Blue Cocktail chapter 68
It was as if he had just had a lavish dream.
Cheng Shuo slowly opened his eyes to the bright sunshine outside. It was already the next day.
He sluggishly got up, feeling pain all over his body as if his bones were disjointed. Looking down, his chest was a bright red, covered in damn hickeys and bite marks. His thighs and ass were not spared either, bearing visible fingerprints.
He should have expected it; the old fox had a wild time in bed. If you were to ask about propriety, integrity, and shame, the old fox’s response would likely be, “What’s that?”
And, right on cue, the door was pushed open. Lu Huaiqian greeted with a smirking, “Hey, good morning.”
Seeing the seemingly carefree person on the other side, Cheng Shuo felt extremely uneasy. He responded with a lack of enthusiasm, “Not good.”
Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow, pausing for a moment. “Yesterday—”
Cheng Shuo exploded, “Don’t mention what happened last night!”
But Lu Huaiqian continued, “Why? Didn’t I make you feel good last night? Weren’t you saying that last night?”
Cheng Shuo shot back, “Stop being smug and cheap.”
Last night, in that situation—forced to answer whether he enjoyed it or not, how could he respond? Say he didn’t enjoy it? Unless he wanted his legs to be weak all day!
Lu Huaiqian smirked, “Watch your language.”
Hearing the words ‘watch your language,’ Cheng Shuo’s forehead veins twitched. Unbearable memories flashed before his eyes. He remembered how he got those fingerprints on his ass—each fingerprint coincided with a curse word. The old fox was shamelessly provocative in bed, yet he still cared about Cheng Shuo’s choice of words. The double standard was extreme!
Cheng Shuo couldn’t be bothered to argue. He retreated into his blanket, searching for his clothes. After circling around, he couldn’t find them. He poked his head out and questioned, “Where are my clothes?”
“I took them to be washed. How could you wear them when they’re so dirty?” Lu Huaiqian responded nonchalantly. “It’s just a small favor, no need to thank me.”
Cheng Shuo snorted at his words.
Lu Huaiqian leisurely revealed a hand hidden behind his back, saying, “I got you some clean clothes.”
Cheng Shuo snatched them away and buried himself in the blanket again. He was afraid Lu Huaiqian would see something he shouldn’t, and his beastly instincts would take over again. The bedsheet formed a small mountain, and there were rustling sounds beneath it.
After a while, the mountain suddenly toppled, and Cheng Shuo put on his slippers. Perhaps he moved too quickly, but he stumbled—
Fortunately, Lu Huaiqian quickly caught him. However, his hand unintentionally slid to Cheng Shuo’s waist and, before long, was promptly slapped away.
Lu Huaiqian pretended to be wronged, “I admit I took better care of my own feelings last night, but for you, I also put in a lot of effort. How can you turn your face afterward and not let me touch you?”
Cheng Shuo expressionlessly replied, “I can walk on my own. Don’t touch me today, so you don’t lose control again.”
The last half of the sentence was originally said by Lu Huaiqian and was now returned verbatim by Cheng Shuo.
This led to another story that unfolded last night, of course. It happened when Lu Huaiqian dragged Cheng Shuo into the shower. The bathtub was just big enough for two people, and the scene should have been extremely comfortable and pleasant.
Until Lu Huaiqian said, “Don’t just wash the outside. Isn’t it inconvenient for you to do it yourself? I can help you.”
Cheng Shuo was still young at heart, readily accepting Lu Huaiqian’s helping hand. Three seconds later, he regretted it—a deep regret!
What did Lu Huaiqian say at the time? Oh right, Cheng Shuo remembered— “Baby, I love you too much. I can’t control myself. I want to see you cry.”
He could only be pressed against the edge of the bathtub, cursing with red eyes.
And then Lu Huaiqian got even more excited. Damn.
With that in mind, Cheng Shuo was infuriated. Though he was sore, weak in the legs, he stubbornly refused Lu Huaiqian’s help and made his way slowly to the dining table.
Lu Huaiqian promptly served the hot breakfast to Cheng Shuo, being so attentive that Cheng Shuo, feeling suspicious, said, “If you’re sitting, sit across from me.”
The old fox had no choice but to sit across from Cheng Shuo, tucking his tail between his legs.
“Uh—”
Cheng Shuo was particularly aggressive today, but it was all his own doing. What else could he do but endure it?
Cheng Shuo, feeling weak, ate much slower. After a while, he finally put down his chopsticks.
Seeing this, Lu Huaiqian immediately doggedly approached to clean up, collecting dishes and wiping the table.
Watching Lu Huaiqian bustling about, Cheng Shuo fell silent for a few seconds before speaking, “This afternoon—”
Lu Huaiqian immediately cast an expectant gaze. This was the first time Cheng Shuo had voluntarily spoken to him after consecutive setbacks.
“I want to work on my drawings.”
“Ah?”
What did he think it was? Lu Huaiqian felt quite disappointed. Why was his boyfriend, eight years younger, a workaholic, making him seem so lovesick and idle?
In that instant, he imagined a classic idol drama plot where his mother handed out a five-million check, telling Cheng Shuo to leave her son. He felt that, given Cheng Shuo’s pursuit of money, he might actually agree.
“Ah, what?” Cheng Shuo explained, “Remember what I told you? About the cocktail beverage packaging design competition?”
“I’ve been busy with manga recently, so I haven’t worked on the design competition at all. Time is running out.”
“But I’ve seen the competition interface. I remember there are still many days left until the submission deadline.”
“You haven’t worked in the design field, so you may not understand. Designing is much harder than drawing manga. Manga has plot references, but design requires conceptualization, and not every idea, when implemented, works well. I might end up drawing many versions of failed drafts.”
Cheng Shuo thought for a moment and added, “Let me put it this way: designing a pattern is similar to you creating a new cocktail recipe.”
“Of course, we base our creativity on past experiences, but I can’t guarantee that my new concept will look good, just as you can’t guarantee that your new recipe will taste good.”
“Later on, you may have to adjust the recipe. You also don’t know how many times you need to adjust it to get the taste you’re satisfied with. Maybe it’s the next time, maybe after a hundred times. You might still fail, just like me. I have to reserve enough time for trial and error.”
This metaphor was quite apt, and it hit Lu Huaiqian right in the heart. Although he often bought cocktail recipes from foreign friends, some flavors were too exotic, not suitable for the local market. To localize the taste, he had to modify the recipe. Sometimes, it could be as simple as adding or reducing a drop, and no matter how he changed it, he was not satisfied. In the end, he experienced taste buds numbness, and even the scent of the base liquor made him nauseous.
“So, are you doing this to win an award?”
“Of course,” Cheng Shuo responded without hesitation. “If not for the award, why would I waste time participating in this competition?”
“I thought you were more focused on participation.”
“No,” Cheng Shuo said, “I value efficiency. Participating but not winning an award is inefficient in my eyes. So, every competition I participate in is aimed at winning an award. If I think I have no chance of winning, I won’t participate.”
It was a very arrogant tone, but he did have the skill. As the top art academy in China, Cheng Shuo’s ambition was evident. Lu Huaiqian found it interesting. “So, you only participate in competitions you think you have a good chance of winning.”
“Yes.”
So, communicating with Lu Huaiqian was sometimes effortless, Cheng Shuo thought. Unlike others who, upon hearing him speak like this, either thought he was bragging too much or questioned him, saying, “But you can’t guarantee you’ll win an award either.” Over time, Cheng Shuo became too lazy to explain. His standard response to such inquiries was that his participation in competitions depended on his mood at the time.
“Well, I wish you success and look forward to hearing good news about you winning awards in the future.”
“Okay, I appreciate your wishes. I’ll work hard.”
Lu Huaiqian thought for a moment and then asked, “You’re so good at drawing. Will you consider further studies abroad in the future?”
“Maybe. When I’m a junior, I can try for an exchange program. However, if I study abroad, and you have the bar in Huafeng, it’s impossible for you to accompany me. We would have a long-distance relationship, so I might not go for it.”
“Who says so? I can hire another bartender and fly to see you abroad whenever I want.”
“Isn’t the time difference tiring?”
“Not really,” Lu Huaiqian shrugged, “If you study in London, it would be even easier. I know many bar owners in London, and I can work as a bartender in their bars. Or I can open a new bar. We won’t have to endure a long-distance relationship.”
“You make it sound easy,” Cheng Shuo laughed.
“Mainly, I don’t want you to give up the opportunity to improve your education because of me.”
Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but feel a slight stir in his heart. However, one second later, the irritating urge from across the table came back.
“But I feel your English speaking skills need some practice. Otherwise, communication might become an obstacle to improving your quality of life. Fortunately, you have a versatile boyfriend. In this regard, I have a lot of experience. You can consult me. Although I haven’t used English for many years, teaching you should be no problem.”
Then he received a glare from Cheng Shuo.
Cheng Shuo said. “In our line of work, compared to education, we actually value our works more because the level shown in the works is very intuitive. So, studying abroad is not my only choice. I’m thinking that after I graduate, I can directly join a game company as a concept artist, practice more, and accumulate experience. I still want to develop in China in the future.”
“Do you want to work in game concept art?”
“Yes.”
Lu Huaiqian smiled, “It’s a coincidence. Do you remember what my younger brother does?”
Cheng Shuo recalled, “An internet company.”
“Yes, an internet gaming company. One of my brother’s company’s main businesses. He has a lot of concept artists under him. Although I don’t know them, they are reputed professionals in the industry. Perhaps I can get their contact information. It could create an opportunity for you to communicate.”
Cheng Shuo’s eyes suddenly lit up, looking straight at Lu Huaiqian, filled with yearning.
The old fox was quite pleased, continuing to show off his younger brother’s achievements, “My brother’s company was supposed to be taken over by me. So, back then, I was forced by my parents to learn a bit about game concept art. Now, I vaguely remember that there are designs for scenes and characters. Anyway, no matter what kind of concept art internship you want in the future, I can provide many channels.”
Lu Huaiqian teased, “I’ve helped you so much. Asking for some reward isn’t too much, right?”
Cheng Shuo surveyed Lu Huaiqian’s face alertly, “What do you want?”
Lu Huaiqian waved his hand, “Come here.”
After hesitating for a few seconds, Cheng Shuo walked over to Lu Huaiqian. The latter circled him in his arms, whispering in his ear—
“I plan to set up a room and transform it into your private art studio. I’ll be your exclusive nude model. Then, we—followed by explicit and vulgar language that made Cheng Shuo frown more and more.
After patiently listening, Cheng Shuo grabbed the pillow next to him and slammed it onto Lu Huaiqian’s head. “Can’t you ask for a more civilized reward?”
Lu Huaiqian burst into laughter.