At nine o’clock the next morning, Xu Qingnan logged online precisely on time. Deng You’s bed was already empty. Upon heading downstairs, Ren Xubai and Cheng Yanzhi were sitting in the living room.
Upon spotting Xu Qingnan, Ren Xubai unusually did not flash a smile or rather, his smile looked far uglier than crying. His voice was utterly drained of energy as he whined pitifully, “Xu-ge.”
Xu Qingnan’s gaze shifted directly past him toward the dining table in the corner, where three breakfast portions were indeed laid out, while the other three individuals were nowhere in sight. Understanding dawned on him: “Are the three of us picking?”
“The production crew is deliberately targeting me,” Ren Xubai stood up, looking thoroughly displeased as he grumbled, “I cooked just yesterday, yet they threw me straight into the group that gets paired with the cooks.”
Otherwise, he might have had a chance to go on a date with Xu Qingnan.
Unlike now, where it was already set in stone that the two of them couldn’t form a pair.
Xu Qingnan, however, remained indifferent. “You guys pick first, I’ll take whatever’s left.”
“Why do you always love taking whatever’s left?” Ren Xubai frowned, expressing deep dissatisfaction with Xu Qingnan’s habit. “I’ll take whatever you leave behind this time.”
Meanwhile, Cheng Yanzhi strolled over to the dining table. The three breakfast dishes each possessed distinct characteristics, and judging purely by presentation, they looked roughly neck-and-neck.
One portion consisted of shrimp paste wontons though it looked suspiciously like shrimp paste skin soup accompanied by two boiled eggs. Presumably because the shells had cracked upon hitting the boiling water, egg whites had leaked out and solidified in cooked blobs all over the exterior of the shells. Another portion featured a yogurt bowl and a sandwich, falling into the category of “hard to mess up,” except that an excessive amount of yogurt had clearly been dumped in. The final portion was a massive, generous plate of shredded pork and ham stir-fried noodles with green peppers, where all three ingredients peppers, ham, and noodles exhibited varying degrees of thermal scalding.
Cheng Yanzhi asked, “Whose handiwork do you guys think these look like?”
Walking right up to Xu Qingnan’s side, Ren Xubai offered a thoroughly objective evaluation: “I reckon the boiled eggs are Ye Yuyao’s. He looks like someone who’s never touched water or fire in his life, yet even with an operation this low-difficulty, he managed to boil eggs like this—I stopped making mistakes like that back when I was a toddler. The yogurt bowl is Deng You’s; he’s equally detached from manual labor, but because he’s pretentious and cares about saving face, an assembled dish like this won’t make him look bad.”
His hostility brimmed over with barely contained containment, yet he still unashamedly tried to rope Xu Qingnan into agreement: “Don’t you think so, Xu-ge?”
Xu Qingnan glanced at him sideways. “Didn’t you say you were going to turn mute yesterday?”
Talking this much.
Standing directly opposite the two, Cheng Yanzhi’s gaze shifted back and forth between them. Catching Xu Qingnan’s eye, he smiled without the slightest fear of getting caught and pointed at the yogurt bowl. “I’m used to eating this kind of thing in the morning, I’ll take this one.”
It wasn’t the first time Xu Qingnan had caught Cheng Yanzhi’s gaze lingering on him, but since he sensed zero hostility, Xu Qingnan hadn’t bothered saying anything.
Ren Xubai stood his ground, and Xu Qingnan didn’t decline either, taking a seat directly in front of the “low-skill-level” wontons.
“Why’d you pick that one?” Although he had told Xu Qingnan to choose first, Ren Xubai secretly hoped Xu Qingnan would pick Deng You’s portion.
Thinking to himself with a sour heart, After all, Deng You is interested in Xu Qingnan too, so picking his portion would let Xu Qingnan have an enjoyable time.
Xu Qingnan didn’t overthink it. Pairing up with anyone was fine by him. Lifting his soup spoon, he scooped up a plump, pink shrimp wonton. “Haven’t had wontons in a long time.”
Ren Xubai, meanwhile, seated himself before the stir-fried noodles.
First shoving the plate of stir-fried noodles aside, he pulled the boiled eggs over to peel them. He had assumed the shells would slide off effortlessly, but the very first tug stripped away a massive chunk of egg white.
…Just what kind of pathetic eggs did Ye Yuyao buy?
Ren Xubai resolved to slow down, peeling with meticulous care and absolute caution.
His movements were smooth and fluid, completely silent, with not a single superfluous gesture looking for all the world like an unworldly master detached from worldly fame.
He lasted all of five seconds.
His eyes couldn’t resist darting sideways to check on Xu Qingnan.
Even after finishing peeling the egg, Xu Qingnan didn’t utter a single word of praise.
Ren Xubai pushed the egg right in front of Xu Qingnan and let out a cough.
Hurry up and praise me, then say thank you!
“If you want to eat it, take it,” Xu Qingnan lifted his eyes to gaze at the egg, which had been mutilated beyond recognition. “That looks impressively ugly.”
Who wants to eat it?!
Besides, it was only ugly because the eggs were terrible!
The super-confident expression Ren Xubai had plastered on, fully prepared to bathe in praise, froze instantly on his face.
Ultimately deflating, he shoved it into his own mouth.
Chewed it haphazardly twice, then tried to swallow.
It wouldn’t go down.
Frowning, Ren Xubai patted his chest twice.
Xu Qingnan stood up, poured a glass of water, and slid it right in front of Ren Xubai. “You can even choke on a boiled egg.”
Downing the glass of water, his esophagus finally sent up distress signals of survival. Having put himself through the ringer, Ren Xubai was utterly exhausted, slumping forward with his head buried primarily out of sheer embarrassment, his face practically burrowing straight into the stir-fried noodles.
His ears and the back of his neck were burning bright red, whether from mortification or choking, who knew.
Xu Qingnan withdrew his gaze.
What an absolute idiot.
Yet he looked marginally more pleasing to the eye than his previous self-righteous persona.
Breakfast concluded, the three of them boarded separate vehicles headed for their respective destinations.
Xu Qingnan’s destination turned out to be a bar.
It was hard to believe a bar would operate during daylight hours, though this was inside a virtual simulation; as long as the designer willed it, anything could happen here.
Stepping past the threshold, the heavy front doors sealed shut behind Xu Qingnan, plunging him into absolute, sunless darkness.
Xu Qingnan halted cautiously, a string of tension pulling tight within his chest.
Suddenly, a wave of music swelled up. Recognizing none of the instruments playing it, Xu Qingnan’s eyes brimmed with wariness and sharp vigilance.
Just then, a single wall sconce flickered to life along the corner wall of the second-floor landing.
A figure strolled leisurely down. With every step the person took, a matching wall sconce flared on beside them, illuminating the path beneath their feet.
Expensive leather shoes clicked against the tiled floor, producing crisp, resonant rings.
The descending figure was dressed in a tailcoat accented with feathers and pearls, looking immensely lavish. The tailored cut accentuated the man’s towering height and long legs, while his upper face was concealed behind an exquisite fox mask, leaving only a flash of a fair, delicate chin exposed.
Step by step, he approached until he stood right in front of Xu Qingnan.
The overhead spotlights cascaded downward in a soft, dim wash.
Striking a textbook gentleman’s bow, the newcomer offered, “Delighted to make your acquaintance, sir. How may I be of service to you today?”
I’ve rehearsed this entrance no less than ten times! From the movements down to the attire, from the posture to the lines, everything has been meticulously designed. There’s no way I’m failing to bag you this time!
The line carried a distinct flavor of washing away past humiliation.
Xu Qingnan opened his mouth.
The man’s low, raspy voice brushed against his ear: “Deng You, turn on the lights first.”
My voice is hoarse you must be utterly dazzled by my stunning entrance!
Turning on the lights so impatiently just to get a clear look at my face?
Utterly pleased with himself, the newcomer injected an exquisitely seductive lilt into his tone: “Sir, why bother turning on the lights?”
Stepping a pace forward as he spoke: “Isn’t a bit of darkness far more convenient?”
“I might lose control and resort to violence.”
The newcomer let out a light chuckle, extending a hand forward intending to brush against the man’s shoulder, paying zero attention to what Xu Qingnan had actually said and sticking strictly to his script: “Then let’s—Ah?!”
Wait, resort to what?!
With the reflex of a conditioned response, Xu Qingnan clamped onto the extended wrist and instinctively prepared to wrench it outward
“Ow, ow, ow!”
Eyes widening in shock, pain surged upward from his wrist, sending numbness rippling through his entire arm. His free hand frantically smacked the emergency button underneath the bar counter, and the entire bar instantly blazed with the blinding brilliance of noon.
Xu Qingnan released his grip. “My apologies.”
Clutching his wrist which now sported a bright red ring Deng You demanded, “What the hell are you doing?”
“It was too dark, pure reflex, and your hand reached out abruptly,” Xu Qingnan stated flatly. “I already held back.”
Otherwise, that arm would have been permanently written off.
“What kind of reflex is that?” Rubbing his wrist with meticulous care—fully aware that had Xu Qingnan not held back, the consequences would have been disastrous Deng You grumbled spitefully, “We’re on a date here, I’m hardly going to hurt you. Why don’t you trust me?”
“We’ve only known each other for four days,” turning around, Xu Qingnan stepped behind the bar counter, cast a brief, sweeping glance over the drink menu, and tapped his fingers against it, spinning it around smoothly to slide it straight in front of Deng You. “What would you like to drink?”
Xu Qingnan was still wearing his black shirt today, collar thrown open to reveal the smooth, powerful curves of his chest beneath the lights. The latent, bursting power coiled within them commanded the gaze, while the stark, brilliant spotlight catching his wine-red hair sparked an alluring gloss.
At this moment, lowering his gaze to roll up his sleeves, the stark contrast between his pale, slender fingers and the black fabric exposed a stretch of sturdy forearm, where faint cyan veins wound beneath the skin. The ulnar styloid process at the wrist looked devilishly sexy, tempting someone to reach out and trace it for a lingering, possessive fondle.
A man like this standing behind a bar counter looked precisely like a bartender working a shift possessing an arresting, breathtaking face, yet entirely devoid of smiles, asking what you wanted to drink with an indifferent expression.
More than enough to awaken the conquest instincts buried deep within anyone.
Someone like this, if they lost control in bed what kind of scenery would that paint?
Though Deng You picked up the cocktail menu, his gaze remained glued entirely to Xu Qingnan. “Can you actually make drinks?”
“I worked part-time,” Xu Qingnan offered a brief explanation, pressing both palms flat against the counter surface as he raised his chin. “What’ll it be?”
Deng You was still wearing that decorative fox mask, flashing a smile as crafty as a real-life little fox, mischief practically overflowing from his eyes. “Does this count as an apology gift?”
Xu Qingnan gave a nod. “It counts.”
“Then a single cup won’t cut it,” pointing toward the dance floor not far away, Deng You leaned forward with an ingratiating, pushing smile. “Know how to dance?”
“I do.”
“Long Island Iced Tea,” Deng You slid the menu back across, adding politely with a touch of flair, “Two glasses. My treat, thank you.”
Xu Qingnan had already visually mapped out the bar counter, roughly noting where everything was stored. His nimble fingertips brushed across the neatly aligned glassware, gliding over to the jiggers where every pour halted precisely the instant it hit the 15ml mark.
Into the shaker went the orange liqueur and lemon juice, followed by ice cubes that splashed against the interior walls before settling back into the liquid. Putting muscle into his wrist, the veins on his forearm suddenly bulged as the shaker blurred into afterimages in midair, the ice cubes clattering against the walls to produce a delightful, rhythmic cadence.
The thoroughly shaken cocktail was poured in a smooth, slanted tilt into an iced glass, topped off with a splash of cola until the liquid assumed an enticing, deep ruby-red hue.
A lemon wheel garnished the rim. Pressing his pale fingers against the base of the glass, he lightly pinched the stem and slid it right in front of Deng You.
Deng You snapped out of his trance.
Watching Xu Qingnan mix drinks felt like witnessing a visual feast; his movements were practiced and crisp, his aura formidable enough to effortlessly elicit involuntary admiration even submission sending a thrill echoing deep from the soul straight to the heart.
Xu Qingnan mixed a glass for himself, and the two of them stood and sat separated by the bar counter. The seated man was luxuriously attired, looking as though he had long since prepared an alluring trap, yet right now he leaned his upper body forward, gazing upward at the standing man his body language having long since abandoned any trap of his own, walking step-by-step straight into someone else’s trap of his own volition.
“Qingnan, do you know another name for a Long Island Iced Tea?” Deng You took a sip, the intricate interplay of sweet and tart exploding across his tip of his tongue while a phantom trace of bitterness slowly dissolved into a lingering, returning sweetness.
Xu Qingnan didn’t bother guessing, dropping his voice into a low, single-syllable prompt: “Hm?”
“Four different base spirits exceeding 40 ABV, with the sweetness and carbonation completely masking the bite of the alcohol,” Deng You tilted his glass to tap against Xu Qingnan’s, a mesmerizing smile curving his lips. “Which is why it’s also known as the knockout drink.”