'Okay~' TangTang chirps, full of vitality once more, 'TangTang has registered your choice~ enjoy frying CP host~ if there's anything you need just ask~!'
Wen Fei nods in understanding. At the same time, the masseur lightly taps his shoulder.
"Sir, I am going to lift the towel, can you please turn over when I do?"
"Okay." Wen Fei cooperates obediently, without his previous embarrassment. After all, his previous slips were due to the unpreparedness of the situation and making a few noises was normal in a massage. As a host whose been through many worlds, of course he has also enjoyed the relaxation of a spa and is familiar with the procedure. As the towel lifts from his body and raises up like a flimsy wall to give the impression of covered modesty, Wen Fei flips onto his back and takes the opportunity to look down at his body.
Long legs, and a fairly slim skeletal structure, while he wasn't muscular he still had some muscle tone on his pale body. However ultimately it was all covered with a sense of softness, with a noticeable pudge around his abdomen that many middle-aged men tend to have. Especially when they have to sit a lot for their work and drink.
Wen Fei tilts his head evaluatingly before letting his head fall back on the offered pillow the masseur passes to him while the towel once again falls onto his body. Obediently, he lets the other's large hands move one of his arms outward to better massage it as he falls into thought.
To be honest, the original body was still considered a fairly attractive and well-maintained man for his age, after all as a person who understood the maliciousness of gossip he was also self-aware to realise that he was not immune from being a target. Therefore the original body would often secretly go to the spa once a month and do low impact indoor exercises like swimming or yoga or using a treadmill. But unfortunately the original body was also quite lazy and the only consistent thing he managed to maintain was the monthly spa treatment.
In his opinion, Wen Fei thought this bit of fat was okay, and as long as the person's weight was still on a relatively healthy level there is really no problem and was quite comfortable to hug. However his target was a very beautiful and fashion conscious woman… It might be a bit tricky to attract her in his current state.
Wincing as the masseur's thumbs pushed against a painful and sore spot in his upper arm, Wen Fei silently calculated his next steps. It was still important to keep maintaining the original body's traits, and given his current stiff body it was probably for the best to continue the path of low-impact exercise and slowly build up strength before moving onto more intense activities.
There were many lives where he had entered the world as an obese person and had to counterattack by losing weight, getting healthy, and showing off his true handsome appearance that would dazzle the ex-girlfriend who left him, or the fiancee who chose to run to his step-brother etc. In the process he would generally livestream it and post his regime, slowly building up a following that can whitewash him from his previous bad reputation into a hardworking and optimistic individual.
Sometimes he would even have to fight against the effects of hormone-laced food that ruins one's metabolism, sent by a dear stepmother or evil uncle. In those cases he usually had to rely on system items, but generally Wen Fei chose to endure the process of body reformation step-by-step.
As convenient and magical as the items of the system shop was, it was not as reliable as learning it yourself in his opinion. Each experience carved into his mind and soul were simply his own priceless golden fingers that he could bring into each world. Even if all his points disappeared and his system vanished with all its perks one day, as long as he had these memories, the knowledge and the skills, Wen Fei was confident he would still do just fine.
Therefore, by the time the massage was over, not only did Wen Fei already have a workout plan for himself in mind, but he also had a rough framework for how to handle his child Wen Muchen as well as an idea how to tackle Ye Lan. Feeling both sleepy and refreshed from the massage, the veteran host politely thanks the masseur who left the room to let him get changed, and immediately fishes out his phone.
Even if he expected it, Wen Fei was a bit overwhelmed at the number of notifications when he turned on his device. Some of it was from people from the Wen family, but most were from his close 'friends' in high society, asking about gossip, complaining about x, y, z, and bragging about a, b or c.
Wen Fei's mouth twitches and he subconsciously rubs his lips with his thumb as he uses his other hand to one-handedly scroll through the string of notifications until he found his son's message under the nickname MyBaby.
Wen Fei: …The father's love is pretty deep.
{MyBaby: Dad, I'll be going to Jade Star tonight. A Huang* invited me and his friends to hang out.}
*Combining the character 阿 ā with someone's given name is one way you can call your close friends in Chinese. Eg Jia Hyson can be A Hyson. There's also other ways to address someone to showcase intimacy like adding Lao (old) or Xiao (little) into their given names
A Huang was Wen Huang, the son of Wen Fei's eldest brother.
In the Wen family the patriarch who worked hard to make their family become as rich as they are, had three sons. The eldest Wen Junjie, the middle child Wen Changming who is also the father of the protagonist Wen Li, and finally the original body Wen Fei. Wen Junjie and Wen Changming were both ambitious people, compared to the original body who immersed himself in socialising and gossip, these two preferred fighting to be the next boss.
Because Wen Junjie had a son, and Wen Changming only had the sickly fake daughter, many people were more inclined to the eldest brother despite Wen Changming being more competent. This directly raised Wen Junjie's arrogance tenfold until the original body also produced a son, entering the eyes of both brothers. The original body was smart and self-aware, he didn't want to be the boss nor did he believe he was capable of being one, preferring the idea of living off of his shares and enjoying his life.
He also didn't want his son Wen Muchen to have to fight either, so the original body told the child to be good and flatter both his eldest brother's son Wen Huang and to a lesser extent, his second brother's daughter. This way, no matter which way the winds blow, the father and son can attain a peaceful neutrality and take their shares in peace. As for why the original body stressed to flatter Wen Huang more? It was simply because he also was more optimistic about him due to his gender.
Unfortunately, Wen Huang was spoiled stupid, and was a big bully, forcing Wen Muchen to eat a lot of hardships without the original body being aware of it. Once he realised it, it was already too late and Wen Muchen was found to have rather severe anxiety and depression, the original body regretted it more than anything after understanding the ins and outs.
Seeing the message was sent about an hour ago, Wen Fei quickly put his clothes on. Since the original body didn't planned to go anywhere particularly fancy, his style was a fairly simple combination of dark indigo jeans, white T-shirt and denim jacket. Looking in the full-length mirror that was hung on the side of the room, Wen Fei turned around to measure his appearance.
Wen Fei: Overall, not bad, I would consider asking me out.
TangTang: TangTang would also ask you out host~ You're so sexy~!
Even if he was an older man with a son, the original body's skin was still youthful and smooth. With sharp and mischievous fox-like eyes, an ever present faint smirk on his face, and dark hair the was disheveled from the massage, he really could pass off as someone in his mid-to-late twenties.
Using his fingers he combs his short hair back, revealing a few strands of silver that turned his playful sex appeal into something more mature. Wen Fei smiles into the mirror, flashing his white teeth and a very objectively charming grin. He had to say, there was really not many complaints about this face at all, he was very satisfied.
Once he adjusted his clothing and hair, he put on an expensive brand-name pair of sunglasses and strode out of the spa.
It was time to pick up the wayward child.
The masseur and the other workers bid him farewell respectfully, after all he was a VIP customer, but the moment he left the group of workers who were temporarily free from clients immediately gathered around to chatter.
"Oh, oh, how was Mr Wen? It was the first time he decided to do a full body massage as well instead of just the usual beauty treatments." The young receptionist whispers loudly and shyly, but the eagerness in her eyes couldn't be concealed.
The masseur blushes, "Well I shouldn't say but… his muscles weren't the only thing quite stiff during the experience!"
"Ahahaha no way!"
"Fuck, you're so dirty!"
"Is it that he's too dirty or is Mr Wen too good-looking?"
"Aiyah, with such a face, it's so hard to believe he's in his late thirties."
"Don't say it, I'm only twenty-two and I've got more wrinkles then he does, I really cry myself to sleep knowing his true age. Is this the power of the rich?"
"Tsk, he comes every month and orders the best face treatments, Mr Wen's face is really covered in gold, don't bother comparing with us poor workers."
"Forget the face, forget the face, I want to hear about the body!"
"Yes, yes!"
The masseur hesitates, "This, I really shouldn't say." After all, while it was impossible to not see the things you shouldn't in this line of work, at the very least it was extremely unprofessional to talk about it. However, he was also a young worker and wanted to fit in with his coworkers quickly. Under the insistent coaxing and begging of the others, he was guiltily considering it.
Fortunately, he was saved just in time. Unfortunately, he was saved by the dark, angry face of their manager who was accompanying someone. "You guys… what nonsense are you all talking about?! Get back to work!"
Seeing them scatter away in panic, the manager sighs in embarrassment and rubs his forehead, "I am so sorry about this Mr Ye, the spa is mainly full of young people. They're very talented I assure you but I do admit I have not taught them professionalism very well. I will make sure to rectify this immediately."
The tall, slender man beside the manager brushes back the smooth and silky straight hair in front of his face, tucking it behind his ear and revealing a beautiful and regal face that would comfortably fit on any fashion magazine. At first glance it was hard to tell whether he was a man or a woman, only that he was very gorgeous regardless with his peach blossom eyes striking the hearts of anyone who looks directly at them.
Unlike the manager who was wearing a basic black business suit, the handsome man had a trendy and bold red linen suit with a silk white scarf with golden patterning that matched with his simple white t-shirt underneath his linen jacket. With his silky black hair that has been cut in a two-block style* that fit his handsome face well, the younger man was brimming with a fashionable and cool charm.
*A type of hairstyle where the hair is cut around the ears and tapered at the neck. This allows for more length on top. It's pretty classic kpop kinda hair too but obv there's a lot of variation on styling the top of the head.
"Make sure to see to it." The handsome man curtly says, peach blossom eyes flashing with some impatience and irritability, "Customer satisfaction is important and the ability to be discrete is another factor to respect the customer. If I see this again, don't blame me if I consider restaffing this entire business."
The manager's face turns pale, he bows his head in understanding and quickly assures the younger man in a loud voice, "Of course, of course! This won't happen next time I will do my best to uphold our standards Mr Ye!"
Mr Ye stares at the older manager with a cold look before sighing. "It's good you're serious, at least." His voice softens slightly, "I appreciate how you were quick to take on responsibility. As long as you show you can follow through, it's not a problem to rise up in the future."
"Thank you Mr Ye!" The manager says gratefully, before straightening his back, "May I offer you some herbal tea, coffee or water?"
"No need," The younger man takes out his phone with a slight frown, "I only dropped by to take a look at how things are going here since I had things around the area, I have an appointment soon so I must leave now. But thank you for the offer."
The manager nods understandingly. His boss may be relatively young, but he was still talented enough to build this spa that, while small, was favoured by several rich clients and celebrities. It was normal to be busy. "I see. Where are you going, if I may ask?" He queries politely, "If you want, we have a lot of unopened scented oils and candles that you requested we stock up recently shipped in, plus the usual products. Feel free to take some if needed."
At the considerate words, Mr Ye looks up from his phone with a smile. He was already blindingly good-looking when his face was unhappy and frowning, but now he made even the married 100% straight manager swoon a little under such a sight. Successful, intelligent, independent, resolute and beautiful… The manager couldn't help but lament that Mr Ye wasn't a woman, if he was he would definitely do his best to sell his cheap son to him!
"It's a casual appointment with friends, but sure, please get me two bottles of Spring Night essential oil, and the Sex on the Beach scented Candle." Mr Ye chuckles, "I'm sure they'll really appreciate it."
With a flick of his wrist, he presses the send icon on his phone before slipping it back in his pocket, "As for where I'm going?"
He smiles with faint interest, "It's a fairly new establishment called Jade Star."