Smile Code (Lost Laughter) 失笑 - Zhu Le 祖乐

6

Your sharp tongue could probably get confiscated by subway security.

Gu Yi had butterflies in her stomach throughout the entire performance, so much so that she didn't catch the end of Yu Dule's act. She couldn't recall who the later performers were either. All she remembered was the image of her reflection swimming in Liang Daiwen's pitch-black eyes. By the time they sat down for a review session, her mind was completely blank. Liang Daiwen opened his laptop to check emails, and she sat not far away, watching his expressionless face illuminated by the white screen. He really was like a Faceless Man. When he stood up, she called out, "Bye, Faceless Man!"

Liang Daiwen turned back. "What did you call me?"

"They call you Faceless Man, like the one from Spirited Away."

Liang Daiwen turned and left without so much as a ripple of emotion.

Yu Dule watched him leave and bumped Gu Yi's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Enjoy sitting next to the handsome guy? You didn't even look at the stage the whole time."

"I did."

"Then what did we perform?"

"..."

"See? You weren't paying attention at all." Yu Dule clicked her tongue. "From now on, her comedy material is just going to be love stories. Ounce's quality open mic comedian count just dropped by one."

"I did pay attention. Uncle Lu's 'deep-sea creature bikini' bit was hilarious. And anyway, I'm not dumb. If I start doing relationship bits, I'll lose followers. Isn't stand-up basically part of showbiz?"

"A small venue like this is probably the amoeba of the entertainment industry. But someone did sneak a recording the other day. It ended up online, and your bit about your roommate's funeral plans got over ten thousand shares. If we caught them on-site, we could've deleted it immediately. Now it's too late."

"Are you kidding me? Don't they have any morals? Do they know how hard it is to write these jokes? Ounce strictly prohibits recording. These jokes are meant for self-deprecation and release. On the internet, they'll absolutely get torn apart." Gu Yi fumed. "How could such a niche form of entertainment get infiltrated like this? If stand-up is going viral, it should at least be the official recordings we release ourselves, right?"

She suddenly froze. "Oh no. Oh no."

She dashed outside just in time to see Liang Daiwen getting into a cab. She ran over to block the door. "Can you give me a ride?"

The utterly baffled Liang Daiwen was halfway into the car, one long leg stretched across the backseat. After hearing her story, he calmly said, "I'll go back with you."

Gu Yi's scalp tingled. "That's really not necessary. If they don't know about it, I'll just apologize to settle things. If they do find out, I'll go back and take the scolding myself. If I bring you along, it'll be a public execution for me."

"The car can't stay parked here too long. If you don't need me, I'll close the door and get my own ride."

Gu Yi shoved herself into the car. "Go, go, go."

Inside, she watched the stolen video and its comments, her face alternating between red and pale. The more "LOL"s she saw, the more her head ached. And the phrase "highly recommended" felt like someone pelting her with eggs. No matter how funny a joke is, being caught by the subject is like a public flogging. She thought about her bit on burial customs and covered her face, inhaling sharply. What a disaster. Truly a disaster. There was no way her roommates wouldn't see it with over ten thousand shares.

Beside her, Liang Daiwen gazed out the window, completely detached, letting the streetlights sweep over his face and shoulders like a shimmering shawl. She cautiously suggested, "You can just wait outside. The code is 096713. If things go south, you can come in. Does that work? I'll treat you to supper after I apologize."