Hawaii is the 50th state of the United States. Since the flight was a domestic one, there were no Customs and Border Protection counters at the airport. Star agreed to the trip, figuring he was stuck in this identity for two months anyway, and Vincent seemed like a decent enough person.
He still needed to quit his job, so he went to the restaurant the next day.
Annie pulled Star aside immediately. “What happened with you two? Vincent was terrifying yesterday.”
Star gave an awkward smile. “He just didn’t like me serving Raymond.”
Annie gave him a knowing look. “You have no idea. After you left, Raymond was furious. He said some very unpleasant things.”
Star could guess what Raymond had said; it was likely along the lines of him being a sex worker pretending to be high and mighty, or claiming he was greedy for attention.
“It’s fine. I came here today to resign.”
Annie looked disappointed. “Alright, but make sure we hang out when you have the chance.”
A few other staff members entered the breakroom, also discussing Raymond.
Annie asked curiously, “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you know? Yesterday, Raymond went home and caught his lover with his own mother. The lover is a minor celebrity who has been trending recently, and paparazzi happened to be nearby and caught the whole thing on camera. His father almost killed him, hunting him down with a rifle in the villa area until the police arrested him.”
The amount of information in those few sentences was overwhelming.
Annie grabbed Star and started scrolling through her phone, and within moments, they had pieced it all together.
Raymond had a large following on Instagram and was always showing off luxury cars and watches, claiming his trust fund would sustain him for a lifetime. He often brought his lovers home, but this time, the lover had hooked up with his mother. When Raymond and his father caught them, his father flew into a rage and pulled out a gun. The video went viral, and his father was arrested the previous night.
To make matters worse, the police discovered that the gun was involved in an armed robbery from thirty years ago. Now, Raymond’s father was in deep trouble, and Raymond’s trust fund was frozen due to suspicions regarding the source of the money.
The more Star read, the more he felt something was wrong. How could ballistics testing be completed so quickly? Furthermore, if the robbery occurred thirty years ago, would the evidence really have been kept that long? And how could a trust fund be frozen so easily? Setting aside the statute of limitations, the legal procedures involved were rarely that simple. It was clearly a setup, and Raymond had simply provided the opportunity.
A face with gentle features flashed through Star’s mind, but he shook his head with a smile. It could not be Vincent; a man with such a mild temper, aside from his rough kissing, was practically a saint.
Inside a warm and comfortable psychological counseling office:
“When you wear a mask for too long, you start to believe it yourself. If you keep it repressed for too long, no one will be able to handle it when you eventually explode. This trip is a good opportunity. Try wearing less formal clothes, or perhaps have some sexual activity?”
The psychologist pushed a cup of herbal tea toward him.
Vincent picked up the cup. “That is my plan.”
The psychologist looked helpless. “That shouldn’t be a plan. After intense work, you should just enjoy life and relax. It should happen naturally.”
Vincent nodded. “I understand.”
The psychologist warned him, “Please, do not project your terrifying thoughts onto the other person. Anyone would run away. If they leave, you might do something even more extreme.”
Vincent frowned. “I am keeping him for this exact reason, am I not?”
“Him? A man?”
“Wait, ‘keeping’?”
Star had scheduled a spray tan service. He would be in the water during the trip, and his usual tanning oil was not waterproof, making swimming impossible. He went for one professional tan and would use chemical tanning products later. Eight hours later, right before departure, his skin tone would be a perfect Asian tan, lasting five to seven days—which would cover the duration of the trip.
Star did not want to move into Vincent’s place. Even though they were not officially living together, he never knew when Vincent might show up, meaning he would have to maintain his disguise twenty-four hours a day. Makeup to alter his bone structure was easy for Star, but wearing colored contact lenses around the clock was incredibly uncomfortable.
Star bought some random items to decorate the apartment so it at least looked lived in. He hid his makeup at the bottom of his suitcase and touched up his hair color.
Everything was ready.
At the crack of dawn, Star dragged his suitcase to the curb and lit a cigarette. A black Pagani pulled up and Vincent rolled down the window, his gaze lingering on the cigarette for two seconds. “Get in.”
The driver put the suitcase in the trunk, and Star stubbed out his cigarette and entered the car.
He was pulled into an embrace immediately. The faint scent of peppermint and smoke lingered on their tongues until Star was nearly breathless. Vincent let him go and wiped the moisture from his lips.
“Quit smoking.”
It was a bossy, two-word command.
Star leaned against his chest and said softly, “You do not like the smell of smoke? I can switch to strawberry flavor.”
Vincent pinched his waist. “I said quit smoking.”
Star wrapped his arms around Vincent’s neck and kissed his cheek. “What about grape?”
Vincent pinned him down. “Hawaii or a rehab center; choose one.”
Star hugged his neck. “Hawaii.”
His phone rang. It was a call from China. Vincent pulled him up. “Answer it.”
Star answered the call, and a woman’s voice came through. “Mr. Li, hello. Your mother’s treatment is going well, and she wants to speak with you. Are you available?”
Star said eagerly, “Yes, I am.”
He chatted happily with his mother, telling her about his meals and mentioning that he had met a very nice gentleman. Vincent watched him, his expression gentle, as he patted Star’s head.
After hanging up, Star was in a great mood and discussed his plans for Hawaii with Vincent.
Star asked, “Sir, what class are we flying?”
Vincent replied, “A friend of mine is going as well, so we will be taking his plane.”
Star understood. It was the typical habit of the ultra-wealthy to take their “collectibles” on vacation. There was likely another lover joining them.
At the airport, Star’s suspicion was confirmed. To his surprise, he recognized the other lover as the same man who had hit on Vincent at the restaurant.
The man was wearing extravagant pink fur, exposing his thighs, and greeted them. “Hello, Mr. Vincent! Mr. Qin will be here shortly.”
Vincent nodded slightly. Star knew his place; he would be stuck with this man for the next few days.
“Hello, we have met before,” Star said.
The man thought for a moment, then had an epiphany. “Oh! You are from that restaurant. Hello, I am Fabian.”
Star nodded. “I am Cipher.”
“Vincent!”
A hearty male voice echoed from the entrance of the VIP lounge. The group looked toward the door, and Star froze in place. A Chinese man wearing sunglasses and sporting a wild, flaming-red hairstyle walked over and hooked his arm around Vincent’s shoulder.
“Seeing you is harder than heaven! At the very least, we must have a drink in Honolulu tonight.”
Vincent brushed his arm off. “You are still drinking?”
“Why would I not? I am heartbroken.” The man took off his sunglasses and looked at Star suspiciously. “You, have we met somewhere before?”
Star stiffened, turning around while his face displayed the perfect amount of confusion. “I do not think so.”
Vincent frowned. “Qin Yue, this is my person.”
Qin Yue laughed. “You have finally blossomed. Do not worry, I am still not over my own first love.”
Star finally relaxed his hands, realizing his nails had dug deep crescent marks into his palms, which were now covered in sweat. So it is Yue, not the moon.
It is Qin Yue!
Qin Yue kept talking to Vincent about his first love, not caring whether Fabian could understand. Star slipped out of the VIP lounge, found the smoking room, and lit a cigarette. Five months ago, on a night in Hawaii with a sky full of fireworks, Qin Yue had said he would take him to see the most beautiful fireworks in the world.
Damn it.
Star punched the wall. His knuckles were covered in white dust. His hands trembling, he dialed a number.
“Ji Zuo, Vincent knows Qin Yue!”
Ji Zuo was confused. “Who? Qin Yue?”
“Yes, Qin Yue!”
Ji Zuo stammered, “Were you discovered? That should not be possible. Even I cannot recognize your disguise.”
Star took a deep drag. “No. Can you investigate Vincent through Qin Yue?”
Ji Zuo hissed, “I cannot. When you ran away, I followed suit. Everything related to Qin Yue was destroyed. Unless you—”
Star snuffed out the cigarette butt with his thumb and forefinger. The sparks danced in the air, and the pain in his fingertips felt just right.
“Forget it. Just leave it.”
The glass of the smoking room was tapped. Through the smoke, dead-silent black eyes met a pair of amber pupils. Star’s eyes brightened instantly. He patted his clothes and walked out of the room. Keeping his head down, he did not dare get too close. “Sir.”
Vincent held out his hand.
Star took out the blue cigarette case, rummaged through his pockets for two lighters, and placed them all in Vincent’s palm.
Vincent put them away and rubbed Star’s head. “Good boy.”
It felt like training a dog.
Once on the plane, Star sat by the window. However, a private jet was not like a commercial airliner; there were no assigned seats, and it resembled a living room, meaning he and Qin Yue would not be far apart.
Qin Yue continued to talk about his first love. “He is so beautiful. Latino, but not dark at all. I brought him to Hawaii before—”
“Qin Yue,” Vincent interrupted.
Qin Yue acted like a goofy dog. “What is it?”
“Mention your lover one more time, and you can skydive.”
“Who said he is a lover? We are in a relationship, not a paid arrangement.”
Star pretended to feel dizzy and covered his forehead. Vincent handed him an anti-nausea pill without looking at Qin Yue. “How much did you spend on him?”
Qin Yue scratched his head. “I do not know, maybe a few hundred thousand. It is not that much.”
Star stood up and headed to the restroom. Fabian followed him and asked slyly, “You must have understood that, right? Can you tell me what they were talking about?”
Star splashed some water on his face. “Your benefactor was just saying he spent hundreds of thousands on his last partner.”
Fabian’s eyes widened. “Hundreds of thousands?”
Star pulled a paper towel to dry his face. As he turned to leave, he patted Fabian’s shoulder.
“Good luck.”