Blue Cocktail chapter 19

Outside the window, it was an overwhelming darkness. The deeper the night, the more visitors it seemed to invite. Just before leaving, Lu Huaiqian took one last look at the sleeping Cheng Shuo on the bed, and with that, he departed, unable to shake off his worries.

In a moment of inspiration, Lu Huaiqian rushed to the adjacent storage room. It took him a considerable effort and a good half hour of rummaging to finally locate an old night light tucked away in a corner.

The silver metal plug connected with the socket, casting a warm yellow glow on the wall, creating a serene atmosphere like an undisturbed and peaceful planet.

Heading downstairs back to the bar counter, Aru and Zhao Ge were engrossed in conversation. When they heard Lu Huaiqian’s footsteps, they turned to face him.

It was a stormy day, with only a few sporadic customers. Zhao Ge had fixed the drinks, and people had a bit of leisure time. He joked with Lu Huaiqian, “What were you in such a hurry for just now? Did you suddenly remember you didn’t lock the safe with millions in cash inside?”

Lu Huaiqian seized the opportunity to distract Zhao Ge, saying, “If I really had a lot of cash, I definitely wouldn’t keep it in a safe. At least, in the bank, it could gather some interest. Keeping it at home would just lead to depreciation.”

Confused, Zhao Ge asked, “Why would it depreciate?”

“Because of inflation,” Lu Huaiqian answered.

Not fully understanding but pretending to, Zhao Ge nodded, “I see.”

Lu Huaiqian intentionally diverted the topic to avoid any further probing from Zhao Ge, who might question his rushed visit upstairs. He had a duty to maintain Cheng Shuo’s privacy, but there were concealed reasons too—Lu Huaiqian hoped that he would be the only one aware of Cheng Shuo’s secrets. This way, only he would appear without hesitation in the dark, stormy nights, and only he would have seen Cheng Shuo’s vulnerable side.

Unexpectedly, Aru suddenly remarked, “Is Cheng Shuo still sleeping upstairs?”

This inadvertently shattered Lu Huaiqian’s small plan. He discreetly furrowed his brow.

Thankfully, Zhao Ge’s focus veered off completely. He looked at Aru’s sincere expression, then at Lu Huaiqian’s sophisticated appearance, and gradually, his gaze turned incredulous. “You two—”

He paused, stopped short, then exclaimed, “Oh my, you’re moving so fast! You’ve already gone to bed—”

Lu Huaiqian swiftly interrupted, “Zhao Ge, do you think I’m that eager in your eyes?”

Zhao Ge chuckled, “Come on, we’re all men. I get it. It’s normal to be unfulfilled. No need to pretend.”

Glancing at Zhao Ge, Lu Huaiqian changed the subject, “Business isn’t doing well lately. I think we should lower the financial leverage, keep more currency in the bar, and reduce the dividends—”

“Boss, you’re the most upright person. You’d never take advantage of someone’s situation like that!” This time, Zhao Ge beat him to the response.

Lu Huaiqian frowned in explanation, “A drunk person taking a nap upstairs, don’t overthink it.”

“Drunk?” Zhao Ge teased, “Then why didn’t you take the opportunity?”

Zhao Ge’s private life was very open, and Lu Huaiqian had long guessed his inclinations. He chuckled lightly, “That’s because I have more integrity than you. I don’t take advantage of drunk people.”

Puzzled, Zhao Ge didn’t understand, “First sleep together, then love. Don’t you get it? Love is born from a spark.”

Lu Huaiqian replied, “I have reservations about that statement.”

Zhao Ge was momentarily perplexed, then slowly turned to look at Lu Huaiqian from head to toe. “You’re about to hit thirty next year, and you want a pure relationship?”

Lu Huaiqian accepted the scrutiny calmly, “An occasional pure relationship can be quite interesting, I think.”

Suddenly, Zhao Ge realized something, “Wait, where did you let him sleep?”

“In my bedroom.”

“Wow,” Zhao Ge was astonished, “We’ve known each other for so long, and I’ve never slept in your bedroom!”

Raising an eyebrow, Lu Huaiqian asked, “You have your own bedroom, why would you want to sleep in mine?”

Not convinced, Zhao Ge replied, “But Cheng Shuo also has his own room. Why would he sleep in yours?”

“Because I allowed it. I wanted him to sleep in my room, so he did,” Lu Huaiqian stated naturally.

After a few moments of silence, Zhao Ge’s smile faded, and he suspiciously stared at Lu Huaiqian. “Dude, are you serious?”

Lu Huaiqian slightly furrowed his brow, “When did I ever say I wasn’t serious?”

Recalling, Zhao Ge remarked, “Indeed, you’re very attractive. You’re sharp all over and make people want to conquer you, like… a blue rose. It’s reasonable to feel intrigued, and let me tell you, he fits my aesthetics quite well.”

Hearing the last part, Lu Huaiqian narrowed his eyes slightly, “Zhao Ge.”

“What’s up?”

“There’s something I need to say in advance,” Lu Huaiqian, rarely speaking without a hint of humor, adopted a rare serious and low tone, “I know about your romantic escapades. I don’t meddle in your personal life, but don’t have any ideas about Cheng Shuo.”

After a few moments of confusion, Zhao Ge regained his composure, slyly smiled, “I don’t have any ideas about Cheng Shuo. Can you give me more dividends?”

Lu Huaiqian replied, “I’ll consider it.”

With that response, Zhao Ge was ecstatic. For him, Lu Huaiqian’s consideration was almost as good as a guaranteed outcome. Money was foremost in Zhao Ge’s mind, and then, perhaps, relationships or desires.

Faint, regular thuds resonated in the background. Lu Huaiqian’s eyes paused for a moment, as if he remembered something, then he resumed his previous demeanor, allowing his gaze to wander along with his steps.

He strolled to the stairwell, looked up, and indeed spotted Cheng Shuo slowly making his way down, using a flashlight, each step cautiously taken. The phone’s light was dim, and Cheng Shuo was being extremely careful, afraid of making a misstep.

Leaning against the stair railing, Lu Huaiqian casually turned on the light overhead. “Awake?”

Cheng Shuo rubbed his eyes, looking like he hadn’t fully woken up. “Mmm.”

His hair, messed up, took on a disheveled blue fur look. Cheng Shuo was oblivious to this.

Seeing Cheng Shuo’s hair, Lu Huaiqian couldn’t help but smile, pointing at Cheng Shuo’s head as a gentle reminder, “Your hair is all over the place.”

Cheng Shuo ran his hand through his hair absentmindedly.

Lu Huaiqian pondered for a moment, “You didn’t fix it properly. Let me help you.”

Having said that, he reached out his hand—

But in the next moment, Cheng Shuo preemptively darted under Lu Huaiqian’s arm, displaying agility, leaping far away and turning around.

Mimicking Lu Huaiqian’s carefree tone, Cheng Shuo couldn’t hide his triumph. “I knew you were going to grab me. You didn’t get a chance to touch me this time, did you?”

Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow at his words, not the least bit annoyed. Instead, he smiled gently and withdrew his hand leisurely.

Cheng Shuo glanced out of the window where the night was deep. “It seems like the rain has stopped.”

However, Lu Huaiqian’s gaze fell on the streetlight, noticing fine streaks. “It hasn’t stopped. There’s still a light drizzle.”

“This light rain doesn’t matter,” Cheng Shuo shrugged it off. After a brief pause, he added, “For today, including letting me have your bedroom to nap… thanks.”

Finally, he looked into Lu Huaiqian’s eyes, bidding a short farewell, “I’m leaving.”

“Hey, wait,” Lu Huaiqian said, “Is that how you thank me? It seems a bit insincere, don’t you think?”

Cheng Shuo replied, “Then should I let you sleep in my bedroom too?”

“In your bedroom?”

“Yeah.”

“But that’s still my house, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Cheng Shuo,” Lu Huaiqian’s eyes twinkled with a smile, but his gaze was deep and unfathomable. “You really haven’t forgotten what happened this afternoon, have you?”

“What happened?”

“There was thunder.”

“Thunder?” Cheng Shuo furrowed his brows, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, “I thought I was dreaming, a bizarre dream with illogical conversations. There was thunder in the dream.”

Lu Huaiqian, maintaining a subtle smile, realized Cheng Shuo might genuinely not remember or might be avoiding the subject. Thus, he didn’t press on the topic. Instead, he firmly reiterated, “There was thunder.”

Then Lu Huaiqian spoke with a mournful tone, sounding quite serious, “When there was thunder, you held onto me tightly, refusing to let me go. I was supposed to be downstairs selling coffee, but out of pity, I chose to stay and keep you company. However, now that you’re awake, it’s as if nothing happened at all. You don’t mention it and say you want to leave. It really hurts me.”