HSS CH1

Chapter 1: So Tired?

At nine o’clock on a Friday night, the lights were dazzling, and the noise of people filled the air.

Lin Miao, dressed in his uniform, was walking among the private rooms and crowds, carrying drinks like the other waiters. His white shirt was tucked into black trousers, accentuating his slender figure. Half his face was hidden behind a black mask, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes. Many other waiters were similarly masked.

This was the freedom granted by the owner of “Muse,” the largest entertainment venue in the city. Despite its reputation, the place strictly adhered to the principle of consent; no guest could force any staff member to do anything they didn’t want to. To avoid unnecessary trouble, staff had the option to cover their faces. This rule was implemented after an incident where a drunk guest, seeing an attractive waiter, lost control and tried to undress him.

The owner, who happened to be there, flew into a rage, grabbing the drunkard by the collar and shouting, “This person is here to work! You want to sleep with them? Show some respect for people who work for a living!”

“Being attractive doesn’t mean you get to take advantage! Have some shame!” The next day, the owner somehow procured several boxes of black masks, and staff who didn’t want to show their faces could wear them. Guests were not allowed to remove these masks without permission.

At midnight, Lin Miao changed out of his uniform, gathered his things, and walked out with his backpack. “Lin,” Xu Yue, who was also off duty, ran over. “We’re all going for a late-night snack. Want to join us?”

Lin Miao shook his head. “You guys go ahead. I have something to do.”

At this hour, what could he possibly have to do? Xu Yue frowned in surprise. “You’re not still doing that all-night part-time job, are you?”

She remembered Lin Miao mentioning that he had another job after finishing here. A college student, taking classes during the day and working two jobs at night—did he even sleep?

Afraid that he would exhaust himself, she had tried to persuade him many times to stop. “You’ll ruin your health!”

“I won’t,” Lin Miao said. “I don’t need to push myself.”

Xu Yue didn’t believe him. “How can you work without pushing yourself? Do they pay you to sleep?”

Lin Miao didn’t know how to explain, so he simply said, “It’ll be over next week. I won’t have to do it anymore.”

Xu Yue finally felt relieved and told him to speak up if he ever had trouble, not to push himself so hard. Lin Miao smiled, waved goodbye, and walked out the back door. Turning the corner, he soon saw a car parked by the roadside.

He walked over, looked inside, and saw only the driver. He opened the door and got into the back seat, hearing the driver, Xiao Zheng, speak in a monotone, emotionless voice, “Mr. Huo is busy tonight and said not to wait for him.”

Lin Miao nodded, watching the neon lights outside blur and recede as the car moved. The black sedan pulled into a villa complex and stopped outside a tall building. Lin Miao got out, said goodbye to Xiao Zheng, and watched as the car drove away.

Lin Miao walked up to the front door, scanned his face on the electronic screen, and pushed the door open. The hall was spacious and quiet, with only a small wall lamp casting a dim light. The housekeeper had already left for the night and would return in the morning to cook. This was Huo Yuchuan’s house. Two years ago, because of a contract, Lin Miao had moved in here, acting as a “sleep aid” for Huo Yuchuan, who had trouble sleeping at night.

Perhaps it was a quirk of the wealthy—things like claustrophobia, fear of the dark, or emotional disorders. Huo Yuchuan’s issue was that he couldn’t sleep unless he was holding someone. Probably from working too much and being too anxious to sleep, Lin Miao thought. Huo Yuchuan, the workaholic, often didn’t come home until the middle of the night.

He changed his shoes and went upstairs. After taking a shower, he collapsed onto the soft bed, remembering what Xiao Zheng had said: Mr. Huo was busy tonight and wouldn’t be coming home. Lin Miao turned over, buried his face in the pillow, and mumbled, “Who said I was waiting for him…”

After an indeterminate amount of time, he felt a weight on top of him, as if someone had pressed down. Lin Miao half-opened his eyes, turned his head slightly, and caught a familiar scent of cologne mixed with a hint of alcohol. His mind still groggy, he mumbled, “Huo Yuchuan?”

The person on top of him let out a soft “Mm.” Lin Miao reached out from under the blanket, tracing his arm until he reached the buttons of his shirt, feeling the warm, firm muscles beneath. He frowned slightly and whispered, “You didn’t take a shower…”

The person holding him didn’t respond. Lin Miao’s eyelids fluttered as if he wanted to say more, but Huo Yuchuan seemed exhausted and unwilling to move. Lin Miao worried that if he continued, Huo Yuchuan might get angry. And if he got angry, he might deduct money from Lin Miao’s pay.

At the thought of money, Lin Miao fell silent—forget it, no shower then. He withdrew his hand and shifted slightly away from Huo Yuchuan’s embrace. In an instant, the weight on him lifted as Huo Yuchuan got out of bed. Lin Miao was puzzled until he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom—Huo Yuchuan had gone to take a shower.

Lin Miao, half-asleep, wondered if Huo Yuchuan would be busy tomorrow. The contract was about to expire, and he needed to talk to him about it…

In his drowsy state, he was transported back to the day he had run into Huo Yuchuan two years ago. Outside the hospital, sunlight filtered through the tree branches, and strangers came and went. Lin Miao sat alone on a bench, lost in thought.

His father had broken his leg while being chased by debt collectors and was now lying in a hospital bed, wailing in pain. “They said this time we’d definitely make money, a sure thing!”

“It’s just my bad luck, not being in the right place at the right time… sobs…”

“I just wanted you to have an easier life, not to work so hard…”

“There are so many rich people in this world; couldn’t there be one more?”

Lin Miao was tired of hearing it. Years ago, when they sold their house, he had said the same thing. Always believing whatever others told him, he would impulsively follow them into investments, only to lose everything in the end.

Now, with no house left to sell, he had resorted to taking out usurious loans!

A million dollars—selling both of them wouldn’t even come close to that amount. Lin Miao almost wished his father had broken his other leg too.

The sunlight grew hotter on his feet. He shifted to the side, and as he looked up, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. The man was much taller than in his memory, dressed in an exquisite, expensive suit. One hand was in his pocket, while the other held a phone to his ear.

It had been six years since they last saw each other. He had long outgrown his school uniform, looking like the same person yet somehow different. Lin Miao blinked slowly.

Suddenly, as if sensing his gaze, the man turned his head. Their eyes met, and Lin Miao, caught off guard, awkwardly smiled and greeted him hesitantly, “L-long time no see…”

He opened his mouth, the name he had forgotten for years rolling around in his throat. “Huo Yuchuan…”

Huo Yuchuan hung up the phone and looked at him, as if trying to figure out whether he knew this person.

“I’m Lin Miao, from the same class in junior high,” Lin Miao said, forcing a smile. “You probably don’t remember me. I almost didn’t recognize you either. Hahaha…”

Huo Yuchuan paused for a moment, as if finally digging him out from some forgotten corner of his memory, and nodded at him.

Lin Miao was glad to see his old classmate again. “You’re in City A too?”

He had moved here from his hometown for college, while Huo Yuchuan had transferred schools in the second half of eighth grade, supposedly taken back by his biological father.

Lin Miao didn’t know much about his family background, only hearing rumors that Huo Yuchuan was the illegitimate child of a wealthy family, and his father had suddenly remembered him and brought him back.

He looked genuinely wealthy now, Lin Miao thought, glancing at his tailored suit and then at his own twenty-dollar T-shirt…

Huo Yuchuan walked over and sat down beside him. He seemed very tired, pinching the bridge of his nose with his hand, his eyes filled with fatigue.

Was he sick? Lin Miao suddenly realized they were at a hospital. Was Huo Yuchuan here for a check-up, or was someone in his family hospitalized?

As he was lost in thought, Huo Yuchuan suddenly leaned his head to the side and fell asleep on Lin Miao’s shoulder.

Lin Miao: “……” So tired? How could he fall asleep in the blink of an eye? Dude, what did you do last night?

Seeing that he seemed genuinely exhausted, Lin Miao let him sleep on his shoulder. After a while, another person walked over, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and looking very refined. He glanced at Lin Miao, then at Huo Yuchuan sleeping on his shoulder, and said expressionlessly, “Ah, it’s been a long time since Mr. Huo slept this soundly.”

Lin Miao: “……”