“Of course I knew that! Here’s the address. If you’ve got time after, cutie, I’ll be waiting at Night Blue Bar, yeah?”
Xu Fei conveniently ignored the second half of the message, left the hospital, and flagged down a taxi, giving the driver the address from his phone.
From the capital’s First Hospital to this spot, it took less than thirty minutes, so it wasn’t too far.
But the area was a bit out of the way. Xu Fei hadn’t expected it to be tucked between two streets, down a narrow alley so cramped the taxi could barely squeeze through.
“Mate, just pull over up ahead, will you?”
With no other option, Xu Fei paid the fare and got out early. It was only a few hundred metres more, so he’d walk the rest.
Following the map’s directions, Xu Fei wound his way to a cluster of old residential buildings. In front of a rusty iron gate protecting a dated complex, his phone pinged to signal the end of the route.
“Gotta say, if I hadn’t asked for the address, there’s no way I’d have found this place on my own!”
Xu Fei muttered, glancing up at the surrounding buildings. Most were decades old, their exteriors weathered and worn.
Beyond the iron gate was a small row of shopfronts, buzzing with the hum of everyday life.
Stepping through, Xu Fei noticed only two massage parlours. One seemed to be the place Big-Chest Girl had mentioned frequenting, but it was inexplicably shuttered now.
Next to it was the one called Sweetheart Massage.
Looking up at the sign and peeking at the interior, Xu Fei noticed the decor wasn’t quite local. It had a foreign flair, with Buddhist decorations and sayings plastered on the walls and more Buddhist trinkets scattered inside.
As Xu Fei parted the beaded curtain, a bell jingled, and the shop’s owner hurried out to greet him.
“Hello, sir, here for a massage, are you?”
Sizing up the boss standing before him, Xu Fei’s mind was already turning. Though the man greeted him with a warm smile, Xu Fei caught a fleeting glint of disappointment in his eyes.
“Yeah, work’s been stressful lately, and my back’s killing me. Was hoping to get some cupping done, is that alright?”
Xu Fei got straight to the point, but the boss brushed him off.
“Well, if it’s just back pain, I wouldn’t recommend cupping.”
“To ease it, I can give you a proper massage to relax you. It’ll cost less but work better. A massage is like medicine, it’s got to target the problem, you know!”
If Xu Fei were genuinely some out-of-towner with back pain, he’d probably be touched right now. Fancy that, a shopkeeper not trying to fleece him but actually looking out for the customer.
In this day and age, businesses that put the customer first were rare indeed.
But knowing the odd things Big-Chest Girl had said about her cupping sessions here, Xu Fei grew warier of the boss by the second. He spoke up again.
“Sorry, mate, I’m really just here for cupping. I’m dead ticklish, you see. If you only do massages, then apologies for bothering you.”
