Chapter 2
"What's your name?"
"Torn."
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Seventeen?"
The interviewer raised his eyebrows and looked at the boy in front of the desk. The thin young man with a heavy violin case on his back quickly put on an obsequious smile.
He was wearing a somewhat worn tuxedo, his face pale as if he hadn't seen the sun in ages, and his hair was slightly messy. But his pitch-black pupils were as bright as if lit by a candle, startlingly so.
"Goth style? Rare these days. A lot of people are into this stuff now..." The man conducting the interview muttered inexplicably, sizing Torn up before his tone turned serious. "Look, young Torn, you need to understand—our club takes an elite approach. Not just anyone can join."
"Elite, right! I get it!"
Torn straightened his small frame, nodded vigorously, and oozed obsequiousness. "Duke briefed me before I came. You have strict standards, but don't worry—I'm very experienced!"
With that, he forced a grin that bordered on sycophancy.
Strict standards aside, the pay was amazing!
The economy was in a terrible slump these days, and countless people in Xinhai had lost their jobs recently. For a poor student like him, finding a part-time job playing the violin was incredibly hard. Torn was already on the verge of financial collapse, so when his agent Duke told him he'd found a high-paying gig, he'd been over the moon.
If he let this opportunity slip through his fingers, it would be a disaster!
Duke had told him this was an exclusive members-only club for the wealthy. Even the waiters here could earn thousands of US dollars in tips. If he could play the violin here, how could he not make good money?
Seemingly surprised by Torn's unexpected earnestness, the interviewer paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Alright, your application says you play the cello. Play something—don't disappoint me."
"You can count on me!"
Full of confidence, Torn sat down, opened his case, lifted the cello into position, and picked up the bow. After a brief moment of thought, the cello's unique deep melody flowed forth from the strings.
He might have been nervous about other things, but when it came to the cello, he never backed down. He'd won countless awards since he was a kid. If he could have afforded a famous teacher, he'd probably be performing in international competitions by now.
This piece—Haydn's C Major Cello Concerto, which he'd practiced countless times—was flawless enough to impress professional judges.
Once he started playing, his mind calmed instantly, and he performed even better than usual. The profound melancholy woven between the vivid notes was almost tangible.
But after just a few minutes, the interviewer waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, that's enough."
"Huh?"
Torn looked up in shock, wondering what he'd done wrong. He quickly rummaged through his backpack. "I have professional certificates! ABRSM Grade 8! If that's not enough, I'm taking the professional elementary exam next month..."
"Cut the crap with all that fancy stuff,"
the interviewer shook his head irritably. "We don't care about qualifications here. Playing the violin passably is just a gimmick—what matters is your real skills..." He leaned down, pulled a few items from the drawer, lined them up on the desk, and pointed. "Which of these can you use?"
"What?"
Torn stared blankly at the objects, completely confused. "These... are musical instruments?"
"Wait, do you even know what this job entails? You said you're experienced!"
The interviewer frowned and gestured at the items. "Pleasure Balls for Rich Ladies, Pleasure Whips for Rich Ladies... Which one can you handle?"
"..." Torn fell silent for a long moment, glanced at the cello in his arms, and asked with a last glimmer of hope: "Pleasure... Cello?"
Boss, can I get a cheat code here?
"So you can't do anything?"
The interviewer flew into a rage, pointing a finger at Torn. "Do you have any idea how busy I am? Coming here to be a gigolo when you're useless? I turned down several other interviewees for you—this is a waste of my time!"
"...I thought this was a restaurant hiring musicians?"
It was only then, dumbfounded, that Torn realized: he'd been tricked by that idiot agent again... Wait, why did he say "again"?
"Wait a minute!"
He raised his hand solemnly. "Sir, I perform for money, not sell my body!"
Bang!
The office door slammed shut behind him.
Kicked out, Torn sat on a chair in the hallway, terrified. He felt like he'd been one step away from losing his innocence. But when he checked his bank balance, he couldn't help but feel tempted to take that step...
He'd been performing for money for years—what's the harm in selling his body?
After all, once the lights were off, it was all the same. In the end, it's just...
As long as they paid well, it might not be unacceptable.
But as he stroked his chin and thought, his mind wandered back to those "Pleasure Series for Rich Ladies," and he shuddered violently.
At that moment, Torn had a profound realization: happiness in this world is balanced.
Forget it, just forget it...
Fighting back tears, he resisted the temptation of money and walked out of the club, glancing back repeatedly. Staring at the golden-coated stone lions at the entrance, he couldn't help but want to turn around and go back.
"Wait!"
Someone called out to him from behind. It was a man in a tuxedo—handsome but cold, his gaze sharp and critical. "Hey, you! Stop right there!"
"Me?"
Torn felt flustered and leaned back slightly under the man's intense stare.
"You're the new guy today? Leaving without greeting the boss of the club—do you have any sense of decorum?"
The man walked past him, stood on the steps, and looked down at him condescendingly. He nodded. "You have a decent face, but you'd better behave. When it comes to looks, you're no match for me."
With that, he raised his hand and flamboyantly brushed back his long hair, which had a few bleached golden strands. Torn felt a wave of disgust and snapped back angrily. "Sorry, boss—I'm not a gigolo!"
"Oh, they call it male host now, but it's the same thing."
The "boss" nodded in understanding, waved his hand generously, and said: "No matter. Since you called me boss, I'll look out for you from now on."
He pulled a bottle from his handbag, stuffed it into Torn's arms, and patted his shoulder earnestly. "Being a gigolo requires professionalism. Go home and get rid of the oil on your face—your skincare routine is terrible, what a waste of that pretty face... Use it sparingly, it's high-end European stuff."
Without waiting for Torn to "thank him," he tilted his chin and walked away.
"..." Torn stood frozen at the entrance, staring down at the cosmetics in his hand. He wasn't sure if he should throw it on the ground and shout something like "Fortune favors the bold—don't underestimate a poor young man!"
After a long while, he looked at the exquisite little bottle, grimaced as if his teeth ached, and stuffed it into his chest.
Oh well, since I already have it... It looks expensive, too bad to throw away...
It's unopened. I'll ask Duke to sell it later.
Poverty humbles me.
Why am I still so poor even though I have a cheat code?
He pulled a notebook out of his backpack, flipped through it repeatedly, sighed deeply, and put it back in his pocket.
Thinking of Duke, he gritted his teeth in anger, took out his phone, and dialed his number. "Duke, are you out of your mind? Why did you send me to interview for a gigolo job! Are you that desperate for the agency fee?"
"Hey, I didn't ask clearly! They wanted someone young, experienced, good-looking, and talented... Brother, I was thinking about how poor you are—I was doing this for your own good! Don't be mad. How about I treat you to dinner the day after tomorrow? To celebrate your sister-in-law being discharged from the hospital recently. Remember to bring some chives..."
"Would you eat a fart?"
Torn hung up the phone angrily. That bastard did it on purpose—he was counting on the agency fee he'd get if Torn accidentally fell into the trap.
But when he thought about Duke's situation, he couldn't stay mad.
The old man was desperate to make money to pay for his wife's cancer treatment—he'd do anything for cash. That's why he even took on trivial part-time jobs like Torn's, just for a few dozen US dollars in commission...
Besides, other than taking his full agency fee, Duke was actually quite honest. He never made up excuses to cheat Torn out of more money.
They were both in the same boat, after all.
Forget it, forget it...
Torn sighed as he heard thunder rumbling in the distance.
Dark clouds drifted across the gloomy sky. Under the dim sunlight, clusters of coral growing among the clouds were faintly visible, along with the shadow of swimming fish...
The slightly blue ocean rippled gently, casting a shimmering light over the earth.
It was going to rain.
It was said that seventy or eighty years ago, these coral clouds were rare. Back then, they were still in the sea, not floating around the world in the sky.
Many scientists claimed it was due to the discovery of rare elements or air pollution, but few people believed them.
At first, everyone panicked, thinking the apocalypse was coming. But after decades of waiting, classic apocalyptic creatures like zombies never appeared.
Over time, people got used to it.
It was just one more thing floating in the sky—so what if it rained a bit more? Planes could just change routes and keep flying.
Money still needed to be earned, debts repaid, and life went on as usual.
After a few days of chaos, everything returned to normal.
It seemed no different from before.
Thunder rumbled on.
Torn didn't have an umbrella, so he didn't dare waste time. He turned around and ran home as fast as he could. But in the middle of his dash, he heard a loud explosion in the distance.
This thunder was unusually clear—even the ground trembled.
He looked up in the direction of the sound and saw smoke and flames rising from the distant dock, as if something had exploded.
Pedestrians on the street looked at each other in confusion. Some excitedly took out their phones to take videos, while others hurried over, eager to join the commotion.
Ordinarily, Torn might have gone to check it out out of curiosity. But now, he felt like he was being crushed by the double burden of life and the gigolo job offer. Who had time for excitement...
He sighed, turned left into an alley, and quickened his pace.
Crash!
At the end of the alley, a bottle was kicked against the wall, shattering into pieces. A leather boot stepped on the shards, crushing them further.
Someone stumbled out of a nearby corner, as if drunk, and didn't slow down. They brushed past Torn and slammed into the wall with a thud.
Torn froze.
What kind of tough guy was this?
To his surprise, the "tough guy" stumbled back from the impact, saw Torn, and suddenly pounced on him.
Torn couldn't dodge in time. The man grabbed his wrist, then stuffed a heavy box into his arms.
"What the hell?"
He stood there dumbfounded, instinctively trying to pull his hand away. But he felt something wet and sticky—crimson liquid seeped out from the man's sleeve.
It was blood.
Only then did the thick, overwhelming smell of blood hit him.
Torn was suddenly overcome with dizziness and a sharp headache. He bent over and retched involuntarily, spitting up saliva.
When he looked up, he finally saw the man's ferocious face and contorted features.
The man stared at Torn in shock, as if trying to say something, but instead spat out a mouthful of blood.
Even in such a bizarre scene, Torn couldn't help but notice—among the pool of blood on the ground...
There was a small goldfish?
It wasn't even that big—just the kind people kept as pets in fish tanks. It looked plump and surprisingly cute.
"Dude, your taste is wild! Can you even eat that? And it's raw!"
Torn stared in disbelief. "Did you get food poisoning or something?"
But in the next moment, he watched as the goldfish floundering in the pool of blood quickly shriveled up, eventually turning into a pile of ash-like powder that dissolved into the blood.
As the goldfish died, the man seemed to lose all his strength. He collapsed to the ground and stopped breathing.
Only the thick crimson stain continued to seep out from under his windbreaker.
In the silence, only Torn remained in the alley.
And the box clutched in his hands...
The box was slightly larger than a regular Rubik's cube, heavy in his hands. When he shook it, it sounded like it was filled with liquid.
It felt cold to the touch, with the unique texture of iron and copper. Its surface was carved with intricate patterns Torn had never seen before, but they were covered in the man's sticky blood, making them indistinguishable. Yet somehow, the box exuded an incredible, magical allure.
Torn swallowed hard.
He felt thirsty.
Just holding it in his hands made him want to open it—as if something inside was calling to him, tempting him beyond reason, making him desperate to possess it, to claim it as his own...
He took a deep breath.
What choice did he have in this situation?
Without hesitation, Torn pulled out his phone.
"Hello? Police station?"