Model to Holywood

"Ugh~~" 

In the darkness, outside Hailan Park, a slim figure leaned against a lamppost, vomiting uncontrollably into the bushes.

Beside him, a tall and muscular figure held a bottle of water, looking disgusted. 

"Tony, if you can't drink, don't overdo it. Doesn't it make you feel awful?"

"I can't help it. The girls were just too enthusiastic." 

Tony wiped his mouth with a tissue. "Give me the water, please!"

"Here!" 

Luca handed over the bottle, grumbling. "I hired you as my assistant, but I'm the one taking care of you. You're really bad at this."

"Oh, come on, Luca. We're friends!" Tony shamelessly replied.

Luca twitched his mouth. *I think of you as my assistant, but you think we're friends? How does that work?* 

"I don't befriend assistants. If you were still a makeup artist, maybe we could be friends."

"Why?" 

Tony raised his head in confusion.

"I don't have a habit of enslaving friends."

"Enslaving?!" 

Tony asked in shock, "You plan to treat your assistant like a slave?"

"What else?"

"Fine, fine, Luca. I get it now. You must come from a long line of slave masters."

"Thanks. Scared? If so, you can quit."

Luca smiled faintly.

"Of course not." 

Tony blinked and, in a sickly sweet voice, said, "Luca, I *like* being enslaved. If you want, you can enslave me any way you like. How about that?"

"Tony, are you sure you're not into guys?"

"Well~, if you want me to be, I can be into guys. So, Mr. Kelly, do you need me to be?"

Tony slapped his behind and laughed.

"Get lost!" 

Luca kicked him in the rear and got into the car.

"Ugh, Luca, you jerk! I almost fell into my own puke. Ugh~~!" 

Outside the window, Tony cursed angrily.

Luca glanced at him and calmly asked, "Are you getting in or not? If not, I'm leaving. It's such a beautiful night; I don't want to waste it wandering the streets with some drunken weirdo."

"F**k, I told you I'm not gay! Why do you keep thinking I am? Oh, wait, I get it now. You must be gay, and that's why you think I am, right? Well, let me tell you, I'm a real man. You won't bend me!"

Tony pounded his bony chest.

Vroom~~ 

Luca started the car.

"Wait for me!" 

Tony hurriedly opened the car door and climbed in.

The car slowly merged into the traffic.

"Luca, are you mad at me?" 

Tony asked.

"What?" 

Luca sounded confused.

"I interrupted your date with Jessica, didn't I? That's why you kicked me."

Tony raised his eyebrows.

"No, I wasn't on a date with Jessica. We were just dancing."

"Really? You two looked pretty close."

"She was teaching me hip-hop." 

Luca waved dismissively, cutting off Tony's questioning. "Tony, you seem to enjoy hanging out with girls who look... unusual. Is that another one of your quirks?"

"It's not a quirk, okay? It's a professional habit!" 

Tony leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. "As makeup artists, we don't see ugliness in people. We only see those who don't know how to use makeup. Our job is to transform rough faces into something more refined and beautiful, which gives us a sense of accomplishment. The more challenging the face, the greater my satisfaction. That's why I like making friends with them. I help them with makeup, and they think I'm super cool."

"Hey~ don't fall asleep!" 

Luca slapped Tony's face lightly. "You still haven't told me where you live."

"Pitkin Street, across from the Ryant Self-Service Pharmacy."

"F**k, that's far. How about you grab a cab?"

"Luca, are we friends?" 

"No!" 

Luca scoffed and floored the gas pedal. The car zoomed down the street, neon lights stretching into streams and reflecting on the windows.

Tony slowly fell asleep, and the smell of alcohol in the car grew stronger.

Ring-ring-ring~ 

Lima was calling.

"Luca, when are you coming back?"

"About an hour." 

Luca glanced at the street signs to estimate the time.

"Why so long? Are you on a date with some woman? I remember Jessica Alba is in your crew. Is it her?"

"Yeah, it's Jessica. Are you jealous?"

"No, not at all." 

Click~ 

Lima hung up immediately.

Luca smirked and quickly called back. If he didn't explain this, he wouldn't be getting inside the house tonight.

"Hey~ don't hang up. I'm driving my assistant home. He got drunk, and I mean 'he'—of course, it's a guy. His name's Tony. I just hired him today. Why a guy? That's a great question, Ms. Lima. If my assistant were a woman, would you be upset?. Uh~ I didn't mean you're petty, I was just—" 

Click~ 

Lima hung up again.

Luca smacked his lips. *I'm doomed.*

The car quickly reached Pitkin Street. Luca parked and shook Tony's face. 

"Hey~ wake up, Tony. We're at Pitkin Street!"

"We're here?" 

Tony opened his eyes, then suddenly clutched his mouth, about to vomit again.

In an instant, Luca swiftly opened the door and kicked him out.

"Ah~, Luca, you jerk!" 

Tony cursed from the sidewalk.

Luca closed the door and said calmly, "Tony, if you still want to be my assistant, drink less in the future. And remember to go to the office tomorrow to complete your paperwork. If you decide to quit, we can still be friends."

"No way! I'm going to be your assistant. Next time you get drunk, I'm going to kick you just as hard."

"Fine, I'll be waiting!"

Luca waved and drove out of Brooklyn. He tried calling Lima again, but no answer. She was still sulking.

Passing by Biagi Gelato on Tribeca Street, he bought Lima's favorite dessert—a Brazilian treat called *Biagi*, known for its crispy yet soft texture, low fat, and low calories, a favorite among girls.

With the dessert in hand, Luca returned to Apartment 43 and unlocked the door.

*Whoosh~* 

A baseball bat came swinging down at his head.

"Wait! I have a peace offering!" 

Luca quickly held up the dessert.

"Hmph, smart move!" 

Lima arrogantly snatched the dessert, swaying her hips as she walked into the living room. In her rush earlier, she was only wearing one shoe.

Luca shook his head and glanced at the baseball bat on the counter. With a cold smirk, he suddenly lunged forward, scooping Lima up and marching toward the bedroom.

"Ah, stop it! The dessert's going to fall!" 

"Hmph~ You dare ambush me? Tonight, I'll show you something!"

"Show me what? What are you going to do?"

"Just wait and see!"

(Chapter ends)