X
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Li Xiao’s gaze was indifferent, even slightly provocative.
Then he looked away, turning sideways to speak to the boy beside him, a smile tugging at his lips.
Jiang Yu felt the thorn in his chest burrow deeper.
He turned his back to the dance floor and began washing the tools.
The water was cold, chilling his hands, bringing him a moment of clarity.
He cared.
He knew Li Xiao might be doing it on purpose. He told himself not to take the bait.
But he still cared.
This realization filled Jiang Yu with a surge of irritation.
At two in the morning, Li Xiao’s table finally broke up.
Li Xiao got up, surrounded by his entourage, the two boys clinging to his arms on either side.
As he passed the bar, he paused.
He looked at Jiang Yu, his tone casual:
“The drinks tonight were good.”
Jiang Yu met his eyes, his voice calm:
“Thank you. Please come again.”
A perfectly professional response.
Li Xiao stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
There was something in that smile that Jiang Yu couldn’t read.
“I’m off.”
He tossed out the words and left the bar with his group.
Jiang Yu watched his retreating figure, his hand slowly stopping its motion of wiping a glass.
Wu Qi edged closer, asking cautiously:
“You… you okay?”
Jiang Yu shook his head and continued wiping the glass.
As Li Xiao and his group stepped out of the bar, the cold midnight wind hit him, and the careless smile on his face instantly dissolved.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
He pulled his arms free from the two boys, his tone cold.
The boy in the silver shirt tried to sidle up again:
“Young Master Li…”
“Get lost.”
Li Xiao didn’t even look at him. He pulled a thick wad of cash from his wallet and shoved it into the boy’s hand:
“Tonight’s money, double. Don’t come looking for me again.”
The two boys exchanged a glance, took the money with a fawning smile, and left.
Seeing this, the other friends also took their leave.
In an instant, only Li Xiao remained at the bar entrance.
He tugged at his collar, got into his sports car parked in the lot, but didn’t start the engine. Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed Gu Ran’s number.
The phone rang seven or eight times before connecting. Gu Ran’s sleepy voice came through:
“Hello… boss, do you know what time it is?”
“What a lousy idea you gave me.”
Li Xiao leaned back in his seat, anger simmering in his voice:
“He doesn’t care at all. He was as calm as a meditating monk. He even said ‘Please come again’!”
Gu Ran yawned on the other end:
“That shouldn’t be. From my observations of Jiang Yu, he should have feelings for you. He’s just stubborn.”
“Feelings?”
Li Xiao laughed coldly:
“If he had feelings, would he have returned my gift unopened? Would he have drawn a line with me and insisted on paying me back?”
“That’s because he’s insecure and lacks a sense of security.”
Gu Ran seemed to have woken up a bit:
“Think about it—how did you two start? You bullied him into it, and even threatened his sister. Now you suddenly say you like him. Would you believe it if you were him?”
Li Xiao was silent.
“So you need to change your strategy.”
Gu Ran coaxed him:
“If the hard approach doesn’t work, go soft. He responds better to softness, right? So act vulnerable in front of him. Play pitiful.”
“Play pitiful?”
Li Xiao frowned:
“How do I do that?”
“Like… drink too much and say something from the heart? Let the wine loosen the truth.”
Gu Ran snickered:
“But honestly, all these tricks of mine only work if Jiang Yu likes you too. If he’s not interested in you, then nothing you do matters.”
Li Xiao gripped his phone, saying nothing.
He recalled Jiang Yu’s look at him in the bar earlier.
Calm. Professional. Like looking at an ordinary customer.
But Li Xiao felt there was something beneath that calmness.
“Alright, I get it.”
Li Xiao hung up and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat.
He stared at the flashing neon sign over the bar entrance, his fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel.
Play pitiful?
He, Li Xiao, had never bowed his head to anyone in his life.
But if it were Jiang Yu…
Maybe it wasn’t impossible.
****
For the next two days, Li Xiao didn’t come to the bar.
Jiang Yu’s life seemed to return to normal.
But only he knew that the waters in his heart had been stirred.
He couldn’t help but replay that scene in the booth—Li Xiao smiling while ruffling that boy’s hair, taking the drink from his hand.
And the provocative look Li Xiao had shot him.
On Wednesday night, Jiang Yu worked as usual.
Around eleven, the manager hurried over:
“Jiang Yu, Mr. Li is here, in the booth… He seems drunk, and he’s asking for you specifically.”
Jiang Yu paused his hand wiping the glass:
“If he’s drunk, have his friends take him home.”
“He’s alone. No friends with him.”
The manager lowered his voice:
“Look… maybe you should go check on him? He’s a VIP. If something happens, we can’t afford the trouble.”
Jiang Yu was silent for a few seconds, then put down the glass:
“I’ll go see.”
He walked toward the familiar corner booth.
Li Xiao was indeed sitting there alone.
Several empty bottles cluttered the table. He leaned into the sofa, his shirt collar unbuttoned a couple of buttons, hair disheveled, eyes glazed.
Seeing Jiang Yu approach, Li Xiao looked up and curled the corner of his mouth:
“You’re here.”
His voice was hoarse, thick with the smell of alcohol.
“Mr. Li, you’ve had too much. Should I call a designated driver for you?”
Jiang Yu stood by the booth, his tone professional.
“I’m not drunk.”
Li Xiao swayed as he stood up, reaching for a bottle but nearly stumbling.
Instinctively, Jiang Yu stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
Li Xiao’s arm was hot; he could feel the temperature through his shirt.
“Sit down.”
Jiang Yu pressed him back onto the sofa and turned to leave.
Suddenly, his wrist was caught.
Li Xiao’s palm was large and scorching, his fingers clamped tightly around Jiang Yu’s wrist bone.
“Don’t go.”
Li Xiao looked up at him, his eyes bloodshot and glistening with moisture:
“Stay with me for a while.”
Jiang Yu tried to pull his hand back:
“Mr. Li, you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk.”
Li Xiao repeated stubbornly, tightening his grip:
“Jiang Yu, sit down.”
Jiang Yu looked at his reddened eyes and finally sat on the edge of the sofa, his body tense, ready to stand at any moment.
Li Xiao didn’t let go of his hand. Instead, he gently rubbed his thumb along the inside of Jiang Yu’s wrist.
That spot was sensitive. A layer of goosebumps rose on Jiang Yu’s arm.
“Jiang Yu…”
Li Xiao’s voice was low, laced with drunkenness and an indescribable grievance:
“I regret it.”
Jiang Yu’s heart skipped a beat:
“…Regret what?”
“Regret forcing you like that from the start.”
Li Xiao lowered his head, looking at their intertwined hands:
“If… if I had met you like an ordinary customer the first time, ordered your drinks, flirted with you, slowly pursued you…”
He lifted his eyes, hazy yet earnest:
“Would we be different now?”
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