Blue Cocktail chapter 6

Also escaping with Cheng Shuo was the amber-like honey cocktail in his hand.

Cheng Shuo didn’t leave immediately but returned to the corner of the bar, somewhat absentmindedly taking a sip from his glass.

The combination of rum and lemon juice, with the caramel’s sweetness, was quickly overshadowed by its sourness, engulfing his taste buds and burning down his throat. After swallowing that sip, he suddenly remembered Lu Huaiqian’s comment about making a wish before drinking.

No wish, no wish.

Cheng Shuo was prepared to stay the night and had decided not to return to the dormitory. Even though all the clues now pointed to Song Wenyuan being a playboy, he was already here, so there was no rush to leave.

Since he had time to spare tonight, he would witness Song Wenyuan’s dark side with his own eyes and thoroughly forget his so-called first love. It would be an act of letting go.

Thinking this way, Cheng Shuo took another sip.

Unexpectedly, the first sip didn’t taste particularly good to him. It felt like his taste buds were activated by the stimulating drink, which was something he had never tasted before.

However, by the second sip, his taste buds adapted to the drink’s stimulation. His stomach, an emotional organ that had been awakened, became accustomed to the taste of the cocktail, and he began to enjoy it.

Cheng Shuo lowered his head, gently swirling his glass, allowing the drink to spin around its rim.

…It’s not bad at all.

English songs played one after another in the bar named after moonlight, and the dim lighting was like a fine, impermeable web that enclosed all the nighttime customers. People shed the carefully crafted masks they wore during the day, revealing their hidden, unknown sides.

Song Wenyuan was no exception.

The rest of the story unfolded just as Cheng Shuo expected. Song Wenyuan left with Xiao Jie and disappeared into the night in the direction he had initially come from. It seemed they had gone to the hotel across the street.

Afterward, Song Wenyuan returned, now wearing a new outfit and accompanied by a new guy. They sat in a nearly identical spot, engaging in playful banter at first but eventually growing closer, cuddling together, their fingertips intertwined under the table.

Lu Huaiqian walked over to Song Wenyuan with the menu, acting as if they didn’t know each other, “Good evening, sir. May I ask what you would like to order?”

Song Wenyuan held the new guy’s waist and inquired, “Do you prefer sweet or spicy flavors?”

The new guy huddled in Song Wenyuan’s embrace and said, “A bit on the sweeter side. I don’t like spicy drinks.”

So, Song Wenyuan looked up at Lu Huaiqian and asked, “Could you recommend some sweeter cocktails?”

Cheng Shuo suddenly realized.

He finally understood why Song Wenyuan had specifically reminded Lu Huaiqian not to mention the previous bill – because the first-time customers received the welcoming phrase, but if a customer left and returned, it became a casual, “What would you like again?” That detail might expose the customer’s rendezvous.

So, Song Wenyuan was subtly signaling to Lu Huaiqian not to slip up, and Lu Huaiqian understood Song Wenyuan’s request quickly. Perhaps, he had often helped provide cover in similar situations.

Cheng Shuo’s expression suddenly turned cold. He nearly pressed his lips into a tight line.

The glass refracted a glaring light, and there was only one sip of the cocktail left. Cheng Shuo suddenly lost his appetite when he remembered it was a drink Lu Huaiqian had made.

He had no interest in observing Song Wenyuan and the new guy’s flirtations.

Sitting idly in his seat for a while, he suddenly stood up, feeling a moment of dizziness.

Cheng Shuo noticed that his thoughts were becoming sluggish, likely because he had never drunk before. The alcohol seemed to be affecting him, and the amount he had consumed was making him feel a little tipsy.

He felt that he couldn’t stay any longer.

He had paid for his order when placing it, so Cheng Shuo went straight to the bar’s exit. He deliberately slowed his pace to avoid appearing odd or drawing unwanted attention. However, when he was about to reach the door, he was suddenly bumped on the shoulder by someone.

Cheng Shuo stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance. Cold alcohol had been splashed on his right arm, making the deep blue of his denim jacket even darker.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, a hand reached out and abruptly grabbed his arm.

Cheng Shuo furrowed his brow, and when he raised his head, his pupils constricted involuntarily.

In close proximity, there was Song Wenyuan’s exquisite and impeccable face.

For a moment, his heart seemed to skip a beat, and Cheng Shuo stood stunned in place.

In an instant, his mind went blank.

“I’m sorry, I accidentally bumped into you and spilled the drink on your clothes,” Song Wenyuan’s face showed a superficial apology. “If you don’t mind, I can have your jacket cleaned and send it to you. Here’s my contact information—”

Cheng Shuo could feel a deliberate pause in Song Wenyuan’s words, as if he was waiting for his response.

So he remained silent, locked in a standoff with Song Wenyuan, his expression growing colder.

Song Wenyuan probably didn’t expect such a reaction from the young man he bumped into. With no success in his attempt, he felt somewhat awkward. After adjusting his facial expression, he smiled, a somewhat sharp smile, and said, “So, how do you think I should express my apologies?”

“You don’t need to do anything.”

Cheng Shuo withdrew his arm from Song Wenyuan’s grasp.

A waiting staff happened to pass by, and Cheng Shuo asked him for the location of the restroom. He left Song Wenyuan standing there, heading to the restroom on his own.

Maybe it was because of the sweet-tasting cocktail spilled on his clothes, but the fabric was sticking to him, feeling clingy and ingratiating, much like the expression Song Wenyuan had given him when they met face to face.

Standing by the sink, Cheng Shuo turned the tap on to the maximum. He rolled up his sleeves and began washing his arm and then splashed water on his face with his hands.

The long, thick eyelashes were wet and hanging down. His gaze was fixed on the empty white wall in front of him.

Cheng Shuo had expected that Song Wenyuan wouldn’t remember him. Thus, the reunion they just had, portrayed as their first encounter, didn’t disappoint him.

However, since high school, he had hoped countless times that Song Wenyuan would turn around and take a look at him. But he never expected that when his dream came true, Song Wenyuan would play such a whimsical role, with a pretentious display, and a collision that seemed accidental but was actually intentional. This display easily shattered all of Cheng Shuo’s fantasies.

Although he didn’t understand why Song Wenyuan would leave his new date unattended to flirt with him, maybe he was looking for a new partner. However, this didn’t matter anymore. He might have misjudged him.

Alcohol began to take effect, his emotions started to accumulate and swell, dense and cramped in his chest, squeezing out his rationality.

This feeling of losing control made Cheng Shuo realize the danger. Song Wenyuan wasn’t worth more of his time. He decided to leave, to go back to campus early. However, there was one thing he couldn’t ignore.

There was a thief in his dorm, hiding in the shadows, only daring to send some provocative anonymous messages.

Cheng Shuo felt a string in his mind, teetering on the edge of snapping. He couldn’t afford to lose his composure now.

He didn’t want to think any further, so he bent down, once again washed his face with tap water, and took quite a while to turn off the tap, shaking off the water droplets from his fingertips.

That’s when Lu Huaiqian appeared.

When Cheng Shuo turned to leave, he happened to brush past Lu Huaiqian.

Then he heard laughter from behind, and that was when the string in his mind snapped without warning.

Cheng Shuo squinted and turned to look at Lu Huaiqian.

What was he laughing at?

Lu Huaiqian stood by the sink, at the spot Cheng Shuo had occupied a moment ago, and he felt the burning gaze from behind.

So he turned around, pushed aside the button on the cuff of his right shirt, and then raised his right hand, seemingly reminding Cheng Shuo with a smile that was both suggestive and nonchalant, “Your tattoo on your arm is fading.”

Cheng Shuo lowered his head to look; the dragon tattoo on his arm had blurred beyond recognition due to the recent rinsing.

He put down his shirt cuff in silence, and his jacket still had stains from the spilled drink. “So what?”

At this moment, Cheng Shuo didn’t want much interaction with Lu Huaiqian, and he had no intention of giving the other any time to respond. He was about to stride away—

“Cheng Shuo.”

Lu Huaiqian leaned against the edge of the sink. He lowered his gaze, rolled up the cuff of his shirt on the right, and continued with the left cuff, handling the actions with ease. “I see that you’re interested in Song Wenyuan, but I suggest you not get too close to him. He’s dangerous.”

“I said that as a friend,” he finished rolling up the left cuff, then looked at Cheng Shuo, the depth of his gaze unfathomable. “Of course, you can make your own choice.”

At this moment, Cheng Shuo suddenly laughed, though the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. Just as he was about to vent his frustration on someone, indeed, Lu Huaiqian had no obligation to refuse a customer’s request or to help conceal Song Wenyuan’s promiscuity. After all, in Lu Huaiqian’s eyes, the customer was king.

Cheng Shuo also had no obligation to accept Lu Huaiqian as a friend, and everything that had transpired, just like the final words from Lu Huaiqian, was a matter of personal choice.

Actually, he shouldn’t have responded at this moment. Cheng Shuo was well aware of this. Turning and walking away was the best choice, to avoid any conflict and further complications.

But at that moment, alcohol unexpectedly numbed his rationality. Cheng Shuo put his hands in his pockets, raised his chin, and looked at Lu Huaiqian’s inscrutable eyes, unable to hold back a sneer. His smile was cold, and there was a hint of mockery in his tone—

A bar owner who, in the presence of every lover brought by Song Wenyuan, had helped hide the fact that Song Wenyuan was a playboy, and yet, behind Song Wenyuan’s back, was calling him dangerous.

“So, who is more dangerous?”