Chapter 2 Even if I don’t think of you, I will still fall in love with you 2
But Zhou Jiuze didn't go to the bar every day. Several times, Aimee didn't run into him when she came to work. After several disappointments, she made an agreement with her colleagues that if Zhou Jiuze appeared in the store, they must notify her.
Leman is close to Montreux, opposite the snow-capped Alps and next to the sparkling Lake Leman, with charming scenery like a paradise.
During these days, Zhou Jiuze was invited by his partners to visit the Alps.
This is a famous tourist attraction with many Chinese tourists. Listening to the familiar native language, Zhou Jiuze once thought he was still in China.
This illusion made him feel both familiar and oppressive.
The beauty of the Alps is mesmerizing. Rich green covers the entire mountain range, and the wooden houses scattered in the mountains bring other colors, just like a painting by God. The interweaving of green, red and blue creates a rich and colorful watercolor painting with just the right touch.
But unlike the enchanting scenery, the people here live a very peaceful and natural life. Perhaps because they live in a fairy tale, they take everything in the world lightly. Only when you truly let go can you be happy.
But when Zhou Jiuze stood here, he felt infinite loneliness surrounding him.
He clearly felt that he was pursuing something, or looking for someone...
But he couldn't find her anywhere.
But every time I want to forget or give up, my heart starts to ache.
That person must be my lover from my previous life.
That person must be very important to me.
Where is that person...
The night after returning from the Alps, Zhou Jiuze went to the bar. Instead of making him give up, traveling brought back the pain in his heart, so he had to find another way to numb himself.
Aimee didn't work that night; she and her classmates were doing a group project on Yast Street. After receiving a call from a colleague, she ran all the way back from Yast Street, running for a full fifteen minutes. When she rushed into the bar, her face was slightly flushed and she was out of breath, but she smiled as soon as she saw Zhou Jiuze at the bar.
Although the smile was fleeting, she did not take the initiative to come up and greet him.
Aimee behaved like a student who was late for class. She rushed into the classroom to see where the teacher was, and then sneaked back to her seat when the teacher wasn't paying attention.
But Zhou Jiuze saw her.
Although he was sitting with his back to her, the wind and snow outside came in when she opened the door. The cold wind rushed in through the crack in the door, making the ice wine in his hand even colder.
Zhou Jiuze didn't look back, but he saw from the reflection in the mirror of the bar that she tiptoed back to the staff lounge.
It's really like a cat.
A cat that comes home late.
And will the person I have been looking for also be like a cat?
Zhou Jiuze was thinking, and before he knew it, the cup was empty.
Aimee tapped on his desk, and when he came to his senses and looked at her, she asked, "Anything else you want to drink?"
"A Manhattan." Zhou Jiuze handed the menu back to her, but Aimee didn't take it.
Zhou Jiuze raised the menu and asked, "Aren't you going to work?"
But she said, "No."
Aimee, still in her uniform, sat down next to him and called out to her colleagues, "Joe, a Manhattan and a Margarita."
Zhou Jiuze tilted his head to look at her, and was about to say something when she turned her gaze back to his and said softly, "Don't look anymore. He's here and can't run away."
Zhou Jiuze ignored her teasing and continued to ask: "Will your salary not be deducted?"
"Of course," she replied generously. "Eighteen dollars an hour, four hours a night, that's enough to cover my living expenses for a week."
Joe brought the wine and interrupted what Zhou Jiuze was about to say.
"Let's make a bet." Aimee held both glasses of wine in her hands. "Do you dare?"
Zhou Jiuze's eyes passed over her hands. Her hands had distinct joints, and her fingers were long and slender. The water droplets on the wine glass wet her hands and were flowing down through her fingers.
"What's the bet?"
"What should we bet on..." Aimee pondered. "You seem to know a lot about cocktails. You easily explained the Black Storm last time. This used to be my best skill, but now I'm a little hesitant to use it."
Zhou Jiuze followed up on the topic and asked, "How did you learn to mix cocktails? Your posture and technique seem pretty good."
"Hey~ Do you have to ask such a private question?"
Aimee smiled and didn't answer, pushing the drink to him. "How about we bet on whether the next person to enter the bar will be a man or a woman. I guess the next person to come in will be a man."
Zhou Jiuze glanced at the situation in the bar. Most of the seats were occupied, mostly men, gathered in groups of three or four drinking and chatting.
There's nothing to guess.
But he didn't refuse. "Okay, let's bet on this. I guess the next person to come in is a woman."
"Aren't you going to ask me what the stakes are?" Aimee asked. "What if my request is too much?"
Zhou Jiuze looked at her and said expressionlessly, "Then I will refuse."
"So stingy?" Aimee tilted her head and thought for a moment, her voice becoming softer, so soft that only she could hear it. "Luckily, I just want to know your name."
After saying that, they both looked towards the door, and soon a man pushed the door open, but when he was about to step in, he suddenly received a phone call and moved aside to let his female companion come in first.
Aimee frowned, a look of pity naturally showing on her face, "I didn't expect that. Okay, I lose, what do you want?"
She looked at Zhou Jiuze as she spoke, her eyes flickering, but she said seriously, "If it's an excessive request, I will refuse it too."
Zhou Jiuze picked up the wine and took a sip. The ice had melted a little, and the wine was slightly cool with a sweet fragrance. The taste was just right at this moment.
"Then answer that question." Zhou Jiuze put down his drink and asked again, "How did you learn how to mix cocktails?"
"Ah... well, I'm mixed-race. My grandfather is Swiss and my grandmother is British. My grandmother loves to drink, and my grandfather loves her so much that he learned to make cocktails for her. I learned a little bit by watching and hearing when I visited their house when I was little. Then, when I grew up, my grandfather saw that I was interested, so he taught me everything."
"Ears and eyes are influenced by what they hear and see." Zhou Jiuze singled out the word and read it again. "Ru, the second tone."
"You..." Aimee hesitated for a moment and then repeated the phrase "ears and eyes are influenced by others". "Isn't it right now? Actually, I grew up in China. My mother is Chinese and she is a Chinese teacher." Aimee emphasized this.
"Um."
The two were silent for a while. When Aimee didn't speak, Zhou Jiuze didn't speak either. They just drank the wine in their glasses.
When Aimee's glass was empty, she stared at her colleagues busy behind the bar and muttered, "I think I should get back to work."
Zhou Jiuze also glanced behind the bar and said, "Go ahead."
"You're not going to keep me?" Aimee turned and moved slightly closer to him, her voice rising in an ambiguous tone, "Hmm?"
Zhou Jiuze glanced at her and said, "This drink is on me."
“You are…”
Then Aimee stood up, but instead of going back to the bar, she went to the staff lounge and came out wearing her own clothes, a water-red dress.
The spaghetti-strap dress, low-cut and fitted at the waist, swayed gracefully with every step she took. Red suited her perfectly, and when she came out, she attracted the attention of almost every man in the bar.
Zhou Jiuze also looked at her, and he thought of a sentence: There is a beautiful woman in the south, her beauty is like peach and plum.
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