His flippancy was starting to piss Weiran off. Xingyu had all these expectations on his shoulders that Xiaokai didn’t even have to worry about, and Xiaokai was acting like it wasn’t even a big deal.

“In any case, I need to get to work. Zhang Weiran, let me know if you need anything.”

“Yeah,” said Weiran faintly, “Okay.”

“But get some sleep first. I’m tired of watching you almost pass out every other sentence.”

XU RUNSHEN WAS likely Xiaokai’s least favorite client.

Not that he had a ranking. Sun Yue’s training would never allow it—such a ranking would only encourage treating them differently, even if it was subconsciously. Each client needed to be treated with the utmost care. Each client needed to be his most important one.

But Xu Runshen…

Xu Runshen was Xiaokai’s least favorite client because he was the one who loved Xiaokai the most, and because he made it obvious.

Appointments with Bai Xue were special because Bai Xue treated Xiaokai like a lover. Xu Runshen also treated him like a lover, but it was…it was sickly sweet. He was constantly kissing and licking everywhere. Bai Xue treated Xiaokai like a lover and a person, but Xu Runshen treated him like a trophy—like a prize. He never held Xiaokai properly because he would just start trembling and shuddering every time his hands made contact with Xiaokai’s skin. He moaned and panted and palmed himself while he undressed Xiaokai, like he was seeing him for the first time, like he was getting some kind of prize he was waiting for his whole life. Sometimes he would even cry while he slid in and out of Xiaokai. Afterward, almost without fail, he would blubber and cling to Xiaokai and beg him to marry him, to run away with him.

Xiaokai considered it once. Turned it over in his head. Thought about Xu Runshen crying over him and licking him and sucking on him for the rest of his life.

He wouldn’t be able to survive that. He could only handle Xu Runshen in small doses. Any more than that? The List would be preferable over that by a mile.

Now, every time he asked Xiaokai again, that future where he really did go with him would turn over in his head, and then as soon as he left he would find the nearest bathroom and vomit up the entirety of his stomach’s contents.

He stood for a moment in front of the door, psyching himself up. It was a half hour before the appointment would start and the room was empty, but he still didn’t want to open it. It would start the process.

“It’s only your body,” he whispered to himself, and it sounded like Sun Yue’s voice in his ears. “It’s only sex.”

He opened the door.