Blue Cocktail chapter 35
The exam was scheduled to start at five o’clock, with just over an hour left. Ten minutes ago, Cheng Shuo, due to a suspected offense against the boss and question setter, couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
He retreated to a corner, racing against time, burying himself in intense memorization. He flipped through the materials repeatedly, engrossed to the point of forgetting the passage of time, until someone gently tapped his shoulder. It was Lu Huaiqian.
The written test is about to begin, he thought nervously.
Following Lu Huaiqian’s pace, Cheng Shuo paid little attention to his surroundings, clutching the A4 paper in his hand and continuing to recite silently.
Suddenly, the person in front stopped.
Not paying attention, Cheng Shuo collided with the broad back of Lu Huaiqian, causing him to cry out in pain. He took two steps back, rubbing his nose.
Standing in front of the door, Lu Huaiqian turned to look at Cheng Shuo with some helplessness, “Watch where you’re going.”
Cheng Shuo: “Oh.”
After that, he lowered his head and turned a page, peering at the densely packed text.
Lu Huaiqian pushed the door open, leading Cheng Shuo inside. As usual, he locked the door first, standing in front of Cheng Shuo at the end.
Cheng Shuo knew that it would be impolite to sneak a peek at the materials at this point, so he reluctantly handed them over.
Lu Huaiqian’s expression paused slightly before he took the materials and glanced at Cheng Shuo, “I find that you are sometimes very clever, but only sometimes.”
Cheng Shuo was puzzled for a moment, not understanding the intention behind Lu Huaiqian’s words. He looked at Lu Huaiqian, who seemed to convey profound meaning, and then back at the surroundings. Suddenly, he reacted, “Why did you bring me to the changing room?”
The changing room didn’t even have a table. Cheng Shuo was even more bewildered, “Are we taking the exam here?”
“Okay, I might have to take back what I said. You should be clever only in certain situations.” Lu Huaiqian said, “Although I’m always unreliable and unpredictable, I wouldn’t make you take an exam in the changing room.”
Saying this, he used a key to unlock a locker, took out a paper bag, and handed it to Cheng Shuo, saying, “For you.”
Cheng Shuo took it, a little puzzled, “What is this?”
“Work uniform.”
Cheng Shuo suddenly realized, as if it happened last week when Lu Huaiqian measured him—chest, hips, thighs—don’t think about it anymore, stop.
He glanced into the paper bag; it wasn’t fabric but a paper box. Unable to see a corner of the work uniform and the packaging being overly exquisite, it gave him the illusion of receiving a gift.
Could he open it in front of Lu Huaiqian? Opening gifts in public might be impolite.
As if Lu Huaiqian could see through Cheng Shuo’s thoughts, he said, “Open and see if it fits.”
Cheng Shuo did as instructed.
He took out a paper box, only to find another paper box underneath.
Removing the box cover and placing it aside, Cheng Shuo first reached out to touch the fabric, already feeling the expensive aura that didn’t belong to an ordinary part-timer. Then, he took out the work uniform, a shirt, a vest, and suit pants, all supported by cardboard, neatly folded into square blocks. To be able to arrange the work uniform like this, Lu Huaiqian did pay attention to details.
This was the first paper box.
Opening the second paper box, surprisingly, there was a pair of black leather shoes.
Cheng Shuo looked surprised, turned to Lu Huaiqian, collided with his meaningful gaze, and turned back to look at the size on the shoe sole— it was correct.
Cheng Shuo found it a bit unbelievable, “How did you know?”
“You’re so clever, can’t you figure it out?” Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow.
“You can… estimate my shoe size?” Cheng Shuo guessed.
“I think I might have to take back my evaluation of your cleverness,” Lu Huaiqian pondered, “It seems that I also have times when I misjudge people.”
“Lu Huaiqian.” Cheng Shuo’s tone contained a hint of resentment.
Lu Huaiqian smiled and finally revealed the mystery, “You slept in my bedroom before, right?”
“When you were asleep, I took a look at your shoe size.”
Cheng Shuo snorted, “I can’t guess what you did while I was asleep. Isn’t that normal?”
“But at least you shouldn’t have concluded that I estimated it. The deviation of estimation is too large. I don’t like doing things without certainty and ambiguity.”
Cheng Shuo was momentarily speechless.
He could never argue with Lu Huaiqian anyway.
“You can change now,” Lu Huaiqian reminded, “If it doesn’t fit, I’ll have to contact a tailor.”
“Change here?”
“This is the changing room.”
Cheng Shuo pursed his lips.
“What I mean is, can you—” He hesitated and stopped.
Lu Huaiqian squinted his eyes for a few seconds before saying, “Okay, change, and let me know when you’re done.”
The door of the changing room was pushed open and closed.
Cheng Shuo quickly took off his denim jacket, loose sweatshirt, and sweatpants, replacing them with a fitted white shirt, black vest, and black suit pants. It felt a bit tight, but it was indeed fitting.
He caught sight of something in the box. It turned out to be a tie. Cheng Shuo picked it up, put it around his neck, fumbled with it, and tied a crooked and twisted knot. Without looking in the mirror, he knew it must be ugly. He hurriedly untied it.
Cheng Shuo changed clothes quickly, but he spent too much time on the tie.
After waiting for a while, Lu Huaiqian couldn’t help but ask from outside the door, “Done?”
Cheng Shuo hastily tucked the tie into his pocket.
“Done.”
He opened the door.
Lu Huaiqian was lazily leaning against the door, and upon hearing the movement, he turned to look—a Cheng Shuo who had changed into new clothes, his curves outlined by the close-fitting cut, looked delicate, like a spoiled and noble young master. He should be hidden in high-rise buildings and villas, waiting for his lover to come home every day.
Lu Huaiqian suppressed his smile. His eyes swept over the wrinkles on Cheng Shuo’s clothes, and suddenly, a ridiculous thought occurred to him. He shouldn’t have hired someone to make this set of clothes for Cheng Shuo. He had spent a large sum of money, yet Cheng Shuo had to wear it for others to see.
“Does it not look good?” Cheng Shuo asked tentatively, seeing Lu Huaiqian silent for a long time.
Lu Huaiqian’s expression paused, the focus in his eyes returned to reality, and his eyes narrowed slightly. His Adam’s apple moved, and he slowly said, speaking seriously, “It looks very good, very suitable for you.”
Cheng Shuo seemed a bit uncomfortable with the praise, “…Oh.”
Lu Huaiqian thought for a moment and asked again, “Do the clothes fit well?”
Cheng Shuo answered, “Yes, they fit well.”
“The leather shoes, do they fit well too?”
“Yes, they fit well.”
Lu Huaiqian stared at Cheng Shuo, quietly assessing for a moment, then suddenly noticed something, “Where’s your tie?”
Cheng Shuo immediately felt awkward. He explained in a low voice, “I don’t know how to tie a tie.”
“I’ll look it up online later.”
“No need.”
Lu Huaiqian’s steps slowly approached, finally stopping in front of Cheng Shuo. “Give me the tie.”
Cheng Shuo took out the crumpled tie from his pocket. The tie was already wrinkled, and seeing this, Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but purse his lips. He was probably going to be teased by Lu Huaiqian again.
Unexpectedly, Lu Huaiqian took it over, said nothing, pressed his thumb in the center of his index finger, pinched the tie, and rubbed it twice between his fingers. The wrinkles reduced significantly.
His two hands circled Cheng Shuo’s neck, threading the tie through the standing collar of the white shirt. The tie hung halfway, and his movements were slow. To make Cheng Shuo see clearly, “Adjust the length first, distinguish the narrow end from the wide end, press the narrow end over the wide end, like this.”
The rough fingertips and the calluses between the fingers occasionally brushed against the soft skin of the neck. The places touched became warm and then hot. Cheng Shuo involuntarily held his breath; he didn’t know why.
Lu Huaiqian’s movements in his hands paused slightly, and he raised his eyes to look at Cheng Shuo.
Their gazes met, and the air was drawn to heat up. When Lu Huaiqian didn’t smile, he looked steady, serious, and oppressive. Cheng Shuo, feeling uncomfortable being too close, took the initiative to avoid eye contact. So, Lu Huaiqian also withdrew his gaze, and his movements continued, “Wrap the wide end horizontally around the narrow end twice.”
“Pull it out from the collar,” his fingers touched Cheng Shuo’s throat unintentionally, and the knuckles rubbed against his Adam’s apple, “Finally, thread it through the horizontal loop.”
Lu Huaiqian’s left hand grabbed the knot, his right hand gently pulled the narrow end, tightening the tie, adjusting it to the center. Finally, he pressed the end under the vest, “Kelvin knot, I think it’s the easiest and most versatile way to tie a tie.”
After doing all this, he didn’t step back but stood in place, maintaining an overly intimate distance, silently looking into Cheng Shuo’s eyes.
Seemingly calm, the gaze harbored an irresistible aggression, as if it was going to be penetrated in the next second, dismantled inside and out, deconstructed without any secrets.
Cheng Shuo barely responded with a glance, lacking the courage to continue. Hastily ending this meaningless eye contact, he seemed to have seen something but was unwilling and dared not delve into it, subconsciously taking two steps back.
Seeing this, Lu Huaiqian subtly frowned, said nothing, turned and walked towards the door.
“Thank you.”
Cheng Shuo’s voice sounded from behind, a bit probing.
“No need to thank me,” Lu Huaiqian replied.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Opening it, he pressed the answer button somewhat unexpectedly, “Huai Xuan?”
The familiar voice came from the other side, “Brother, do you still remember the conditions you promised me?”
Remembering the terms of the deal, the so-called king’s terms, to persuade Lu Huaixuan to transfer the land use right.
Lu Huaiqian asked, “Does it have to be tonight?”
The voice on the other end of the phone replied, “Yes.”
“At what time?”
“At 6:30. I’ll send you the address right away. It’s a bit far, so try not to be late.”
“Why didn’t you contact me earlier?”
“I have too much on my plate, got busy and forgot.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Lu Huaiqian grabbed the nearby windbreaker and put it on, moving as if in flight.
Cheng Shuo hastily asked, “Is something urgent?”
Lu Huaiqian, walking and talking at the same time, replied, “Sort of.”
Cheng Shuo followed, “What about my written test—”
“Postponed to next Wednesday.”
Without even looking back.
Silently, Cheng Shuo followed back to the bar.
His gaze pierced through the blurry glass window, trying hard to recognize and chase after the figure disappearing around the street corner. Until the street corner, Lu Huaiqian vanished behind the high wall made of red bricks.
Soon, the dim night swallowed the sunset, and the clock struck six.