Chapter 14: The Massage Therapist's Unspoken Rules

That afternoon, Chen Ye returned to work with Li Bo still assigned to show him the ropes. After seeing him fight that morning, Li Bo was wary of him and spoke much more gently.

“Chen Ye, let me tell you, we really couldn’t have handled this morning without you!” His speech mixed Shanghainese with Mandarin, as was his habit, but Chen Ye understood.

“You’re too kind, Brother Li.”

Li Bo smiled. “To business. Do you want to make more money?”

“Of course!”

With a knowing smile, Li Bo patted his shoulder. “I’ll show you how to earn a high salary here. Learn the ropes, and tens of thousands a month won’t be a problem.”

“Thanks, Brother Li!” Chen Ye rubbed his hands eagerly.

Li Bo led him into a massage room and lowered his voice as though sharing a secret. “If you want real money, your main job isn’t massage. It’s sales.”

“What do you mean?”

“The base salary is only a few thousand. Commission is where the money is. Get clients to spend freely. The more they spend, the more commission you make.”

“Don’t they come here for massages and wellness treatments? What else can they buy?”

Li Bo picked up a colorful price list and handed it over. “Look. Supplements, nutritional products, cosmetics, medicine, beauty and anti-aging treatments. That’s where the profit is.”

Chen Ye scanned the list, astonished. A single jar of facial repair cream cost over three thousand yuan. Farther down, prices climbed into the tens or even hundreds of thousands.

“There’s more on the back.”

He turned it over. The other side was even more startling. “An ovarian wellness injection? Ninety-eight thousand for one shot?”

“That’s cheap.” Li Bo gave a sly smile. “Our company’s new ‘uterine-tightening injection’ is three hundred thousand a shot. It isn’t on the list.”

“Three hundred thousand?” Chen Ye’s mouth fell open.

He thought of the couple that morning. Their daughter needed six hundred thousand yuan for a bone marrow transplant. In the world of the rich, was a poor person’s life worth only the price of two ‘vaginal-tightening injections’?

“Brother Li, what is a uterine-tightening injection?”

“Are you really that innocent? What do you think? It’s supposed to make a grown woman feel like a young girl again.”

“What? A grown woman into a young girl?”

Li Bo didn’t elaborate. He leaned close and whispered, “Honestly, it doesn’t do much. Most of the effect is psychological.”

“Isn’t that cheating people?” Chen Ye said angrily. “Three hundred thousand for a shot that doesn’t work?”

“Why do you care? They have plenty of money. You think three hundred thousand is a lot? To them it’s a handbag or a few meals.”

Chen Ye swallowed. He could hardly imagine having that much money. His own world was still so small; listening to Li Bo was like hearing a fairy tale.

Yet it only strengthened his resolve. He had been born poor, but he wouldn’t accept his fate. He would make something of himself in this city where every inch of land was worth gold.

For the rest of the afternoon, he assisted Li Bo and learned as he worked. Li Bo was indeed good with people, making clients laugh. With younger, prettier clients, he sometimes got handsy. Perhaps because they knew him, they didn’t seem upset, and he didn’t go too far; a delicate balance held between them.

At the end of the day, Bai Xueyan called Chen Ye over and took him shopping. To avoid gossip, they left the company separately. Then he got into her black Cullinan, and they drove to a mall.

He’d never ridden in such a fine car. He sat stiffly, unsure where to put his hands. Bai Xueyan hardly noticed; she seemed busy and spent most of the ride on the phone.

At the mall, she led him straight to the designer menswear section on the fifth floor. In a casual clothing store, she picked out several outfits. While trying them on, Chen Ye sneaked a look at the tags and nearly cried out. One jacket alone cost over five thousand yuan. The outfit on his back came to more than ten thousand, not counting shoes.

He emerged from the fitting room anxiously. Bai Xueyan turned and stared for several seconds, apparently taken aback. Then she smiled.

“Clothes really do make the man. I didn’t realize you were so handsome!”

The saleswoman chimed in, “Your husband has a great figure, ma’am, and such a rugged bearing. He looks like a model.”

“My husband?” Bai Xueyan blushed.

“You’ve got it wrong,” Chen Ye said quickly. “I’m not her husband.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! You make such an attractive couple, I jumped to conclusions. My apologies!”

“It’s all right.” Bai Xueyan smiled.

“Bai-jie, I don’t want these clothes,” Chen Ye said.

“Why? They suit you.”

“They’re too expensive.” He looked uncomfortable.

She shook her head with a smile. “But do you like them?”

“Yes, but…”

“No buts. That’s enough.” She turned to the saleswoman. “Please pack these. He’ll wear the outfit he has on.”

“Certainly!” The saleswoman beamed. The sale came to over thirty thousand yuan; she could treat herself tonight.

Once the clothes were packed, Bai Xueyan had the saleswoman throw Chen Ye’s old clothes into the bin and took him to the adjoining men’s underwear section.

“Do you usually prefer boxers or briefs?”

“Both,” he said, blushing. “Mostly boxers.”

“I’ll choose for you.”

She set about picking them out while he followed, red-faced. In the end she bought seven pairs, including one with particularly little fabric. He hadn’t wanted so many; two to alternate would have been enough. But she said underwear should be changed daily for hygiene, so it was sensible to have extras. She added that she changed hers every day too.