His name was Bai Xue. Unknown age, unknown family—unknown everything. He was the most gentle of Liu Xiaokai’s regulars; where Chen Jun made Xiaokai dress up in the little outfits that he would inevitably tear off, or where Kang Haichi would snivel and pant in the corner while he watched Xiaokai shove a hand into his ass, where any of these freaks would come to Liu Xiaokai with something they could never do to a normal sex worker without running the risk of their dirty little secrets spilling onto the streets—there was Bai Xue, treating Liu Xiaokai with what almost felt like genuine affection. He kissed Liu Xiaokai tenderly and deeply, his hands tracing over the lines of Xiaokai’s body like he was something valuable. He was one of the few people Liu Xiaokai never had to gather information on.

Appointments with him were a welcome relief.

It was a sweet respite from the stresses that came with the job or with the appointments—so unobtrusive and non-threatening that Xiaokai sometimes even fell asleep afterward, curled into Bai Xue’s side, and when they both woke up Bai Xue would even sometimes help Xiaokai wash his hair, his hands raking the shampoo along his scalp, massaging—

Bai Xue came to the appointment precisely on time as he always did. He was wearing casual clothes—unlike the majority of Xiaokai’s clients, Bai Xue rarely wore three-pieces or even suits. He favored soft sweaters—cashmere, usually, which Xiaokai couldn’t help running his hands over whenever they were together—or thick cable-knit ones. Paired with these sweaters, he usually wore plain slacks and loafers. Today he had a forest green cashmere sweater which he had rolled up to his elbows. When Xiaokai opened the door, he gave a soft smile and held up a plastic bag.

“I brought food.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Xiaokai opened the door wider so that Bai Xue could step in. “It’ll cut into your appointment.”

Bai Xue laughed. “It’s okay. It’s enough that I just spend time with you.”

Xiaokai hid his own smile. “What did you bring?”

“Nothing too exciting. They’re from the new Korean place downtown. How do you feel about kimchi?” Bai Xue headed toward the small table in the corner and, as Xiaokai shut the door and locked it, he began to unload all the food containers onto the table’s surface. “I got a bit of a variety.” He sounded almost embarrassed. “Are you hungry?”

“I can definitely eat.” Xiaokai went to join him at the table. The food looked good—not really anything he would have gotten for himself, as Liu Baiyan and Sun Yue were never ones for encouraging experimental dining, but Xiaokai was more adventurous than he typically let on. He picked up one container, aware of Bai Xue’s eyes on him, and opened it to sniff.

“Well?”

“It smells good. Looks good, too.”