June 4, 2023Merchie
From the outside, the storefront of this bar, “Burn”, was not very big. However, the neon sign was unique: the word “Burn” was written in whimsical flourishes, and lit in a way that made it resemble a flame. From a distance, it really did look like a blazing fireball.
The long spiral staircase that led to the underground bar had been given a wet, mossy coat. A single lamp hung on the bumpy wall. After passing through this dim, twisting stairway, one could hear the faint sounds of singing and clamor from inside.
This bar had been opened jointly by Cao Ye and Huang Ying. When it opened, Chi Mingyao had once come here for a drink. But there had not been many people in the bar then, and the atmosphere had not been as lively as it was now.
When Chi Mingyao walked in, Huang Ying was sitting on the bar counter with her back to him, smoking.
“Cao Ye’s not here tonight?” Chi Mingyao walked over and asked.
When Huang Ying heard his voice, she turned. She recognized Chi Mingyao and immediately jumped off the bar counter. With an air of surprise, she asked, “Hey, what brings you here tonight?”
“I came here to look after your business. I heard from Cao Ye that it’s been going well.”
“Pretty good, probably because we opened it together. Cao Ye’s the kind of guy to push all the work onto other people,” Huang Ying took a puff of smoke, and smiled, “Anything to drink?”
“Get me a glass of whisky, no cocktails.” Chi Mingyao glanced toward the stage. He realized that the singer was Li Yangxiao.
Li Yangxiao was sitting on a bar stool, facing the standing microphone and singing a Cantonese song. Chi Mingyao recognized this song as ‘Detest’1 by Alfred Hui. The lights on the stage were a bit dim and Chi Mingyao was a bit far away. He could not see Li Yangxiao’s eyes clearly, but he thought that they seemed out of focus.
Huang Ying poured the whisky and pushed the glass in front of Chi Mingyao. She followed Chi Mingyao’s eyes and saw that his gaze had fallen on Li Yangxiao. She turned her head and laughed, “How is he? He’s our newly-hired singer. He’s pretty good, isn’t he?”
Chi Mingyao looked away, lifted his glass and took a gulp, before he nodded: “He seems all right. He can only sing Cantonese songs?”
“What do you mean? He’s amazing at singing English songs too,” Huang Ying leaned forward and said mysteriously, “There’s also going to be a little surprise at eleven…”
“Pole dancing?” Chi Mingyao asked, shattering the suspense she was trying to build.
“Damn it!” Huang Ying did not succeed in building up any suspense. She slapped the table with a sour expression, “How did you know? Did Cao Ye tell you?”
Chi Mingyao laughed: “Cao Ye must’ve had too much to drink yesterday.”
“Ugh! Don’t even get me started on that. He seduced another actor from God knows where, and he’s not even as good-looking as our singer! What kind of taste does he have?!”
Chi Mingyao chatted with Huang Ying for a bit, before he found a seat near a corner and sat down.
Li Yangxiao was still singing Cantonese songs, one after another. His bangs cast a shadow over his face, masking his eyes beneath it.
They seem out of focus. This thought crossed Chi Mingyao’s mind again.
Someone walked over from the side and sat down beside Chi Mingyao. He leaned into Chi Mingyao’s ear and asked if he wanted company for the night, before he was waved off.
Chi Mingyao was almost finished with the glass of whisky in his hand when the singing on stage finally stopped. Li Yangxiao held the standing microphone with one hand as he grabbed his bar stool and left the stage. Judging by the direction he was going, he was probably going backstage.
After more mood music, the curtains on the stage slowly closed, and all the lights went out in an instant. In the complete darkness, someone whistled.
After the DJ counted down from 10, a bright white spotlight shone down onto the stage.
As the first few notes rang out, a black shadow appeared in the center of the curtain.
Although they had not known each other for long, Chi Mingyao quickly deduced from the hairstyle and figure that the person behind the curtain was Li Yangxiao.
That figure followed the rhythm of the music and began circling the pole with slow, stretching movements. As the beat of the music suddenly quickened, the curtain of the stage rose. Li Yangxiao stood in the center of the stage, gripping the metal pole with both hands. Then, he jumped up, gracefully hoisting his entire body onto the pole.
As the climax of the music came, the lighting on the stage also changed: half was fierce red and flashing, while the other half was calmer, with coloration that alternated between cool and warm. Li Yangxiao’s leg lifted and twisted around the pole. His body, which was almost completely upside down, slowly revolved around the pole amidst two skies of icy and fiery light.
The clothes he wore seemed to be made of a gauzy chiffon. As his body rotated sideways, one could faintly see part of his slender waist. Under the effects of the flickering lights, half of his body seemed to be exposed within a torrential rainstorm, while the other half appeared to be shrouded in mist.
The whistling and cheers from the audience were never-ending, and in just a few short minutes, the atmosphere had burst into flames.
In the midst of this almost irritatingly heated atmosphere, Chi Mingyao suddenly noticed that Li Yangxiao was barefoot. He had probably used too much force, his insteps were stiff, and his toes were curled–they resembled the curled toes of someone who had just had an orgasm.
Only after the music stopped did Chi Mingyao become aware of the connection he had just made. Then, he quickly felt himself beginning to react to it. He had to admit it: Li Yangxiao’s pole dancing was really a little erotic, but there was no lust in it. Instead, it carried a sense of beauty, utterly incompatible with the torrent of whistling from the surrounding crowd.
Chi Mingyao picked up his glass and downed the last gulp of whiskey. Then, he saw Li Yangxiao, who had changed into a very ordinary-looking hoodie, emerge from backstage. He was holding a glass of red wine–judging by the color, that was what it seemed to be.
Li Yangxiao found a corner where the light did not reach and sat down. He gulped down the contents of his glass. Then he got up, spoke a few words with Huang Ying, and walked out.
Chi Mingyao sat there and smoked a cigarette, suppressing the desire that has just risen from within his body, before he walked out as well.
Outside the bar, the night sky was rich and dark. The door happened to face an empty path, providing a somewhat peaceful atmosphere.
Chi Mingyao walked up to his car, pulled open the car door and sat inside. Just as he was about to start the engine, he suddenly spotted Li Yangxiao standing under a tree not far away, smoking.
Li Yangxiao’s head was raised as he gazed up at that tree; it seemed that he was blowing smoke rings to amuse himself. Moonlight shone through the scattered branches, leaving a layer of dappled silver over his shoulders. From the side, he resembled a child, facing some tree branches and blowing bubbles.
Notes
Sorry, this is very late! BUT THE ATMOSPHERE IS BUILDING
Thanks for reading~
‘Detest’ by Alfred Hui is a Cantonese song (at the time of writing, its 10 year birthday has just passed!). Its lyrics have many similarities to Li Yangxiao’s story (ex. “I seem to be detested and rejected by the world, and I can’t embrace the delight of love for a moment”).Sponsored Content
