Pang Wei Xue

Pang Wei Xue is the lead bartender at the Shao Pai Long Bar & Lounge, a former Huixing Clan messenger, as well as Jack Arthur's informant and biggest fan since he saved Pang Wei's life. Pinhead hates him intensely for not returning his feelings and playing a part in the Huixing-Giuliante Incident.

Profile
Pang Wei was born in Hong Kong to high tier bankers Lei and Daiyun Xue, the second-youngest among three sisters. His parents inspired a desire in him to be classy and well-tuned at all times, and in high school he became interested in art, but found his eye for it was far better than his drawing abilities. After graduating a bartending college in 1992, he departed to America with hopes of finding a comfortable new life, instead winding up with uneven shifts at a pub in Buffalo and little money, terrified into celibacy by the AIDS crisis. He joined a drag act to bring in extra money, which proved to be so successful it became his lead occupation, moving throughout the county's gay circuit as the elaborately-dressed classical "China doll", Diao Chan, while avoiding the underground's excesses.

Bingwen Hon, an admirer of Diao and one of the best Huixing Clan spies at the time, pulled strings to have Pang Wei work regularly at a Huixing-owned club while performing there as Diao. Only a few performances were made before Pang Wei became anxious someone would learn Diao was played by a man, and became a full-time bartender and messenger for the Huixing at a number of glamourous clubs. Throughtout his mob career, he was dating Bingwen.

In 1997, a young Pinhead Miyamoto met Pang Wei at a lounge and was smitten, violently so, barraging him with sexual propositions almost daily, these becoming notorious enough for Pang Wei's boss to order him to take Miyamoto on a date in order to orchestrate the Huixing-Giuliante Incident. Pang Wei declined almost immediately, to which he was blackmailed with a VHS copy of one of the drag troupe performances, threatened that it would be introduced as him and screened at a Huixing buffet. Grudgingly, Pang Wei took Miyamoto on a date, which he regards as one of the worst nights of his life. All contact with him stopped after Carrie Giuliante was injured, which provided some relief.

Pang Wei retired from the Huixing Clan in 2000 when his contract ended, and moved back and forth from work in Hong Kong and New York City for a few years.before settling in Westbury, just as the Shao Pai Long first opened. It was about this time that he met a 21-year-old Meifun Yan, on the rocks with her parents for wanting to be a singer rather than a dental hygenist, Reminded of himself, he helped bring her into the Shao Pai Long as a main attraction while providing parent-like guidance, earning the nickname "Papa Xue" from her. Things became peaceful until the Shao Pai Long was threatened by Pinhead Miyamoto, Pang Wei knowing he was the true target. Jack Arthur deduced it was him by little more than chance, and after he saved Pang Wei's life, Pang Wei declared Jack his hero and honorary bodyguard. He tends to come by the WDA with lunch or treats for the detectives (especially Jack), although Dr. Byrd finds him hugely distracting.

Personality
Pang Wei is very dignified and self-sufficient, glad to take any and all complements on his cooking or art collection. Easy-going by nature, he comes off as very polite and sweet on a first impression, which is how he'll stay if you aren't crass or forward with him. He's extremely stubborn once his mind is set on something, and is hot-blooded, or worse yet, downright catty, if his taste is questioned or mocked. It's not easy to break Pang Wei, but once he's been brought to tears, he's a mess. A very traditional man, he's quite the romantic when in love, sometimes showering that special man with gifts at random, which doesn't mean he expects something in return, it's just how he works.

Physical Appearance
Pang Wei is fairly well-built and healthy, aside from a habit of smoking tobacco from a pipe. He's uniform and orderly at first glance; his hair is constantly well-trimmed, a pencil mustache, his bangs appearing scruffy yet neatly organized. His most distinctive feature is a single birthmark on his cheekbone. He tends to dress in casual suits and a fedora, or very least a colourful dress shirt in his off-time, upscale dressing being little more than second nature.

Design & Conception
Pang Wei originated from a gag character concept of a silent, highly-skilled bartender and bouncer who would have been a visual throwback to Yasuyuki Okamura. When Fauna was brought across Canada on vacation, he begun considering a new twist to The Chinatown Killer, which previously intended Meifun as Pinhead's target from the start, which Fauna begun to find uncharacteristic for Pinhead.

Pang Wei was named after the antagonist in the novel Needles by William Deverell, Dr. P'ang Wei Au, whom Fauna would later insist was "the only enjoyable character". Xue, Chinese for "snow", was added as his last name for a discarded plot thread where Jack is told to look for "the snowman" for clues. Originally, Pang Wei would have been 27 in 1993 (making him 45 in the present timeline) and having a sexual relationship with Iwao Miyamoto, Iwao being only 18 and still in high school. For the Huixing-Giuliante Incident, Pang Wei would have willingly taken Iwao home for the night while Carrie would have been fatally wounded. Fauna removed it so Iwao would have more time to be with Carrie - thus making her rip away from him more agonizing - and so readers wouldn't be cheering for Pang Wei to be murdered.

Fauna spent much of his vacation working with a friend, Mary Koenig, with the two hoping to design a Chinese character who was overall likable and "cute" for the most part. What followed were a number of collaborations on his habits, likes and dislikes, and even preferred pajamas and underwear. Koenig suggested tailoring Pang Wei to be an ideal partner for Jack, which Fauna initially objected to, having first considered coupling Meifun and Jack. Pang Wei's birthmark was added at the last minute, Fauna hoping to step away from the snowman plotline so Jack would have something else to find Pang Wei through.