Blue Cocktail chapter 41
Approaching 7 o’clock, the customers gradually increased. In addition to serving drinks, Cheng Shuo occasionally brought the drink menu. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and he quickly got the hang of it.
By the time he got another break, it was already past 8 o’clock. He squatted in the corner behind the bar, quietly lost in thought. Eventually, he resignedly took out his phone, opened WeChat, and found himself in a chat with Lu Huaiqian. He scrolled up to review their previous conversations.
Resting his arms on his legs, Cheng Shuo swiftly typed a line: “I heard you’ve found someone you like. Who is it?”
After typing, he glanced at the message and promptly deleted it.
No, asking directly is a bit strange.
Cheng Shuo rephrased: “Zhao Ge told me you’ve found someone you like. Have you succeeded in pursuing them? How far have you two progressed? I’m curious; can you share with me? Maybe I can help? (If you find it inconvenient to share, just ignore my question.)”
Staring at his phone, he hesitated for a full ten seconds. Cheng Shuo pressed the delete key again, erasing the entire text just before his fingers hit the send button.
Because he suddenly remembered Lu Huaiqian’s impatient tone when talking to Zhao Ge an hour ago – “Are you the god of a hundred whys?”
After contemplating for a while, Cheng Shuo silently, and with a sense of defeat, changed all the questions into statements: “Zhao Ge told me you’ve found someone you like. I’m curious about the story between you two. If you don’t want to share with me, that’s fine too; it doesn’t matter.”
After double-checking for any typos, he found none. However, at the moment his finger was about to press the send button, he suddenly halted. In his ears, it seemed like he could hear Lu Huaiqian’s voice saying, “It’s an employee’s duty not to pry into the boss’s personal privacy.”
Cheng Shuo suddenly felt a bit at a loss. He simply pressed the lock screen button, and the next second, his phone’s screen showed his embarrassed features. He let his arms hang down and felt relieved that he didn’t have to see anything.
By being so straightforward, Lu Huaiqian probably didn’t like it.
Squatting in place, Cheng Shuo’s legs became numb after just a short ten minutes, and he had to change his sitting position several times.
He picked up his phone again, making numerous edits back and forth. However, the more he edited, the more unsatisfactory it became, and the stranger it sounded.
Feeling somewhat defeated, he thought, forget it, I won’t ask. I’m not that curious anyway.
Cheng Shuo was about to put away his phone, ending this pointless, one-sided struggle. The chat box, silent for a long time, suddenly displayed a new line of text. His hand shook, thinking he might have accidentally sent the draft.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t. It was a message from Lu Huaiqian, and Cheng Shuo let out a quiet sigh, feeling a bit relieved.
Lu Huaiqian: “The two paper boxes with work uniforms, do you still have them?”
Cheng Shuo immediately replied: “Still have them.”
Lu Huaiqian: “Are they beside you?”
Cheng Shuo: “yes.”
Lu Huaiqian: “Good.”
The next message was a voice message. Lu Huaiqian’s tone was calm but serious, “I have a favor to ask. Please go find them for me now. In one of the paper boxes, there’s a compartment at the bottom. Open the compartment, and you’ll find a brooch. Once you find the brooch, make sure to keep it safe. Don’t lose it or damage it. I’ll ask for the brooch when I return to the bar.”
Cheng Shuo went to the changing room and followed Lu Huaiqian’s instructions. As expected, there was a brooch.
He sent a message to Lu Huaiqian: “I found the brooch you mentioned. Do you want me to take photos or videos and send them to you?”
Lu Huaiqian replied with a voice message, “No need. I’ll be at the bar soon. I won’t reply to messages for now. Let’s talk when we meet.”
After that, he disappeared again, just like before.
Cheng Shuo had countless questions that urgently needed answers. In the end, he could only choose to wait in silence, much like waiting for Lu Huaiqian to come downstairs before 6 o’clock. He didn’t know how long he had to wait, but he had no other options.
The phone screen automatically turned off.
Cheng Shuo returned to the bar and squatted back into the corner.
He held up the brooch, examining it in the light. It was a silver ship’s wheel, quite heavy in his hand, with a silver anchor entwined by golden ropes in the center. It was a typical men’s brooch with the symbolism of steering, delicate craftsmanship, and a unique design, completely incomparable to the cheap cufflinks he had given Lu Huaiqian.
Come to think of it, he had never seen Lu Huaiqian wear those cufflinks. Perhaps Lu Huaiqian’s words of liking them were just polite compliments.
Dropping his gaze, Cheng Shuo felt a bit desolate for some reason.
He turned the brooch to the back and found a string of English letters.
The bar’s lighting was dim, and Cheng Shuo squinted at the brooch, but it was still unclear. He had to use his phone’s flashlight to illuminate it, finally managing to recognize the inscription.
What does this mean?
Cheng Shuo’s limited English vocabulary was challenged, and just as he was about to open an app for a search, he caught sight of the door opening, footsteps approaching.
He instinctively stowed the brooch into his pocket.
Behind the glass door, Lu Huaiqian walked slowly. His fingertips, originally tucked into his palms, hooked the metal ring on the key. With each step, the key swung in the air, creating a clinking sound. After a couple of steps, he opened his fingers, making the metal ring spin around his index finger, causing the keys to collide with a clattering noise.
Cheng Shuo cowered behind the bar, sneakily observing.
Perhaps because Zhao Ge had commented on Lu Huaiqian’s unusual attire not long ago, Cheng Shuo unconsciously looked a few more times. Suddenly, he realized that he had never seriously assessed Lu Huaiqian before.
From a distance, a black windbreaker, black dress pants, and black leather shoes—indeed, an all-black outfit. Only a glimpse of a white shirt collar peeked out. Tall stature, steady walk, a full presence of charisma, dignity, control, and dominance.
As he got closer, Cheng Shuo could see Lu Huaiqian’s facial features—
Sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, high nose bridge, thin lips. His face was delicate yet profound, with a hint of cold and roguish charm. It should have felt difficult to approach, cold, and indifferent, but perhaps because Lu Huaiqian often smiled at him and told whimsical jokes, he seemed both easygoing and amusing.
Suddenly understanding Zhao Ge’s remark, anyone set up on a blind date with Lu Huaiqian should have a looks score of at least eight.
The marble bar was tapped with fingertips, and Cheng Shuo suddenly realized. Lu Huaiqian leaned over the bar, extending his palm toward him, “Cheng Shuo, give me the brooch.”
He handed it over hastily.
Lu Huaiqian focused, squinting and examining it. When he saw the inscription on the back, his gaze paused slightly. However, he remained silent, solemnly putting the brooch into the pocket of his windbreaker.
A smile gradually spread across his face as he walked over to Cheng Shuo. “Why are you squatting behind the bar?”
“Squatting inside the bar makes me less conspicuous. I’m afraid of encountering perverts or creeps outside the bar, so it’s safer in here.”
At these words, Lu Huaiqian smiled at first, then suppressed some of the smile and said seriously, “If you ever encounter them, find me, and I’ll handle it.”
Cheng Shuo could feel that Lu Huaiqian had no desire to explain about the blind date, the letter, or the brooch.
Although Lu Huaiqian had no obligation to explain.
Cheng Shuo pursed his lips, casually mentioning, “I found the letter in the paper bag and the brooch in the paper box compartment. Are they related?”
“Yes, the letter mentioned that there’s a brooch in the paper box compartment.”
“Oh.” Cheng Shuo fell silent for a few seconds, then couldn’t help but guess, “Is the letter… a love letter?”
“You’re right.” Lu Huaiqian smiled, “You’re quite clever.”
Seeing Lu Huaiqian smiling, Cheng Shuo inexplicably couldn’t bring himself to smile. “There’s English on the back of the brooch. Did you see it?”
“I saw it.”
“Has my English proficiency deteriorated? Why can’t I understand it?”
Lu Huaiqian couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s not English; it’s French, fool.”
Cheng Shuo glared back, “I haven’t learned French.”
After a few seconds of silence, without waiting for Lu Huaiqian’s answer, he had to ask, “So, what does it mean?”
“Is it really important?”
As if choked for a moment, Cheng Shuo frowned, “If you don’t want to say, forget it.”
He already disliked pestering others with questions, and besides, Lu Huaiqian’s interest in this topic should not be high. Throughout the conversation, it was always him asking, Lu Huaiqian answering, and some answers weren’t straightforward. According to Lu Huaiqian’s usual character, if it were a topic of interest, he would have been chattering non-stop. If he didn’t want to talk about it, he probably found him annoying for asking too many questions. Cheng Shuo suddenly felt it was not interesting. He stood up, intending to leave Lu Huaiqian’s side—
“I like you.”
Cheng Shuo was stunned.
His heart suddenly stopped, leaving a long, silent blank space for digesting these three simple syllables. After an instant, the beating finally resumed, continuing in a faster and more intense rhythm than before.
He looked at Lu Huaiqian incredulously, “What did you just say?”
“Didn’t you ask me about the French meaning on the brooch earlier?” Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow and smiled, “It means, ‘I like you.'”
Innocently smiling yet provoking, as always.
Cheng Shuo lowered his gaze, and his heart was still beating somewhat quickly, perhaps due to the relief of nearly misunderstanding Lu Huaiqian’s intention and almost turning into a clown.
He should say something to change the topic.
“I didn’t expect,” Cheng Shuo spoke again, with an uncertain gaze, adopting a casually light tone, “you and that person, I don’t know what to call her, the tailor who made my work clothes. I didn’t expect that I would inadvertently bring about a connection between you two. You should thank me.”
As Lu Huaiqian heard the last part, he squinted his eyes, and the smile seemed to fade a bit, “What do you mean by that?”
“Zhao Ge told me,” Cheng Shuo lowered his head, not looking into Lu Huaiqian’s eyes. He paused and continued, “He said you have someone you like. So, you like the person who made my work clothes. She is indeed skillful and creative. She also confessed to you and gave you a brooch. You two have mutually expressed your feelings—”
His voice abruptly stopped.
In fact, there was another half of the sentence. Wishing you a long and happy relationship, but he couldn’t say it, and he didn’t know why.
Lu Huaiqian’s expression became serious, “Why do you think I accepted her confession?”
Cheng Shuo gave a faint scoff, perhaps trying to continue their usual banter. However, this time, his laughter seemed somewhat forced, “You even specially reminded me not to lose the brooch or damage it. You value her so much. If you like her, just admit it boldly. What’s there to hide? Even if it’s because you want to keep it a secret for now, I won’t go around spreading it.”
Lu Huaiqian was momentarily puzzled but then started laughing, “What are you thinking, Cheng Shuo.”
Suddenly, he reached out his left hand, placing his palm on Cheng Shuo’s forehead.
In an instant, Cheng Shuo froze in place, even forgetting to evade.
Roughness met softness, and warmth was transmitted between them, becoming increasingly scorching.
Lu Huaiqian then touched his own forehead with his right hand, “It’s a normal temperature. Why can’t your brain catch up?”
Cheng Shuo didn’t understand what Lu Huaiqian found amusing. Suddenly feeling irritated, he swatted away Lu Huaiqian’s hand, “Always saying I’m dumb, or beating around the bush, is it fun?”
“Consider that I haven’t said anything, alright? I’ll go deliver the drinks.” Saying that, he turned around to leave.
“I was wrong, I was wrong,” Lu Huaiqian wrapped an arm around Cheng Shuo’s shoulder, “You’re the smartest. I’m the one who’s really, really dumb. I’m the dumbest person in the world.”
His tone was like pacifying an upset cat, “I don’t like her. I definitely wouldn’t accept her brooch. The brooch needs to be returned intact. That’s why I told you not to lose or damage it. Otherwise, returning a defective item would be awkward. Moreover, if I really didn’t want you to know about this, I wouldn’t have asked you to get the brooch. I could have just had you bring me the two paper boxes. After getting the brooch, I would return the paper boxes to you. Wouldn’t that be easier to keep things under wraps?”
Lu Huaiqian fell silent for a moment. As there was no response from the person in his arms, he tried to appease, “Are you still angry? Should I explain a bit more?”
Cheng Shuo furrowed his brows, “Who’s angry?”
“Alright, alright, not angry. I was mistaken; my eyes are blind. I’m sorry, sorry.”
Cheng Shuo didn’t respond, remaining silent for a while. He then pursed his lips, “I actually found the letter on Wednesday. I should have given it to you earlier, but I forgot. It delayed these two days. Will it cause any misunderstandings for the other party?”
Lu Huaiqian’s smile faded slightly, and his tone became more solemn, “You don’t need to worry about that. I will handle it properly, and I won’t let her misunderstand.”
Cheng Shuo responded quietly, “Hmm.”
Another moment of silence.
“Tonight, you… went on a blind date, right?” Cheng Shuo said and then somewhat redundantly added, “Zhao Ge asked me to ask you. He said he’s really curious.”
Lu Huaiqian was silent for a few seconds, “Cheng Shuo, don’t help Zhao Ge with things like this in the future. Don’t spoil him. If he has any questions, let him ask me himself.”
“Okay.” Cheng Shuo nodded.
After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice, “But,….. I also want to know.”