Blue Cocktail chapter 49
Cheng Shuo squinted slightly but remained silent.
“Do you dare to argue? Do you dare to say you don’t like him?” A victorious smile slowly spread across Tang Yi’s lips. “You don’t dare, right?”
“I actually hope you argue with me. That way, I can take this opportunity to warn you to stay away from Lu Huaiqian. It’s quite inappropriate to play ambiguous games with someone you don’t like.”
Cheng Shuo chuckled, “I don’t need you to teach me about appropriateness.”
Tang Yi raised his chin, smirking. “Is that so?”
“Also, this suit you’re wearing, I know it was designed by the Resonant brand for Lu Huaiqian. But so what? I have dozens of custom suits in my wardrobe, designed by the same person. What you have, I had a long time ago.”
As if recalling something, Tang Yi became more aggressive, “By the way, do you know Lu Huaiqian’s favorite restaurant? Do you know the drink he likes? Do you know his favorite band?”
“I don’t need to continue asking. I can already guess; you don’t know anything.”
“But I do.” Tang Yi’s face revealed a clear sense of superiority. “I’ve accompanied Lu Huaiqian to Clos Maggiore, the most romantic restaurant in London. We shared a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky, and I once spent a fortune to get the Eagles’ limited edition album.”
“What can you do for Lu Huaiqian?” Tang Yi sneered, disdainfully scanning Cheng Shuo’s face. “Let me guess, you don’t even have a passport, right? You haven’t left the small Peijiang Province for over twenty years, have you?”
As the words fell, a message notification chimed on Tang Yi’s phone. He picked it up, looking even more pleased. He waved the phone screen in front of Cheng Shuo, “Look, Lu Huaiqian sent me a message.”
“Even if you don’t want to admit it, you have to. Lu’s parents really like me. I’ve always been the one accompanying Lu Huaiqian. Cheng Shuo, what can you compare with me?”
Having said that, he arrogantly left without giving Cheng Shuo a chance to retort.
Although Cheng Shuo remained mostly expressionless throughout, he couldn’t deny that Tang Yi’s words had offended him to some extent.
Most importantly, he hadn’t had the chance to fight back. Upon reflection, there were indeed many things he could have refuted Tang Yi about. Thinking of this, Cheng Shuo felt a sense of frustration and nowhere to vent.
This verbal confrontation even affected his appetite, and he barely ate lunch.
By afternoon tea time, feeling a bit hungry again, Cheng Shuo had to thank the dessert after the meal. He chomped on the hard candy, simultaneously sending a message to Lu Huaiqian: Where is your favorite restaurant? What’s your favorite drink? What’s the name of your favorite band?
Lu Huaiqian replied: Why suddenly interested in asking me these?
Followed by a Samoyed on a swing emoji.
Getting a bit cocky.
Cheng Shuo: Just suddenly curious.
Lu Huaiqian: I don’t believe you suddenly got curious about these.
Lu Huaiqian: Today is my birthday; can you be a bit more honest?
Cheng Shuo: Is this also one of your birthday wishes?
Lu Huaiqian: How did you know what I was about to send!
Looking at these lines, Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
But he had to admit that after Lu Huaiqian’s intervention, the knot in his heart had indeed eased a lot. Holding his phone, he typed: Encountered Tang Yi just now.
Lu Huaiqian: Why is he so persistent?
Lu Huaiqian: Honestly, I can’t stand him.
Lu Huaiqian: No matter what he told you, don’t believe him.
Lu Huaiqian: Ignore him in the future; don’t waste your energy and time on him.
The other side was quick with four consecutive messages.
Cheng Shuo sent the second message: He said he went with you to the most romantic restaurant in London (sounds like it starts with a ‘C’; he spoke in English, and I can’t spell it).
Lu Huaiqian: Clos Maggiore?
Cheng Shuo: Yes, that’s it.
Lu Huaiqian: Damn.
Lu Huaiqian: He lied to you.
Lu Huaiqian: That time was my parents’ anniversary, and they visited London. So, I booked the most romantic restaurant, and the four of us went together. It wasn’t as ambiguous as he described.
Cheng Shuo: He also claimed that he shared (skipping an English word he can’t recall) Blue Label whisky with you.
Lu Huaiqian: In reality, I bought two bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky. He insisted on drinking, so I gave him an unopened one.
Lu Huaiqian: If sharing the same brand of alcohol is considered ‘sharing.’
Lu Huaiqian: SMH.jpg
Cheng Shuo: He also mentioned that he once spent a fortune to get the limited edition album of your favorite band (Eagles? Is that how it’s spelled? I forgot, but you get the idea).
Lu Huaiqian: Eagles.
Lu Huaiqian: He did indeed buy the Eagles’ limited edition album at a high price, claiming he wanted to give it to me.
Lu Huaiqian: But I refused it!!!!!
Lu Huaiqian: I’m really impressed; he’s good at playing word games.
Cheng Shuo was stunned for a while, finally reacting and chuckled with his head down.
He typed lightly with his fingertips: Rare to see you get frustrated / smirk.
Lu Huaiqian: Tang Yi is always like this, spreading rumors about me outside. I don’t care about others, but I don’t want you to misunderstand me. So, if you have any doubts in the future, feel free to verify with the person involved~
Lu Huaiqian: A guest came to talk to me, talk later.
The next message from Lu Huaiqian arrived two hours later.
Lu Huaiqian: Ah! Finally got rid of the person!
Lu Huaiqian: I need someone to chat with me.
Lu Huaiqian: To soothe my wounded soul.
Cheng Shuo: ?
Lu Huaiqian: Just now, the CEO who came was trying to cater to my preferences. We started talking about alcohol, from fermented to distilled. At first, I thought I found a kindred spirit, but the more we talked, the more wrong it felt.
Cheng Shuo: Pretending to know what you don’t?
Lu Huaiqian: Yes, pretending to know and loving to talk. As we continued, the conversation became increasingly flawed. I couldn’t leave, so I had to listen to him nonsense. It was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t correct him either. I had to give him some face.
Lu Huaiqian: In the end, he finally revealed his true colors. He said…
Cheng Shuo: What did he say?
Lu Huaiqian: He said he wants to invest in my cocktail bar, build a well-known brand, and explore the international market, making it the Luckin Coffee of the cocktail world!
After the exclamation mark, there was a little yellow face with a red cloth strip on its forehead.
Cheng Shuo laughed upon seeing it: Although I don’t quite understand, it feels like he’s painting castles in the air.
Lu Huaiqian: Exactly, painting castles in the air, and confidently painting big ones. I’ve politely refused countless times, but he still doesn’t understand the deeper meaning in my words. He kept persuading me. Finally, I managed to send him away.
Lu Huaiqian: That’s why I’m not interested in my birthday party. All these people are business elites, coming here to make money. The conversation is too purposeful, and I don’t like it.
Cheng Shuo: But, don’t deny it, your outfit today also looks quite like a business elite (especially when you’re silent).
Lu Huaiqian: No choice, in formal occasions, one has to put on a facade.
Lu Huaiqian: Someone’s here again, we’ll talk later.
This time, Lu Huaiqian disappeared, surprisingly staying off the grid until the end of the banquet.
Cheng Shuo didn’t catch a glimpse of him.
Some guests had plans for the evening and left in the afternoon, while others, busy during the day, arrived in the evening.
Cheng Shuo had a quick memory for faces, possibly due to his profession as an art student. Glancing around, he noticed several new faces.
He found a corner by the window, enjoying the evening breeze and the night view. When Su Bingran or Zhao Ge were around, he’d chat with them. When they weren’t, he’d quietly contemplate his own thoughts.
Unconsciously, it was approaching 11 PM. Guests were leaving one after another, and those who remained were planning to stay at the hotel for the night.
In the vast banquet hall, only scattered guests remained.
Cheng Shuo still didn’t know the location of the presidential suite Lu Huaiqian mentioned. He didn’t long for it; he was just curious. Since he hadn’t received a response after asking Lu Huaiqian in a message, he silently pocketed his phone.
“Hello, we meet again.”
Suddenly, a stranger’s rough male voice sounded in his ear. Cheng Shuo turned his head, and his whole being froze in place, as if struck by lightning.
Mr. Cao.
The buried memories gradually resurfaced. The man before him had a face full of wrinkles when he smiled, and two golden teeth gleamed beneath his thick lips—the face he saw at the Blue Bar.
Last time, he managed to escape, thanks to Aru’s help.
Cheng Shuo suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.
The man approached a few steps, and the flesh on his beer belly quivered with each step. “Aru said you’re a friend of Lu Huaiqian. I knew we would meet again at his birthday party. It’s fate.”
Cheng Shuo took a half-step back, forcing a strained smile. “Yes.”
“I’ve actually been watching you for a long time.” Mr.Cao lowered his head, narrowing the distance between them. “You’re very beautiful, and I appreciate that.”
Cheng Shuo forced a smile, “Thank you.”
Mr. Cao handed over his cup, “This wine tastes good, want to try?”
“Thank you for your kindness,” Cheng Shuo politely declined with a fake smile, “I’m allergic to alcohol.”
Mr. Cao clicked his tongue and reluctantly withdrew his hand, “Oh, what a pity. The taste is really good.”
Cheng Shuo gave an awkward laugh.
After thinking for a few seconds, Mr. Cao said, “I know you study fine arts. Coincidentally, I’m very interested in fine arts. How about tonight, we find a place where no one will disturb us and talk about the differences between abstract art, representational art, and impressionism?”
The fake smile disappeared from Cheng Shuo’s face instantly.
He subtly took a half-step back.
Mr. Cao, however, grabbed Cheng Shuo’s right hand, “I want to buy your paintings.”
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Cheng Shuo pulled his fingers away, “I’m sorry, Mr. Cao, I’m not in a position to show my artworks.”
At this moment, Mr. Cao’s hand slithered up to Cheng Shuo’s waist, agile like a slippery snake.
Unable to endure it any longer, Cheng Shuo dodged, biting the back of his teeth. Only then did he manage not to tear off Mr. Cao’s face directly. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cao, I need to excuse myself. I’ll go to the restroom.”
With that, he didn’t even look at Mr. Cao’s reaction, turning around and hurriedly running into the restroom.
His heart pounded like a drum.
He locked the door of the cubicle, hid inside, and sent a message to Lu Huaiqian to vent: Help, Huafeng City is really too small. I encountered the old pervert who harassed me at the bar before. His last name is Cao.
Still no response. He wondered where Lu Huaiqian went; he seemed so busy.
Cheng Shuo hid in the cubicle for a long time, until the battery on his phone turned red.
He switched to power-saving mode, but it couldn’t stop the battery from draining. If it automatically shut down later, even if Lu Huaiqian replied, he wouldn’t receive the message.
Cheng Shuo messaged Zhao Ge and Su Bingran, coincidentally finding out that both of them were experiencing online communication issues.
However, he thought the hotel should have portable chargers for rent. He sneaked out, thinking that even if he borrowed one and came back, Mr. Cao probably wouldn’t still be waiting at the restroom door after all this time.
Cheng Shuo tentatively pushed open the cubicle door. However, before taking a couple of steps, he unexpectedly discovered that the restroom door was also locked.
Unfortunately, it was too late to react!
In the next instant, Cheng Shuo’s throat was grabbed by someone. He couldn’t see the person behind him, only catching a glimpse of an arm muscle wedged under his chin, seemingly well-trained.
It felt like an accomplice hired by Mr. Cao.
The power disparity was too great, and Cheng Shuo’s struggles gradually became futile. Breathing became increasingly difficult, and his limbs weakened.
A sudden and intense pain hit his head, as if struck by a heavy object.
Cheng Shuo lost consciousness completely.