Decayed Vulgarian chapter 20
Heartbreak
The warm lights gradually dimmed, and a few droplets from the shower fell, shattering into tiny streams. Shen Xun stood in front of the bathroom sink, running his fingers through his damp hair. The hot air from the hair dryer blew on his cheeks, its deafening noise trying to mask the sounds from his bedroom.
It wasn’t until the aged plug came loose from the socket, quieting the room in an instant, that he finally heard the notification sound on his phone.
Setting aside the hairdryer temporarily, he walked to his bedroom, wondering if it was his phone.
…Was it Meng Yuan Cen?
In that moment, countless explanations passed through his mind, but he couldn’t settle on any that he found satisfactory—an explanation that could reasonably hide the fact that he had suddenly found himself wanting to flirt with Meng Yuan Cen uncontrollably.
But he couldn’t reject Meng Yuan Cen’s call without a valid reason. Shen Xun flipped his phone over.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Meng Yuan Cen.
This realization made him relax, and he opened the speakerphone as he walked back to the bathroom, increasing the volume to compete with the sounds coming from his bedroom.
The male voice on the other end was unfamiliar. “Hello, are you a friend of Liang Yan?”
Shen Xun didn’t answer immediately.
The man on the other end of the line seemed to understand what was happening. “I’m not involved in an online scam or anything like that. Yulan Bar is a well-established place with a good reputation in the area. I have no reason to tarnish our image. People at the bar are diverse. Your friend got very drunk, almost unconscious. I think someone might be eyeing him, so you’d better come and take him away before he wakes up somewhere he doesn’t recognize.”
Years ago, Shen Xun had heard of Yulan Bar because it catered to not only heterosexual but also LGBTQ+ clientele, making it somewhat a part of the gay community.
Shen Xun believed about eighty percent of what the man said, with the remaining twenty percent arising from his confusion.
Liang Yan usually didn’t enjoy drinking. So why was he at a bar tonight?
Silence spread between them on the phone, and the man on the other end grew impatient. He was the first to break the silence.
“I can show you a video, or you can talk to Liang Yan yourself. If you still don’t believe me,” he paused and then chuckled, “it’s up to you. I’ve done what I should do. Perhaps tonight your friend will be lucky enough to meet his special someone, and I’ve overreacted.”
Shen Xun said, “Let me talk to Liang Yan.”
The man activated the WeChat video, aiming the rear camera at Liang Yan’s flushed face. He said, “Talk to your friend and clear me of any suspicion of fraud.”
Shen Xun asked, “Liang Yan, are you okay?”
Liang Yan squinted and tried to widen his eyes. His gaze was still unfocused. A few seconds later, he looked surprised and muddled, “Ah, so you’re Xiao Shen. I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m going all out tonight!”
The man, presumably the bar owner, spoke again. “You should come as soon as possible. Look for me directly when you arrive. If something happens because you’re late, I won’t take responsibility.”
After he hung up, it was 10:26 PM. Several streetlights in the neighborhood had gone out. Shen Xun’s hair was only partially dry.
Shivering in the chilly night air, he took a glance at his phone as he unlocked it. The driver he had called was still on his way. He absentmindedly cleared a bunch of notifications from the GG News app. Frustrated and upset, he then put his phone back in his coat pocket.
Five minutes later, the driver finally arrived, and the journey to the destination took a little over ten minutes.
The bar was different from the typical bars with blaring DJs and crowded dance floors. It had multicolored overhead lights that occasionally revealed customers’ faces, creating a dreamy ambiance. Shen Xun didn’t like overly noisy places; a crowd of strangers made him feel uneasy. However, the atmosphere here was relatively calm, still within his comfort zone.
Shen Xun scanned the surroundings but couldn’t spot any service staff. They were probably busy attending to other customers.
As he passed by the bar counter, he saw a bartender in a white shirt and black vest, who was concentrating on mixing drinks.
Behind him on the liquor shelf were various bottles, their labels adorned with fancy or italicized English letters. The bottles glistened like gemstones, and the sheer variety left him somewhat dazed.
The bartender should know where the bar owner was. Shen Xun prepared his words carefully, pondering how to phrase his inquiry.
As he got closer, Shen Xun asked tentatively, “Can you help me find your owner, Lu Huaiqian? I need to talk to him about something.”
The bartender said in response, “I am Lu Huaiqian.”
Surprised, Shen Xun inquired, “Where is Liang Yan?”
Just then, a server passed by the bar counter, and Lu Huaiqian said, “Xiao Zhao, I’m stepping out for a moment but will be back soon.”
With a quick glance at Shen Xun, he continued, “Follow me.”
In the backstage changing room, Shen Xun finally met Liang Yan. His face bore an expression of foolishness and sorrow, quite different from his usual demeanor.
“Liang Yan,” Shen Xun called.
But Liang Yan didn’t respond.
“He came here to get wasted. He had several drinks,” Lu Huaiqian explained.
“Getting wasted?” Shen Xun repeated.
“Probably over a breakup,” Lu Huaiqian guessed. “I’ve seen a lot of people like this; his behavior is similar.”
After some thought, Shen Xun said, “Thank you.”
Lu Huaiqian chuckled. “Ah, now you finally believe me. Not easy, not easy.”
Shen Xun could only manage an awkward yet polite smile. Perhaps his work at the police station had made him perpetually cautious about real-life fraud schemes, and it was difficult to let his guard down.
He was also somewhat surprised. “Do you always keep an eye out for someone taking an interest in your customers?”
Lu Huaiqian smiled. “This is a quiet bar, not as noisy and crowded as clubs. I couldn’t manage a disco bar. If someone tries to act inappropriately, regardless of whether the person being coerced is male or female, I intervene when there’s no conflict and discreetly escort them away. Just now, it was a regular customer, an old sea wolf who dabbles in both men and women. He was touching your friend inappropriately, and I couldn’t tell what he intended. I had initially planned for my staff member Xiao Zhao to escort your friend out through the back door, but your friend was too drunk to even make it home. I thought it was better to contact you for safety.”
Shen Xun suddenly noticed something, “How did you have his lock screen password? Do you… know each other?”
Lu Huaiqian was quite pleased, “Fingerprint unlock, only ten fingers, we took turns to try them.”
Dragging Liang Yan out of the bar and shoving him into a taxi, Shen Xun saw that it was already past 11 o’clock. Liang Yan’s new home was not in the Yuhai District, and it was in the opposite direction from his residential complex, quite a distance away. To avoid the trouble, he decided to take Liang Yan to his own home.
On the way, he furrowed his brows and asked, “Liang Yan, what’s going on?”
Liang Yan spoke in fragments, “I… what am I… to you, what does he have… that’s better than me…”
His fragmented words seemed to confirm Lu Huaiqian’s guess, but Liang Yan had broken up with his girlfriend several months ago. So why were his emotions suddenly exploding tonight? Did it mean that Liang Yan’s usual cheerful and carefree demeanor was just a facade?
Supporting Liang Yan’s limp arm on both shoulders, Shen Xun struggled to climb the three dark flights of stairs and dumped him onto the living room couch.
Standing in front of Liang Yan, Shen Xun caught a strong whiff of alcohol in the air. “Liang Yan, do you want to chat or sleep now?”
Liang Yan remained silent, as if he had not heard.
Shen Xun gave up on further inquiries and thought it was like talking to a brick wall. He was about to turn to the fridge to find some hangover food to make soup when he suddenly heard a very light sob in the air. “…Keep me company, Shen.”
Liang Yan continued, his voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum.”
“You’re not completely out of it yet,” Shen Xun sighed. “So what exactly happened?”
Author’s note:
Lu Huaiqian is the protagonist from the adjacent work “Blue Cocktails,” with an official pairing there. Here, I’m making a small crossover (mainly because I’m too lazy to come up with new names).