After going back and forth three times, Xu Yizhu finally stepped into a bar named Scarlet.
This bar had newly opened, and two rows of grand opening floral baskets stood right outside the entrance. Xu Yizhu let out a breath, composed his emotions, pushed open the door, and walked inside.
The interior scene was somewhat different from what he had imagined, no loud pop music or wild dancing, nor any chaotic, blinding strobe lights. This made him feel at ease, as if he too had melted into the deep, heavy night.
Xu Yizhu ordered a glass of fruit wine, sat down in a small booth right in the corner, and subtly observed the surroundings.
Every now and then, he opened his phone’s notes app to jot things down, gathering material for his new novel.
“Handsome, are you here alone?”
A woman’s alluring, slightly intoxicated voice suddenly drifted down from above his head.
Hearing this, Xu Yizhu raised his head to meet her gaze.
“Something the matter?”
The woman did not seem to mind his indifferent attitude. She took the initiative to sit down close to him, swirled the wine in her glass, and purred ambiguously, “Handsome, how about buying me a drink?”
Xu Yizhu slid his seat a bit further away, looked the scantily clad woman up and down, and said, “Not interested.”
Instead of being annoyed, the woman pressed even closer. One hand lightly brushed against the shirt button on his chest, her eyes shimmering with floating ripples as her red lips parted:
“Handsome, do me a favor.”
Xu Yizhu pinched her wrist with two fingers, lifted it up, dropped it mid-air, and sneered, “Are you hard of hearing?”
The smile on the woman’s face froze for a fraction of a second. She splashed the wine from her glass directly onto Xu Yizhu’s clothes and snapped harshly, “Unappreciative!”
Splattered with wine, Xu Yizhu leaned forward, pulled out a few sheets of tissue paper, and leisurely wiped himself down while keeping his expression completely calm. “You really should be thankful that I have a good temper.”
“Hmph! Good for nothing!”
The woman stood up, twisted her waist on heels over ten centimeters high, and stalked off.
Xu Yizhu glanced down at his drenched and disheveled state, raised his hand, and called over a waiter. “Excuse me, where is the restroom?”
“Go straight and take a right.” The waiter’s service attitude was exceptionally polite, adding, “Sir, would you like me to show you the way?”
“Oh, no thank you.”
Xu Yizhu walked in the direction indicated. Suddenly, the surrounding lights began to flicker, followed by a brief sound of electrical buzzing and sparks, plunging everything around him into pitch darkness.
Cries of complaint, curses, and panicked voices rose one after another.
Before Xu Yizhu could react, he was bumped by a shadowy figure, stumbling back several steps until his back slammed against a warm wall of flesh.
His arms were gripped tightly by a pair of hands, rendering him unable to move.
“Don’t move.”
In the pitch black, an unfamiliar voice sounded, sending a wave of panic through him.
Xu Yizhu’s body began to tremble, and cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
“Don’t be afraid.”
The person seemed to notice Xu Yizhu’s discomfort and offered a word of reassurance, while the grip on his arms loosened slightly.
“Let go!” Xu Yizhu struggled, his voice laced with unease and irritation.
“Stand still. I’ll handle it.” The man’s voice carried an irresistible authority.
He pulled out his phone and made a call. “What’s going on? Where is the backup generator? Get it running first.”
After hanging up, he turned on his phone’s flashlight, illuminating a small patch of light right beneath their feet.
“Are you alright?”
Xu Yizhu lowered his gaze, licked his dry lips, and said softly, “I’m fine, thank you.”
The next second, his eyes were covered by a hand.
Xu Yizhu reached up to pull away the palm blocking his vision, but the man stopped him: “Don’t move, the light will sting your eyes.”
Xu Yizhu actually froze in place, not moving an inch.
Light filtered through the gaps between the fingers, and the lines of the palm resting before his eyes gradually came into focus. In his mind, Xu Yizhu silently evaluated that there were too many forks in his marriage line.
His romantic path was bound to be bumpy.
“Sorry.” The voice by his ear pulled his thoughts back to reality.
Xu Yizhu turned around and found that the man behind him was a whole head taller than him, standing at at least one hundred and ninety centimeters.
He raised his head to look the man in the eye. Even though he had portrayed countless peerless beauties under his pen, he was still momentarily stunned by the man before him.
“Thanks for just now.” Xu Yizhu broke eye contact and glanced elsewhere.
“As long as you’re okay.” The man’s gaze swept toward the bar counter. “Pardon me, I need to step away for a moment.”
Xu Yizhu stepped aside to clear a path for him. “Go ahead.”
As Xu Yizhu emerged from the restroom, he overheard two men whispering in the corridor.
“I heard the owner of this bar is super handsome. Wonder if there’s a chance to make friends.”
“Don’t be so desperate; the boss might not even be gay.”
“How would I know if I don’t try? I’ve never dated that type of boyfriend before!”
The eager young man looked quite young, around twenty years old, with short pink hair and skin smoother and fairer than some girls’.
Xu Yizhu’s mind suddenly conjured up the image of the man from earlier.
Long legs. A narrow waist. Stunning looks.
He wondered if the owner of this bar could measure up to him.
When Xu Yizhu returned to his booth, he saw that same man standing before the bar holding a microphone, standing tall and proud in the center of the crowd as his steady voice carried through the crackling speakers:
“Everyone, I am the bar owner, Ji Xie. I apologize for the earlier glitch. As an apology, all drinks for every guest tonight are twenty percent off. Thank you all for gracing us with your presence.”
The surrounding whistles and cheers drowned out the lingering echo in the air.
Oh, so he was the owner after all.
Ji Xie raised his gaze and spotted Xu Yizhu sitting in the corner. He waded through the crowd and stopped right in front of him.
Xu Yizhu leaned back against the sofa in a casual posture, looking utterly languid.
“Does Boss Ji need something?”
Ji Xie sat down opposite him, his eyes falling on his damp, disheveled state as he asked, “I have some clean clothes here. Would you like to change?”
Xu Yizhu smiled indifferently. “Don’t bother, I should be heading out anyway.”
Ji Xie nodded in silence. Suddenly, he reached out a hand and locked eyes with him. “Ji Xie. How should I address you?”
Xu Yizhu paused for a moment before extending his hand to shake, flashing his first social smile of the night: “Xu Yizhu.”
Ji Xie adjusted into a more comfortable posture and began chatting casually, “Is this Mr. Xu’s first time here?”
Xu Yizhu’s lips twitched slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. “Oh? What makes you say that?”
Ji Xie suddenly leaned in closer and chuckled softly. “Nobody comes here just to keep their head buried in their phone.”
Provoked into a competitive spirit, Xu Yizhu retorted dryly, “Boss Ji really is quite observant.”
“You’re very interesting,” Ji Xie stated frankly. “You don’t fit in here at all.”
Xu Yizhu said, “Boss Ji’s way of striking up a conversation is truly one of a kind.”
Ji Xie replied, “Mr. Xu is too kind.”
Their eyes locked, and hidden currents surged beneath the surface.
Xu Yizhu conceded first, ending the standoff as he stood up to take his leave.
Ji Xie reached out to block his path. “Want to be friends?”
“No.”
Xu Yizhu returned to his newly rented apartment, took a shower, and tossed his clothes into the laundry basket, only to fish them back out a second later and throw them straight into the nearby trash can.
He opened his computer, sat down, published today’s chapter update, and casually checked the reader comments.
At that moment, Xu Yizhu’s phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID.
Xu Man.
His dear mother, who never visited unless she needed something.
Xu Yizhu’s right eyelid twitched, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.
The ringtone finished once, only for the second round to start immediately, carrying an unyielding momentum of ringing until answered.
Tsk.
Xu Yizhu rubbed his twitching eyelid and helplessly answered the call.
“Son, busy?”
Her tone was gentle and ingratiating.
Either she was in debt or she had gotten into trouble.
Xu Yizhu asked, “Out of money?”
Xu Man let out an exaggerated gasp. “What’s that supposed to mean? Can’t a mother call her son without a reason? You ungrateful little brat, who knows whose womb you spent ten months in to get into this world.”
Xu Yizhu laughed self-deprecatingly.
Not bothering to exchange pleasantries, he cut straight to the point: “Spit it out. How much did you owe them this time?”
Unable to keep up the act any longer, Xu Man stammered, “Thirty thousand.”
Heh.
She certainly thought highly of him.
Xu Yizhu stated, “I don’t have it.”
Panicking the moment she heard that, Xu Man hurried to say, “Didn’t you just get paid your royalties last month? That must be quite a lot.”
She certainly kept herself well-informed.
“Only five thousand, not a cent more.” Xu Yizhu paused. “Before next month, I won’t give you another penny.”
“Five thousand?” Xu Man exclaimed. “Are you treating a beggar?”
“Take it or leave it.”
“Give it, give it, give it!” Xu Man continued her nagging. “Is this how you treat your own mother? They all say raising a son is for old age insurance, but I feel like I raised an enemy!”
Xu Yizhu suddenly felt a wave of mental and physical exhaustion wash over him. He advised her, “You’re turning fifty soon. Act your age.”
The only response he received was a series of busy tones.
Hanging up the phone, Xu Yizhu transferred five thousand yuan to her and then switched his phone to silent mode.
He lay down on the bed, pulled a sleeping pill from the bedside table, and dry-swallowed it. The bitterness of the pill spread across his mouth, causing him to frown.
Leaving only a single desk lamp on, he closed his eyes.
Xu Yizhu did not sleep peacefully that night. In his dream, he found himself locked inside a pitch-black bathroom stall at the bar. He curled up in the corner, his entire body trembling like a sieve.
The scene shifted in the next second, pinning him against the booth sofa by Ji Xie, his hands restrained and held high above his head.
Ji Xie’s gaze was dark, and his icy voice pierced straight through his chest like a sharp blade.
Why won’t you be friends with me?
Why?
Xu Yizhu had nowhere to run, left to endure the interrogation.
In the final scene, he saw his younger self.
Scrawny and frail, locked away by Xu Man inside a wooden cabinet in the living room.
The living room was hazy with smoke, and empty bottles reeked of cheap perfume and cigarettes, choking him until he could barely breathe.
His little face was flushed red, too timid and cowed to make a sound.
Through the cracks, he watched Xu Man and a man engaging in wild intimacy naked on the sofa, before clinging to each other and disappearing into the bedroom.
Winter had already arrived, yet Xu Yizhu broke out in a cold sweat, his stomach churning violently.
Reality shattered the dream, and Xu Yizhu bolted upright in bed. Beads of fine sweat on his forehead dampened his stray locks, sticking uncomfortably to his skin.
The clamminess was unbearable.
He got out of bed and took a cold shower.
Returning to bed once more, he glanced at the alarm clock.
3:15 AM.
Lacking any further sleepiness, Xu Yizhu sat blankly by the bedside until the first rays of morning light broke through the window.