Chapter 19 Chapter 19 He wasn't sober either
The bar's back door, when viewed from the outside, was deliberately designed to have the same texture as the surrounding rock walls, as if it also possessed the weight of rocks.
Xu Yuewei maintained the posture of blocking the door, her left foot, which was still inside the room, was reluctant to follow.
She was momentarily dazed, shifted her weight backward, and tried to leave quietly.
"Is the wine good?" Jiang Shiyan suddenly asked, tapping his cigarette butt with his index finger and fixing his gaze on her. "You seem to be drinking quite a lot."
His question was so casual that she obediently replied, "It's alright."
Hearing a muffled chuckle, her face flushed even more, and she retorted with a question: "How did you know you were looking at me just now?"
Did she not see clearly? Did she think the person she mistook was actually him?
Jiang Shiyan said, "You reek of alcohol."
Xu Yuewei raised her arm and smelled the sweater piled up at her elbow.
Do you smell it? I can't detect it.
Amused by her childish actions, Jiang Shiyan exhaled a puff of smoke and stubbed out his cigarette.
"How are you going to get home in this state?"
Xu Yuewei took out her phone and turned on the screen: "I'm calling a designated driver."
Jiang Shiyan leaned against the wall, blocking her view from above.
"Can you still walk to the car?"
He stepped forward, filling the gap she had created, with the streetlights and moonlight falling behind him.
As darkness fell, the bright light from the phone screen shone down on Xu Yuewei's face, revealing her slightly smudged makeup and the blush on her cheeks.
She said, "Of course."
Jiang Shiyan suddenly grabbed the door frame she was facing with his left hand and pulled it outwards.
Xu Yuewei was caught off guard, and due to inertia, she stumbled forward and crashed straight into him.
A slightly cool touch came from his forehead; it was from his clothes that had been soaking in the night for who knows how long.
His slightly mocking voice came from above: "'Of course'?"
"..."
asshole.
Xu Yuewei leaned back, her heels gripping the ground, and barely managed to stand up straight, her gaze level with his collarbone.
Just as she was about to say something, she was suddenly shoved hard from behind and bumped back into his arms.
"What are you dawdling about? If you're in heat, go to the toilet. You're blocking the way, you know? You woman."
Provoked by the vulgar language, Xu Yuewei's eyes cleared a little, and a wave of embarrassment rushed to her cheeks.
They were misunderstood, but she still subconsciously buried her head in Jiang Shiyan's arms and pushed him to the side to make way for others.
She raised her left hand, trembling slightly, to grab his clothes.
Just as their fingertips were about to touch, the man pulled away, and cold air enveloped her from all sides. The edge of his coat sliced across her hand like a blade without pausing.
He pushed her away.
It was as if I had been lifted up for a moment during the descent, thinking I could rest for a while, only to find in an instant that it was just a branch that could be easily broken.
She still felt a dull, aching pain where her back had been pushed. Unconsciously, she hugged the thing in her arms tighter and turned to face the wall.
"Fuck! Who the hell are you?"
That voice, which sounded like it had split its vocal cords, rang out again, and Xu Yuewei couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound.
Jiang Shiyan was too lazy to waste words. He grabbed the man's collar with one hand and pulled and yanked him, forcing him to take a few steps in his direction.
"You fucking..."
He didn't even manage to utter a curse before landing hard on his buttocks.
Jiang Shiyan flicked his right hand, put it back in his pocket, and looked down at the viewer:
"Apologize to her."
"Holy shit...!"
"Tsk, can't we use some other words?"
The man tried to get up, but Jiang Shiyan quickly squatted down and pressed his knee down on him: "You can't even rinse your dog mouth clean after drinking so much?"
The man was drunk, but his body signaled to his brain that he couldn't win against this person, and his mouth finally caved: "I'm... I'm sorry."
"Not to me."
Jiang Shiyan slightly raised his knees and turned around, only to see Xu Yuewei bent over against the wall, her back slumping as she vomited.
He paused, then ignored the drunkard who was taking the opportunity to stumble away and strode towards her.
Xu Yuewei felt like a bottle of soda that had been shaken back and forth a couple of times, causing her stomach to convulse inappropriately. Coupled with the intense emotional stimulation, the bubbles rose even more violently, and she couldn't hold back any longer.
As she stopped vomiting, she breathed heavily, feeling someone snatch away everything she was trying to protect. With a start, she grabbed the bag containing the silk flowers, abandoning her coat and bag, which landed safely in the man's hands.
She glanced at it listlessly, turning her head slightly.
Look at her past.
She usually doesn't eat dinner, but considering she would inevitably drink tonight, she ate a piece of bread before going out, but didn't eat anything warm, so it's no wonder her stomach was upset.
Fortunately, there wasn't much in my stomach besides the alcohol, and I vomited a few times until it was empty.
Or perhaps, it was only under his watchful eye that she couldn't vomit.
The sun was blazing hot, like she had a fever. She raised her hand, her sweater sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and touched her forehead with the inside of her bare forearm.
It's so cold; my arms are getting goosebumps.
She felt a weight on her back as the sleeves of her coat draped down her sides, enveloping her like a hug.
She dared not turn around, fearing that the person who had draped the coat over her was right behind her.
It's so strange. Zhou Xu did the same thing, but it was so different.
Her throat burned, and the stench in her mouth wouldn't go away. To make matters worse, the front of her right shoe was covered in vomit. It was truly an unfortunate day for it.
After a while, Xu Yuewei grabbed the edge of the coat with both hands and adjusted its position to make it stay firmly on her body.
When I turned around again, Jiang Shiyan was gone.
Xu Yuewei was momentarily flustered, and the next second, the rock door opened and closed, and Jiang Shiyan walked towards her with a cold face, carrying her bag in one hand and clutching countless paper towels in the other.
Xu Yuewei lowered her eyes, her gaze sliding from his neat tapered trousers to his leather shoes.
With its smooth lines, fine leather, and good luster, it looks very valuable.
Suddenly, the shoes in his field of vision were blocked, and his head was replaced by his hair.
One hand precisely gripped her ankle; through the boots and socks, there was no warmth, only force.
Xu Yuewei was frozen in place, watching as Jiang Shiyan used paper to wipe away the dirt from her shoes little by little.
His force was a bit heavy, and the ends of his hair hanging in front of his forehead moved slightly with the movement.
Out of politeness, Xu Yuewei slowly squatted down: "...Thank you."
The nearest streetlights were several meters apart, and the people huddled together, their shadows stretching out long.
Xu Yuewei held her knees with both hands, staring blankly at him, as obedient as a kindergarten child.
How long has it been since she last saw this person? Counting on her fingers, it's only been about half a month.
Saying "never again" would be too naive, but she thought she would avoid him for a very long time this time as well.
When he forgets everything, when he no longer loves or hates, then everything will be fine.
Unfortunately, seven years isn't enough, let alone a few days.
Xu Yuewei suddenly spoke up: "Do you still hate me?"
Jiang Shiyan looked up at her, then lowered his head and continued what he was doing: "Mm."
Xu Yuewei lowered her eyes. Compared to those slender hands that often danced on the piano keys, even the toes of her boots looked a size smaller. They were already clean; he was wiping them one last time.
She grabbed his wrist: "Then why are you still like this?"
Jiang Shiyan threw away the paper, stood up, and her cotton-like pulling force had no effect. Her arm stretched out as straight as an iron wire, and she let go.
Why aren't you saying anything?
"You'll forget it tomorrow even if I tell you."
He pulled her up, pinching her arm until it hurt, but her legs were weak and she couldn't muster any strength.
Jiang Shiyan was holding her handbag in his left hand, with no intention of returning it to its owner. Xu Yuewei tried to snatch it, but she couldn't break free from his grip. So she reached into the handbag through the gaps and rummaged through the layers until she found a pack of wet wipes.
"for you."
For a moment, her mind cleared, and she remembered that she had wet wipes in her bag.
Only after handing it over did I realize that he could have just gone to the bar to wash his hands; it was really unnecessary.
Jiang Shiyan calmly took the towel, pulled out a wet wipe, and carefully wiped his fingers.
The wind seemed to form a vortex between them, the smell of tobacco had long been blown away, leaving only the smell of alcohol swirling around, which she could now smell.
Xu Yuewei put her arms inside her coat and fastened one button to secure them.
Jiang Shiyan stopped wiping his hands and raised his eyes slowly: "Did you encounter a situation like that when you were in Guangyang?"
She was taken aback, thought for a moment, and said, "I wouldn't come to a place like this by myself."
……yes.
Jiang Shiyan glanced at the back door of the bar, as if she could see through the wall and see the man who was drinking with her.
He smiled, a distinct curve appearing at the corners of his lips.
But at the same time, he let out a short, ambiguous hiss, confirming that he wasn't laughing.
Jiang Shiyan held the wet wipe to her coat pocket, his hand hovering there. If someone were watching from the side, it would look like he was about to hug her.
"Then I was just being nosy."
The wet wipe fell precisely into her outer pocket, the downward force tugging at one's heart.
One second, two seconds, only the wind moved.
In the third second, the evening breeze gently blew a strand of hair onto Xu Yuewei's nose. She grabbed it and brushed it back, then smiled casually: "Sorry, I'm drunk."
"I know."
Jiang Shiyan stepped forward, the toes of his shoes pointing at her.
"But I'm not sober either."
Only a madman would come here.
When he arrived at the bar, he saw her sitting face to face with a man. Empty wine glasses of different heights and shapes were scattered on the table. From a distance, it was impossible to tell that the two were drunk.
Zhong Sheng's intelligence was both factual and unexpected.
That man was neither Lao Pan's cousin nor the person who came to help her get the tea cakes.
There were even different men.
Jiang Shiyan turned and left.
The bar's back door was originally used as a side entrance to welcome customers. Like the main entrance, it was a transparent glass door. However, the alley it faced was sparsely populated, and drunks often gathered to smoke, driving away many potential customers. Zhong Sheng was fed up with this, so during the second renovation, he changed the back door to be an exit-only door. Gradually, no one used to come out from there anymore.
Jiang Shiyan found peace and quiet here.
He bought the cigarettes at the convenience store on short notice. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, planning to leave after the second cigarette was finished. Unexpectedly, she appeared on the last puff.
At that moment, he felt as if he had been burned by falling cigarette ash, a fleeting, mirage-like sensation.
He wanted to say something sarcastic, "You really surprised me," but he met her misty eyes.
Unlike her indifferent or evasive gaze since their reunion, she was as fragile as dew at this moment.
Of course he hated her; she softened his heart so easily.
But now, he is very angry.
Seeing that her eyes were wide open, and the thin eyeliner at the corners of her eyes was not charming but rather coquettish, revealing a bit of foolishness.
She was truly drunk, otherwise she wouldn't be looking at him with such gentle and harmless eyes. However, she had just thrown up.
In other words, emptying her stomach was useless; the alcohol had already seeped into her bloodstream, and she didn't know how much she had drunk before he arrived.
"Your boyfriend..." he changed his words, "Where's your companion? You're so drunk, and he doesn't care about you?"
His answer was the heavy weight on his chest.
Some people were so drunk they were almost passing out, while others had all their muscles tense up.
Jiang Shiyan took a deep breath, steadied her by the shoulders, and asked again, "Where's the person who was drinking with you? Isn't he taking you home?"
Xu Yuewei's sluggish brain could only analyze one-sided semantics, and she shook her head violently: "No."
Don't go home.
She reached out and pushed him, but instead of moving him, she swayed because of the force. She steadied herself by holding onto the wall and slowly walked along the wall in the opposite direction from him.
Jiang Shiyan slowly clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it.
One minute, then another minute.
If no one comes out from inside to chase her yet...
At the moment she made up her mind, Xu Yuewei turned the corner and disappeared from sight.
Jiang Shiyan's breath hitched.
He compressed a minute into a unit of time smaller than a second, chased after the person, grabbed their wrist and twisted them around, his brows furrowed, his eyes clashing with both anger and pity.
"Don't wait for him, I'll take you."
-----------------------
Author's note: This chapter was revised eight hundred times, but I both loved and hated it, and it was so satisfying to write!
Thank you for the comments and nutrient solution for the last chapter! [starry eyes][heart] It feels so good to receive feedback during the serialization period (choking up) Of course, thank you to all the readers who have been quietly reading, love you! [heart emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com