Chapter 56 I Won't Abandon You
As soon as Jiang Ranxu's knuckles touched the wooden door of the locker room, Asher hissed at him. He paused knowingly: "How did you lock the lawyer in? Did you trick him into going in to eat?"
"Don't worry about it, I have my own way."
Asher avoided his probing gaze, lowering his head to smooth out the exaggerated wrinkles on his shirt. A button had fallen off, leaving only a white thread attached to the fabric. The other man had simply ripped it off entirely. A small patch of his lip was missing, revealing dark red flesh, and faint traces of blood stained his jaw.
"What a torture, what fun! You've already resorted to imprisonment in the blink of an eye." Jiang Ranxu tilted his head towards the locker room, "Why is there no sound in there? Could he have suffocated to death?"
"Don't look at it for fun! This mess is all because of you. I told you not to mess with straight men casually. If you mess with straight men, you will definitely have bad luck!"
Jiang Ranxu, a male lecturer well versed in human nature, never admitted his mistakes and continued to use PUA tactics: "Wrong. It must be because the date gift you gave her was too shabby, which made her feel dark and she couldn't bear to see the young couple's sweet gift exchange. Think about what rubbish you gave her in the past."
Asher said irritably, "A disposable toiletry bag from the Wangfujing Hilton? What's the problem? You can't give your date an expensive gift, or the relationship will sour."
Damn, this is the standard sex/friendship gift for finance men. I'm afraid the gift bag will also contain perfume (5ml sample), Hershey's mints (single), and Ice Dew mineral water (550ml, a free gift from the hotel)... Jiang Ranxu kindly reminded: "You're really doing a lot of evil. Be careful that the lawyer will call the police and report you for illegal imprisonment."
"Lawyers can cause so much trouble. If they start fussing over renovations, taxes, fire safety, and food safety, I might as well go back to my hometown and sell pancakes." The other party urged him again, "So you can't lock it up for too long. Find a way to fool straight men."
Jiang Ranxu guessed the lawyer's intention.
To put it simply, most adults have several addictions, whether it's caffeine, alcohol, or sex. As long as it doesn't interfere with normal work and life, alcohol addiction is not a fatal flaw.
The problem is that a fruit that is said to be perfect actually has a bruise on the side that is not in the sun, which is enough to make people suspect that the core has rotted.
The lawyer had already discovered this small bruise and was bound to use it to interfere with Meng Weishen's judgment. As long as Meng Weishen sowed the seeds of doubt in his heart, the doubts would likely grow more and more rampant.
He was glad that he had already thought of a solution.
He resolves to be a gecko with a broken tail, severing it to survive. He admits minor flaws, invents touching stories, and expresses his vulnerability and attachment, which naturally confuses straight men. It might even help foster a stronger relationship.
Jiang Ranxu left this couple from the underworld and went back to find Meng Weishen.
He was clearly well prepared, but he could hear his heart beating like a drum amidst the music playing in the bar. It was not as smooth as he had imagined.
The band was singing Zhang Xuan's "Just There." The lead singer's voice, hoarse from years of tobacco smoke, spun the lyrics: "I truly detest any method that uses joy and warmth to make things vague yet rigid. It leaves that thing unconcealed..."
The laser light from the bulb flickered, its crimson glow sweeping across the faces in the darkness, each with its own distinct expression. Jiang Ranxu easily recognized Meng Weishen, who was waiting at the original table. Shadows magnified both the strengths and weaknesses of bone structure, for who could have such superior facial features?
Two boys, dressed coolly, gathered around Meng Weishen, their clothes barely covering their thighs. They seemed to want to buy him a drink, but he was in no mood to do so. He turned his head away silently, his head propped up by his arms, like a machine with its battery drained.
Jiang Ranxu quickly stepped forward, snatched the orange-red Tequila Sunrise, and drank it all in Meng Weishen's place. He ordered:
"Rubbish wine. Fifty-eight dollars worth of wine? This gentleman only drinks Hennessy, Richard. Go buy some."
The two boys exchanged glances secretly, and then they ran away in a hurry.
The moment he saw him, Meng Weishen would activate fast-charging mode, fully charged, leap over, and cling to his neck. The bar was so well-air-conditioned it could have served as a cold-chain transport truck. The warmth transmitted from their skin against each other became especially precious, and they both wished every inch of their flesh and blood could be sewn together.
Jiang Ranxu put his arm around the other's waist and sat down. Meng Weishen nuzzled his ear for a while, then finally remembered something was wrong. He held his cheek and looked around: "Wait, was that drink alcoholic? Will you be okay after drinking it?"
The laser light from the lantern faded, leaving only a blurry outline of Meng Weishen's face. Jiang Ranxu pulled Meng Weishen into his arms, and as he lunged forward, he kissed him on the lips. Tequila still lingered between his lips and teeth, repeatedly stimulating the taste buds on the man's tongue, answering his question. Meng Weishen, entranced, allowed him to manipulate him.
"Last night, I dreamed that we got divorced." Jiang Ranxu said, looking towards Meng Weishen's nose.
Meng Weishen touched his cheek and comforted him: "It's okay, dreams and reality are opposites."
"From a scientific perspective, dreams are a projection of the subconscious." Jiang Ranxu prepared his acting skills, lowering his eyes and pretending to be a stray animal caught in the rain. "I know, I'm actually very scared."
"Fear?"
"Yes, I'm afraid of divorce. I'm afraid of being as stupid as my parents and messing up my marriage. I'm also afraid that one day you'll get tired of me and leave me."
Because his confession was too abrupt, Meng Weishen fell into confusion and panic, asking him: "Why? We are obviously very happy together. I will not leave you."
Jiang Ranxu steered the conversation in time: "We got married too quickly. You don't really know me well enough. If I wasn't as perfect as you thought, and I was full of flaws, would you still be with me?"
"Why are you saying the same thing as Li Lu? I have my own opinion on what kind of person you are. I think it's enough that you're good." Meng Weishen continued to sip the remaining wine stains between his lips and teeth. "Actually, I've always wanted to get to know you better. If you really have any shortcomings or schemes, tell me now."
Jiang Ranxu took some effort to pull Meng Weishen down. He walked towards the bar with familiarity and asked the bartender for a Manhattan without even looking at the drink menu.
This cocktail is a sophisticated beauty, both in taste and presentation. Absinthe and whiskey blend together in a martini glass, creating a mellow reddish-brown hue. Like an upside-down sunset, it stands still in a dimly lit bar.
"Try it. If someone invites you to a bar next time, just order a Manhattan. It's enough to act like an adult."
Jiang Ranxu introduced him to Meng Weishen.
Meng Weishen licked the sunset's fur, as if he was licking a thorny chili pepper. He immediately ran away: "Is this bitter melon soaked in chili water? It's too spicy!"
"Wesley," the newcomer interrupted. "Don't be silly. A Manhattan is nearly thirty degrees. How could a layman who never drinks alcohol order one? You've been fooled all along."
A thick, resentful air hung in the air, surely coming from the lawyer who had just been ripped off by his mistress. Jiang Ranxu followed the resentment and offered the man a harmless smile, only to be met with a cold stare. He suspected the man was about to die of anger in the bar, his ghost haunting it for another five hundred years.
Meng Weishen finally connected his thoughts: "Jiang Ranxu, are you trying to tell me that you're actually a good drinker?"
The lawyer arrived just in time to fill the role of the vicious female supporting character. The tragic drama could begin. Jiang Ranxu wiped his face gently and said pitifully, "So you are abandoning me?"
——
Afterwards, Meng Weishen was dragged out of the bar alone by Li Yingxuan. The two chatted for a long time on the street, and Meng Weishen only remembered fragments of their conversation.
The lawyer told him to be alert in this intimate relationship full of doubts (where are the doubts?), not to provide bank card passwords and personal information casually (the passwords had actually been handed over), and to remember to keep evidence in time when large-scale financial transactions occurred (okay)... The lawyer finally handed him a recorder, the same model that Kuang Jia used that day, and the lawyer said that he would be able to use it one day.
After that, he went home with the suspicious Jiang Ranxu and did it twice. Meng Weishen remembered it clearly. After the second time, he hugged Jiang Ranxu's slightly heaving back, and in the overlapping breaths, he confided to him:
"When did I become addicted to alcohol? I think it was during my PhD application. At the time, I hadn't figured out whether I should pursue academia or clinical medicine. Director Tan just urged me to hurry up with the application process but couldn't guarantee whether he'd accept me. I started to suffer from insomnia.
Later I heard that alcohol can help you sleep, and I just wanted to sleep, so I mixed a few bottles of whiskey and Erguotou. The next day I found myself sleeping under the statue of the principal, but I had no memory of falling asleep.
I found that forgetting made me feel relaxed and at ease. In fact, it wasn't the alcohol that I was addicted to, but the feeling of forgetting.
But this isn't a glorious thing. I cherish our new family, and I don't want to expose any flaws to you. Well, now you know I'm not as good as you thought. Will you abandon me?
Meng Weishen's stomach and heart twisted into a knot, aching and stinging. He buried his head in Jiang Ranxu's shoulder, wanting him to feel his presence. "No, I won't abandon you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
