn money. Especially now that he was renting a place, which added another expense, he figured he should log in whenever possible and try to earn as much as he could in his free time.
The platform notified Xie An’yu that the client’s order was for a ‘full buyout’ service, lasting 24 hours. During this period, he couldn’t accept orders from any other clients and had to dedicate his services exclusively to this one customer. The ‘buyout’ package included text, voice, and live voice chat, but video calls was not included.
Seeing that he wouldn’t have to make a video call, Xie An’yu couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. The daytime video chat limit was only 10 minutes, but even that 10 minutes felt like an ordeal for him.
Since moving, Xie An’yu now took the subway home every day. At nine o’clock in the evening, the train was nearly empty, so he settled into a corner seat. After a busy night, he suddenly remembered something important.
He quickly tapped on a certain blue avatar and was about to type a message when he suddenly remembered the notification from the platform earlier. Strictly speaking, Xiao Zhou was also his client, and the platform had explicitly prohibited any communication with other clients during a ‘buyout’ period. If he contacted Xiao Zhou now, wouldn’t that violate the rules?
Forget it. He can look for him again tomorrow.
With that, Xie An’yu temporarily put Xiao Zhou aside and chatted with Lying for almost the entire night, finally falling asleep after three in the morning.
As for why the other person could stay up so late, Xie An’yu guessed it was probably due to the time difference. He learned from their conversation that the other person was studying abroad. Unable to connect with his classmates and too afraid to openly admit his attraction to men, he had resorted to paying for a virtual boyfriend online. In short, his life was too dull, and he was seeking entertainment in the virtual world.
He used a rather humorous phrase to describe himself to Xie An’yu, which left a deep impression on Xie An’yu—Meek and mild in the real world, loud and obnoxious in the virtual world.
Indeed, chatting with him, Xie An’yu found it hard to believe he would struggle with social interaction in real life. He was a very talkative person.
***
That evening, Yu Feng remembered and opened [Limited-Time Boyfriend], trying to search for ‘Xiao Dao’ again. To his relief, Xiao Dao was online. However, Yu Feng’s relief immediately vanished in the next moment—
He tried to place an order, and the interface loaded for a few seconds before another notification popped up: 【Sorry, this employee has been ‘bought out’ by another client for 24 hours and will not accept orders from other clients during this period. Orders can be accepted again after 21:13 tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.】
It had to be said, this platform’s systems are quite comprehensive, and they truly uphold the ‘customer first’ principle. They don’t shortchange any customer who places an order. When they say ‘buyout’, they really cut off the staff’s ability to take orders from other customers.
Yu Feng felt like he’d been turned away at the door—the kind where it happened twice in one day.
He tossed his phone aside, took a Valium[mfn]安定 (Ān dìng): Diazepam, sold under the brand name Valium among others, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome.[/mfn], and prepared to sleep.
***
During the day, Lying was noticeably quieter, likely asleep. Xie An’yu, who rarely stayed up late, felt disoriented the next day, groggy all day long. Yet despite his drowsiness, the time 21:13 remained firmly fixed in his mind—after this time, he could, with a clear conscience, go look for Xiao Zhou.
He finally managed to make it to the end of his shift. To prevent Lying from placing another buyout order, Xie An’yu did not log into his [Limited-Time Boyfriend] account. But before he could even go find Xiao Zhou, Xiao Zhou came looking for him first.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Log into the mini-program. I can’t place an order】
Xiao Dao: 【You don’t need to order through the mini-program. I already owe you two days】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【You know you owe me, yet you haven’t come to find me?】
Xie An’yu was startled. It was quite rare for Xiao Zhou to speak to him in such a tone.
Xiao Dao: 【There’s been an unexpected situation】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Log in first】
Though Xie An’yu didn’t understand why Xiao Zhou insisted he log in, he obediently logged into his account.
Xiao Dao: 【Done】
As soon as the message sent, the [Limited-Time Boyfriend] platform pushed an order notification. Xie An’yu, conditioned by his experience with Lying, instinctively recoiled from new orders. Frowning, he clicked to view the order, and his mind went blank, as if his brain had shut down.
Order Time: 2023-04-22 21:34:11
User who placed the order: Xiao Zhou Sails Away
Order Item: Buyout (Full Month)
Item Price: 6666 Yuan[mfn]6666元 (6666 Yuán): T/N: Around 931 USD. On another note, in China, 666, or 六六六 (liù liù liù) can mean “everything goes smoothly”. It has the same pronunciation with 溜溜溜 (liù liù liù), which mean “smooth” and is very similar to 牛牛牛 (niú niú niú), which came from 牛逼 (niú bī) – “cool”, “amazing” (which is a very colloquial word, by the way). It’s also very close in meaning to 厉害 (lì hai), which means “awesome”. In Western countries, this combination of numbers is not considered lucky and even referred to as the “number of the beast”, but in Chinese, it has a very positive connotation.[/mfn]/month
Xie An’yu’s hands froze, clutching his phone motionless for a full half-minute.
His phone vibrated with a message from a wealthy client.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Alright】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【What happened before?】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【You said there was an unexpected change, what change?】
Xie An’yu’s head was buzzing. His fingers mechanically typed out a few words.
Xiao Dao: 【Is your family very rich?】
Yu Feng scoffed.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【No】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【What are you trying to say?】
Xie An’yu had already lost the ability to organize his thoughts into coherent sentences.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Both times I tried to order from you, someone else beat me to it. I got turned away twice, not very happy】
Xiao Dao: 【Twice?】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Every time I tried, I couldn’t place an order. Quite popular, aren’t you?】
Yu Feng didn’t want to be intercepted again the next time he tried to place an order, so he simply chose the monthly buyout service.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【So what exactly was the unexpected change?】
Xie An’yu gradually regained his composure, though his typing remained somewhat dazed.
Xiao Dao: 【Didn’t have a phone anymore】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Was it stolen?】
Xiao Dao: 【No, the previous phone belonged to someone else. I returned it】
Xiao Dao: 【Just bought a new one】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Good for you】
Xie An’yu sent an emoji expressing joy, and Yu Feng inexplicably felt a surge of happiness as well.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【How much did it cost?】
Yu Feng wasn’t sure why he was asking such a trivial question. It was as if he were making small talk, or perhaps his good mood made him curious about everything.
Xiao Dao: 【488】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【That cheap?】
Xiao Dao: 【It’s second-hand】
Yu Feng guessed that Student Xiao Dao must have bought a second-hand phone as a last resort because new phones were too expensive, which meant his financial situation wasn’t good.
These days, it’s not hard to find affordable new smartphones. A quick online search reveals plenty of brand-new phones priced around 500-600 yuan. If he was looking for something cheap, why would he buy a used phone for over 400?
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Where did you buy it?】
Xiao Dao: 【Phone store】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【What brand?】
Xiao Dao: 【I don’t know either. I’ll send you a picture】
Xie An’yu dug out his old flip phone. Besides making calls and sending texts, it could also take photos, though the resolution was terrible. He used the flip phone to take a picture of his new smartphone, then used the smartphone to take a picture of the photo on the flip phone’s screen and sent it to Xiao Zhou.
Yu Feng stared at the photo sent from the other side, momentarily stunned.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【What did you… take this with?】
Xiao Dao: 【My old flip phone. Can you see it clearly?】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Yes】
Yu Feng began to wonder what kind of magical existence the boy on the other end was. He carefully examined the phone model closely and realized the silly kid had been scammed by an unscrupulous seller. This off-brand phone could be bought brand new online for 500-600 yuan.
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【You spent 488?】
Xiao Dao: 【Mm, the boss even gave me a discount of ten-odd yuan】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Idiot, he conned you】
Yu Feng could practically picture the phone store owner swindling Student Xiao Dao.
Upon reading this, Xie An’yu immediately deflated.
Xiao Dao: 【Did I overpay for it?】
Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【You’ve already bought it. Take good care of it】
Xiao Dao: 【So I really did overpay?】
Yu Feng could practically feel the deep sense of grievance radiating from those five words. He spoke in a tone as if comforting a child: 【Well, what can you do? You’ve already bought it】
Xie An’yu seemed genuinely upset, sending a string of crying emojis.
Yu Feng immediately called Xie An’yu on WeChat.
Xie An’yu was still feeling down when Xiao Zhou’s call suddenly came in. Seeing the call notification pop up on the screen, he froze, a sudden wave of nervousness washing over him.
Xie An’yu wasn’t someone who particularly liked answering calls, especially from strangers; the awkwardness of communicating through a phone made him very uncomfortable.
After a moment’s hesitation, Xie An’yu pressed the answer button. “…Hello?”
“Hello, it’s me,” a mature male voice came from the other end. “Can you hear my voice clearly?”
“Mm… clearly,” Xie An’yu replied, still puzzled by Xiao Zhou’s sudden call. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing much. Just wanted to test your phone’s call quality.”
Xie An’yu blinked in surprise.
“Looks like the call quality is decent,” Yu Feng said, his voice a little hoarse after a long, tiring day. “You’ve already bought it, so don’t dwell on its original value. At least it allowed us to reconnect, didn’t it?”
Xie An’yu tightened his grip on the phone and hummed in agreement.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 15″]
貨真價實 (huò zhēn jià shí): high quality at a decent price; genuine goods at fair prices; honest goods and prices; through and through; out-and-out; dyed-in-the-wool; the goods are not counterfeit and the price is real.各取所需 (gè qǔ suǒ xū): each takes what he or she needs (idiom); each helps themselves; to each according to his needs; everyone takes what they need. Its core meaning emphasizes the behavior pattern of individuals making choices based on their own needs in a specific scenario, and is often used in contexts such as describing resource sharing, division of labor and cooperation.
措手不及 (cuò shǒu bù jí): no time to deal with it (idiom); caught unprepared; to be caught unawares; be taken unprepared/by surprise; be thrown off one’s guard; be caught on the wrong foot; be caught off balance.
見縫插針 (jiàn fèng chā zhēn): lit. to see a gap and stick in a needle; to make use of every bit of available time or space; to make use of every second and every inch; seize every opportunity; utilize every gap; take advantage of every opening; fill every niche; to make full use of all available space, time or opportunities.
唯唯諾諾 (wěi wěi nuò nuò): to always follow others’ opinion; to be a yes man without any opinions of one’s own; submissive; compliant; obsequious; servile; sycophantic; deferential; overly agreeable; describe a person who has no opinion of his own and only obeys and agrees. From Han Feizi, Chapter 9 (《韓非子·八姦》): 優笑侏儒，左右近習，此人主未命而唯唯，未使而諾諾，先意承旨，觀貌察色以先主心者也。, Actors, jokers, and clowns as well as attendants and courtiers would say, “At your service, at your service,” before the sovereign has given any order, and say, “Yes, yes,” before he has commanded them to do anything, thus taking orders ahead of his words and looking at his facial expressions and judging his needs by his colour in order thereby to render him service before he makes up his mind.
捷足先登 (jié zú xiān dēng): lit. the quick-footed climb up first (idiom); to take the first step; to act early on; the early bird gets the worm; first come, first served; the one who walks quickly will reach the top first. It is a metaphor that one who acts quickly can get what he wants before others.
摸不著頭腦 (mō bu zháo tóu nǎo): lit. cannot touch one’s head; to be unable make head or tail of something; to be unable to make any sense of the matter; to be at a loss; be puzzled; be confused; be baffled; be at a loss; be bewildered; be perplexed; describes a person who is confused about the cause of an event or situation. Its core meaning is “not sure what is going on”.
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