Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

In the dim, flickering light, he bore a vague resemblance to Chu Zihang.

She instantly became energized, her wailing abruptly ceasing, "Ukyo! You've finally come!"

Before she finished speaking, her massive body, like a bullet, with a tearful expression and a strong scent of perfume, sprang up from the sofa with an agility disproportionate to her size, spread her arms, and pounced on Lu Mingfei!

Chapter 638 Work (Part 2)

"Help!" Lu Mingfei only had time to utter a short cry of surprise before his vision was completely filled.

He was like a rag doll hit head-on by a truck, his whole body pressed solidly into the depths of the large leather sofa, the back of his head hitting the back of the sofa, and stars flashing before his eyes.

"Ukyo! My darling! My sweetheart! You won't abandon me like that heartless bastard, right? You'll always be with me, right?" The fat woman was completely unaware that she had pounced on the wrong person. She was immersed in her own dramatic self-pity, her arms tightly wrapped around Lu Mingfei. She sobbed and spoke rapidly in Kansai dialect. Her hot tears and the smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of her heavy makeup, making Lu Mingfei almost faint.

"Ugh, ugh," Lu Mingfei twisted his imprisoned body desperately, pushing and shoving wildly with his hands, trying to break free from the suffocating embrace and the gap between the sofa. He felt like Sun Wukong being pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, except that what suppressed him was not the Buddha's palm, but the two-hundred-pound Guanxi Mother Mountain full of love.

Just as Lu Mingfei thought he was about to become the first male escort in Takamagahara's history to be suffocated by a customer's affection, a shadow fell. A mountain-like, imposing figure appeared beside the sofa like a timely rain.

"Excuse me, guest." Fujiwara Kansuke stretched out his thick, calf-like arm and inserted it between the fat woman and Lu Mingfei. Then, under the astonished gazes of the surrounding female guests, he actually managed to remove the fat woman, whose weight was almost the same as his own, from Lu Mingfei as if he were moving a slightly larger rag doll, and gently placed her on the other side of the sofa.

His movements were effortless, demonstrating the former national sumo wrestler's astonishing core strength and skill.

"Cough! Cough cough cough!" Lu Mingfei finally regained his freedom. Like a fish washed ashore, he slumped in the corner of the sofa, panting heavily and coughing violently. His vision blurred, and he felt like his ribs were about to be broken.

After being jolted by Fujiwara Kansuke, the fat woman sobered up a little. She blinked her heavily lined eyes, looked at the disheveled, pale-faced black-haired boy rolling his eyes on the sofa, and then looked at the polite but burly Fujiwara Kansuke next to her. She finally realized that she seemed to have pounced on the wrong person.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face, but it was quickly covered by an even stronger sense of restraint.

She sat up straight, elegantly straightening the wrinkled chest area of ​​her sequined dress, smoothing her slightly disheveled curly hair, and glancing disdainfully at Lu Mingfei, who was still panting. The meaning was clear: I got carried away and grabbed the wrong person, but don't think you got away with this little thing.

After a few seconds of building up her emotions, she regained her composure, cupped her hands around her heart, and passionately cried out to the air: "Ukyo! You are a treasure bestowed upon me by the gods! I wish to be the most devoted thornbird, forever piercing my heart onto your cold blade! That would be my supreme glory!"

These kinds of guests, who let loose and act out their inner turmoil under the influence of alcohol, are not uncommon in Takamagahara, but they are among the most troublesome for the staff. Letting her continue to cause trouble will inevitably affect the experience of other guests and may even lead to a disturbance.

However, Chu Zihang had just finished performing a swordplay show that required intense physical concentration that night, and he was inevitably covered in fishy smells and sweat. According to the rules and Takamagahara's maintenance of the Ukyo brand image, he had to go backstage to quickly wash and change clothes, and could not come immediately.

The humpback whale foresaw this, which is why it roared at Lu Mingfei from the bathroom as if it were a death knell, acting as a temporary buffer.

After all, Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang both have black hair and black eyes, making them somewhat of a substitute for each other in the dim lighting and when the guests are half-drunk—although the difference between the "plum" and the "peach" is quite significant.

"This is our newest member, Sakura." Fujiwara Kansuke, as expected of a seasoned veteran in the host club industry, deeply understands the spirit of love and strives to meet the needs of all customers while mentoring his juniors.

He stepped forward, bowed slightly, and introduced Lu Mingfei to the fat woman in a deep, steady voice. At the same time, he cleverly helped Lu Mingfei, who was still catching his breath, to his feet. "Ukyo-sama is changing out of his performance costume backstage and will be here soon. The manager specifically instructed that Sakura come over to pour you a drink first, so you won't have to wait too long."

"We Kansai people have spent real money to come here!" Upon hearing this, the fat woman's eyebrows furrowed, her previous reserve replaced by dissatisfaction. Her Kansai accent suddenly rose, carrying a clear sense of arrogance. "There's no reason why you're short-staffed and just send some random waiter-looking kid to fool us, is there? Do you look down on us Kansai customers?"

Her critical gaze swept over Lu Mingfei's ill-fitting, shiny vest and his still-shaken face once more.

Lu Mingfei hunched his shoulders, sitting like a quail in the very corner of the sofa, mentally ranting, "Big sister, with your weight and enthusiasm, let alone piercing your heart through a blade, even if my senior brother turned the Village Rainbow Blade into a clothesline, it probably wouldn't be able to support your two-hundred-pound mountain! Who's going to be responsible if the blade breaks?"

The fat woman on the other end became more and more excited as she spoke. In order to prove her strength and not to be slighted, she suddenly opened the huge Hermès Birkin bag with crocodile skin next to her, took out stacks of brand-new 10,000 yen banknotes, and slapped them hard on the smooth glass coffee table. The banknotes made a crisp sound as they hit the table.

As she filmed, her rounded shoulders swayed rhythmically. "Everyone says Takamagahara is the number one entertainment venue in Tokyo! I'm going to have the most popular man accompany me in this number one venue! Money? I have plenty! How much do you want? Name your price! But—"

She suddenly extended a thick, chubby finger adorned with a gemstone ring, pointing it directly at Lu Mingfei's nose. "I don't want this cheap substitute! Get rid of him! I want my Ukyo! Now! Immediately!"

Fujiwara Kansuke's face twitched slightly, but his years of professional training allowed him to quickly regain his composure. He didn't look at the tempting banknotes, maintaining a respectful and aloof smile, and gave a slight bow: "I understand. I will personally urge Ukyo-sama on his behalf. Please be patient and enjoy your wine first."

He turned to Lu Mingfei, reached out and lifted him up from the corner of the sofa, led him to a spot behind the fat woman, and shoved a freshly opened bottle of champagne, still emitting a chill, into Lu Mingfei's hand. He then patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Sakura, don't just stand there. Take care of the guests and pour the drinks."

Startled by the slap, Lu Mingfei immediately reacted, his survival instinct overcoming all else. He quickly stepped forward and, with slightly clumsy but respectful movements, refilled the fat woman's empty tulip glass with golden liquid. The cool liquid poured into the glass, creating fine bubbles.

The fat woman glanced at the refilled wine glass, then at Lu Mingfei, who was meekly and focused on pouring the wine. She snorted, her attitude softening slightly. She picked up her glass, took a sip, and muttered, "That's more like it. A waiter should act like a waiter and do their job. Don't think that just because you're dressed a little flashy, you're qualified to sit here and drink and chat with me."

Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief and gave Fujiwara Kansuke a grateful look. His senior was indeed reliable in a crucial moment. Fujiwara Kansuke didn't have time to respond; he simply nodded slightly before turning and striding towards another group of waving regulars.

Chapter 639 The Job of a Host (Part 2)

The fat woman was temporarily appeased and then chatted enthusiastically with her several equally jeweled girlfriends in the Kansai dialect. The topic naturally revolved around the "peerless beauty, aloof and proud" Ukyo Tachibana.

With Lu Mingfei's current Japanese, he couldn't understand the dialect very well and could only barely understand 30 or 40 percent of it. The gist of it was that he was bragging about how he and Ukyo were "love at first sight" and "destined by fate", and that his soul was "stolen" by the other the moment their eyes met.

She also told her best friends that when Ukyo arrived, they should wish him well, but not be too jealous of her. Lu Mingfei's lips twitched as he listened, recalling the first time Chu Zihang was patronized by this fat woman yesterday. The shrewish senior brother, dressed in samurai attire and carrying a sword, sat opposite her. Facing such an enthusiastic and unrestrained guest, his expressionless face remained blank, but the hand holding the sword kept twitching.

The scene was indeed spectacular. However, it was only Chu Zihang who exuded a murderous aura and stiffness, a result of a swordsman being forced into close combat.

Finally, a slender and upright figure strode briskly from backstage. Chu Zihang had washed away the sweat and fishy smell from the performance; his hair was slightly damp, and he maintained his ever-present indifferent expression. With steady steps, he walked purposefully towards the noisy booth.

"Ukyo! My Ukyo is here!" The fat woman instantly forgot about Lu Mingfei, jumped up from the sofa, which groaned under its weight, her face flushed with excitement, and her voice was so high it could pierce eardrums, "Champagne! Open more champagne! Cheers to my Ukyo! We won't leave until we're drunk tonight!"

She grabbed the stack of banknotes on the coffee table, threw them into the tray of a passing waiter without even looking at them, her action as bold as if she were throwing away waste paper.

The well-trained waiters quickly took stock, and then a series of crisp, melodious "pop" sounds, like royal cannon salutes, rang out as the golden liquor was rapidly poured into rows of crystal-clear champagne glasses. The fat woman and her friends raised their glasses high, letting out excited cheers and screams, instantly creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

"Ukyo's sales are really strong tonight, they've already sold 120 bottles of champagne!" The waiter who brought the drinks whispered in Lu Mingfei's ear as he passed by, his voice tinged with envy and gossip. "I think Basara King is also working hard, are they competing with Ukyo? Tsk tsk, no wonder they're the twin stars of Takamagahara, even their competition is so interesting."

While deftly passing the glasses around, Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes inwardly: "You're only just realizing these two are having a rivalry? Back in the academy, when they were really going at it, it was a real battle, Desert Eagles against Uzi submachine guns, bullets flying, blood flowing like rivers—it was more exciting than a Hollywood blockbuster! Now they're competing for sales and drinks at this host club, it's like children playing house, just a little squabble for fun, okay?"

His gaze involuntarily drifted to another luxurious booth not far away.

There, Basara King—Cesare Gattuso—stood bare-chested, wearing only his signature burgundy leather leggings, revealing his sculpted chest and abs, which gleamed healthily under the changing laser lights.

He was surrounded by a group of female customers of varying ages, all with equally intense gazes, playing some kind of dice game. The rule was that the loser either had to drink a whole glass of strong liquor or take off a piece of clothing.

Logically speaking, Caesar was a seasoned veteran of all kinds of high society events. With his drinking capacity and dice-playing skills, he should have been a force to be reckoned with in this kind of game. But tonight, these guests were clearly well-prepared, dressed in layers upon layers, with skirts under skirts, two layers of stockings, and backup blouses.

Caesar was ambushed, and the situation became somewhat tense. Although he still wore that confident, unrestrained, and composed smile, sweat was already visible on his forehead. After taking off his vest and shirt, he was left with only a pair of leather pants.

"Boss! Can you still hold on?!" Lu Mingfei shouted at Caesar in Chinese while delivering an ice bucket.

"Not bad! No big deal!" Caesar replied without turning his head, his voice booming. At the same time, he cleverly used his arm to shove aside an older woman who was trying to pretend to be drunk and rub against his knees. His eyes were sharp as he stared at the dice cup. "Watch how I 'friendly' get these, cough, these lovely ladies, all down under the table!"

He almost blurted out "stinky pig," but quickly corrected himself, his eyes burning with competitive spirit.

Lu Mingfei shrank back and quickly slipped away. The battlefield over there was too dangerous for him to get involved in.

On the other hand, Chu Zihang's demeanor was completely different. He sat in the center of the sofa with a cold expression, not touching a drop of alcohol. This was his principle, and also part of the "Right Kyo" persona—aloof, self-disciplined, only responsible for being observed and listened to, like a fine ice sculpture.

The fat woman and her girlfriends, like a group of penguins who had found a heat source, huddled close to him, rubbing against each other intentionally or unintentionally, and giggling.

Whenever Chu Zihang's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of barely perceptible impatience, the woman became even more excited, twisting her shoulders and gazing into a daze, as if silently taunting him: "Oh, getting impatient? Are you angry? Come on, hit me, scold me, don't pity me just because I'm a delicate flower!"

Lu Mingfei felt a chill run down his spine and quickly looked away. "Senior brother, you've worked hard! Your forbearance is probably even more profound than your swordsmanship!"

"Sakura! Come over here quickly and help change the set for the next scene! We're short-staffed backstage!" The stage manager leaned halfway out from behind the side curtain, anxiously waving and shouting at him.

"Sakura! Hurry up and get the ice bucket from booth number three! The customer wants more ice! I have a mountain of orders here and can't deliver them all!" A waiter carrying a full load of bottles of liquor swept past him like a whirlwind, leaving behind a hurried order.

"Sakura! Over here! A customer accidentally broke a glass. Go get some tools to clean it up, be careful not to cut anyone!" Another voice came from the other side.

Lu Mingfei felt like a robot with multiple remote control programs installed simultaneously, with commands pouring in from all directions. He was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground, spinning like a top in the crowded and noisy hall.

After the climax of the stage performance, it's time for complete indulgence in drunkenness and disco. The music is so powerful that it makes your heart resonate, and laser lights frantically cut through the darkness, elongating, distorting, and giving everyone's dancing figure a psychedelic, sexy silhouette.

Lu Mingfei struggled through the throng, delivering drinks, cleaning up the mess, and responding to calls. Sweat soaked his ill-fitting silver vest, the pungent smell of perfume mingling with his own body odor. The flashing lights dazzled him, and the deafening music assaulted his eardrums.

In an instant, looking at the men and women around him, their faces blurred with illusory joy and desire, and then at his own disheveled and busy state, an absurd metaphor suddenly came to mind: he was just like a dog that had strayed into a human carnival party.

Not the pampered pet dogs with bows, but the dirty stray dogs that dart around under people's feet, trying to avoid being stepped on, and not daring to utter a sound even when kicked occasionally, all for the sake of picking up scraps.

This thought made Lu Mingfei somewhat frustrated, but the next second, a new instruction came.

"Sakura! What are you daydreaming about! Go now!"

"Here I am!" He shook his head, banishing the useless self-pity, and strode off again to the next place where he was needed.

Chapter 640 Let's get to work!

In the blink of an eye, Lu Mingfei had been struggling in Takamagahara for a week. Rather than saying he had made a name for himself as an apprentice male escort, it would be more accurate to say that he had come to terms with himself in the face of harsh reality. He had successfully slipped from the somewhat ambiguous and romantic identity of an apprentice male escort into a purely menial, high-class waiter.

It wasn't entirely the humpback whale's deliberate suppression or discrimination; the store manager actually gave him a chance.

Just three days ago, the humpback whale specially summoned Lu Mingfei to his ocean-view office. His thick, powerful hand slammed heavily on Lu Mingfei's thin shoulder, the force so great that Lu Mingfei almost felt his bones about to break apart.

The humpback whale looked him up and down with an encouraging yet scrutinizing gaze, and asked, "Little Sakura, tell me, what special talent do you have that can attract those distinguished guests? Is it your beautiful singing voice? Your graceful dancing? Your mastery of musical instruments? Or do you possess a secret skill that can fully showcase a man's unique charm? Don't be shy, speak up! In our Takamagahara, everyone's potential is worth exploring, and every ray of light should not be buried!"

Lu Mingfei was so nervous his palms were sweating, his mind racing as he fast-forwarded through his twenty years of life like a movie: Academics? Above average. Physical education? Barely passing. Arts? Tone-deaf and stiff-limbed. Fighting? He got beaten up. Bragging? That seemed okay, but he couldn't exactly go on stage and perform "My Uncle is the Bureau Chief" or "Finger's Gossip Roundup" for the guests, could he?

In a moment of desperation, the only thing that flashed through his mind—something that could be considered a specialty and seemed to possess a competitive and focused charm—slipped out: "I'm quite confident in StarCraft! My peak APM can reach 240, and I'm incredibly good at playing Zerg!"

After he finished speaking, he himself felt something was off, especially under the gaze of the humpback whale, which gradually froze, filled with confusion and a hint of despair.

The humpback whale's fleshy face twitched a few times, struggling to process the information. StarCraft? What's that? A new kind of pole dancing? Or some kind of mysterious Chinese martial art?

After hesitating for a while, he cautiously asked in a tone that tried not to discourage Lu Mingfei, "Sakura-kun, this 'StarCraft' you mentioned, can it be performed live? For example, can the guests admire your dazzling fingers flying across the keyboard?"

Lu Mingfei imagined the scene: dazzling spotlights shone on him alone, sitting in the center of the stage, with only a keyboard and mouse in front of him, and a large screen behind him projecting a scene of fierce battle between the Zerg army and the Protoss carriers. Below the stage, a group of elegantly dressed ladies, holding champagne and with dreamy eyes, stared blankly at the Hydralisks and Dragoons fighting on the screen.

He suddenly jolted awake and immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum.

The humpback whale sighed deeply, with immense disappointment. The sigh was so profound that Lu Mingfei suspected he almost coughed up blood. The shop manager rubbed his bald head with his thick hand, pondering that since talent wasn't an option, the only remaining weapon in the male escort world was the most primitive and direct weapon—flaunting sex appeal.

So he had a tailor rush to make a battle robe for Lu Mingfei—a thin, almost transparent white robe in the style of ancient Rome.

According to Humpback Whale's vision, Lu Mingfei would be given a role as a messenger boy in the stage play "The Beautiful Youth Narcissus," adapted from Greek mythology and starring Caesar. The boy would be naked, wearing only this light, white robe, carrying the oracle as he runs swiftly from one end of the stage to the other, making a fleeting, breathtaking appearance under the spotlight, igniting the audience's imagination with his youthful body and alluring glimpse.

The idea was nice. But when Lu Mingfei received the sheer fabric, his face turned green. What the hell was the difference between this and being naked?! Under the lights, wouldn't everything be crystal clear? Although Lu Mingfei was very ordinary, he still had a basic sense of shame.

So, on the night of the performance, as the music reached its climax and the lights suddenly focused on the stage entrance, Lu Mingfei, the messenger boy wearing Roman sandals and a transparent white robe, rushed out hesitantly yet with a death-defying resolve. His white robe billowed as he ran, and then the expectant eyes of the audience caught sight of those brightly colored, striking blue and white checkered boxer shorts beneath the robe—a stark contrast to the ancient Greek style!

Appearing and disappearing, as if trying to hide something while feeling shy. Only the object of that shyness has been reversed.

In an instant, the audience, which should have been filled with ambiguous admiration, erupted into an uncontrollable uproar of laughter that nearly lifted the roof off! The guests laughed so hard they were doubled over, pounding their chests and stamping their feet, tears streaming down their faces.

The stage effects were indeed a sensation, but in a way that completely deviated from what the humpback whale had expected, full of comical and unexpectedly adorable moments.

As for entertaining clients with drinks, Lu Mingfei's experience was roughly the same as tonight's. So far, the guest who had shown him the clearest goodwill was a female lawyer who appeared shrewd, capable, and well-mannered.

Unlike the others who mocked or ignored him, she earnestly called the humpback whale aside and, in a very tactful yet professionally serious tone, reminded him: "Manager, shouldn't your establishment pay attention to its employment regulations? The boy named Sakura looks very young, and his demeanor is, well, rather naive. According to relevant laws, employing minors for this type of nighttime service work may carry some legal risks."

The implication couldn't be clearer: How can you use child labor here? Especially in a place like this, full of brothels? This is utterly inhumane!

The humpback whale's facial expressions at that moment were so varied and complex that they are difficult to describe precisely in words.

He was eager to explain that Lu Mingfei was actually an adult, but he looked younger than his age. However, when faced with the female lawyer's righteous and sharp gaze, which seemed to be about to pull out a lawyer's letter from her briefcase, all his words of explanation were stuck in his throat, turning into a series of awkward dry laughs and bows.

Therefore, as of this moment, Lu Mingfei's performance in Takamagahara can be described as extremely dismal. In his personal ticket box, there was only one lonely flower ticket, which came from the hands of that kind female lawyer. This was probably because she felt that the young man's situation was too pitiful, so pitiful that it could evoke people's compassion, so she spent 1000 yen to buy a flower ticket and put it in the box as a form of humanitarian aid.

Lu Mingfei himself did not feel particularly frustrated about this.

"Sigh," he sighed, laboriously tying up the overflowing garbage bag from the booth, preparing to drag it to the back alley. This job, though undignified, was at least safe; he wouldn't have to face the critical or pitying gazes of the customers.