38 Chapter 38- No One puts Beauty in a Corner

Once Hao Mei grudgingly agreed to don the silk robes, a mischievous imp settled on his shoulder. If he was being forced to do this, then he'd damn well do it on his own terms. KO was sent out of the office to beg for cosplay supplies from the Art Department and, with the bird well and truly set among the pigeons, Mei thanked the gods for his years of modelling experience. He'd paid attention to the stylists and had once planned to put the skills he'd learned to use cosplaying as his Dreams of Jiangshu avatar. Never mind... they could be used now to pull the reins out of Ban Shan's hands.

By the time KO returned with arms loaded high with art supplies, Mei had rung Bei Wei Wei: her help in the matter, he'd informed her, would take the place of her red packet. When she would have continued to demur, he'd resorted to emotional blackmail;

"When did Old Man You concoct this idea?"

"Ah..."

"Tell me that he didn't have the idea incubating before returning to the office yesterday. Tell me that you didn't know what he was planning before anyone else... and you're off the hook.

Completely."

"Ah..."

"You owe me."

"Okay, okay. I'll help."

In the background, Mei could hear Xiao Nai's chuckle.

"Laosan sounds like he has been injected with chicken blood. Tell him he owes me a red packet. A big one." He hung up as Wei Wei started to splutter. He didn't have time to properly curse his brothers... Ban Shan wasn't the only one who could whisper in the dark of the moon. His eldest brother wasn't going to know what hit him.

First on Mei's "to-do" list, was KO. (A/N: get your minds out of the gutter. Bunch of perverts.)

Logging in to his Galaxy Dreams account, Mei used the image of KO's avatar to guide his work until he had done a passable job at turning KO into a delicate featured Blossom Archer. When Wei Wei arrived, he set her to work fixing the wig that Ban Shan had so "thoughtfully" provided. He also made a mental note to watch his sarcasm- there was no need to completely stoop to Ban Shan's level. Wei Wei had been transfixed at the change in KO, staring at the hacker for a long minute before Mei grew impatient and pushed the wig into her face. It wasn't that the hairstyle looked elaborate- it was that Mei had a tendency to create knots if he so much as looked at long hair. It was up to Wei Wei to set the wig, brush the hair out, and then style it as if the dead straight yet completely out of the eyes locks were a natural occurrence. While Wei Wei worked on KO's hair, Mei worked on his own transformation.

As he flicked his eyes from the computer screen, on which his Heavenly Healer avatar was smiling at him, to the small mirror he'd found in the bottom of the art supplies box, Mei continued to grumble. He couldn't help wondering why they "just happened" to have a recreation of an avatar's costume when it wasn't from a game the company was designing.

Wei Wei helped him with the wig and her eyes grew round.

"Eh?"

"Mr Beau... no... E-Mei..."

"Don't say it."

"If a photo of you had been submitted, I wouldn't have been the department beauty. You'd have boys from all departments lining up to ask for a date... or a dirty pair of socks." She shuddered and shook her head at Mei's incredulous look. "Don't ask. Surely you already know that beauty can be hazardous?"

"Cold. Laosan has been a bad influence on you."

Wei Wei giggled then blushed as Mei picked up the Heavenly Healer robes. "You'll need help putting those on. Shall I get KO?"

"No. Get your husband. Call it practice for your day."

Blushing, but unable to refute the truth in Mei's words, Wei Wei left the office. Xiao Nai entered soon after.

"Ban Shan is about to send out a search and rescue party.... oh." Xiao Nai opened the door and stuck his head back out. "Calm down Old Man You, the carp is leaping through the dragon gate." (A/N: to make a significant advancement after much effort: to undergo a great transformation. I think I'm enjoying learning and experimenting with idioms a bit too much than is good for me.