Unexpected Intimacy chapter 2
Try It Tonight
The music in the bar reached its peak, and the sound of the man’s cries mixed with the noise. Shen Ran’s ears rang, and he impatiently leaned against the wall, pushing forward.
He ignored the movement behind him. Although he was walking unsteadily, he managed to make his way to the door. However, just as he opened it, a cold spray of rain hit his face, and he suddenly felt more awake.
He hadn’t been at the gay bar for long, but the outside had already transformed into a completely different scene. The sky seemed to leak heavily, and the rain poured down relentlessly. The branches of the phoenix trees on the sides of the road swayed violently in the wind, and there were no pedestrians in sight, with even the occasional passing car seeming to disappear into the rain.
In the few moments he stood there, his T-shirt and jeans were soaked by the slanted rain. He closed the door again, feeling frustrated about how to get back, when he heard someone behind him ask, “Are you here alone?”
The voice was cool and slightly deep but pleasant. Shen Ran turned around to see a figure bathed in a soft blue light. The light didn’t obscure the man’s striking beauty, especially his narrow, elegant eyes behind his glasses, which seemed to mesmerize him, like the tail feathers of a bird enticingly stirring his nerves.
Shen Ran found himself lost in the gaze until the man snapped his fingers near his ear, bringing him back to reality. After a moment of hesitation, he finally remembered that this person had been the one who helped him earlier.
He had been upset about the harassment from a man earlier and left in anger, never thanking this person. Feeling awkward, he said, “Thanks for earlier.”
Zhao Jiyu didn’t respond. His handsome features appeared even colder under the blue light. He stood with his hands casually in his fitted trousers, his eyes resting on Shen Ran’s chest where the rain had soaked through. His tone was neutral as he said, “You really don’t remember me?”
The bar’s dim lighting, the music, and the chatter all blended together. Shen Ran, having been drinking, was already feeling the effects and leaned against the wall, squinting as he continued to look at the man in front of him.
Zhao Jiyu allowed him to look, and after a while, Shen Ran said, “You do look a bit familiar.”
Then there was silence.
Zhao Jiyu was speechless.
Even though they were in different classes, they had crossed paths enough times during their two years of university. It seemed Shen Ran was truly drunk.
But what was he doing at a gay bar?
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Zhao Jiyu remembered the spicy gossip about the campus beauty, Li Ting, that Huang Suixu had shared in their group chat the other day. He now understood.
Returning to his initial question, Zhao Jiyu asked again, “Are you here alone?”
Shen Ran sluggishly replied with an “Mhm,” still staring at Zhao Jiyu, clearly thinking hard. He then made a sudden realization and said, “You’re Zhao… Zhao… from the other class!”
He repeated the name twice but then fell silent.
The man in front of him reminded him, “Zhao Jiyu.”
“Right, Zhao Jiyu.” Shen Ran chuckled. “What are you doing in a place like this?”
Zhao Jiyu tossed the question back at him: “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to check it out,” Shen Ran replied casually, glancing over at the crowd beside them before his gaze returned to Zhao Jiyu’s face. After a moment of hesitation, he frowned and asked, “You… you don’t like men, do you?”
Zhao Jiyu made eye contact with him, his gaze neither immediately confirming nor denying. Just as Shen Ran’s internal alarm went off, thinking he had discovered the true sexual orientation of the famous aloof “male god”, Zhao Jiyu said, “No, I was brought here by a friend to keep him company. He had to leave early.”
The tense atmosphere relaxed again. Shen Ran nodded in understanding. Not wanting to waste any more time in a place like this, he pointed at the door. “I’ll leave now.”
He spoke as though sober, but his steps were unsteady. Zhao Jiyu said, “The wind and rain outside are too heavy, and it’s too late to call a cab. Let’s just wait until the rain dies down before leaving.”
“I’d rather not,” Shen Ran replied.
He didn’t want to run into more unpleasantness, but just as he was about to pull the door, he saw Zhao Jiyu extend his hand to block the doorknob. “My friend drove off with the car, and it’s awkward for me to be alone here. How about you sit with me for a while? Having someone with me will keep others from bothering me.”
Shen Ran tilted his head, thinking back to the earlier scene. If he left now, it might indeed be dangerous.
After a brief pause, he said, “Alright then.”
They returned to Shen Ran’s previous seat, but it was already taken by two other customers. Fortunately, a booth had just become available in a nearby corner. Zhao Jiyu and Shen Ran moved there, ordered a bottle of Glenfiddich and a few snacks.
Shen Ran hadn’t had dinner, and when he saw fried noodles on the menu, he considered ordering it. However, seeing the price of 88 yuan, he hesitated.
Zhao Jiyu, scanning the menu and ready to pay for his order, noticed Shen Ran’s attention on the seafood fried noodles and told the waiter, “Add one order of seafood fried noodles.”
The waiter asked, “Spicy?”
Zhao Jiyu looked at Shen Ran, who belatedly realized the question and hurriedly replied, “I don’t take spicy food”
Zhao Jiyu paid for the order, and after the waiter left, Shen Ran asked, “How much did you pay? I’ll transfer half to you.”
“It’s fine,” Zhao Jiyu said, pulling out a pack of white cigarettes from his pocket. After tearing open the pack, he lit one up. “I’m the one who asked you to stay. It’s on me.”
Leaning back comfortably with his left arm draped over the back of the chair, his long legs stretched out casually, Shen Ran couldn’t help but glance at his face—the face that many of their female classmates considered the epitome of a ‘male god.’ He remembered the rumors about Zhao Jiyu.
Zhao Jiyu came from a well-off family, had good looks, and a better-than-average physique. The most infuriating thing was that he was also academically excellent, having entered their university with the second-best score in the province’s science stream after high school. Shen Ran and he were in the same year and department, so despite being in different classes, he often heard people talk about Zhao Jiyu.
But Zhao Jiyu had his flaws, the most well-known being his arrogant personality. He was cold to everyone and didn’t like to engage, as stated by Zheng Mingji’s sister, Zheng Mingming. But tonight, it seemed Zhao Jiyu wasn’t quite as distant as people said.
Shen Ran unlocked his phone, checking WeChat. He had blocked all the chats in the various groups. He opened the landlord’s chat, where the landlord had messaged him an hour ago to inform him that there would be a power and water outage that night.
He wasn’t originally from Xiamen and had been living in the school dorms. But during summer vacation, the dorms closed, so he had to find somewhere to rent. However, this current place had many issues, and the living conditions were poor. The thought of staying there for another month dragged his mood back down.
The singer on stage finished one song and paused briefly before starting the next. When the melody played, Shen Ran’s expression darkened further, and he stared at his phone screen, unmoving, until it turned off.
Zhao Jiyu glanced at the singer. The singer had a smoky voice, and his performance added a sense of weariness and helplessness to the original song, especially the line “Love comes too late to grow old.” The singer shouted the words, and many people in the crowd joined in with the chorus.
After shaking the ash off his cigarette into the crystal ashtray, Zhao Jiyu signaled the waiter to pour the alcohol. After the waiter left, without needing to remind him, Shen Ran picked up his whiskey glass and drank it in one go.
The ice in the glass clinked, and Shen Ran refilled it. Zhao Jiyu didn’t stop him, but when Shen Ran finished his third glass, he reminded him, “If you keep drinking like this, you won’t be able to go back tonight.”
Shen Ran paused in the act of pouring, and his expression showed that he was struggling. But in the end, he couldn’t resist and poured another glass. After drinking it, he leaned back on the sofa, unlocking his phone again.
Zhao Jiyu took a sip of his drink and casually let his gaze rest on Shen Ran.
They occasionally ran into each other on campus, but they had never sat face-to-face like this before. From Shen Ran’s reaction tonight, it seemed he truly didn’t remember who Zhao Jiyu was.
Finishing his drink, Zhao Jiyu lit another cigarette. After the singer finished, the crowd responded enthusiastically, and the next few songs were popular classics. When the fifth song began, Zhao Jiyu noticed Shen Ran had turned his head, staring motionlessly at the neighboring table.
He glanced over briefly, then returned his gaze to Shen Ran.
At the next table, two men were tightly embracing each other on the sofa. They seemed to have been holding back for a long time, and their actions were quite intense.
Zhao Jiyu observed Shen Ran’s reaction. Shen Ran’s eyes were a bit red, and he stared at the two men, seemingly deep in thought. Soon, he turned back, grabbed his glass, and took another large gulp. He coughed a few times, then looked at Zhao Jiyu, suddenly blurting, “Do people really feel anything when doing that with someone of the same sex?”
Shen Ran’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for Zhao Jiyu to hear every word.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Zhao Jiyu sat up, extended his arm, and crushed the cigarette butt in the ice bucket in front of Shen Ran.
The ice hissed as the heat from the burning cigarette made contact, and Zhao Jiyu smiled slightly, glancing up at Shen Ran. With a casual tone, he said, “You’ll never know until you try.”
“…Try?”
Shen Ran repeated it slowly, his gaze confused and somewhat dazed after drinking so much, as if he didn’t understand, staring at Zhao Jiyu.
“Mm.”
Zhao Jiyu nodded and then winked at him. His eyelashes were thick and long, and the curve at the ends of his eyes was subtly captivating. When he slightly tilted his head and looked over, the thin lens of his glasses couldn’t block the enchanting gaze.
Under the intense focus of such a beautiful pair of eyes, Shen Ran’s breath became strangely unstable. Then Zhao Jiyu gave him a light smile, and in that moment, his muddled brain suddenly understood why so many girls liked this somewhat androgynous look.
It was really quite something—
Shen Ran’s alcohol-stimulated mind couldn’t find the right words, and he could only watch as Zhao Jiyu sat beside him. The man’s chest, through the fabric of his shirt, pressed against his arm, and his low voice carried no extra emotion, but the breath that reached Shen Ran’s ear was intensely warm.
Zhao Jiyu whispered to him, “Do you want to try it tonight?”