Chapter 183
Chapter 183
He had already opened the rouge and smeared it across his face.
Rouge was not foundation. It was closer to modern blush and came in a dark red shade.
When Jiang Wenmei saw him painting the bright red rouge across his cheeks, she burst out laughing.
Xiao Huai had never done his own makeup before. Never mind whether he even knew this was blush.
He applied the rouge exactly as though he were drawing whiskers on a tiger–an utter mess.
“What? Does it look bad?”
“It isn’t a question of whether it looks good.” Jiang Wenmei covered her mouth, stifling her laughter.
“Should I blend it in, then?” He had yet to do so.
If he blended all that color in, his face would turn as red as Lord Guan’s.
“Don’t. Don’t! You’d better leave it alone.”
Lu Yuanshi leaned close to Xiao Huai, touched the rouge on his cheek, then tapped the tip of his nose. “It looks nice. Like a rabbit.”
Jiang Wenmei stared at him. “???”
Was there something wrong with this man’s eyes?
That was obviously a tiger.
Xiao Huai frowned. “A rabbit? Really? You’re very funny.”
Jiang Wenmei wanted to agree that he was indeed very funny, but then she saw the grave expression on Zhong Jiangyuan’s face.
She decided to remain silent.
She had nearly forgotten that there seemed to be something unusual about those two. Better not to meddle.
Chen Chong ambled stupidly over to Xiao Huai. “Damn, buddy. You really don’t know the first thing about makeup. Let me do it for you next time.”
Lu Yuanshi pulled Xiao Huai into his arms. “He doesn’t want you to, and he doesn’t need makeup.”
Xiao Huai broke free and looked helplessly at them. “That’s enough. What are you two going on about? I didn’t buy this for makeup. I have a use for it.”
Zhong Jiangyuan asked, “What use?”
Xiao Huai said, “Didn’t she say it could conceal our auras? I’m curious what effect these auras actually have on us.”
“How do you plan to prove it?” Shen Yun, who had remained silent until now, also looked at Xiao Huai.
“It’s simple. We’re all heading to the Jinlemen Club, aren’t we?”
Shen Yun arched a brow. So that was his plan.
Strangely enough, the Jinlemen Club, which had been impossible to find before, appeared right around the corner after their encounter with the stall.
Before they even entered, they could hear singing from within.
Their party stepped inside beneath flickering neon lights.
The moment they crossed the threshold, lilting dance music and the clamor of many voices washed over them. Men and women embraced on the dance floor, moving with graceful steps as skirts swirled around them.
Everyone wore a masquerade mask over the upper half of their face, making it impossible to tell whether they were blind.
Gentlemen in suits and ladies holding wineglasses occupied the booths all around them, chatting and laughing.
Servers wove through the crowd with trays, delivering fine wine and food to the guests.
The fragrance of alcohol filled the air, luxurious and decadent.
“Do you have a reservation?” A waiter in a black suit and a golden mask approached.
After a brief hesitation, Jiang Wenmei said, “We’re from the Yang Residence, so there should be a reservation.”
“Oh, you must be their honored guests. This way, please.”
He gestured for them to follow. Halfway there, he suddenly said,
“Third Uncle told me there would be seven of you, but only six have come. Did something happen to your other companion?”
Everyone had been walking normally, but that one sentence brought them all to a halt.
Never mind how he had judged their number.
There were seven people in their party: Zhong Jiangyuan, Shen Yun, Chen Chong, Jiang Wenmei, the blonde woman, Xiao Huai, and Lu Yuanshi.
Why did the waiter claim that only six had arrived?
The blonde woman immediately panicked, wondering if something unclean had infiltrated the group.
She was already preparing to describe some personal trait to prove she was human rather than a ghost.
Then Xiao Huai drifted over to the waiter. He blew beside the man’s ear and waved his hands, yet the waiter did not notice him at all.
The answer was obvious.
Zhong Jiangyuan’s eyes widened. Good heavens, did smearing that rouge on yourself make you practically invisible?
Lu Yuanshi smiled at Xiao Huai. “There is another person. I hid him. What, would you like to meet him?”
The waiter hastily shook his head, then walked to a table holding several masks. “Not at all. We simply prepared an extra mask.”
“Give it to me. I’ll keep it as a souvenir.” Lu Yuanshi reached out to take it.
“I’m afraid not. The Jinlemen Club makes these masks specially. They let us see vague outlines for a short while, so they cannot leave the premises.”
Vague outlines.
Could those outlines be the “auras” the old stallholder had mentioned?
The rouge concealed Xiao Huai’s aura. The people in the Jinlemen Club could not see his outline, so they naturally assumed he did not exist.
Hearing this, Lu Yuanshi quietly slipped several silver coins from his sleeve and placed them in the waiter’s hand.
Once again, the power of money prevailed.
The waiter stammered, “Oh. Oh… Seven people. That’s right. Ha, ha.”
Lu Yuanshi put on one mask and handed the other to Xiao Huai.
Xiao Huai did not put it on. Instead, he tucked it away.
The waiter gestured for the others to don their masks. “Please put these on. If anyone discovers that you came from the Yang Residence, unpleasant trouble may follow.”
“What kind of trouble?” the blonde woman asked timidly.
The waiter cleared his throat twice and spoke in a whisper, as though afraid someone might overhear. “People from the Yang Residence have a terrible reputation. That young lady caused all of us to lose our sight…”
Before he could finish, a graceful woman in a green robe approached. She patted the waiter’s shoulder, holding a folding fan before her lips. “Say less about matters that cannot be discussed. Inviting disaster will do no one any good.”
The waiter rubbed his head and bowed respectfully. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. It won’t happen again.”
The woman smiled. “You may go. I will personally receive our honored guests.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Everyone quickly put on their masks and followed the woman in green. She led them to a private room and said, “There is no need to be afraid. Today, you need only enjoy yourselves. The young lady of the Yang Residence and I are old friends. Her guests are my guests.”
With that, she clapped her hands. Dancers and singers took the private room’s stage, and the dancers could even come down to interact with the players at any moment.
Every player kept a stiff face. Who would dare interact with them?
Only Chen Chong was delighted, exclaiming “Wow!” several times in a row, punctuating each one with a remark.
“If only I could see the beautiful faces beneath all your masks.”
His words made the dancers giggle.
Jiang Wenmei said coldly, “Idiot, don’t forget what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Chen Chong came back to himself.
Right. The missing man.
“Ladies, has anyone gone missing in this town? Famous or unknown, it doesn’t matter. If they’re missing, tell us about them.”
“What’s this? Are you detectives? Why should we tell you anything like that?” A dancer hid her smile behind her hand.
Her question gave Chen Chong an idea. He thumped his chest.
“Hey, you guessed it! We’re master detectives from the Yang Residence. No case in the world is beyond us. There isn’t a person we can’t find or a truth we can’t uncover!”