Blue Cocktail chapter 69
In the afternoon, Cheng Shuo occupied the study, immersed in contemplation for his new design. Lu Huaiqian had to relocate to the bedroom with his notebook and projector. Initially, he thought of watching an old movie but decided against it. He was concerned that the bedroom door’s soundproofing might be insufficient, turning into noise in Cheng Shuo’s ears.
As evening approached, Lu Huaiqian waited until 6:30, but there was still no sign of the closed study door opening. Instead of knocking, he messaged Cheng Shuo: Dinner time~
Cheng Shuo replied: I’ll be right there. Go ahead and eat; don’t wait for me.
Fifteen minutes later, Cheng Shuo, who claimed to be coming immediately, hadn’t shown up. The door to the bedroom remained untouched.
Seeing this, Lu Huaiqian sighed inwardly. Cheng Shuo had learned to deceive people after spending so much time with him. Indeed, familiarity breeds contempt.
He messaged Cheng Shuo again: If you don’t come out soon, I’ll finish your dinner too.
Cheng Shuo replied in seconds: Are you a big eater?
Followed by a confused cat scratching its head emoji.
Lu Huaiqian continued: Dinner was cooked in small portions today, and I wasn’t full to begin with.
Cheng Shuo responded: Then you eat. I can buy noodles downstairs later.
Lu Huaiqian couldn’t resist teasing: You’re buying noodles for me?
Cheng Shuo hadn’t caught on initially: Isn’t my dinner portion enough for you?
Soon, he understood: .
Three seconds later, the door was pushed open with a bang. Cheng Shuo swiftly moved to the dining table. Lu Huaiqian, who hadn’t even touched his chopsticks, was playing with him again, but Cheng Shuo was too lazy to argue.
Cheng Shuo picked up the bowl and ate voraciously.
Beside him, Lu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow, watching him intently, and intentionally asked, “Are you this hungry?”
Mid-bite, Cheng Shuo looked up and responded with an expression of speechlessness, “I’m in a hurry.”
Lu Huaiqian leisurely picked up some food with his chopsticks, his mouth never ceasing to chatter, “If you’re really in a hurry, can I help you with something?”
Cheng Shuo, busy as he was, raised his head, “Can you help me by staying quiet?”
Lu Huaiqian immediately added, “Except for this.”
Cheng Shuo gave him a reproachful glance, making it clear that if he couldn’t deliver, he shouldn’t ask.
Surprisingly, Lu Huaiqian didn’t speak again. He quietly accompanied Cheng Shuo, patiently waiting for him to finish the meal.
After the bowl was placed on the table, making a clattering sound, Cheng Shuo didn’t immediately return to the study. Instead, he sat motionless on the chair, lost in thought.
Unable to endure any longer, Lu Huaiqian spoke up, “weren’t you in a hurry?”
Cheng Shuo glanced at Lu Huaiqian, “I’m contemplating whether I should redraw the whole thing or make modifications to the original draft. I’m not satisfied with what I’m drawing now. I’m afraid that if I keep modifying it, in the end, I’ll still have to redraw it.”
“Do you need advice from an outsider like me?”
“I do.” Cheng Shuo jumped up from the chair in a hurry, “Wait here; I’ll get my laptop.”
Half a minute later, Cheng Shuo came out holding the laptop, and on the screen was a half-finished image.
Taking the laptop, Lu Huaiqian only glanced at it briefly before praising, “I can already imagine how beautiful this picture will be after refinement. Keep it up; I feel like you have a great chance of winning!”
Hearing this, Cheng Shuo sighed, “Don’t be like this, Lu Huaiqian. I don’t need exaggerated praises. It makes me feel a little hypocritical. Just tell me your real feelings. Do you think, if you were a judge in this competition, would you choose it as the packaging design for the cocktail beverage?”
“Okay, then let me be straightforward,” Lu Huaiqian rolled his eyes, “Maybe everyone’s aesthetics differ. I think the color of the packaging looks good, but— it seems like it hasn’t reached the level that would make me go ‘wow.’ Whether I would choose it depends on whether there are more satisfying works?”
Cheng Shuo rubbed his temples, sighed deeply, and said, “I feel the same way as you. The colors are nice, but just ordinarily nice. It lacks creativity. When I conceptualized it, I thought the idea was quite good, but I didn’t expect it to turn out so ordinary.”
He took the laptop back from Lu Huaiqian and asked, “Do you think I should redraw it?”
“If you want a sincere suggestion from the bottom of my heart, based on my experience designing bar event posters,” Lu Huaiqian paused for a few seconds, then said seriously, “Redraw it.”
“Modifying on the original might trap you with your initial ideas. I think starting anew might lead to better creativity.”
“That’s what I had in mind.” Cheng Shuo, holding the laptop, walked quickly towards the study.
Lu Huaiqian asked, “Do you already have new ideas so quickly?”
Without turning his head, Cheng Shuo replied, “No, I just plan to seize the time and immediately start a new round of brainstorming.”
Shouting to his retreating figure, Lu Huaiqian asked, “Do you need me to brainstorm with you?”
Persisting, Lu Huaiqian continued, “Two heads are better than one!”
He added, “Many hands make light work!”
At the threshold, Cheng Shuo’s hand hesitated as he closed the door. He turned back, “hurry before i change my mind.”
Lu Huaiqian grinned, “Coming!”
“Before we start, a word of warning: I get easily irritated when drawing, so you better not be too noisy.”
“I promise not to speak nonsense or joke around. We’ll only discuss serious matters,” Lu Huaiqian said. “Wait for me for two minutes. I’ll grab my computer next door and also my exclusive chair.”
The study’s wooden table was large enough for two people. Lu Huaiqian sat across from Cheng Shuo and opened the browser. “If I remember correctly, the theme is ‘Slight Intoxication,’ right?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Lu Huaiqian typed the keywords, ‘Slight Intoxication.’
Whenever he encountered a bottleneck in designing promotional graphics, he would search the internet for keywords to find other successful cases, seeking inspiration.
Occasionally, his gaze shifted away from the screen, sneakily observing Cheng Shuo. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter, perhaps because he had a low threshold for amusement—Cheng Shuo’s brainstorming sessions seemed more like meditation. His eyes were even closed, and sometimes Lu Huaiqian would wonder if Cheng Shuo was peacefully asleep.
Struggling to contain his laughter, Lu Huaiqian suddenly met Cheng Shuo’s open eyes.
Their eyes locked.
In a hurry to defend himself, Lu Huaiqian said, “I didn’t make any noise. I was very quiet!”
Cheng Shuo responded with an “Oh,” without elaborating.
Soon, Cheng Shuo’s eyebrows furrowed, and he raised his head, looking distressed. Staring at the ceiling above him, and the blank space where his brain should be, he sighed, “Ah, I can’t think of anything.”
Lu Huaiqian quickly spoke up, “Maybe, you can consider my method—searching for keywords online. I often do that and feel it’s useful. Maybe you can find a lot of helpful things.”
Cheng Shuo, skeptical, asked, as a last-ditch effort, “What can you find with this method?”
Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Huaiqian wheeled his chair over to Cheng Shuo, the computer being pushed in front of him. “Take a look.”
Cheng Shuo, with his chin up, yawned, rubbed the tears from the corners of his eyes, forced open his eyelids, and began reading the text on the screen:
“Weixun is a Chinese term, pronounced ‘wei xun,’ meaning slightly intoxicated, with a somewhat floating feeling.”
Baidu Baike.
“…”
Cheng Shuo didn’t even have the strength to glare back. His upper and lower eyelids were in a fierce battle, and he weakly said, “Lu Huaiqian, didn’t you promise me not to joke around and only discuss serious matters?”
“I’m not joking,” Lu Huaiqian looked very wronged. “I’m serious.”
“Then, tell me, what’s the profound meaning behind showing me the definition of ‘Weixun’? What’s the deeper purpose behind it?” Cheng Shuo said with a lack of energy and frustration.
“Have you ever thought about tracing the origin of the term ‘Weixun’?” Lu Huaiqian’s words made Cheng Shuo’s dazed expression clear up a bit.
Lu Huaiqian scrolled down the page, “Baidu Baike says that this term first appeared in ‘Biography of Shao Yong’ in the ‘History of the Song Dynasty.'”
Cheng Shuo’s eyes shifted.
Lu Huaiqian continued reading, “‘In the morning, burn incense and sit leisurely. In the afternoon, have three or four cups of wine. Stop when slightly intoxicated; usually, it doesn’t go as far as getting drunk.'”
“I get it!” Cheng Shuo suddenly stood up, excitedly like a fly buzzing around, searching everywhere. “Where’s my stylus? Wasn’t it just here?”
Lu Huaiqian pointed to Cheng Shuo’s left hand, smiling, “It’s in your hand.”
“I love you, Lu Huaiqian!” Cheng Shuo, full of vigor as if injected with chicken blood, sat down in front of the computer again and reopened the drawing software. “I know what to draw now!”
Lu Huaiqian unexpectedly raised an eyebrow, “What did you just say?”
“I know what to draw!”
“Not that sentence, the one before.”
Cheng Shuo hesitated for a moment, belatedly realizing his slip, feeling uncomfortable. He muttered under his breath, “Are you hard of hearing? You need treatment for your hearing.”
Normally, Lu Huaiqian might have used this opportunity to digress and say a few more words, but not today. He closed the computer and placed it on the swivel chair. Pushing the chair, he walked towards the door. “Alright, my honorable mission is accomplished. The rest is up to you. Good luck!”
“Wait!” Cheng Shuo hastily said, “Don’t leave yet. I still need your help.”
Suddenly stopping, the chair back turned 180 degrees, Lu Huaiqian immediately turned around. Both arms resting on the back of the chair, he smiled, “What help do you need? Just tell me.”
“I want to try a nationalistic style for the packaging, turning the verses related to ‘Weixun’ into illustrations. So, I need you to help me collect poems and songs related to alcohol, intoxication, and ‘Weixun.'”
“No problem.”
“This competition requires three graphics in total, corresponding to three cocktail flavors: grape, green orange, and white peach. So we need to choose the best three verses and then illustrate them.”
Lu Huaiqian pondered for a moment. “Speaking of grapes, I can think of a poem—”
The two looked at each other, surprisingly saying in unison, “‘Grape wine in the night, illuminated by a cup’s light!'”
“You search for poems with ‘wine,’ and I’ll search for those with ‘intoxication.’ If you find any with ‘Weixun,’ we both take note,” Cheng Shuo’s fingers tapped on the keyboard. “Lu Huaiqian, do you know, I’m already dreaming about how to spend the prize money once I get it?”
“How do you plan to spend it?”
“Take a trip.”
“Oh, right. Speaking of traveling, I’ve been so busy lately that I almost forgot to tell you. The May Day holiday trip might have to be postponed a bit because the school scheduled a sketching activity during those days. I’m really angry; the school always occupies our holidays with these sketching activities…”