‘Fine.’ I grab a coupletoo seerolls and hurriedly shove them in my mouth.
I gesture for Mr Lee to let me pass. He slides out, looking deflated.
‘If it’s fun, I’ll dance with you next,’ I say, and step down from the booth into the mess of swirling bodies.
The band starts up a new song. The drums make my feet want to move. Then the horns start – they sound like fog horns but infused with vitality. My heart sputters as I’m swept up by the music. When the whole band plays, it feels like a blood rush, but instead of feeling woozy, I’m energised. Brother Zhu puts an arm around my waist and takes my hand in his.
‘Follow my lead, and just feel the music. Let your feet bounce with the drums.’
I barely get a nod in before we’re off. Brother Zhu’s footwork is smooth and assured; he’s clearly a good dancer.
‘So what’s your first question?’ he asks as he twirls me. His feet seem to float, and somehow I’m swept along too.
‘What do you know about the Longnu dragon pearl?’
His gaze turns appreciative. ‘Not just a pretty face.’ He dips, then spins me again. ‘I know it was part of the deal when you were brought to Hell.’
The lightness dissipates and I land heavy with the weight of my past. ‘Does everyone know the story about my mom selling me for a fat diamond?’
He tilts his head. ‘Don’t take it that way. You’re different. Fresh. So of course everyone wants to know about you.’ He spins me again.
Fresh? I’ve never been described as something someone wants, even if it’s only to gossip about. I always felt like the garbage no one wanted.
Brother Zhu pulls me back from the spin, shoulders and hips swinging to the beat. He presses his cheek to mine, holding my hand as he leads me in the dance. ‘I heard Big Wanggiftedyour mom the money to buy that diamond,’ he says. ‘Dragon pearls can’t be bought or sold.’
I pull back to check his expression. He looks earnest. ‘Who says?’
‘Ask any dragon deity. They’ll tell you the same.’
I think about Lord Black and his circular answers. ‘No thank you. I can’t make heads or tails of their babble.’
Brother Zhu spins me and the lights of the dance floor blur into shooting stars. I laugh. I can’t help it. The music, the dancing, and the casual way he’s chatting with me, like it’s the most normal thing in the world, like I have every right to be here, fill me with an effervescent joy that buoys away all burdens. I want to feel like this every day.
‘So, what else do you know about the dragon pearl?’ I ask. ‘Do they grant great powers? Can they somehow overrule the laws of Tian?’
‘Honestly, I don’t know. The dragons are so cryptic about everything, and the dragon pearls are shrouded in mystery. The only reason we know of the Longnu dragon pearl is because Niang Niang has been ranting about it being stolen from her treasury. Other than that, I only know that dragon pearls are rare, very rare.’
‘I heard Niang Niang wants it back,’ I say, testing his intel. ‘Sent one of her handmaids to steal it from Big Wang.’
Brother Zhu tilts his head, his movements are graceful, like the music inhabits him. I watch in wonder, not understanding how his body can move like that. I feel like I’m only bouncing whereas he seems to undulate.
‘I heard one of the girls asking about the dragon pearl. I thought they were just gossiping – never dreamed they would dare steal from Yan Luo Wang.’
I shrug. ‘They’re a bunch of turd-brained bitches.’
He raises his eyebrows, a playful smile on his lips as he sways his hips to the beat. ‘Not your favourite people. I get it.’ He glances over at Mr Lee, whose face is twisted like the pleats of a xiao long bao. ‘What’s with the mortal? You two got something going on?’
‘Wh-what?’
Brother Zhu laughs, twirls me around, apparently not needing an answer. We dance without speaking for a little while.
‘I heard this place is a favourite of hulijing,’ I venture.
Brother Zhu laughs again. ‘True, though right before you arrived, a group of hulijing left in a hurry. I heard they got called back to Turquoise Hills.’ Brother Zhu rolls his shoulders to the music. ‘Some emergency to do with the jiangshi.’
‘The jiangshi uncles? That’s a strange combination.’
‘Yeah, I cannot imagine the hulijing hosting any jiangshi, or the jiangshi wanting anything to do with the hulijing. It’s a mystery I am perfectly okay with not solving.’
