Blue Cocktail chapter 28
Another Saturday.
Behind the bar’s glass door emerged a shadowy and suspicious figure.
Apart from the black sportswear, blue sneakers, and blue denim jacket, his ash-blue hair and light blue mask covered most of his face, leaving only a pair of black eyes visible.
He occasionally glanced towards the bar, quickly retracting his gaze, pacing outside, hesitating for a while. Neither willing to leave nor actually entering.
Aru had been observing him for a while. Having just served a cup of coffee, he thought, “Why not ask directly during this break?”
Unexpectedly, the man seemed to read his mind, finally pushing open the door. First, he looked around, then directly headed to the bar. Once there, he surveyed the surroundings, confirming there was no particular person. He reached out, tugging down the mask to reveal the lower half of his face.
They looked at each other.
“Cheng Shuo?!” Aru was somewhat shocked.
“Shh.” Cheng Shuo gestured for quiet and cautiously looked around again to make sure Lu Huaiqian wasn’t downstairs, sighing in relief. “Lower your voice.”
Aru was confused. “Why?”
Cheng Shuo said, “Don’t let your boss hear.”
Aru remained puzzled. “Why?”
Cheng Shuo lowered his voice. “No reason, just do me a favor.”
“Oh.” Although Aru didn’t understand, he nodded.
The denim jacket’s pockets were large, capable of holding a lot. Cheng Shuo lowered his head, using his left hand for the left pocket and the right hand for the right pocket. He took out things, one by one, placing them on the bar’s marble surface: a velvet box, a letter, and finally, a pack of cigarettes.
Cheng Shuo glanced at the velvet box and the envelope, pursing his lips, then looked at Aru. “The pack of cigarettes is for you. I need a favor.”
Aru refused, “You’re too polite. Just tell me what you need; no need to give me anything. Even if it’s something for our boss, I’m obliged to help you.”
Upon hearing the last part of Aru’s sentence, Cheng Shuo’s expression faltered slightly. He pushed the cigarettes closer to Aru. “Take it, I don’t smoke.”
Aru was bewildered, then smiled, “Alright, I’ll respect your wish. What do you need me to do?”
“Help me deliver this box and this letter to your boss.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” Watching the other prepare to leave, Aru was somewhat surprised. “Is that all?”
“What do you mean, ‘all’?”
“You only want me to deliver these two items? Nothing else?”
“Nothing else.”
“I thought I was going to help you with something major, this is nothing.”
Cheng Shuo laughed amiably and thanked Aru again, then bid goodbye. As he left, he suddenly thought of something and turned back. “If Lu Huaiqian doesn’t want to take it, just throw it away. You don’t have to return it to me.”
Aru was momentarily stunned and then reacted, “Haha, how could that be? the boss accepts whatever you give. Even if you give him a trash can, it’s a treasure. He’ll put it on a pedestal, burn incense in front of it every day, and never dare to use it.”
The only part of Cheng Shuo’s face in the open, his black eyes, curved slightly, as if for a moment, Aru’s words amused him. However, his smile slowly faded, and his expression changed, ultimately disappearing. He turned away hastily, walking off as if a defeated soldier.
If there hadn’t been the argument, Aru’s words would have been accurate. They might have been exaggerated, but in front of Lu Huaiqian, a shrewd, arrogant, and confident boss, there was a perfectly fitting sense of humor.
But
Cheng Shuo’s gaze fell to the empty space, then dropped with gravity. With each disheveled step, he felt more and more overwhelmed.
However, now, he had to put a big question mark on his relationship with Lu Huaiqian. Would Lu Huaiqian accept? It was hard to say. If Lu Huaiqian didn’t want to, that was understandable. He had no way out; he had brought this upon himself. Thinking of this, inexplicably, his heart seemed to convulse for a moment, a sudden shrinking.
So, the tips of Cheng Shuo’s fingers pressed against the glass door trembled for a moment. After a few seconds of stiffness, he used some force to push the door to the point where he could pass through sideways.
“Since you’re here, why not greet me?”
A familiar voice came from behind.
For an instant, Cheng Shuo’s hand lost its strength; the glass door snapped back to its place. The inertia shook his eyes gently, transmitting the tremor to his chest through the air, imperceptible but deafening.
“Let’s have a coffee before you leave. My treat.”
The tone was as usual, unserious, out of tune. One could already imagine the expression on that face – cheerful, lazy, always nonchalant, joking around as if Lu Huaiqian had never been angry, and inviting him for coffee… Was this person ever serious?
“If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as you agreeing.”
Suddenly, his shoulder was tapped, causing Cheng Shuo to turn and come face to face with Lu Huaiqian’s smiling eyes. They were quite close, and he was left momentarily stunned.
Until Lu Huaiqian stretched his hand, waving it in front of Cheng Shuo’s eyes, “Hey, what’s with the blank stare? Give me some reaction, will you?”
Cheng Shuo snapped back into reality, murmuring softly, “Mm.”
“What do you want to drink? We have cappuccino, macchiato, mocha… How about I make you a mocha? I feel like you’d like it.”
Cheng Shuo pursed his lips and nodded gently.
Upon receiving affirmation, Lu Huaiqian swiftly walked over to the bar, ready to get chocolate sauce, whole milk, and other things. His peripheral vision caught sight of the pack of cigarettes next to the cash register. “Where did these cigarettes come from?”
Aru answered truthfully, “Cheng Shuo gave them to me.”
Lu Huaiqian’s eyes narrowed slightly, appearing somewhat alert. “Why did Cheng Shuo give you a pack of cigarettes?”
Aru hurriedly explained, “He asked for my help, so he gave me an extra pack of cigarettes.”
Finishing his words before Lu Boss could inquire further, Aru quickly placed the velvet box and envelope in front of Lu Huaiqian, “This is from Cheng Shuo, asking me to pass it to you.”
Lu Huaiqian snatched them, briefly peeking into the gift box and closing it with one hand, careful not to let Aru glimpse what was inside.
He didn’t open the letter but kept it close. Since Cheng Shuo was still waiting for his coffee, Lu Huaiqian rearranged the items multiple times to ensure the letter wouldn’t drop while he made coffee—such as when he bent down—then he proceeded to prepare his chocolate sauce, one-third of an ounce, and a hundred and eighty milliliters of whole milk.
Suddenly reminded of something, his heart oddly tightened, and Lu Huaiqian paused in his activities, turning to Aru, “How much is the price for these cigarettes? I’ll pay you triple the amount, sell them to me.”
Aru was a bit bewildered, “Really?”
Lu Huaiqian slightly furrowed his brow, emphasizing, “Absolutely.”
Making a random profit of over a hundred bucks certainly made Aru ecstatic. Knowing Lu Huaiqian was as sharp as a tack, Aru also had his wits about him, “Boss, once you pay, I’ll give them to you.”
Lu Huaiqian huffed, essentially agreeing, and went back to his work.
Taking the prepared mocha, he approached Cheng Shuo, bending to place the cup in front of Cheng Shuo’s eyes, then smoothly took a seat opposite him, “Try it.”
Only then did Cheng Shuo realize that his mask was still hanging from his face. He hastily reached up and pulled it off, revealing the cup of creamy mocha with chocolate sauce and chocolate chips floating on top, akin to a snow-capped mountain.
He quite liked chocolate.
Cheng Shuo scooped up a bit of the cream with a spoon.
The sweetness danced on his taste buds. He ransacked his brain, wondering how he could praise Lu Huaiqian’s coffee so that it would make the person happy. It seemed he never knew how to give compliments, finding it hard to find words that were heartfelt or express his true emotions. His compliments always seemed to be considered perfunctory, insincere, or lacking in earnestness.
But Lu Huaiqian didn’t ask him how it tasted.
Instead, he always played his own game, “Speaking of which, Cheng Shuo, I have some good news to share.”
Cheng Shuo didn’t look up, fixed on the mocha in the cup. Still, he inquired as expected, “What news?”
“The plot of land under my brother’s company’s name has been transferred.”
Cheng Shuo’s hand stopped abruptly.
After a moment of silence, he picked up the metal spoon again, scooping a bit of the cream, “Mm.”
Intentionally waiting for Cheng Shuo to swallow this sip of coffee, Lu Huaiqian nonchalantly added, “However, it wasn’t transferred to He Yin but to someone else, and the contract has already been signed.”
The spoon slid from his fingertips, tapping against the edge of the cup, ringing with a clear note, resonating within.
Cheng Shuo pursed his lips, feeling inexplicably dry in the throat. “Is it because someone offered a higher price than He Yin?”
“No, the deal was made for only half the price He Yin offered. Moreover, it wasn’t a related party transaction, just a straightforward business deal. I guess when He Yin learns of this result, she’ll probably be fuming. Ha-ha, although she can’t do anything to me and Huai Xuan.”
Seemingly detached gaze observed Cheng Shuo’s facial expressions and subtle movements. Lu Huaiqian continued, “These days, I casually did some background check on He Yin’s husband. He owns a publicly listed company and is considered a small wealthy businessman in the local area.”
“He Yin’s husband deals in livestock, so it’s pretty easy to manipulate inventory. Being a listed company, there’s a strong tendency to fudge financial statements. To maintain an attractive, continuously growing profit, despite three years of consecutive losses, they suspended the stock. If they can’t turn the loss into profit within a year, they’ll be delisted.”
“I contacted a few friends who are financial analysts. You know what? I actually caught them red-handed! Can’t let this go, how can we exploit the investors, manipulate the retail investors’ money? These capitalists have no conscience!”
Lu Huaiqian’s voice carried a resounding weight.
Cheng Shuo sneaked a small smile, “Don’t forget, you’re also a capitalist.”
Lu Huaiqian said matter-of-factly, “But I’m a conscientious capitalist.”
Cheng Shuo responded with a murmur, “And then?”
“Then I went and inquired about the people who recently left He Yin’s husband’s company and went on to buy them. They’d know exactly how to fake it, how much was falsified. I’ve collected evidence, filed a direct complaint.”
“Wait and watch; I reckon the Securities Regulatory Commission will start an investigation soon. He Yin’s husband must be in a panic right now, scrambling to figure out how to handle the Commission. The stock price is going to plummet, and he’ll have to pay a hefty fine. And then they still have spare cash to build an amusement park for his wife?”
“So, He Yin’s amusement park plan must be postponed. As a couple, when managing things, there should always be a sense of priority.”
At Cheng Shuo’s first smile, followed by a sudden realization, he repressed his smile and gazed at Lu Huaiqian, focusing on the coffee cup in front of him, now half-empty, “Aren’t you… trying to antagonize your brother?”
“It’s alright, don’t worry. If we do cross paths with He Yin and her husband, in the future, we can simply choose to forgo them for any business collaboration. They’d be the ones losing out. So, business circles are quite pragmatic sometimes. As long as we have enough strength, plenty of people would be eager to curry favor with us. Even if we aren’t overly polite to everyone, lacking strength or authority would mean we strive to please others, and still, they might not consider us.”
Lu Huaiqian sounded casual, unconcerned, “I don’t want to make enemies without a reason. But if someone bothers me, I’ll do everything in my power to use all sorts of rules and hit back hard.”
Finishing his statement, Lu Huaiqian looked at Cheng Shuo with gentle yet bright eyes, a half-smile apparent on his lips, “I’ll tell you something, but don’t get mad.”
A hint of hesitation and struggle flashed in Lu Huaiqian’s eyes, “I could easily have fudged it, but I don’t want to deceive you.”
Cheng Shuo simply murmured, “Okay, go ahead.”
And finally added, “I won’t get angry.”
Hence Lu Huaiqian looked Cheng Shuo in the eye, his expression mild but deep and clear, seemingly smiling, “I managed to piece back together the letter you shredded.”
Before Cheng Shuo could respond, he suddenly raised his head, “I distinctly tore it into tiny pieces…”
He hesitated, expressing disbelief in his voice.
“Right, it took me a good two and a half days,” Lu Huaiqian sighed with a smirk, “Quite a challenge to piece it together.”