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Join the ServerOn Friday night, The Labyrinth was livelier than usual.
In the center of the booth area, Gu Ran sat in a circle with a few friends. Empty bottles already covered the table.
The group was expensively dressed. Their speech and mannerisms exuded habitual privilege and casualness. Their voices carried loudly through the gaps in the music.
“That one?”
A man in a camel-colored cashmere sweater gestured toward the bar with his chin. His name was Chen Rui.
“He’s decent-looking, but not enough to drive Li Xiao crazy, right?”
“What do you know?”
Zhou Zijun, wearing an earring, snickered from the side.
“Li Xiao’s tired of the usual glamour. He’s into this cold type now.”
Gu Ran frowned, swirling the whiskey in his glass.
“That’s enough. He’s just a proper bartender.”
“Proper?”
Chen Rui laughed.
“Has anyone Li Xiao set his sights on ever stayed proper? Gu Ran, has Li Xiao not gotten his hands on him yet? Is that why he comes here every day?”
The others burst into laughter.
Gu Ran set down his glass, his tone cooler.
“Believe what you want. But I’m warning you, Li Xiao’s different this time. Don’t make stupid jokes.”
“How different can it be?”
Zhou Zijun shrugged dismissively.
“Come on, let’s check him out.”
The group rose and swaggered toward the bar.
Jiang Yu was slicing limes. He looked up at the sound of footsteps.
Chen Rui leaned against the bar, elbows on the counter, his eyes sweeping over Jiang Yu’s face and body.
“I heard you mix good drinks?”
“What would you like?”
Jiang Yu put down the knife and wiped his hands, his expression professional.
“Give us a few of your specialties.”
Zhou Zijun leaned in, smiling.
“Strong ones. With a kick.”
Jiang Yu nodded.
“One moment.”
He turned to get the base liquor, movements crisp. His black shirt sleeves were rolled to his forearms, revealing clean, defined wrists. Half-finger gloves wrapped his palms, making his fingers look long and slender. Under the lights, his profile was focused and calm.
Chen Rui stared at him, then suddenly spoke.
“I heard Li Xiao treats you pretty well?”
Jiang Yu’s hand paused on the bottle. He didn’t turn around.
Zhou Zijun chimed in.
“Li Xiao’s temper isn’t easy to handle. You must have some skills to keep him coming here every day.”
A few regulars at the bar turned their heads at the comment.
Jiang Yu turned back, placing the bottle of tequila on the counter. He met Chen Rui’s eyes, his gaze calm.
“Are you here to drink or to chat? If it’s to chat, you can go back to your booth and take your time. Don’t block other customers from ordering.”
Chen Rui was caught off guard by his calm look, then laughed.
“Oh, you’ve got some attitude.”
“It’s not attitude.”
Jiang Yu’s tone was flat.
“It’s work. The bar space is limited. If you block it here, it affects other customers.”
His words were polite, but the meaning was clear: don’t engage, don’t chat. If you want to drink, order. If not, move aside.
Zhou Zijun’s face tightened. He snorted.
“How dare you talk like that? Don’t you know the customer is king?”
“I know.”
Jiang Yu picked up the shaker.
“So, does His Majesty want to order? Or keep standing and talking?”
A nearby table of female customers couldn’t help laughing.
Chen Rui’s face darkened. He was about to retort when Gu Ran walked over from behind and patted his shoulder.
“That’s enough. Stop it.”
Gu Ran turned to Jiang Yu.
“Jiang Yu, they’ve had too much and are messing around. Don’t mind them. Mix a few of your specialties.”
Jiang Yu glanced at Gu Ran, then nodded. He ignored the others and focused on mixing.
Chen Rui and Zhou Zijun exchanged looks, saying nothing, but their eyes were clearly hostile.
Jiang Yu mixed quickly. When shaking, his arm muscles flexed in a smooth arc, the ice clinking sharply. He didn’t look at the group again, his eyes only on his tools and the liquor.
When he slid the first Tequila Sunrise forward, the orange-red gradient looked beautiful under the lights.
Chen Rui didn’t take it. He stared at Jiang Yu.
“I heard you deliver food during the day? Li Xiao doesn’t give you money?”
Jiang Yu’s hand stopped mid-air. He looked up.
“What’s it to you?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was cold.
“Just curious.”
Chen Rui smirked.
“You’re with Li Xiao and still working so hard. Is Li Xiao not generous enough, or are your appetites too big?”
The surroundings went quiet.
Jiang Yu slowly set down the glass. The bottom clicked against the bar with a clear sound.
He looked at Chen Rui, then suddenly smiled.
“Sir, you’re so concerned about others’ private matters. Do you think you’re better at taking care of people than Li Xiao? Or are you just that bored?”
Chen Rui’s expression shifted.
Jiang Yu didn’t give him a chance to speak.
“If it’s the former, I suggest you go find Li Xiao and share your insights. If it’s the latter—”
He pointed toward the bar’s entrance.
“There’s a game room across the street, open all night. Better for killing time.”
“Pfft—”
The female customers laughed even louder.
Zhou Zijun glared at them, then turned back to Jiang Yu.
“You’ve got a mouth on you, huh?”
“Not as much as you all do.”
Jiang Yu’s tone remained calm.
“Your drinks are ready. Please enjoy. If you need anything else, you can ring the service bell. I have other orders.”
With that, he turned to handle the Mojito the nearby customer had ordered, completely leaving the group hanging.
Chen Rui’s face was livid. He grabbed the Tequila Sunrise, ready to smash it on the floor.
“Chen Rui.”
Gu Ran grabbed his wrist, his voice dropping.
“That’s enough. If Li Xiao finds out, he’ll be furious.”
“So what if he does?”
Chen Rui shook off Gu Ran’s hand and pointed at Jiang Yu.
“With his status, even if he were a woman, he’d never set foot in the Li family. A mere plaything, and he thinks he matters? When Li Xiao gets bored, he’ll be nothing.”
Jiang Yu’s hand, pouring the drink, trembled almost imperceptibly.
A few cold drops of liquor splashed onto the bar mat.
He steadied himself quickly, but those words stabbed into his heart like needles.
Li Xiao might just be acting on a whim. The vast gap in their status. The reality Jiang Yu had been running from was now laid bare before him.
He thought he could slowly accept Li Xiao’s kindness, could try to trust.
But now, these words were like a bucket of cold water, drenching him awake from the warmth and infatuation of recent days.
Yes, how long could Li Xiao’s goodness last? When he grew tired, what would Jiang Yu be?
A clinging joke? Or a toy discarded after being played with?
He and Li Xiao had never been from the same world.
Never would be.
Just then, a voice cold enough to freeze ice came from beside Gu Ran and the others.
“Do you know what would make me angry?”
Everyone stiffened, turning in unison.
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