Chapter 43 N-Empty Shell
Despite this thought, Chu Beiling remained stubbornly seated in the lobby lounge, unwilling to leave. He knew it was inappropriate, but he was determined to catch Xing Yu today and get to the bottom of things.
Yang Feng tried to persuade her a few times, but to no avail. She had no choice but to go back first, intending to tell their CEO, Mr. Xing, about the matter.
The executives in the conference room were taking a break after a heated discussion when Yang Feng pushed open the door, walked up to Xing Yu, and whispered in his ear, "President Xing, Director Chu has been refusing to leave the lobby downstairs."
Xing Yu's lips curled up slightly, without him even realizing it.
Chu Beiling is that kind of person; he won't give up until he achieves his goal. However, today's meeting involves an animated film worth hundreds of millions, which is too important for him. He can't possibly abandon all his executives and go directly to his ex-boyfriend, who already has a current boyfriend.
However, Xing Yu didn't intend to leave Chu Beiling hanging. He glanced at his watch and said, "Okay, tell him to wait a little longer. I'll be done here soon and come down."
Yang Feng nodded and left the conference room.
Xing Yu called the executives back to the meeting. This time, he didn't give the others a chance to argue heatedly and sped up the meeting process.
Having received the confirmation, Chu Beiling forced herself to stay awake in the lobby lounge until she was almost asleep when her phone rang. It was from an unfamiliar number.
Chu Beiling's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly snapped to attention. He quickly answered the phone.
A clear female voice came from the other end of the phone, "Hello, is this Mr. Chu Beiling?"
Chu Beiling's expectant heart was once again shattered by the sudden drop in mood. He calmed himself down and said softly, "It's me. You are the one."
A female voice said, "This is the Long-Awaited Reunion Tavern. Your friend Zhu Qing'an is drunk here. Could you please come and get him?"
Chu Beiling took a deep breath, wanting to just cut off Zhu Qing'an, who was always drunk, but he couldn't ignore him. Hangzhou was unfamiliar territory for Zhu Qing'an, and he could only turn to him for help.
Chu Beiling asked for the specific address and asked them to take care of him for a while before heading over.
Despite being told it would be over soon, Chu Beiling waited in the lobby for half an hour. Xing Yu had promised to come after the meeting, and he didn't want to break his promise.
Zhu Qing'an got drunk and started acting crazy, and few people could tolerate it. The tavern probably couldn't stand it anymore and called again to urge him to leave.
Chu Beiling was also worried that the other side would not be able to control Zhu Qing'an and would allow him to damage public property, which would result in him being sent to the police station and delaying the project's progress.
He had no choice but to temporarily give up waiting for Xing Yu here and go to pick up Zhu Qing'an and send her back to the hotel.
Forty minutes later, Chu Beiling arrived at the Long-Awaited Reunion Tavern.
Upon first hearing the name, Chu Beiling felt that the owner of the tavern must be a person with a story.
Wait until you find your way here by following the address—
This boss not only has a story, but is also quite unique, with no life at all.
Otherwise, who would open a tavern in a remote alley that even Gaode Maps can't find? This location choice is practically suicidal.
He looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground and didn't want to make money.
Chu Beiling pushed open the door and entered the tavern, making a clear "ding-a-ling" sound with the wind chimes in her hand.
The tavern is a completely different world from the quiet and serene atmosphere outside. It lacks the usual glitz and noise of a typical bar, yet it's not lonely at all. The entire space is filled with warmth and comfort, making it a perfect spot for a drink.
It seems possible—
A brief escape from reality.
Chu Beiling was immediately drawn to a huge perforated panel on the tavern's decorative wall.
This giant pegboard is practically a giant wish-fulfillment wall, filled with stories of people who came here for drinks and were reunited with their loved ones after a long separation.
Each letter records a touching story between the person who came for a drink and their loved one.
Chu Beiling stopped and watched for a while.
"Interested?" the man standing to the side asked.
Chu Beiling looked over and saw that the man next to him was about the same height as him, wearing a black cotton overcoat and frameless glasses on his nose, which added a touch of refined roguishness to his handsome features.
Chu Beiling nodded, and the man smiled, "Interested? I'll buy you a drink?"
Chu Beiling shook her head, directly refusing.
The man's lips curled into a smile: "Everyone who comes here has someone they've been longing for for many years. Do you have one?"
Chu Beiling no longer had the habit of engaging with strangers; he smiled politely but did not answer.
The man wasn't surprised by his reaction at all. He raised his eyebrows and said, "I'm Zhou Chensu, the owner of this place. If you have any, remember to come and have a drink. Your wish will come true."
Chu Beiling was genuinely amused: "Is this some kind of new marketing method?"
Zhou Chensu laughed and said, "Just take it as true. I don't say things like that to just anyone. I only said a few more words because you're good-looking."
The other party showed a sense of closeness. Although Chu Beiling is no longer the lively or outgoing person he was in his youth, he is not an unapproachable person.
He said, "I'll come for a drink sometime; I'm here to pick up a friend today."
Zhou Chensu gestured with his chin, indicating that he should do as he pleased. After Chu Beiling took his leave, he went to the bar to find Zhu Qing'an.
A few customers sat at the bar in twos and threes, doing nothing but drinking. Only Zhu Qing'an was drunk, her face flushed and her eyes blurry. She was being supported by two people on either side of her, looking rather disheveled.
Upon seeing him, Zhu Qing'an struggled to break free from the two servants' grasp.
Chu Beiling was almost knocked to the ground by the person who pounced on him. He grabbed Zhu Qing'an's arm and pressed down the person who was acting recklessly: "Stand still, stop messing around."
Zhu Qing'an looked miserable with drooping eyes: "Bei Ling, what should I do? I still miss him so much."
Chu Beiling grabbed Zhu Qing'an by the back of the neck and pulled the person who was rubbing against her away from her: "Can you still walk!"
"Yes." Zhu Qing'an hiccuped. "They all say this tavern is very effective. I drank 20 cups. I don't know if it worked. Bei Ling, you should also come and have a few cups. No, you should have already reunited with the person you wanted to see after a long separation."
Chu Beiling smiled bitterly. Meeting again would be of no use; a long-awaited reunion did not mean they could rekindle their past relationship.
If he had known this would be the outcome, he would have preferred never to meet her again, so that at least his hope wouldn't be shattered.
It had just rained, and the whole world was still shrouded in a misty haze. Christmas was approaching, and the Christmas trees standing next to the shops on the street were soaked by the rain, drooping their leaves and sticking to the trunks, looking dejected.
Chu Beiling helped the incessantly muttering Zhu Qing'an walk out, while also having to be wary of his Muay Thai punches that could come at any moment.
Fortunately, the rain has stopped now, so there's no need for an umbrella. Otherwise, he really wouldn't be able to control a 100-pound drunkard by himself, and this drunkard goes crazy as soon as he drinks.
Just as they reached the main road in front of the tavern, Zhu Qing'an started causing trouble again. Chu Beiling reached out and grabbed his hands to stop his indiscriminate attacks.
As vehicles sped by, their orange headlights swept past them, and the wheels kicked up splashes of water, lengthening their overlapping silhouettes.
Xing Yu, who had just turned from the other end of the alley, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He regretted it; he shouldn't have come along.
At the same time, Chu Beiling also saw Xing Yu, who was wearing a dark blue trench coat and standing under the dim streetlights with an unpleasant expression.
A moment's reaction—
Chu Beiling dragged Zhu Qing'an to Xing Yu.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Chu Beiling broke the silence first: "How did you end up here?"
Xing Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly, realizing that it was he who had recklessly disturbed their time together so late at night.
As his emotions gradually subsided, Xing Yu slowly relaxed his clenched fists at his sides and said unhurriedly, "You weren't the one who contacted me!"
"Yes, I want to know..." As luck would have it, Zhu Qing'an, that damned drunkard, tilted his head and fell asleep on Chu Beiling's shoulder.
"..." Chu Beiling's fist hardened, wishing he could just throw Zhu Qing'an into the trash can at the bus stop.
When Chu Beiling saw Xing Yu again, even though the passage of time had separated them and everything had changed, he still maintained the same habits he had back then. He did his best to give Xing Yu the sense of security he could.
He said, "Zhu Qing'an is drunk. He's unfamiliar with this place, and I was worried something might happen to him, so I came to pick him up. I plan to take him back to his hotel first, and then back to Chumeng. I've already told Yang Feng."
He just didn't expect Xing Yu to follow him.
Xing Yu said, "Who you're with and what you're doing is your freedom. You don't need to explain it to me. I'm not interested in knowing."
Xing Yu's emotionless tone coldly drew a clear line between them once again.
Chu Beiling nearly lost his balance; his hands, which were supporting Zhu Qing'an, were trembling.
Yes, they have no relationship now, and Xing Yu is not interested in or wants to know anything about him, which is only natural.
What is he expecting?!
The ride-hailing car I called has arrived and is parked at the intersection. I called to urge him to get in the car quickly, as it's inconvenient to park here.
Chu Beiling looked at Xing Yu and couldn't help but say, "I'll take Zhu Qing'an home first, and I'll come find you later."
"Can……"
Drunk as a limp rag, Zhu Qing'an nuzzled Chu Beiling's neck affectionately and greedily like a puppy.
"It's not appropriate. Tell me what you need to say now."
Xing Yu quickly changed his tune, forcing himself to look away and focus on the wet ground in the middle of the road, no longer wanting to see the two of them being so intimate.
The puddles, large and small, act like mirrors, reflecting the light from the streetlights and creating halos of light.
These reflections of light and shadow intertwined and overlapped, casting their images into Xing Yu's dark and indifferent pupils.
Equally cold-hearted.
Chu Beiling was in a worse mood than ever before. He bit his lip hard until he tasted a metallic, rusty flavor.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Beiling persisted, her tone pleading: "It's not convenient here. I... I'll take Zhu Qing'an back first, and then I'll come find you later, okay?"
Seeing that Chu Beiling hadn't gotten into the car yet, the anxious ride-hailing driver called again to urge her to get in.
Xing Yu looked at Chu Beiling's bloodshot lips with heartache, then at Zhu Qing'an leaning on his shoulder, and finally held back his tears.
He raised his chin, without saying whether it was okay or not: "It's not convenient to park here, and your driver is already urging you to hurry up."
Chu Beiling understood Xing Yu's unspoken meaning: You can get lost now.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to endure the pain.
But when she met Xing Yu's unapproachable gaze, Chu Beiling still shivered with cold: "Xing Yu, do you remember who I am, and what our relationship is?"
After saying that, Xing Yu smiled.
The smile wasn't deep, but it was a genuine laugh, gradually evolving from a faint smile into a mocking one, until his shoulders trembled and his whole body shook.
It was like hearing the biggest joke in the world.
I don't know how long he laughed before he finally said, "My ex-boyfriend, you don't need to emphasize it to me, I know."
Yeah, my ex-boyfriend.
So he still remembered.
Can--
If someone can forget their ex-boyfriend's name, just how unworthy of being remembered is that person?!
The two remained deadlocked for a short while. The ride-hailing service was about to expire, and they called again to urge them to hurry. Chu Beiling ignored it until the call ended and the order was automatically canceled.
Chu Beiling held his breath and, seeing Xing Yu about to leave, called out to him, "Stop! Don't go!"
Xing Yu turned around and stared at him without saying a word.
Chu Beiling pursed her lips, waiting for the wave of bittersweet emotions to subside before slowly speaking: "Since you knew I was your ex-boyfriend, why did you kiss me while I was unconscious?"
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