Additional Inheritance - Chap 9
Chapter 9
On Saturday afternoon, Wen Xiaohui was packing up ready to leave work when Raven suddenly appeared and said, “I’ll be at yours for 4pm.”
Wen Xiaohui was confused. “Huh, what’s going on?”
Raven glared at him. “Do you have amnesia? I’m taking you to Li Hua’s place to style her first, and then we’ll go to the Shangri-La.”
Wen Xiaohui said in astonishment, “T-today? Didn’t you say it would be in a few days’ time?”
“Hasn’t it been a few days?”
“I thought…” Wen Xiaohui was caught off guard as he thought he still had a few more days or at least Raven would give him sufficient notice. Why would someone only tell him with two hours to spare?
“You head back first, don’t be late.”
“But I’ve already promised Sydney-jie that…” He’d already agreed to apply Sydney’s makeup today, as she had a very important panel discussion and he couldn’t hold her up.
Raven couldn’t give a damn and replied, “That’s your problem. Do you not want to go?”
“Of course not, I really want to go, but I’ve pre-arranged the appointment.” Wen Xiaohui’s voice became quieter and quieter.
Raven sneered, “Then you should keep your appointment. I’m not going to force you to come with me.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a little uncomfortable and he struggled a lot internally. He said softly, “I’ll go with you, Raven.”
Raven patted his cheek. “You’re such a child.”
Wen Xiaohui grabbed his stuff and walked out of the studio with a frown, the palm of his hand which was holding his mobile phone was sweaty.
He was in the process of rushing over to Sydney’s, but it was impossible for him to get back home before 4pm. Who could Sydney turn to in an emergency if he let her down? No matter what, he couldn’t miss the opportunity that Raven offered him and this left him in a dilemma.
After a long struggle, he anxiously phoned Sydney.
“Hey Adrian, where are you now?”
“Sydney-jie, I’m sorry. Something unexpected has come up, so I can’t come today.”
“Oh? What’s up? Are you ok?”
“I…” Wen Xiaohui hesitated for a while. Originally, he wanted to lie but he swallowed his words as soon as they reached his lips. How could he deceive Sydney when she was always kind to him? He took a deep breath and said softly, “Our boss wants to bring me along to a charity dinner. In my opinion, it’s a very important opportunity, so…”
The person on the other end of the phone remained silent. After a long period of time, Sydney said, “Xiaohui, I was the one who made the appointment with you first and besides, we’re so tight for time, where do you think I’ll find someone else?”
Sydney’s tone was quite gloomy and although she didn’t openly criticise him, Wen Xiaohui’s face still flushed. He felt an indescribable amount of guilt, and he was only able to apologise incessantly. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Sydney-jie. How about I ask my friend to come and help you? I won’t charge you next time and I’ll come whenever you want me to. I…”
The other party had already hung up.
Holding his mobile phone and looking at the incoming crowd, Wen Xiaohui felt that he was suddenly at a complete loss. His whole body was drowning in feelings of guilt and shame. Although it didn’t seem to be a particularly serious matter, he felt that his heart had been smashed to pieces. Until now, he had never been someone who would break his promise. It was as if there was a voice inside whispering and asking if he really wanted to do this. Was this the right thing to do?
He stood at the crossroads for a long time, but he didn’t have the courage to phone Sydney again. He thought that he should just go for it and apologise later. The opportunity that he had always wished for was right in front of him and he absolutely couldn’t give it up.
His mum wasn’t home yet by the time he rushed home. He quickly took a shower and styled his hair, applied makeup, polished his shoes and ironed his clothes. After he’d finished, he looked at the handsome and well-polished young man in the full-length mirror and he felt quite satisfied.
At 4pm, Raven’s chauffeur arrived on time and parked the car at the gate of his neighbourhood. Wen Xiaohui looked at the maroon Porsche Cayenne and secretly envious, he fantasised that one day he would be even more accomplished than Raven.
After getting in the car, Raven sized Wen Xiaohui up and grinned. He said, “Armani’s new season suits you. His hand pinched Wen Xiaohui’s chin and rotated his face from left to right. “I’ve already taught you contouring. You didn’t do a good job on your forehead and temple, the contour powder hasn’t been applied evenly. You need to switch to a better brush, one with a straight angle.”
“Yes.”
“The highlighting isn’t great either. If you can’t get the hang of it, just mix it in with the foundation first and apply them together. Don’t be so heavy-handed or it will make your face look greasy.”
“Yes.”
“Also, you should try out a few more eyebrow shapes when you have time. I think there should be a more suitable shape for you.”
“Yes.”
Raven smiled. “Relax, don’t be so nervous.”
Wen Xiaohui was still somewhat uneasy.
Raven turned his head to look out the window and stopped talking. It was silent in the car.
Wen Xiaohui wasn’t normally a person of few words, but he didn’t dare to say too much in front of Raven. In reality, Raven didn’t look scary at all; he wasn’t tall and he was skinny and handsome. However, he had a domineering and harsh aura about him, and he was well-known in the industry for being ruthless. When Wen Xiaohui first joined, Raven was his role-model and he worked hard to catch up to him.
Raven suddenly asked, “Adi, how old are you?”
“19.”
“You’re so young. I was around the same age as you when I first started working. I was really stupid back then, I didn’t understand anything and I suffered a lot.” Raven chuckled, “You resemble me back then.”
Wen Xiaohui thought to himself, is he implying that I’m stupid? He curled his lips and although he didn’t agree, he could only pretend to laugh along. “I think I’m pretty foolish too so I need Raven to advise me.”
“You’re loads better than I used to be. You’re talented and quick witted, and not only that, you’re also good-looking.” Raven turned his head around and smiled at him. “Adi, you’ll definitely become popular as long as you stay on the right path.”
Wen Xiaohui laughed, “May your lucky words come true.”
“Who do you think is more talented? Me, Liu Xing or Xiao Yan?”
“Of course it’s you. You’re the youngest and last to enter this industry, but you’re just as famous as them.
Raven sighed, “Yeah. Actually, anyone who isn’t blind can see that I’m much better than them. Liu Xing is getting old and he has a very narrow vision. There haven’t been any breakthroughs in the past few years. From the start, I never thought highly of that woman, Xiao Yan. If it wasn’t for her rich father, she wouldn’t be able to get so far with her abilities.”
Wen Xiaohui thought it was fishy1 because Raven normally never acknowledged him besides teaching and supervising his work. He’d recently started to pull him over to his side, but it went beyond trying to persuade him to join his side when he suddenly spilled the beans on these unspeakable matters. Rather, it was to force him to become ‘one of his men,’ as he no longer had a choice once he heard those words. He was resigned to put on a bold face, and nodded in agreement.
“Have you heard that we’re discussing a 400 million yuan2 investment for the opening of studios and styling schools in 14 cities across the country? This is a huge opportunity for Juxing, but Liu Xing is worried about damaging our reputation and is reluctant to expand. Xiao Yan isn’t satisfied with the division of profits so she’s being unreasonably picky. This business will fail sooner or later if it’s left to them to squander.”
Wen Xiaohui heard his heart thumping and he continued to nod.
Raven sighed, “It seems that in order for Juxing to advance, we need to get rid of the deadweight.”
Wen Xiaohui said cautiously, “Raven, you mean…”
“Actually, I’m reluctant too. Although Xiao Yan and I don’t get along, nevertheless, we’ve been partners for many years so I still have some affection for her. Liu Xing can be considered my teacher, he recognised my talent and gave me a chance3. However, I won’t treat them unfairly. Raven’s sparkling eyes looked over at Wen Xiaohui. “If Juxing really splits, then I hope that the talented people that I appreciate will stay by my side. Adi, your opportunity is about to arrive and you need to seize it.”
Wen Xiaohui only partially understood and he felt excited from being privy to the secret, but he also felt nervous under its burden. He didn’t have much contact with Liu Xing and Xiao Yan, so he would definitely follow Raven if Juxing split. Juxing would definitely perform better in Raven’s hands if he were able to secure the investment. This was bound to be good for him no matter how you looked at it.
The car drove into an area with private villas and stopped in front of a luxury villa.
The housekeeper politely led them inside.
Wen Xiaohui was shocked by the opulence and lavishness of the villa as soon as he entered. He had to control his facial expressions as if his life depended on it, so that he didn’t look like a country bumpkin4.
Raven glanced at him and chuckled, “Are you envious?”
Wen Xiaohui nodded.
There were many glamorous and extravagant scenes in the industry, who wouldn’t be infatuated or envious? It was inevitable to fantasise about being one of them, when you hang around a group of filthy rich people all the time. It was only after cramming onto the subway back to your 80 square metre apartment that you would sober up. This was the sort of psychological gap that made people more and more desperate for money and fame.
The housekeeper took them to the dressing room. The door opened; a beautiful woman in a black silk robe was sitting in front of the mirror whilst a beautician administered a non-surgical facelift.
Wen Xiaohui had seen her numerous times on both the big and small screen, but he never expected that her skin, her overall appearance and her aura to be so much more dazzling than on TV. Her beauty was like a ray of light that illuminated her surroundings.
“Huahua,” called Raven in a sweet voice.
“Hello, Hua-jie,” said Wen Xiaohui.
Li Hua opened her eyes. “Raven, you’re here. Who’s this kid?”
“A-Kai’s abroad, so he’s my temporary assistant.”
Li Hua smiled. “Let me just say, he’s not your type.”
“A-Kai’s not my type either – I never mix business with pleasure.”
“Okay then, I’m just kidding. How’s the condition of my skin?”
Raven used the hot towel that was handed over by the housekeeper to wipe his hands. “Let me see. Adi, set up the makeup case.”
Wen Xiaohui set up his work equipment in a rush.
Raven gave Li Hua a facial massage on the spot and after that, he started to apply layer-upon-layer of skin repair serum. His slender and pale hands resembled a pair of gentle and soft feathers. He didn’t need to use his face to experience the sensation, he could imagine the pleasure solely by observing him. Wen Xiaohui was unable to take his eyes off him and decided that he would practise more on his mum once he returned home.
After preparing the skin, he began to get ready to apply the primer. Raven tapped the bottle of primer very gently with his finger while instructing Wen Xiaohui. “Adi, trim those fake eyelashes, there’s some samples in the box. Mix the colour of the eyebrow powder so that it’s closest in shade to Huahua’s hair colour…”
Wen Xiaohui was very busy, but he secretly observed from the sidelines and learned the secrets of the trade.
Raven did indeed have the talent to back up his arrogance, he wasn’t even 28 years old, but he was already a well-known stylist in the industry. However, age was irrelevant and the more you saw of him, the more you appreciated his abilities5. Wen Xiaohui really admired his talent and his dedication to work. Normally, it would be impossible to watch Raven applying makeup unless you pay four-digit tuition fees, so Wen Xiaohui didn’t want to miss a thing.
After applying makeup, Raven started to style Li Hua’s hair. Wen Xiaohui and the housekeeper used their fingers to smooth out each and every one of the feathers on the evening gown.
Once her hair had been styled, Li Hua threw off her silk robe and stood up in her underwear. She got into her full-length evening gown with help from a few people and she was half a head taller than Wen Xiaohui when she put on her high heels. She looked like a queen who was both alluring and stunning, with a captivating aura.
Raven said while clapping, “Queen Huahua, you are so beautiful that I’m compelled to kneel in your presence.”
Wen Xiaohui also praised, “Hua-jie, you are so gorgeous. You’re ten times more beautiful than on TV, it’s a real slap on the face.”
Li Hua replied, “The camera tends to make people appear fatter.”
“Huahua, shall we go now?”
“Let’s go. I checked all the female celebrities who will be attending today and except for two models, none of them are taller than me. It’s so annoying that every time there’s a model, I have to wear such high heels.”
“What’s the point of being tall when they’re not as beautiful as you? They would definitely get knocked out by your beauty if they dare to stand next to you.”
“Don’t worry, Hua-jie. Those who are taller aren’t as pretty as you and those who are prettier than you… Oh, I didn’t know that there’s someone more beautiful than Hua-jie.”
Li Hua laughed, “Raven, all your employees are such sweet-talkers.”
“Yes, they’re all very honest.” Raven gave Wen Xiaohui a look of approval.
A few people lifted Li Hua’s gown and helped her into the car. They drove to the hotel conspicuously.
In the car, Raven warned, “Stay put when we arrive, don’t speak nonsense and make sure you’re following me at all times, so that you don’t make a mistake and embarrass me.”
“Okay.”
“If I tell you to speak to someone, then you must speak to them. I’ll introduce you to some useful contacts, but you need to be smart and take the initiative to leave your phone number or something. I shouldn’t have to teach you this.”
“I understand.”
“Hmm, if you perform well today, I’ll bring you along in future.”
“Thank you, Raven.”
The entrance to the Shangri-La was already packed with reporters and fans. High-end cars were parked side-by-side, hoards of handsome men and beautiful women appeared, and the spray from the water fountain by the entrance looked like molten gold under the reflection of the spotlights.
Wen Xiaohui felt his heart pounding and he was extremely excited, as it was his first time at such an event.
Raven put on a radiant smile as soon as he got out of the car, he shook hands with someone and made polite conversation. The smile did not budge from his face as he went from the door all the way to the banquet hall.
Wen Xiaohui copied him and greeted everyone with a smile regardless of whether he knew them or not. He quickly overcame the stage-fright that he had at the beginning and he was even beginning to regret that he hadn’t styled his hair to make himself look older, so that people wouldn’t be able to tell that he was young from a mere glance.
Raven dragged him to the edge of the banquet hall and panted, “I’m fucking exhausted.”
Wen Xiaohui passed him a glass of soda water. “Raven, have some water, you’ve been busy all day.
“That’s right, they’re all my acquaintances.”
It was only then that Wen Xiaohui had time to appreciate the people in the hall and there were so many handsome guys that his eyes became blurry.
Raven glanced at him and chuckled, “Do you fancy any of them6?”
Wen Xiaohui laughed, “There’s so many handsome guys.”
“What’s your type?”
“Tall and well-built.”
“So what if he’s tall, well-built or has a giant dick, it’s all useless. Money is the most important. If you have money, you don’t have to worry about finding a handsome guy to fuck you.”
“It’s up to fate. Who knows who you might meet?”
Raven sneered, “Yeah, who doesn’t want to find a tall, handsome and wealthy guy, but why would they like you? Let’s be realistic, you don’t need a macho man at this point in time, you need someone who can give you a boost in your career. Do you understand?”
Wen Xiaohui felt uncomfortable listening to his words. Although he understood Raven, and he was used to seeing this sort of thing, he didn’t think that being in love would be so complicated and he didn’t want it to be so complicated. He was only able to reply, “Yes, I understand.”
The noise of a small commotion came from nearby and the crowds parted gently to let a tall young man with a wine glass in his hand through. He was chatting merrily with everyone.
The guy was so handsome and Wen Xiaohui’s eyes lit up. Even with the suit, you could still see his well-sculpted pectoral muscles and he had the kind of arrogance and bearing of wealth that permeated from beneath the surface. You could tell he wasn’t ordinary from a glance. Wen Xiaohui asked, “Raven. Raven, who is he? I’ve never seen him on TV.”
Raven laughed, “He’s not a celebrity, don’t even think about it.”
“Oh, am I not allowed to ask?”
“Can I ask who the sponsor of this charity event is?”
“XX Corporation.”
“Do you know who’s the chairperson of XX Corporation?”
“It’s a woman.”
“Oh yeah. It’s the eldest daughter of Mr Shao. That must be Shao Qun, the youngest son of Mr Shao, their precious only son born after three daughters.” Wen Xiaohui suddenly understood why Raven told him not to think about it, because besides appearance, his family background meant that ordinary people could only dream about being worthy to marry into the family.
Raven responded, “Not only that, he’s such a playboy. He’s returned from overseas so you might not have even heard of some of the things that he’s into.”
Wen Xiaohui shrugged disapprovingly. “Oh.”
“We’ll ask Huahua to introduce him to us in a little while, she’s slept with him before.”
Wen Xiaohui responded in surprise, “Is he bisexual?”
Raven rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong with being bisexual?”
Wen Xiaohui felt repulsed by bisexuals because of his scummy ex-boyfriend and he was left with a bad taste in his mouth when he heard that Shao Qun was also bi.
“Raven!”
Both of them turned around, and a slightly plump, middle-aged man came over with a smile on his face.
Raven’s whole face lit up, his voice became higher-pitched and coquettish. “Director Luo7.”
Director Luo’s broad smile revealed his gums and he reached out to touch Raven’s arm. “Your skin’s become more supple in the few days that I haven’t seen you.”
Raven said while smiling, “I’m ageing backwards.” He shoved Wen Xiaohui towards him. “Adi, this is Director Luo from XX Investments and Director Luo, this is my assistant, Adrian. You can call him Adi.”
Mr. Luo was full of smiles as he looked at Wen Xiaohui – he eyed him wantonly, from his head to his toes.
Wen Xiaohui felt uneasy, but he smiled reluctantly. “Hello, Director Luo.”
“Raven, your little assistant looks so young. Is he an adult yet?”
“Of course he’s an adult. Why would I employ a child? He’s 19.”
“That’s good, what a talented youth!” President Luo extended his hand, “How are you, Adi?”
Wen Xiaohui repressed his queasiness and shook hands with Director Luo. He sensed that Director Luo was interested in him. Since he was young, he’d seen similar joyful expressions in the eyes of those that were trying to pursue him, but they were rarely like Director Luo’s stare, which made him feel naked.
“Adi is so talented and in future, he’ll soon be a supporting pillar of Juxing.” Raven grinned and said, “Adi, you seem to have hit it off with Director Luo, leave him your number so that when he comes to the studio so you can style him.”
Wen Xiaohui cursed internally: “What the fuck?”
Director Luo already had his mobile phone out, so Wen Xiaohui couldn’t help exchanging numbers with him.
After saving down phone numbers, Director Luo smiled suggestively at Wen Xiaohui. “I’d like to invite our talented youth to dinner. Young Adi, you have to do me the honours and accept the invite.”
Wen Xiaohui said stiffly, “Of course.”
“Adi’s on the morning shift every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, so Mr. Luo can take Adi out for a bite to eat. There’s a nice Italian restaurant that’s recently opened on XX Road and Adi mentioned last time that he really wanted to try it.”
Wen Xiaohui’s stomach felt like it was on fire – who the hell said that he wanted to try Italian food? He hadn’t expected Raven to pimp him out so shamelessly, as if he had no sense of honour.
Wen Xiaohui was unable to continue smiling and Raven noticed, so he stopped fanning the flames8. He said with a grin, “Director Luo, have a great time tonight. Let’s talk about the contract another time.”
“No problem. Juxing has so many young talents like you and Adi, I feel confident about its investment potential. Haha.”
After Director Luo left, other acquaintances came to greet Raven, but Wen Xiaohui felt a little depressed and he stayed fairly silent.
It wasn’t until the charity dinner commenced and the two were sat down, that Raven whispered, “Why are you so stupid? Everything is written on your face. Are you trying to embarrass me or Director Luo?”
Wen Xiaohui responded dejectedly, “That wasn’t my intention at all.”
“Don’t offend him, he’s the main person in charge of the expansion project.”
“I understand.”
Raven rolled his eyes at him. “I’m only asking you to go out for a meal, I’m not sending you to hell. You just need to put on a show.”
Wen Xiaohui reflected and thought that he’d possibly overreacted; maybe Raven didn’t mean anything else and he was just being polite. He could only say, “Raven, I’m sorry, I acted inappropriately.”
“Well, you’ll get used to it eventually…”
Wen Xiaohui clenched his fists under the table and he seriously doubted whether he’d ever get used to it.
Footnotes:
The literal translation from the raws is that WXH smelt an unusual smell.
Equivalent to £48m/$63m at the date of translation.
知遇之恩, recognising someone’s worth and employing them (idiom).
The raws say ‘Granny Liu,’ a character from one of the most famous Chinese classical novels called “A Dream of Red Mansions” (this is closer to the Chinese title) or “The Story of the Stone” (more commonly used as the name for the English translation) by Cao Xueqin. The expression is used to describe someone who is simple and unsophisticated, who is overwhelmed by new experiences and luxurious surroundings.
The raws use a rice-based metaphor which literally says that this mouthful of rice has no age-restrictions and it tastes better the more you eat.
The raws use the phrase that his “spring heart” (as stirrings of love) is budding.
No relation to Luo Yi (the Luo 罗 used as Director Luo’s surname is not the same Chinese character that is used for Luo Yi). In addition, you may recall that Luo Yi took his mother’s surname.
添油加醋, literally to add oil and vinegar; it means to embellish a story.
Translator note:
Shao Qun is the ML for the first book of the 188 boy group, called Sissy. He’s often considered to be the President of the scum gongs due to his treatment of Li Chengxiu (who will also cameo later in this novel).
