Beautiful, soft-spoken and full of charisma... but...
Xu Shu swallowed as realisation dawned. It was no surprise he'd taken this long to see it, really, because at the centre of the pattern was the sparkling man of gold playing an act so convincing that it had to be at least partly true. Guo Jia absolutely shone. Women were fawning over him, quite a few men too, and he laughed and drank and played at the tables with what seemed like complete carelessness, more concerned with flirting and having a good time than focusing on the plays he made. He still managed to win. Quite a lot, actually. Sometimes you just got someone blessed with luck, though, and it's not like he won every time. The way the man talked, too... Guo Jia seemed far too harmless to be up to anything strange, and even a bit airheaded. Not one member of security seemed at all concerned by him.
Nobody else did either, except for Xu Shu himself, who'd only put the pieces together in a bright flash when he'd met Guo Jia's gaze properly and seen the cogs moving there. When he'd seen something almost frighteningly intelligent. He'd walked away, spent a good amount of time just observing what was going on elsewhere on the casino floor, taken a whole lot of mental notes and navigated his way right back to the table this... 'player' was sat at.
Guo Jia met his gaze again and smiled.
“Ah, can't keep away, I see!” he said cheerfully, right as the dealer announced another win, something the triumphant winner only barely acknowledged with a gesture. “Come to take me up on my offer?”
“Umm, apologies sir, but no... just came to see if you wished to order more drinks?” Xu Shu inhaled softly, mentally preparing himself for a second or two, before continuing. “Perhaps for your friends at the other tables, too?”
He had to credit the actor for his performance; Guo Jia's reaction was so slight that only someone looking hard for it would have noticed the change. You couldn't even call it a ghost of a frown because it wasn't displeased, exactly, just a 'something' that told him the message was understood.
“Ah, I wish I could indeed buy a round for everyone in the casino,” was Guo Jia's reply, spoken as he turned around proper and crossed his unfairly lovely legs. “But that'd be a little bit much even for me, don't you think? I'll take another bottle of your finest to share with my friends right here, though. Thank you kindly, dear waiter... I do enjoy seeing your face, so make sure you come back quickly.”
A clever reply, though not entirely a deflection. Xu Shu bowed his head, turned around and wondered what, exactly, he'd just gotten himself into by letting this shining creature know he was onto his 'game.' He wasn't sure why he'd done so in the first place. Boredom? Interest? A devastating display of his lack of good care for himself? Somewhere behind him Guo Jia made a loud, seemingly drunken comment about the fine view he was already missing that usually would have made Xu Shu blush, but this time it just made him sigh softly to himself.
Well. Maybe he blushed a little as he walked off to fetch the requested alcohol, pointedly avoiding the temptation to look at the other men he'd picked out as being part of the pattern.
Better to not push it, right?
He returned to Guo Jia with the wine, who accepted it with relish and acted no differently than before, then slipped away. His shift had ended half an hour earlier and he'd gotten so caught up in the golden man that he'd lost track of time. That was fine. It had been an interesting night, for sure, and while Xu Shu had been mildly provocative Guo Jia had to know that there was absolutely no threat. He had to, right? Because there was no way anything could be proven... seeing the pattern, making out a hustle and picking out the suspects was not the same as having actual evidence of the crime. There was no reason for Xu Shu to feel nervous on the ride home, but when he finally reached his tiny apartment and closed the door behind himself there was definitely a sense of relief in his chest.
He fell asleep thinking about a dazzling smile and long, attractive legs. It was a harmless fantasy to indulge in, no risk, no worry... except that entire line of thought was, at heart, a foolish one, and he should have known better. Did know better, if he was honest about it.
When Xu Shu turned up for his next shift, before he could even step into the building, someone bumped into him. His first instinct was, as usual, to apologise.
“I'm sorry...”
“Ha! I'll accept that apology, but wasn't I the one who walked into you?”
It wasn't Guo Jia but it was one of the people that had been part of the same pattern. Pointed beard, an interested expression, amused tone of voice... and a general air of 'completely suspicious' that had made Xu Shu feel a bit guilty about labelling him as a potential troublemaker in the first place. It had made sense, though, and as their eyes met the guilt evaporated.
“I suppose you're right,” muttered Xu Shu, fiddling with his collar; Suspicious Man huffed an amused laugh, clapped Xu Shu on the shoulder and then walked off into the night. At least he was leaving rather than going in, though that didn't really mean much, did it?
No. Best to try and not dwell on it.
Things turned out to be rather quiet for a good few hours, with absolutely no other suspicious people turning up in the casino, so by the time Guo Jia showed up again Xu Shu was almost relaxed and lost in the usual routine of his job. One loud, excited greeting changed all that; he startled, and turned his head to see the gorgeous man striding up to him with alarming speed. It almost looked like he was heading in for an enthusiastic embrace but fortunately Guo Jia came to a firm stop when they were a few paces apart and leaned forward a bit, smiling softly as usual.
His gaze was full of a surprising amount of genuine, open interest. True, there'd been an element of interest before; Guo Jia had flirted with him plenty. It had felt very casual and easygoing, sometimes embarrassing to deal with, but not really serious. Part of the act. This was something much more intense and focused, which was frankly concerning, but who could Xu Shu blame for this but himself? He'd shown his hand for reasons he hadn't yet pinned down and involved himself in something he could do nothing about, so he'd have to deal with the consequences.
(It didn't help that the fantasies Xu Shu had indulged in the previous night had already popped back into his head).
“My favourite waiter,” said Guo Jia. “I'm so glad you're working again tonight... I think I would have moved on elsewhere if you weren't.”
Oh.
“I'm glad to be of service,” Xu Shu replied, willing himself to act as calm and neutral as possible. “What can I do for you tonight? Your favourite wine again?”
“Thank you, yes, though I'd like just a single glass this time.” Guo Jia laughed, shaking his head a little, though never breaking their eye contact. “I've been told off by one of my friends for overdoing it... and I'd rather not make him angry too often.”
“I can't really offer you my opinion, Sir, though you do seem to enjoy yourself here.”
“That's okay. You're very professional at all times, Mister Xu Shu, but still manage to communicate your thoughts to me without words. For instance, right now those pretty eyes are telling me plenty.”
Guo Jia winked and Xu Shu, in response, blushed, because of course he did. Mere moments into their latest conversation and it was clear that the hustler's game had been extended to include one more man... though the kind of game they were playing was still in question. Not for the first time in his life a large part of Xu Shu felt like he wanted to turn around and just run. Run, run, keep running until his legs collapsed beneath him.
The other part, the same part that had made him talk up in the first place and started this whole thing, kept him firmly on the spot.
“Should I get your wine?” Sticking to 'being professional' seemed like the wise play, for now. “I can get you anything else you require, of course.”
“I'm sure you don't mean anything? That's a dangerous offer to make, you never know when someone might try to take advantage of it.”
There was a brightness in Guo Jia's expression as he spoke, a sparkle in his eyes that betrayed how much he was enjoying himself. Yeah, feeling afraid really was the sensible reaction, but while he felt it crawling back up his spine Xu Shu still found himself smiling; he bowed his head and pressed the back of his hand against his lips, quiet for a few moments, then glanced upwards.
“Maybe I'm offering just to lay out a trap for you,” he whispered. “And you should be more careful about what you say to me?”
So much for being wise about this. Xu Shu watched as Guo Jia's eyes widened, the once omnipresent smile fading from man's lips for a handful of seconds before it reappeared, and oh, oh dear, that was something that one might be tempted to call 'delight.' The grin stretched from ear to ear.
“I'm starting to think I've already fallen into it,” Guo Jia murmured, drawing out every word. “You are full of unexpected surprises, dear waiter. I'd better start being more careful, I think.”
“Well, umm... sorry, I didn't meant to worry you, you really have nothing to be concerned about...”
“That's what I and my friends had thought, but we were obviously wrong.”
“You're weren't, not really, I was just...”
“Just?”
'Just a fool' would be accurate... his words had come from some brief flare of boldness combined with, yes, he had to be honest now, the enjoyment Xu Shu was getting from this. They certainly weren't fueled by intelligence. Okay, maybe the first day when he'd gotten some idea of the plot going on? That might be called somewhat smart. Not one single thing since had been anything but reckless and foolish.
“I was just going to get your wine,” Xu Shu settled on eventually, taking a step backwards. “If you've decided you need something else by the time I get back I'm sure I'll be able to get it for you.”
“We'll have to see if I do, won't we?”
“Of course, sir.”
By the time he came back to the floor, fine wine filling the crystal glass his bosses like to use for the 'special' guests to the brim, Guo Jia had taken a seat at a new table and was looking more subdued. Xu Shu made no comment on it as he placed down the tray and was immediately pulled away; another guest at the table had called him over and in no time flat he found himself juggling a whole bunch of different orders as more people took a seat.
They didn't get a chance to talk any further that night, which... well, maybe it was for the best. Maybe? Definitely? Xu Shu focused on his work, on what he had to do, but found his gaze flicking back over every now and again. Saw blonde hair and lips on a glass over and over, but their eyes didn't meet, and then, at some point, Guo Jia vanished. Nothing unusual. Probably found a partner to take home.
Xu Shu went home himself that night with the same prickling anxiety, but as before got home safe. Nothing to worry about. Nothing, nothing, nothing... except, well, when he stripped down for his shower and emptied the pockets of his work shirt out? He found something that shouldn't be there.
A business card, framed in blue, touched with golden lettering and bearing a familiar name. There was a number beneath it, and, in one corner, a single heart scribbled on in black pen.
So much for 'nothing.'