No Ghosting Allowed chapter 11

As per Black Bar’s policy, when Zhou Qingbo performed his public show, the first tower of glasses was completely free, limited to one drink per person, for all the customers to enjoy.

That policy had become a well-established tradition, and after Zhou Qingbo’s performance, the audience around the stage began to gather, and Pei You was carried along by the crowd, making his way closer to the stage.

In the center of the stage, after taking his bow, Zhou Qingbo stepped a few steps to the side and sat on a high stool near the edge of the stage to take a break.

The attentive waiter knew his habits well and handed him a can of cola, chatting with him with a smile, “Today’s crowd is much better than the previous days, Brother Zhou. It’s been a while since you last came, and everyone wasn’t used to it.”

Zhou Qingbo propped the chilled cola against his neck to cool down and then casually pulled out a lollipop from his coat pocket. He tore open the packaging with his teeth and popped it into his mouth.

“Is that so?” Zhou Qingbo raised an eyebrow, smiling, “Then I guess I’ll have to stay a bit longer today.”

While the service staff were responsible for distributing drinks, Zhou Qingbo habitually scanned the surroundings at that time, gaining a fresh and stable sense of achievement.

As usual, his gaze slid from the right side of the stage to the left. But before he could even reach the middle, he spotted a familiar face among the crowd.

Furrowing his brow, Zhou Qingbo instinctively stood up from the stool and took a few steps forward.

The area around the stage was crowded, and to ensure safety, a high-intensity spotlight was turned on. Pei You’s figure stood conspicuously under the light, easily caught by Zhou Qingbo’s sight once again.

Sure enough, it’s him, Zhou Qingbo thought.

Pei You looked like he was watching for something, and their gazes met fleetingly in mid-air, soon interrupted by others, creating an illusion.

Zhou Qingbo’s heart thumped slightly, and he subconsciously took a step back, retreating into the shadows of the light.

Until now, Zhou Qingbo’s life had been clearly divided into “public” and “private” modes. He had two professions, two dress styles, and two different groups on social media—one for daytime when he dressed sharply and wandered around the clean and bright office, playing the ordinary role of a respectable executive, dealing with reports and seemingly endless meetings. At night, he followed his own preferences and interests, wearing worn-out T-shirts and jeans while working as a mixologist in a dim and noisy bar.

His life had been divided by a clear boundary, with no overlapping.

There was Zhou Qingbo in suits and leather shoes, and then there was “Brother Zhou,” involved in all sorts of irregular and unconventional activities. Yet Pei You had barged in and tangled the two separate lines together.

Pei You had trespassed into Zhou Qingbo’s unprepared territory repeatedly, and had invaded his comfort zone subconsciously, giving Zhou Qingbo a brief sense of confusion. Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of crisis washed over him.

But before this feeling could ferment into more defined negative emotions, Zhou Qingbo spotted another person in the crowd.

Unlike Pei You, Zhou Cangshan exuded a completely different aura. He detested that kind of atmosphere to the point where people within one meter of him avoided him, making him stand out in the crowd.

When Zhou Qingbo saw him, the person was coming out of the corridor from the entrance to the lobby. He had a deep frown on his face, looking as if he could wring water out of it. As soon as he entered, he looked around, clearly searching for someone.

Zhou Qingbo’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t have time to worry whether Pei You had seen his other side. Without a second thought, he supported himself on the stage and prepared to jump down and run.

The service staff guarding the exit was startled and quickly reached out to help him, wondering, “What’s wrong, Brother Zhou?”

“My eldest brother is here,” Zhou Qingbo said concisely.

Zhou Cangshan’s name was evidently well-known and feared. The service staff turned pale and quickly moved the clutter beside the stage, clearing a path for him to escape.

“How about you hide backstage first?” the staff suggested.

Zhou Qingbo let out a brief sound of agreement, then patted the staff member’s shoulder and hurriedly made his way around the heap of power cords, heading toward the backstage.

Zhou Cangshan had never agreed with Zhou Qingbo working as a mixologist in a bar. He always felt that such places were chaotic and decadent, full of casual hookups and drugs, which would lead to a bad influence. Moreover, being a mixologist was not a stable profession, and Zhou Cangshan always saw Zhou Qingbo’s job as a wayward path, wanting him to come back to the right track and inherit the family’s business.

Unfortunately, Zhou Qingbo had no interest in the vast family fortune and couldn’t convince his older brother. As a result, he could only avoid him and secretly work part-time, concealing it from the family like a guerilla operation.

But it had been a long time since Zhou Cangshan last caught him, Zhou Qingbo thought.

Zhou Cangshan didn’t fit in with the bar scene, and he himself wouldn’t willingly set foot in such a place. So unless he was absolutely sure Zhou Qingbo was there, he wouldn’t personally come.

Who could have tipped him off? Zhou Qingbo wondered.

Almost immediately, he thought of Pei You, whom he had seen under the stage earlier. However, before he could follow this train of thought, he dismissed the idea himself.

It couldn’t be Pei You. Zhou Qingbo thought, -he’s not that kind of person.

It was strange that he had only recently met Pei You, but he inexplicably believed that Pei You wouldn’t be the type to “betray” him.

Maybe it was because Pei You looked gentle and righteous, or perhaps it was because Pei You had promised to keep all their relationships confidential.

The distribution of drinks was still ongoing, and Zhou Qingbo struggled to move through the crowd, subconsciously intending to head towards the back door.

However, after taking a few steps against the crowd, he suddenly realized that if he wanted to leave through the back door, he would have to pass by the bar. The bar was located between the stage and the main entrance, so if he went that way, he might run into Zhou Cangshan.

Zhou Qingbo halted his steps, subconsciously turned back to retrace his path. However, there was a dead-end behind him. If he tried to pass through there, once the crowd near the stage dispersed, Zhou Cangshan would still be able to find him.

Zhou Qingbo knew his older brother well. Zhou Cangshan was a man who stuck to his beliefs once he was convinced of something. If he was certain Zhou Qingbo was there, he could dig him out from underground if needed.

Zhou Qingbo found himself in a dilemma. He stood in the crowd, hesitating on the spot when a hand suddenly reached out from the side, unhesitatingly grabbing his arm and pulling him aside.

Zhou Qingbo didn’t react in time and stumbled backward a couple of steps. Before he could see who was pulling him, he saw a wine glass fall from the stage, brushing against his forehead, landing on the ground with a crisp sound.

“Why are you standing there?” Pei You said urgently, “With so many people, can’t you avoid a falling wine glass?”

“My brother is here,” Zhou Qingbo seemed absent-minded, and he didn’t even hear what Pei You said. He spoke first, “I have to go.”

He wasn’t particularly afraid, just worried that if Zhou Cangshan caught him, he would be under observation for a long time. Zhou Qingbo hadn’t gone out for a breath of fresh air in a long time, and if he got caught again, it would be a disaster.

Pei You was initially stunned but quickly looked in the direction Zhou Qingbo pointed. He also saw Zhou Cangshan, who was standing in the crowd, seemingly searching for something.

Pei You took only a few steps, but he was more nervous than Zhou Qingbo, who was hiding behind and observing the scene.

Fortunately, Zhou Cangshan was an upright person and didn’t have any doubts when he saw Pei You from afar. He even politely greeted him.

“Mr. Pei,” Zhou Cangshan nodded towards Pei You and said, “Are you here to have fun as well?”

Pei You had prepared several opening lines in his mind as he walked from the stage, afraid of accidentally revealing Zhou Qingbo’s identity, but he never expected that Zhou Cangshan would initiate a conversation with him. He was almost caught off guard.

“I’m here looking for someone,” Pei You quickly reacted and shook hands with Zhou Cangshan, replying, “And you, are you here to enjoy the drinks too?”

Zhou Cangshan withdrew his hand after shaking hands with Pei You and glanced in the direction of the stage.

The performance on the stage had already ended, and the tower of drinks had been mostly distributed, with only a few servers doing the final cleaning. The main character of the performance had long since disappeared, and Zhou Cangshan had arrived too late to catch a glimpse of him.

“I’m not,” Zhou Cangshan paused, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, unsure of how to answer.

The bar was particularly lively that day, and Zhou Cangshan scanned the lobby, seeing unfamiliar faces holding drinks everywhere. The “high-risk areas” of the stage and the bar had mixologists in uniforms standing guard, but there was no sign of Zhou Qingbo.

Strange, Zhou Cangshan thought. The secretary had told him that Zhou Qingbo was at Sanlitun, but now he was nowhere to be found.

“Mr. Pei,” Zhou Cangshan was pondering when he noticed Pei You standing nearby. He immediately changed the subject and asked, “When did you arrive?”

“I’ve been here for a while. I just watched a performance,” Pei You said.

“Really?” Zhou Cangshan scanned the stage again and asked, somewhat hesitantly, “The performance just now…?”

Zhou Cangshan wanted to ask if the performer was Zhou Qingbo but didn’t know how to put it. He still wanted to save face for Zhou Qingbo in front of others, which made him indecisive, showing signs of hesitation.

“The performance was pretty good,” Pei You coughed slightly and said, “That little girl’s skills were excellent. She looked very professional. However, it seems they only had one performance, and you came late today and missed it.”

Pei You didn’t know how to dispel Zhou Cangshan’s suspicions, so he tried to steer the conversation away from Zhou Qingbo. However, he felt nervous, especially when mentioning “the little girl,” his mind was full of the scene where Zhou Qingbo ignited the tower of drinks, almost tripping over his words.

Luckily, the bar’s dim lighting and loud background music concealed his awkwardness, and Zhou Cangshan didn’t notice anything amiss. He simply relaxed his shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s fine,” Zhou Cangshan said, going with the flow. “By the way, I suddenly remembered some company matters, so I’ll leave now.”

Not pursuing the matter further was a good thing for Pei You. He watched Zhou Cangshan leave the lobby, feeling relieved, thinking that deceiving people was even harder than making reports, and he should avoid such situations in the future.