Chapter 27: 26

 

The second day of school at Stanford, the first episode of America's Next Top Model finally aired. Viewers were coming in all over the place about the supermodels, and I scrolled through the tweets that had mentioned me.

isagirl: Oh my god! This redheaded male model is so hot!!! What's it called? It's this stripper! (with a picture of Brian stripping to the uproar of the models)

ished: isagirl this is Brian Moss, he totally pushes my buttons! Didn't he also say at the interview that he got into Stanford? That's so sexy and full of wisdom! He's probably the most educated model of the season, love him!

g: Brian Moss, check it out guys! I thought he was the type of guy you'd never get along with in hardcore photos, but in reality he's a nerdy little nerd and sexy! (Photos, Brian's interview, Brian reading a book while waiting, Brian doing a jazz dance backstage, Brian's catwalk triple shot)

n_lee: New World ！！！！ I found Bryan Moss's tube channel!!! Check it out if you are interested in him!

yrabbit: think Brian and Alice are so good together, look at the way they look at each other on the runway show and the look on their faces when they kiss up! (with a picture of Brian and Alice's final pose)

asnake:yrabbit: disagree...didn't Alice say he had a boyfriend in the interview later on? I do think Brian and Chris are a good match! Look at this picture! (with a screenshot of Chris jumping on Brian in a moment of excitement when he saw his mask during the induction into the supermodel house)

......

Just because the first episode of America's Next Top Model aired, my followers on Twitter, and the number of video plays on the Oily Tube increased several times over. The number of subscribers to the channel is also climbing, so I guess it won't be long before I'm approached by an editor from the tube with an offer to sign on.

The feedback on the comments has been uniformly positive, which is rare for a talent contest where fans and jetsetters dance together. I was always mindful of my expressions and mannerisms during the America's Next Top Model shoot, and it was really hard to get caught in the hacks.

Another new, little video I uploaded to the tube, filmed in my bedroom, is titled 'What you can do when you're bored at home'. In it, I use cold humour to do silly things that many people would do in private. The grounded image portrayal is what makes vlogging youtubers so popular.

The next day, fresh from a university lecture, I got a call from Neil Caffrey. They seemed to be quite efficient in handling the case.

"Hi, Carl. If you're free, how about getting together for dinner today? That friend I was with last time is coming along, so it shouldn't matter, right? I'm talking about Mosquito, not Peter." Neil's voice came on the other end of the line, sounding the relief of having finally solved the case.

So the short, chubby, small man was Mosquito? Thinking of Neil Caffrey brings to mind another man, less well known in the outside world because of his different style of deception, but with imitation skills not dissimilar to Neil Caffrey's.

A dear friend of Neal Caffrey's, Mosquito is just one of his names, Detroit Dentist is what he is really called. He was also the man who brought Neal Caffrey into the financial scam business.

Facing these two master craftsmen, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. I forced myself to calm my voice and returned, "Of course I don't mind, where do we meet?"

In the end, Neil set the venue at a moderate restaurant in San Francisco. It wasn't too grand, but still seemed formal.

As soon as I stepped into the restaurant, I could see them without looking. Sitting at the window seat for four were Neil Caffrey and Mosquito, Mosquito who fit the ambience of the restaurant, and Neil who stood out in a high end tailored suit.

"Hey, how's your case coming along?" I greeted naturally as I walked over to them when they saw me.

"Didn't make it easy for the bastards," Neil said as he held out his hand to shake mine, "and the man who killed the old man was caught."

The mosquito next to me had been staring at me with probing eyes since I approached, and it wasn't until I sat down that he asked, "How did you get the old man to create a false witness for you? You know he's been washing his hands of the business for many years."

I gave Mosquito a look, a little surprised at his enquiry. I had gotten the contact details of the watch shop owner from Mrs. Fann Wong, and although he had refused without hesitation at first, he changed his mind after a moment's hesitation when he heard me mention Mrs. Nam's name.

I didn't expect that the person she introduced would be someone who had washed his hands for many years but had a reputation on the road. What exactly was Madam Nan's status in the past when she could make the old man risk helping a stranger pick up his old job again for her sake?

Not intending to lie here about something I didn't even know about, I replied straight away, "I was introduced to her by my former landlord"

Neil and Mosquito looked at each other suspiciously before Mosquito spoke up and asked, "What was your landlord's name?"

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Knowing that I reckoned this would be an opportunity to hook up with them, I said honestly, "She told me to call her Mrs Nan."

Neil and Mosquito's faces were solemn as soon as the name Mrs Nan came out, and they both looked at each other. Neil's face was no longer wearing the official polite smile, showing a human expression for the first time.

Mosquito looked concerned and asked, "Mrs Nan... is she doing well? Is she still doing this? I thought she had retired a long time ago?"

Still looked like a good acquaintance from before?

I smiled and nodded, "She's doing well, I lived in her house for two years and she always took care of me...I got into some trouble recently so she offered me this route."

"Got into trouble?" Mosquito's two thick eyebrows twitched before he smiled with a devious smile, "Oh, rich and famous. We understand!"

Even Neil said meaningfully, "If you want to make a quick buck, you have to take risks. Aren't you a psychology student? What made you want to get into...our business?"

I knew that they had misunderstood my purpose for getting a fake license because of Mrs. Nam's relationship. I didn't intend to poke holes in this misunderstanding, I just avoided the point and said, "I just don't want to be too high profile...everyone always has their own little secrets, don't they?"

"Oh! Too bad this peacock next to me has such a high-profile style!" Mosquito said, getting up indignantly, "And stinky and high-profile, no wonder he got caught by that police cat!"

Hahahahaha, so is that how they described themselves too. But in truth, Tom and Jerry were really the only ones who were constant champions.

"Mosquito...shut your mouth..." although it looked like Neil and Peter were on good terms, he obviously still felt that being caught by the police cat was a stain on his career.

Mosquito lifted his hand and made a zipping motion over his mouth, and Neil gave him a tearful look. He said to me as if making small talk, "Actually, in our line of work, apart from having good skills in your hands, the art of language is also a learned skill. You've got that going for you. Words that strike at the heart of someone's psyche are the most effective means."

"I remember what you said to Mr. Police Cat the other day, and it looks like you're a bit more observant than those who memorise books by rote. Mrs Nan probably sees that in you too." Mosquito interjected with a playful smile. "Reading people's minds is a necessary skill for us little people." I found a subtle hint of interest in me in all their eyes.

I actually had no intention of doing anything in the area of financial fraud. Because my thirst for money wasn't as pressing as Neil's or Mosquito's, a small fortune had always been my credo. Why go to the trouble of obtaining money by unscrupulous means and worrying about it every day when I could support myself through ordinary work?

But I still pretended that I was interested in what they had to say.

Stealing a lesson, that was my ultimate goal. The fact that I had managed to rip off this kind of progress on my first meeting made me a little elated. This time, the hitch would surely not be as unlucky as the one with David. At least that's what I believed.

The word fit. to me, doesn't necessarily mean fire-bagging friendships. It's the literal meaning that I focus on.

We talked for the rest of the afternoon, but rarely in depth, and we kept a polite line about each other's personal information. In the end, Mosquito gave me the password to an Internet chat room and told me to check it out if I was interested.

After a busy day, I came home and ticked off another item on my mental "to do" list. Admission to Stanford University, getting fake papers, hooking up with a master scammer, the repercussions of the airing of America's Next Top Model. Everything was going smoothly, and the irritation I'd felt over David's death and the words he'd said before he died had subsided silently.

Maybe it's time for me to complete the next "to do list" option, after all, the famous reality show Survivor has finally started accepting applications. This seemingly physical and skill-based show is actually a mind game of social networking. I had my eye on it early in the morning.

Unlike at America's Next Top Model, where the goal was to gain a certain level of popularity. This time, however, I was intent on actually getting that million dollars.

Not only would it ease my financial situation, but it would also alleviate the perception that models are dull and brainless, deepen the fact that I came from a psychology department at Stanford University, and add some edge to the stage where I could stand out from the new actors, models and singers that were emerging.

I sat down at my computer and opened the file. It's hard to stand out without putting a lot of thought into the cv's that are submitted to Survivor. I wasn't going to let myself be defeated in this section.

Personal history, education, career, work experience. A smile nestled in the corners of my mouth, my fingers crackling on the keyboard as if I were playing, how to differentiate myself from the others with a special and touching personal story, the signature of Stanford University, the stripping job I had done, and my experience in the America's Next Top Model competition. I typed it up without missing a thing.

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