Chapter 2 Chapter 2 It's Pain in vain
"It's rare that you're not busy this year, I won't go home until I'm drunk today!"
"Okay." Zhou Boye responded with a smile. He casually put his suit on the back of the chair and rolled up his sleeves slightly, revealing his black watch.
"Hey, haven't you been to a place like this in a while? Why are you dressed so formally?"
Zhou Boye paused for a moment before he said calmly, "I came here right after I got off the plane."
Lin Yan glanced at Zhou Boye and laughed with an ambiguous meaning.
There were four people at the table next to them, including Zhou Boye. The atmosphere became lively after he arrived. In contrast, in the corner where Jiang Yuxia was sitting, the air seemed to be frozen.
Li Qi glanced at Jiang Yuxia cautiously and said hesitantly, "Bao'er, we've almost had enough to drink today. Why don't we go back first?"
Jiang Yuxia looked at the man, and slightly tightened his grip on the wine glass. He was unusually stubborn, "Why should I leave? I want to stay a little longer."
Perhaps Zhou Boye noticed something, and his gaze shifted over here and fell on him.
Jiang Yuxia's heart tightened and he clenched his fists subconsciously.
But Zhou Boye's eyes passed lightly over him, as if he saw a stranger, and he withdrew his eyes nonchalantly and calmly.
Jiang Yuxia's pupils trembled slightly, and his tightly clenched hands suddenly loosened.
Seeing that he was not going to leave, Li Qi stopped trying to persuade him. It didn't matter whether he left or not. Nan'an City was so small that they would meet again someday. He couldn't run away every time.
He thought about it and waved to the waiter to bring another bottle of wine, and then filled up his and Jiang Yuxia's glasses. Drink more, drink more, wine will give cowards courage.
Jiang Yuxia lowered her eyes to look at the ice in the cup, and took a sip under Li Qi's gaze.
Because the two tables were very close, the noise at that table was slightly louder, and they could both hear it clearly.
"Bo Ye has been living like an ascetic these past few years. Every day is nothing but work. He lives in a cycle of life and death. Does he even want to live like this?!"
"You said that too. We also said that last time when we were chatting with Li Gou. We're in the same city, but I haven't seen him in a long time."
After three rounds of drinking, some people started talking without thinking after drinking a few glasses of horse urine.
A man with dyed blond hair said to Zhou Boye, "Everyone says you're so pure and unselfish now because you were deeply hurt back then. You were in love with that brat and doted on him, but what happened? What was that brat's name?"
The man pondered for a moment, "I think his name is Jiang Xia, right? You haven't let him go yet, have you? That's why you haven't dated anyone in such a long time."
"Crack", the people present seemed to hear the sound of tiny ice cubes breaking in the cup.
There was rhythmic music in my ears, and no one at the table dared to speak. The person asking the question seemed to realize that he had said the wrong thing, smacked his lips, and became a little panicked.
Li Qi at the other table curled his fingers. "Oh my goodness, this guy is walking right into this!" He glanced cautiously at Jiang Yuxia, only to see him just hanging his head and playing with his phone. He wondered if he'd heard anything.
Zhou Boye was still leaning back in his chair, as if he was not the one being talked about. There were a lot of water droplets condensed on the outer wall of the wine glass next to him, and a small piece of ice in the glass melted and mixed with the brown wine. He said he came here to drink, but he hadn't taken a sip in all this time.
When the atmosphere had completely cooled, and he saw the man's eyelids twitching and his expression almost faltering, he slowly said, "It was a long time ago. I forgot about it a long time ago."
Jiang Yuxia's typing hand paused, his fingertips gradually turning white as he gripped the phone. Suddenly, he stood up, put the phone in his pocket, and said to Li Qi, "I'm going to the bathroom."
The hotel's smoking area is in the corridor, next to a patio so it's well ventilated. However, it's not well designed. If you want to go to the bathroom, you have to pass through here and get a bit of cigarette smell, which is very uncomfortable for people who hate the smell of cigarettes.
Jiang Yuxia leaned against the railing and covered himself with his hat to avoid trouble.
The hood of his sweatshirt was big and wide, covering most of his face. He was holding a cigarette in his hand, and the silvery white ash fell into the ashtray. In fact, he didn't like the smell of cigarettes very much. He would only smoke one or two to relieve his fatigue when he was very irritable.
The weather is average today. It is drizzling now. I don’t know if it will rain heavily later. It was a clear sky when I came here.
Jiang Yuxia held a cigarette between his fingers. He had only smoked half of it when his throat became extremely dry.
"Cough cough." After coughing twice, he simply turned off the phone. At this moment, a pair of black leather shoes suddenly appeared in his lowered vision. The shoes were so clean that there was not even a speck of dust, which formed a sharp contrast with his gray white sneakers.
His eyes followed the leather shoes upwards until they suddenly stopped when they came into contact with a small mole. The man had a slender neck, a small dot against the snowy surface, which looked very beautiful.
He remembered that as long as he touched that place with his lips, the person's breathing would become irregular and heavy.
"Excuse me." Zhou Boye's voice was a little deeper than a year ago.
The sound pulled him back. His sight seemed to be burned, and he hurriedly withdrew it, subconsciously holding the extinguished cigarette butt in his hand and hiding it.
When he realized what he had done, he was stunned.
Jiang Yuxia took a deep breath and looked up. They were now face to face, so they couldn't lose the momentum. "It's bad luck that enemies meet on a narrow road."
Zhou Boye didn't comment, but raised his eyebrows slightly, "It's mutual. I'm really sorry for dirtying your eyes."
Jiang Yuxia glanced at him, turned around and walked away without saying anything else.
Only after they exited the corridor did Jiang Yuxia slowly stop.
He felt a slight burning sensation in the palm of his hand. He opened his clenched fist and saw that the cigarette butt in his palm had been deformed. The silver-grey ash stuck to his hand and turned black. His palm was black and sticky. He looked at it for a long time and suddenly put his hand to his nose. The smell of tobacco and tar mixed together was a bit pungent.
Jiang Yuxia's eyes darkened.
It stinks.
Jiang Yuxia took a piece of paper from his pocket and wiped the stains on his palm. Some stains were embedded in the palm lines and could not be wiped off with dry paper. He gathered the ashes in his palm and finally just rolled up the cigarette butt with paper and threw it into the trash can.
Returning to his seat, Li Qi asked him, "Why did you take so long?"
"I went to smoke a cigarette." Jiang Yuxia said as he took a big sip of ice wine, "It's so hot."
He raised his hand and took off his loose sweatshirt, leaving only a short-sleeved shirt.
Li Qi was puzzled: "Really? Why does it feel quite cold to me? Then can I get some more ice for you?"
Jiang Yuxia frowned, feeling somewhat irritated for some reason. He finished the wine and saw a small piece of ice in the glass, so he simply poured it into his mouth and chewed it up.
Listening to the sound of Jiang Yuxia chewing ice, Li Qi felt a sour taste in his teeth and sighed, "It's great to be young. My teeth are better now."
After a while, Zhou Boye also came back.
Jiang Yuxia drank for a while longer, and Li Qi suddenly frowned: "Why is your face so red?"
"It's a bit hot." Jiang Yuxia rubbed his head with his hand. Maybe he drank a little too much. He finished the little wine left in the glass. The spicy and pungent taste made him grit his teeth, like a kitten with its fur slightly ruffled.
Li Qi crossed his legs, looked down, and said with a little excitement: "Hey, the singer is here."
Screams were heard from the first floor, one after another and in waves.
Li Qi laughed and said, "This singer has only been here for two days and he's already rocking the place. Wait and see what happens."
Jiang Yuxia followed his gaze towards the stage. The staff set up the drum set and the lights dimmed instantly.
Bang!
The sound of explosions tore through the space, the rhythm sounded, and the drum beats gradually accelerated.
"Ah! So handsome!"
"cool!!!"
The lights changed with the beat of the drums, and a deep voice sang slowly.
The atmosphere in the room was getting increasingly heated. Jiang Yuxia also roared a few times, trying to let out the frustration in his heart. Turning around, he saw his friend's eyes shining and asked, "Do you know him?"
Li Qi stared at the stage motionlessly and replied with a smile, "Ah, yes."
Jiang Yuxia lowered his gaze, "Who is the owner of the hickey?"
"..." Li Qi was stunned, and subconsciously lowered his eyes to see where the kiss mark was. Suddenly he thought of the scene in the parking lot just now. His face turned hot and he raised his hand to take a sip of wine.
"It's... Xia Xia," Li Qi, a grown man, was a little embarrassed, "I think I really like this kid."
Jiang Yuxia didn't comment, but just asked, "Are you an adult?"
"Of course I am! Do you really treat me like a beast?"
"It's hard to say."
"Get lost!" he said, looking down again. "Look, he just glows on the stage."
Jiang Yuxia hissed at him, "I never knew you had this side to you."
After the song was over, Jiang Yuxia saw Li Qi's "Xizi holding her heart" look and couldn't help but complain: "What a waste."
After Jiang Mu finished singing a song, the host came on stage and asked loudly: "Just asking! Is it good or not?"
“It sounds great!!!”
Li Qi also shouted.
"This year's audience is truly amazing and enthusiastic! I won't say too much, let's get back to the old routine. Old friends, wait for me while I explain things to the newcomers."
"We have a song request session, which is very similar to the auction rules. The person who wins the song can specify the song and get an annual VIP membership for our store. Everyone should have received a small sign when entering the venue. Each time you raise the sign, you will get at least one thousand more."
"The rules are simple, without further ado, let's get started!"
"Me, me, me."
"Add once."
"Here, here."
At the beginning, the signs were raised very quickly and the host could hardly keep up. However, when a certain amount of money was reached, the speed gradually slowed down and it seemed that the end was about to come.
Li Qi rubbed his hands anxiously, "Ah, Xia Xia, I can't let someone else buy Mu Mu's song! Hurry up and help me lift it!"
"Hmm? Lift it yourself."
Li Qi looked at him pitifully, "I've been filming for two nights straight, and Mumu has expressly forbidden me from filming. So, please have some pity on me, brother. Film at all costs, and I'll pay for it!"
Jiang Yuxia couldn't stand his disgusting cute look, and the veins on his forehead were jumping happily. He didn't understand why Jiang Mu liked this guy.
At another booth in the bar, Zhou Boye leaned back in his chair, his black hair hanging lazily.
Lin Yan: "I'll hold up a sign too, Aye, don't you want to hold up one too?"
Zhou Boye shook his head and said softly, "It's boring."
Host: "Sixty-three thousand once, sixty-three thousand twice, is there anything else you want to add?!"
Just as the hammer was about to fall, a clear voice suddenly rang out: "Here."
The familiar voice made Zhou Boye pause slightly.
Host: "Okay, the user above has added the code, and it's now 64,000. Does anyone else want to add 64,000?"
"Oh my god, who is that? He looks familiar?" Someone murmured.
In order to make it easier for the host to see the sign, the bar turned on the lights for the first time.
As soon as Jiang Yuxia showed up, there was a gasp from the audience.
Damn, where did this top quality come from?
The host choked after seeing the appearance clearly, but he didn't dare to make a joke. This bar is a membership-based bar, and there are many hidden talents in it. He might have offended some big shot.
"Sixty-four thousand per time...anything more to add?"
"Sixty-four thousand and two times."
Zhou Boye rubbed his fingers and said, "Lin Yan, give me the sign."
Lin Yan looked puzzled, but still handed the sign to him.
Zhou Boyeyan raised his sign and said simply: "Add."
The host looked in the direction of the voice and choked again. What day is it today? Are all the gods descending to earth? One top-notch one is fine, but how could there be two? He looks like someone who is not to be trifled with.
Host: "It's 74,000 now. Is there any more to add?"
His friend was stunned. "Didn't you say it was boring?"
Zhou Boye: "I suddenly want to play a little."
As he spoke, he looked up at the booth next to him. Coincidentally, Jiang Yuxia also looked over and their eyes met.
Jiang Yuxia frowned slightly, looked away, and tightened his grip on the sign, but the next moment he still raised the sign: "Add ten thousand."
Li Qi blinked, "Zhou Boye...why did he also hold up a sign?"
Jiang Yuxia pursed her lips and said, "He did it on purpose."
I don't like him and I came here to pick a fight with him on purpose.
Zhou Boye lowered his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. It was only a moment, and he immediately followed up, "Add another ten thousand."
Jiang Yuxia: "Ten thousand."
Zhou Boye: "Twenty thousand."
Everyone: "..." What's wrong? What happened? Why do I feel like sparks are flying?
The two of them exchanged blows, and silent sparks filled the entire arena.
Host: "Wait a moment, let me count first."
"So now it's one hundred and twenty-four thousand, two... want to add more?"
Jiang Yuxia said coldly: "Thirty thousand."
Zhou Boye: "Forty thousand."
“…”
Host: "One hundred and ninety-four thousand..."
Li Qi was stunned: "Stop, stop, stop, Xia Xia, stop yelling. What are you and Zhou Boye getting angry about? If you keep yelling, Jiang Mu will scold me to death."
Jiang Yuxia's thumb brushed the first joint of his index finger. His handsome brows darkened slightly, and the air seemed to be stagnant. After a moment, he put down the sign and said, "Hmm."
There are many rich second-generations on the scene, but spending more than 100,000 yuan on a song... I don’t know which family this prince is from.
The host said nothing more, just wanting to get it over with. "Okay, deal then! Congratulations to that gentleman."
After the host finished his announcement, the wine on the table was cleared. Jiang Yuxia took the sweater jacket and said to Li Qi, "I'm going home first."
"Okay." Li Qi breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I'll leave too."
Jiang Yuxia: "Come on, aren't you here to watch the show? Just stay put."
Li Qi: "Can you do it alone?"
Jiang Yuxia: "My assistant brought the car over for me. I can just call a designated driver."
Jiang Yuxia stood up and the yellow-haired man happened to look over. He was stunned when he saw it. "Fuck, that's not Jiang...hiss!"
His view just now was blocked, so he couldn't see anything at all.
Before he could finish his words, Lin Yan pinched him. He smiled and said, "Drink, drink."
Jiang Yuxia heard the voice, nodded slightly as a greeting, and left.
Zhou Boye's gaze was originally on the dance floor. He slowly withdrew his gaze after they left. Even in this environment full of "madness", his clear eyes were not tainted with any heat.
Lin Yan and Huangmao looked at each other, then looked at Zhou Boye.
After being here for so long, Zhou Boye finally picked up the wine glass and took his first sip. The corners of his lips slowly relaxed.
"After a year away, I come back and can't even shout at people."
It's a waste of pain.
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