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Join the ServerThe debts were finally cleared.
When the last transfer confirmation flashed onto his phone screen, Jiang Yu leaned against the cold locker door in the restaurant’s changing room and let out a long, complete sigh of relief.
For the past few months, he had worked the lunch shift at this Western restaurant during the day, tended the bar at “Lost” at night, and taken on two private cocktail parties on weekends.
Every bit of income, except for necessary living expenses and a reserve fund for his sister, had been saved.
Today, he finally repaid every last cent of the old debts he had borrowed piecemeal when his parents had their accident—debts he hadn’t been able to pay back later because the loan sharks were too terrifying.
On WeChat, old classmates and former colleagues who received his repayments sent surprised greetings and hesitating words of concern. He simply replied, “Thanks, I’m fine now.”
He was fine.
The boulder that had pressed on his heart for five years had shattered.
Though he still had to work hard for the future, the suffocating feeling of being chased by debt was gone.
And the person who had given him a chance to catch his breath and stand on solid ground again…
Jiang Yu pressed his lips together. Somewhere in his chest, it felt warm.
That bastard had barged into his life in the worst possible way, yet had pulled him out of the quicksand of usury in the most practical way, giving him room to breathe.
Jiang Yu changed out of his restaurant uniform and put on his old down jacket.
In early winter, dusk came early. Outside the glass window, the sky was already gray-blue.
He took out his phone, his fingertip hovering over Li Xiao’s WeChat avatar.
In the chat window, the last message was from the day before yesterday in the early morning: Li Xiao had sent, “It’s getting cold, put on more clothes,” and he had replied, “Mm.”
In the end, he didn’t send any words of thanks.
Some things couldn’t be carried by a flimsy “thank you.”
****
At 8:20 PM, at the “Lost” bar.
Jiang Yu put on his black work shirt and adjusted his cuffs in front of the slightly blurry mirror in the changing room.
The man in the mirror looked a little clearer in the eyes. Though still thin, the gray, worn-out look of someone crushed by life had faded.
At 8:30 sharp, he stood behind the bar.
Wu Qi sidled over, looking mysterious.
“Hey, Jiang Yu, is Mr. Li coming today? He’s been coming every night for a whole week now, and he always sits at the bar, staying until closing time with you.”
Jiang Yu lowered his head and wiped the shaker, saying nothing, but the tips of his ears grew warm.
This past week, Li Xiao had indeed come every night.
But he no longer demanded a reserved booth. Instead, like the most ordinary customer, he sat on a high stool at the bar, ordered a drink, watched Jiang Yu make cocktails, and occasionally made small talk.
The topics weren’t romantic—sometimes he asked about Jiang Qing’s mock exam results, sometimes he complained about a dumb subordinate at his company, and sometimes he just sat quietly.
That deliberate distance and sense of restraint gradually relaxed Jiang Yu’s taut nerves. He even began to look forward to the appearance of that tall figure after nine o’clock each night.
At 9:05, the bar door swung open, bringing in a blast of biting cold air from outside.
Li Xiao wore a long black wool coat, his shoulders still damp with what seemed like unmelted moisture.
He wasn’t wearing a scarf, and the tip of his nose was red from the wind. His eyes locked precisely on Jiang Yu behind the bar, then he strode over and sat directly on the stool facing Jiang Yu.
At this spot, only the smooth counter separated them.
“Good evening.”
Li Xiao took off his coat and draped it over the stool next to him. Underneath, he wore a dark gray turtleneck that made his jawline look even sharper and cleaner.
“It’s really cold today. The roads were almost icy.”
“Drive carefully.”
“Mm.”
Such ordinary conversation, yet Wu Qi, standing nearby, secretly perked up his ears.
Li Xiao rested his elbows on the bar and leaned forward slightly.
“Mix me something warm.”
“A hot toddy?”
Jiang Yu asked.
“Your call.”
Jiang Yu nodded and turned to fetch the ingredients.
Honey, lemon, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and a bottle of single malt whiskey.
With smooth movements, he added the ingredients one by one into a heat-resistant glass, poured in hot water, and finally stirred gently with a long spoon.
Steam rose, carrying the aroma of cinnamon and lemon.
When Jiang Yu pushed the glass over, his fingers accidentally brushed against Li Xiao’s hand.
Both of them paused.
“Thanks.”
Li Xiao took it, cupping the glass in both hands to warm them, but his gaze never left Jiang Yu’s face.
Jiang Yu turned to tidy the liquor shelf. He could feel that gaze branding his back.
“Jiang Yu.”
Li Xiao suddenly spoke.
“Huh?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days.”
Jiang Yu’s hand, wiping a bottle, slowed by half a beat.
“I know my methods before were wrong.”
Li Xiao’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough to cut through the bar’s lazy background music.
“I know how much you’ve carried alone all these years. I also know that what you care about most is your sister.”
He paused, his fingers lightly rubbing the warm glass.
“Using her to threaten you before—that was the most despicable thing I’ve ever done.”
Jiang Yu turned around and looked at Li Xiao.
The bar’s overhead light cast a soft halo on Li Xiao’s face.
His expression was serious, so serious that Jiang Yu could almost see the tiny reflection of himself in his eyes.
“I want to start over. Can I?”
Li Xiao said, each word seeming to have been weighed on his tongue.
“I’ll learn to respect you, to protect you, instead of possessing you.”
Jiang Yu’s throat tightened. He couldn’t speak.
Just then—
“Jiang Yu?”
A familiar voice came from the door.
Jiang Yu turned his head sharply and saw Zhou Mingxuan pushing open the bar door, waving at him with a smile.
Zhou Mingxuan was wearing a cream-white down jacket today, with a plaid scarf around his neck, looking warm and clean.
He walked quickly to the bar and sat down next to Li Xiao.
“I happened to be meeting a client nearby today, and thought you’d be working, so I came by to see you.”
Zhou Mingxuan said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Yu and then glancing at Li Xiao beside him, nodding politely.
Li Xiao’s face instantly darkened.
But he didn’t say anything. He just slowly took a sip of his hot toddy, his fingers tightening on the glass.
“What would you like to drink?”
Jiang Yu asked, trying to keep his voice normal.
“Just a gin and tonic.”
Zhou Mingxuan took off his down jacket and draped it over the back of the stool. Underneath, he wore a crisp light blue shirt.
“By the way, it was a pity you couldn’t make it to the class reunion the other day. Everyone was talking about you.”
Jiang Yu lowered his head to slice a lemon.
“Work’s been busy.”
“The class monitor even said we should arrange a special gathering just for you next time.”
Zhou Mingxuan rested his chin on his hand as he watched Jiang Yu mix the drink, a nostalgic look in his eyes.
“You know what? Teacher Li retired. She came that day and asked about you. She said if you had participated in the physics competition back then, you definitely would have won an award…”
Jiang Yu’s hand paused.
Those distant, almost forgotten images suddenly surged up—the sycamore trees outside the classroom window, formulas on the blackboard, Teacher Li patting his shoulder and saying, “Jiang Yu, you have great talent.”
“Is that so?”
He said quietly, pushing the finished gin and tonic over.
Zhou Mingxuan took it and took a sip. Then, as if remembering something, he said, “Oh, by the way, are you and Jiang Qing free this weekend? I know an authentic Shanghainese restaurant—the owner is a friend of mine. Their braised pork is amazing. Jiang Qing would love it.”
Li Xiao’s glass slammed onto the bar with a clang.
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