Blue Cocktail chapter 48
“Sorry,” Cheng Shuo almost responded without hesitation.
Without needing to hear the next part, with just these two words, Aru knew that he had completely lost hope. Perhaps alcohol had heightened his emotions inexplicably, and he felt somewhat unwilling.
With his third inquiry, he just wanted to know what kind of person he had lost to, “So, do you like Lu Huaiqian?”
The question was too direct. Cheng Shuo momentarily fell into silence. Lowering his eyes, he chose his words carefully, “Regardless of whether I like him or not, it won’t affect my response to you.”
His fingertips involuntarily tightened. Aru spoke hoarsely, “Answer me and let me truly give up.”
Cheng Shuo frowned. Considering Aru’s face, he reluctantly gave a compromise, “I have someone I like.”
Aru continued to pursue, “Is it Lu Huaiqian?”
The same question was repeated four times. No matter how good-tempered one was, they would find it annoying. Cheng Shuo was no exception. He raised his eyebrows, and his tone became stern, “Is the answer to this question so important, or did I not express myself clearly earlier?”
“Who I like and my refusal to you are unrelated.”
“This is my privacy. I have the right to refuse to answer. So, I’m sorry.”
But Aru seemed unfazed, still holding Cheng Shuo’s wrist without any intention of letting go.
The situation remained in a deadlock.
“Oh, what are you two chatting about, so happily.”
A familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Cheng Shuo inwardly muttered: I wonder which eye saw him being happy?
Lu Huaiqian walked over, eventually stopping on Cheng Shuo’s right side. His smiling gaze looked down, falling on Aru’s hand holding Cheng Shuo’s. He couldn’t help but squint his eyes, and his smile faded a lot.
His light and airy gaze then shifted over Aru’s eyes, who remained unresponsive, unable to create distance between him and Cheng Shuo. Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow, tugged at the corner of his lips, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Indeed, alcohol emboldened people.
It turned out not only Cheng Shuo, but Aru as well.
Cheng Shuo was the first to retract his hand, “Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom.”
After saying this, he raised his head again and asked Lu Huaiqian in a low voice, “Boss, where is the bathroom?”
Lu Huaiqian gave Aru a disdainful glance, grabbed Cheng Shuo’s wrist, and said coldly, “I’ll take you.”
On the way, Lu Huaiqian remained silent. When they reached the bathroom door, he was frugal with his words, “Here.”
Cheng Shuo stood still for a few seconds before taking a step forward. However, there was a momentary force pulling at his wrist.
He lowered his eyes.
Lu Huaiqian’s hand hadn’t let go.
The bones of his fingers pressed against Cheng Shuo’s wrist, a slight oppressive feeling, almost negligible, but he couldn’t ignore it.
Perhaps the pressure on his wrist bones transmitted to his chest. Cheng Shuo suddenly felt a bit stifled in his chest. He retreated back to Lu Huaiqian’s side, “Forget it, I won’t go.”
“Why not?”
“The bathroom was just an excuse for me to leave anyway.”
At these words, there was a moment of silence from Lu Huaiqian. His Adam’s apple rolled, “What did you guys talk about just now?”
Cheng Shuo remained quiet for a long time and chose to tell the truth, “He confessed.”
The fingers clasping his wrist tightened for a moment. Cheng Shuo’s skin was closely pressed between Lu Huaiqian’s calloused fingers, inducing a tingling sensation.
“Then I rejected him,” Cheng Shuo continued on his own.
Lu Huaiqian suppressed his smile, and his eyes gradually became deep and obscure, “Actually, I overheard your conversation, but only a few sentences.”
Cheng Shuo’s heart sank… a few sentences, how many exactly?
He couldn’t figure out Lu Huaiqian’s intentions behind this statement, so he forced a smile and changed the subject, “I really didn’t expect Aru to like me. It turns out what you said that day was right.”
Lu Huaiqian’s expression became enigmatic, “Which day?”
As if thinking of something, Cheng Shuo’s gaze became elusive, he turned his head and whispered, “That day in the changing room. You insisted that Aru liked me, and I thought—”
His voice abruptly stopped.
“Thought what?” Lu Huaiqian asked.
Cheng Shuo opened his lips but didn’t utter a sound, a trace of regret crossing his face.
Thought you were just being jealous.
He couldn’t say it for some reason, only muttered, “It’s nothing.”
But Lu Huaiqian pressed on, “Thought I was lying to you?”
“No.”
“Thought I was making trouble for no reason?”
“No.”
“You really can’t feel anything?” Lu Huaiqian subtly furrowed his brow.
“I might just not care. I admit, I’m dense when facing people I don’t care about.”
“What about me?” Lu Huaiqian paused for a moment, “Are you also dense when facing me?”
“…No.”
Lu Huaiqian remained silent for a while. Suddenly, he changed the topic, “You said you have someone you like. I heard that too.”
Cheng Shuo’s body suddenly stiffened.
His heartbeat became incredibly fast in an instant. He forced composure and casually explained, “Seeing Aru’s appearance, if I didn’t say I had someone I liked, he probably wouldn’t give up.”
Lu Huaiqian’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, “So, this statement was just a lie to Aru?”
Cheng Shuo pursed his lips, his throat inexplicably dry, and his voice was suppressed very low, “No.”
“Cheng Shuo.”
Lu Huaiqian suddenly stopped.
“In fact, I can feel your pulse.”
Cheng Shuo suddenly remembered that Lu Huaiqian’s large palm was still wrapped around his wrist, and the fingertips were pressing down on the taut tendon of his thumb.
So, he might have been seen through by Lu Huaiqian long ago. Would all his seemingly plausible explanations be like a joke in the eyes of the other party?
Clearly feeling a bit at a loss, but his heart couldn’t help but beat even faster. If this continued, he might really not be able to hide—how should he respond?
“Brother, I finally found you!”
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted.
In his line of sight, Lu Huaixuan strode over and stopped in front of the two. “Mom and Dad have been looking for you for a long time. Hurry back and get ready. The luncheon is about to begin, and you have to give a speech.”
After saying that, he turned to Cheng Shuo and said, “I’m sorry for the interruption.”
Lu Huaiqian’s expression paused for a few seconds, then he quietly released Cheng Shuo’s hand and slowly put on an impeccable smile.
He turned around and walked back with Lu Huaixuan. He kept talking, “You guys, what’s the point of giving a speech? Everyone is here to eat, not to listen to my lecture. For my birthday party next year, I’ll remind you not to do these formalities again…”
Cheng Shuo stared blankly at Lu Huaiqian’s departing figure, disappearing from view. Unexpectedly, his heart rate increased even more, almost deafening.
The restraint on his wrist was gone, something he should have found comfortable because he was not used to the touch of others. However, at this moment, Cheng Shuo felt a bit lost and couldn’t pinpoint exactly what he was losing.
Forget it, don’t think about it. Get another glass of juice; he won’t drink water.
As Cheng Shuo raised the glass, he caught a glimpse of a light gray figure also coming to get a drink.
“Do you know where Mr. Lu Huaiqian is?”
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Cheng Shuo didn’t think the question was directed at him, so he ignored it.
Sure enough, in the next moment, the waiter across from him replied, “I’m sorry, sir, I’m not sure. Maybe you can ask someone else.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Cheng Shuo didn’t have the habit of voluntarily offering help to strangers. Indifferently, he retraced his steps. Before he could take a few steps, someone tapped him on the shoulder, “Excuse me, do you know where Mr. Lu Huaiqian is—”
He turned around.
“Cheng Shuo?!”
Cheng Shuo raised an eyebrow. It turned out to be Tang Yi.
“Hello, Mr. Tang.”
After saying that, he walked away, not willing to linger. It was best not to affect his mood.
However, Tang Yi took the initiative to block Cheng Shuo’s way, looking him up and down. He sneered, “Cheng Shuo, what are you doing here?”
Implicitly, there was a sense that someone of Cheng Shuo’s status should not be attending such a high-class banquet.
Who knew that after dealing with a colleague who had confessed and persistently questioned who he liked, another person would openly and covertly belittle him, treating him as an imaginary enemy? Cheng Shuo frowned, and he simply couldn’t be bothered to respond, let alone answer Tang Yi’s question.
“Why can’t I be here?”
Cheng Shuo counter-questioned. He didn’t want to say much, so he bypassed Tang Yi and continued forward.
The indifferent attitude made Tang Yi somewhat annoyed. He took a few steps forward and spoke in an unfriendly tone, “Looking at how you’re dressed, you don’t look like a waiter here. Did Lu Huaiqian invite you?”
His steps abruptly stopped. Since Tang Yi insisted on running into the crossfire, there was no harm in facing it directly.
Cheng Shuo fake-smiled without revealing any flaws, “Everyone in the banquet hall received an invitation from Lu Huaiqian. Don’t you think your question is a bit redundant?”
“What do you mean?” Tang Yi squinted his eyes. “Are you mocking me?”
“That’s your own interpretation; I didn’t say anything.”
“Oh, I see. I know why Brother Lu invited you,” Tang Yi recalled something, “You’re a new employee working at the bar for the first year. It’s just a symbolic invitation to attend the birthday party. Don’t worry; it won’t happen again.”
“Is that so?” Cheng Shuo’s tone clearly expressed disbelief. “I’ll ask our boss about it another day.”
A few words couldn’t convince the other party, so Tang Yi simply left a sentence, “Forget it, there’s nothing to talk about with you.”
Cheng Shuo silently shook his head, signaling goodbye.
Facing someone too confident, it made him look desperate. Tang Yi took a few steps away but, feeling indignant, turned back.
“No wonder I saw your name on the signature wall just now. You circled your name with a heart next to Brother Lu’s. Don’t you feel shameless?”
Cheng Shuo responded calmly, “Firstly, the heart was drawn by Lu Huaiqian. If you don’t believe it, you can check the surveillance.”
“Secondly, since you saw my name on the signature wall, you should know that I’m also one of the guests at the birthday party. So, why are you so shocked about my presence? Isn’t this a simple logical inference?”
Tang Yi choked for a moment, gritted his teeth, and finally spoke again, “Cheng Shuo, you like Lu Huaiqian.”
As the words fell, he captured a hint of surprise in Cheng Shuo’s pupils, and he began to feel triumphant, “Let’s see how you refute this statement.”