The soft lighting inside the restaurant spilled over the dining table, and the air was filled with a faint aroma of essential oils.
Zhu Xing hadn’t eaten breakfast and was already starving. When he reached the private dining room, he discovered it was just him and Qu Qingyu.
“Where are your friends? Just the two of us?” Qu Qingyu naturally pulled out a chair for him.
“We will go find them after eating. Come on, you order. What would you like?” As he spoke, he handed over the menu.
Zhu Xing casually ordered a few dishes, and Qu Qingyu looked it over and added a couple more.
“Where do you want to go play this afternoon?” Qu Qingyu asked Zhu Xing casually.
“It is your birthday, of course you should arrange it.” Zhu Xing felt his question was rather inexplicable.
After finishing the meal, Qu Qingyu took Zhu Xing to a pre-booked leisure club. Passing the bar downstairs, the second floor housed a billiard hall.
By the time Zhu Xing arrived, there were already a few very young-looking guys inside.
“The guest of honor arriving this late and keeping us guests waiting, you really have some nerve.” A guy with a crew cut teased. As he spoke, his cue stick slid through his hand, and a colored ball dropped into the pocket. After finishing his shot, he noticed Zhu Xing standing next to Qu Qingyu, and a mysterious smile curved the corner of his mouth as he looked at Qu Qingyu.
“Hello, I am Zou Ran, a friend of Qu Qingyu.” The crew-cut guy introduced himself proactively, and then pointed out the other guys nearby one by one. “Chen Jun, Ding Wei, Wang Yuanshan.”
“I am Zhu Xing, Qu Qingyu’s deskmate.” Zhu Xing originally wanted to say classmate, but the word slipped to his lips and he changed it to deskmate.
“Deskmate is great, deskmate is wonderful.” The guy named Ding Wei said with a cheeky smile, wanting to continue before Qu Qingyu yanked him away.
“Let us play a match.”
Qu Qingyu tossed the cue to Ding Wei, who caught it in a fluster.
Turning to Zhu Xing, he asked, “Do you know how to play? Do you want to join in?” Zhu Xing had played before, but as for his skill level, it was strictly limited to knowing a few basic rules.
“You guys play, I will just watch for a bit.”
Zhu Xing watched their movements intently. Qu Qingyu stood by the pool table with an upright posture, his sleeves rolled up to reveal sturdy forearms, the veins on the back of his hands faintly visible.
A crisp striking sound rang out, and a colored ball quickly dropped into the pocket. Zhu Xing simply watched as Qu Qingyu sank shot after shot, while Ding Wei hardly even got to use that cue stick.
Ding Wei truly could not take Qu Qingyu anymore; even while peacocking, he had to drag others down to suffer with him. “I am not playing against you anymore. I am going to play with Chen Dog.”
“Tsk, even your friend cannot stand you, Second Young Master Qu.”
Uncharacteristically, Qu Qingyu did not snap back at Zhu Xing. “Indeed. So can my good deskmate accompany me for a game?”
Zhu Xing picked up a cue. “Alright.” After watching Zhu Xing take a few shots, Qu Qingyu spoke up.
“Not bad. Most people cannot manage to take three shots and send the cue ball flying into the pockets twice, with the third shot flying completely off the pool table.” Qu Qingyu’s tone was completely flat.
Zhu Xing felt somewhat embarrassed. With his already mediocre skills, it seemed he still had plenty of room to regress downward.
“Then teach me.” Zhu Xing retrieved the white cue ball and looked up at Qu Qingyu.
Qu Qingyu stood right behind Zhu Xing with a tall and imposing frame. Zhu Xing felt a shadow envelop him entirely, surrounded on all sides by Qu Qingyu’s faintly chilly scent. Feeling a bit uneasy, Zhu Xing asked, “Why are you not saying anything?”
Qu Qingyu’s breath brushed against the back of Zhu Xing’s neck. “Teaching you right now.”
Holding the cue, Zhu Xing felt Qu Qingyu lightly pat his back from behind. “Get into position first, let me adjust your posture.” Feeling Zhu Xing stiffen up, Qu Qingyu added in a slow, soothing voice, “Relax a bit.”
Feeling Qu Qingyu’s chest press close behind him, Zhu Xing took a deep breath and forced his focus onto the small ball and the cue in front of him.
“Like this, keep your wrist steady and your force moderate.” Qu Qingyu’s large palm covered Zhu Xing’s distinct, jade-white knuckles, adjusting the strength of his grip.
Zhu Xing felt an intense heat, and everything felt scorching hot. Qu Qingyu’s palm, his chest, and even Zhu Xing’s own face began to flush with a burning warmth.
“Keep your focus.” The voice was low, deep, and steady. A crisp strike echoed, and the colored ball dropped straight into the pocket.
“Tsk tsk tsk, is Qu Qingyu even human? Calling a bunch of single dogs over just to watch this.”
The trio two tables away lamented that once Qu Qingyu actually fell for someone, his open display of affection was simply too agonizing to watch.
Lost in his own world, Zhu Xing had no idea that the other three spectators were watching with rapt attention and even providing live commentary. By the time the game ended, Zhu Xing felt as though even his breathing was burning hot.
“I need to use the restroom.”
With that, Zhu Xing dropped his cue and scurried away.
Staring at his flushed face in the mirror, Zhu Xing splashed a handful of cold water over it. Usually, he only found Qu Qingyu’s words irritating, so why was the guy suddenly throwing him completely off balance by acting normal?
Fidgeting for nearly twenty minutes before finally heading back out, Zhu Xing found the other four deep into an intense game.
“I was just about to go fish you out of the toilet.”
Qu Qingyu casually sank a ball, then glanced back at Zhu Xing. The youth’s flushed little face had already returned to its usual fair complexion.
“Classmate Zhu, we are currently doing a three-on-one against him. Do you want to join us?” Ding Wei completely ignored Qu Qingyu’s glaring look and invited Zhu Xing over.
“But my skills are terrible. I will just end up dragging you down later.” Zhu Xing hesitated as he looked toward Qu Qingyu.
“Rest assured, skills do not matter, the person is what matters.” Zou Ran said, throwing a provocative look at Qu Qingyu.
Zhu Xing ignored these strange remarks, but facing four people teaming up against Qu Qingyu, especially when today was supposed to be celebrating Qu Qingyu’s birthday, he felt a bit guilty in his heart. Looking at Qu Qingyu’s calm and composed expression, Zhu Xing somehow felt like the guy was being bullied.
“I will team up with Qu Qingyu instead. Two of us against your three.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the other three looked at Qu Qingyu with a single unified thought passing through their minds.
Damn it! This guy just hit the jackpot.
“Alright, you are with me.” Whether Qu Qingyu was secretly thrilled inside or not was hard to tell, but it was obvious he was in a much better mood. When Zhu Xing sent the cue ball flying off course once again, Qu Qingyu didn’t utter a single complaint, wearing a faint smile as he watched him instead.
This thoroughly startled Zhu Xing, who half-expected Qu Qingyu to unleash some biting remark, yet the guy said nothing at all.
An hour later, Ding Wei dropped his cue onto the table, refusing to play another round. “I am done, I am going to go sing and drink.” After an hour of being brutally massacred by Qu Qingyu, not to mention dealing with Zhu Xing constantly messing up the shots, Ding Wei felt as though he had unwittingly become a prop in some bizarre romantic game between Qu Qingyu and Zhu Xing.
Zhu Xing put down his cue with a sense of full satisfaction. Since he and Qu Qingyu combined were amazing, that basically meant he was amazing.
As the group headed upstairs, Zhu Xing realized the upper level was a full karaoke and entertainment lounge with extremely complete facilities.
The moment they stepped into the private room, the system’s notification rang in his mind.
[Host, the side quest has arrived. Reward: 20 points.]
[Speak.] Zhu Xing maintained an ordinary expression as he took a seat, communicating with the system mentally.
[The original host has discovered that the protagonist shou is working here as a waiter. Normally, the protagonist shou would never take a part-time job in such chaotic places because the protagonist gong forbids it, and the protagonist shou also dislikes how messy these environments are. But for some reason, the protagonist shou has appeared here. Your task is to secretly take a video of the protagonist shou working here, and then spread it far and wide to slander him for engaging in shady, unmentionable business.]
[Where is he right now?]
[Delivering wine in the next private room.]