Countless people had praised Wang Zhuo's substantial endowment since childhood, but being complimented like this by a complete stranger was an unprecedented first.

Wang Zhuo felt quite speechless. This fellow was far too rude; who discusses private matters with a stranger so abruptly? Still, considering it was meant as a compliment, Wang Zhuo didn't want to give him a sour look, so he merely nodded and grunted in acknowledgment.

"My brother's here," the handsome man chuckled, shaking his equipment, "it happens to hit the standard line for a successful man—one hundred and eighty millimeters, hehe."

Wang Zhuo pretended not to hear, channeling a bit of energy to his lower abdomen, trying to speed up the process so he could get away from this overly familiar guy.

"Da Liu, hurry up and come look! This buddy's thing is over twenty—" The handsome man suddenly turned back and called toward the squatting stall area.

Damn it, I've run into a madman. Wang Zhuo quickly shook off the last few droplets of water and began pulling up his trousers.

Just then, several shaoye entered from outside the restroom. They had also heard the Success Guy’s shout and immediately crowded over, decisively forming a circle of onlookers.

"Brother, don't put it away so fast, let us see if it really is over twenty?"

"Yeah, buddy, what's there to be shy about? We all make a living off this thing."

"Right, right, take it out and let us feast our eyes!"

Holy hell, I’ve run into hooligans again. Wang Zhuo took the banter from his colleague as provocation. He coldly surveyed them, waved his arm, roughly shoving aside the two closest guys, spat a dismissive gob of saliva onto the floor, and strode away.

The shaoye never expected him to put on such a foul expression. They took a moment to collect themselves. One who was slightly shorter cursed, "What the hell, is he so amazing just because he has a donkey’s shaft? Look at his smug attitude!"

Everyone started cursing. Someone rolled up his sleeves, intending to teach Wang Zhuo a lesson, and asked, "Does anyone know that kid? Who is he working for?"

The group exchanged glances, shaking their heads in unison. The burliest shaoye swore, "Fuck, who cares who he works for? We'll just drag him over and ask!"

...

It was now the peak hour for the night's clientele. The "Chong Meng" bar was a scene of music and revelry—wealthy ladies celebrating birthdays, best friends coming for a binge, and people like the singer on stage who came alone to indulge. Seats were becoming scarce.

Unlike other nightlife venues, Chong Meng offered shaoye instead of xiaojie. Places offering this service were rare, meaning the supply of shaoye consistently lagged behind demand.

The writer once consulted a scholar from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences who specialized in AIDS transmission. The scholar's reply indicated that the number of "fallen women" was in the millions. Considering how few establishments provided employment for "fallen men," and how many people vied for those positions, even resorting to scams by small advertisements and fake agencies, it was obvious the shaoye at Chong Meng couldn't be few.

So, when Wang Zhuo was "on stage," in angles he couldn't notice, countless handsome young men were staring at him with envy, jealousy, and hate. Not many beautiful women had come to play tonight, yet this unfamiliar face had secured one early. How could the others not be green with envy?

Suddenly, an opportunity arose. The unfamiliar face went to the restroom, leaving the beauty sitting alone—a chance to make a move.

The waiting shaoye immediately started spurring each other on. Although stealing another's client was wrong, competing with a colleague whose "Mummy" wasn't the same was justifiable. Besides, who told him to leave his client waiting so long? Didn't the manager say during training that Chong Meng's service was top-tier nationally? They couldn't let the guest sit in silence.

Soon, two shaoye, who considered themselves quite the catch, approached side-by-side, intending to poach Wang Zhuo's business. Their thought process was that even if they couldn't spend the night with the beauty, sitting down to chat and drink with her would still net them a few hundred yuan in tips.

One of these shaoye was surnamed Meng, who had adopted the stage name Meng Fei. He was far handsomer than the host of Fei Cheng Wu Rao (If You Are The One) Meng Fei, bearing a striking resemblance to the actor who starred in the '84 Return of the Condor Heroes and the '91 Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain.

The other happened to be surnamed Jiao. The two had formed a partnership the moment they met, perfectly fulfilling the saying, "Jiao never leaves Meng, Meng never leaves Jiao."

Arriving at Ruan Mingqing's table, Jiao Kuan asked with a captivating smile, "Sister, are you alone?"

Wang Zhuo's iced drink was still on the table opposite Ruan Mingqing. Though empty, it indicated someone had been sitting there. She glanced up at Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei, assuming they were either trying to hit on her or asking to share the table, so she didn't think much of it.

Smiling slightly at Jiao Kuan, Ruan Mingqing shook her head, "No, I have a friend with me."

Another beauty yet to arrive? Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei’s eyes lit up. They thought, We absolutely can't miss this chance! Maybe tonight we can have a home party with the beauties!

The term hong pa (home party) comes from the English "home party," transliterated by Taiwanese people. It also carries the implication of knocking everyone out cold. Naturally, the hong pa in Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei’s minds involved knocking the beauty out cold.

"Do you need talented and considerate handsome men to keep you company?" Meng Fei struck his most gallant and charming pose, asking Ruan Mingqing, "We are both quite good."

Ruan Mingqing chuckled, thinking how amusing young people were nowadays, joking so casually with strangers. Too bad they had chosen the wrong target for their advances. She was well over thirty, not a girl new to society; how could she possibly mix with them?

In reality, Wang Zhuo and Jiao Kuan/Meng Fei were close in age, but Ruan Mingqing had already made up her mind, viewing Wang Zhuo as a close confidant with whom she could share her heart, thus overlooking the age gap and seeing him only as a younger brother.

Seeing the beauty smile without answering, Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei took it as encouragement and immediately followed up, each pulling up a chair and sitting down.

Before their rears had settled firmly, Wang Zhuo, still slightly irritated from nearly being mobbed in the restroom, returned to the table. Seeing these uninvited guests, he frowned slightly and asked Ruan Mingqing, "Who are these two?"

Ruan Mingqing shrugged helplessly, smiling wryly, "They think I need talented and considerate handsome men to keep me company, so they just sat down on their own."

So, they were two clueless suitors. Wang Zhuo sat down in his spot, glanced dismissively at the pair, and stated coldly, "You two can leave. I’m accompanying her; she doesn't need you."

Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei were instantly enraged. What kind of attitude is this? You're a new face, and besides not respecting your seniors, you dare to be this arrogant?

If it were xiaojie stealing clients, a physical confrontation could happen in front of the guest. How much more so when Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei considered themselves manly and formidable? Their faces immediately darkened.

"Kid, it’s best to keep a low profile. Acting tough won't do you any good," Jiao Kuan sneered.

Meng Fei was more direct: "Aren't you arrogant? Who do you work for?"

Wang Zhuo couldn't be bothered with men who only knew how to trash-talk. He waved his hand impatiently, like shooing flies, "Get lost before I have to lay a hand on you."

Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei exchanged a look. They truly couldn't gauge whether Wang Zhuo would actually fight. Moreover, it looked like even teaming up might not guarantee victory, as Wang Zhuo's disdain seemed genuine, and his build suggested he was certainly capable of a fight.

"We’ll let you be arrogant for a few more minutes. Just you wait,"

After leaving the empty threat, Jiao Kuan dragged Meng Fei away hurriedly.

Wang Zhuo had considerable experience fighting street thugs. With his current skill level, ten or eight ordinary men couldn't get close to him. However, considering Ruan Mingqing was beside him, he proceeded cautiously, using his X-ray vision to scan through the crowd, monitoring where the two had gone.

"Will they come back with people to confront you?" Ruan Mingqing sounded worried.

"Let them," Wang Zhuo smiled lightly. "This place is getting boring anyway. Let's switch venues and talk somewhere else."

Ruan Mingqing immediately nodded. It was best not to linger in a place so prone to trouble, and Wang Zhuo's suggestion suited her perfectly.

As they spoke, Jiao Kuan and Meng Fei had already found the floor manager and exaggerated their story about Wang Zhuo, hatching a plan: first, get Wang Zhuo fined, and then find a chance to deal with him.

If Manager Zhang could summon Wang Zhuo immediately for a lecture and ruin his current gig, that would be even better. Even if he doesn't get disciplined, at least he won't get off easy, the two thought darkly.

But Manager Zhang froze when he saw Wang Zhuo stand up. He knew every shaoye at Chong Meng. Even newcomers had to be introduced to him by their "Mummy" before being clocked in. How come he had never seen this person before?

Meng Fei, adept at reading expressions, immediately sensed something was amiss and quickly asked, "Manager Zhang, you don't know him?"

"I don't recognize him," Manager Zhang said firmly, frowning. "He's not one of ours at Chong Meng. Are you mistaken? He looks like a customer."

"There’s no mistake," Jiao Kuan interjected. "He’s wearing a gold-inlaid jade ring on his left pinky finger, and the packet of tissues the waiter gave him hasn't been opened; it’s just sitting on the table vertically, exactly according to our rules!"

Many years ago, when the xiaoshuai waited for clients, they would place a lighter underneath a cigarette case on the table as a silent signal. Most people would naturally place the case below with the lighter on top, so by seeing the arrangement, one could distinguish a duck from a customer.

But later, this signal became common knowledge. In the last couple of years, a new signal became popular: placing an unopened tissue packet on the table, not flat, but standing vertically. When combined with wearing a ring on the left pinky finger, these two features together implied, "I am a shaoye."

And Wang Zhuo just happened to be wearing a platinum-inlaid jade ring on his left pinky finger—a new item from Shengshi Wangchao (Prosperous Dynasty) that Qi Fei had liked and given him, though the size only fit his pinky. Furthermore, when he was playing, he kept flicking and circling that tissue packet; when he finally put it down, it stood perfectly vertical. Consequently, everyone at Chong Meng—staff, customers, shaoye, and managers—had assumed he was one of the guys working the floor.