Chapter 58
Xu Qingzhou had never been to a bar before.
The bar's doors were like a thick barrier; outside was a cold, quiet winter night, but inside was a vibrant, noisy, and bustling atmosphere.
Looking around, colorful beams of light crisscrossed and swayed, accompanied by loud and deafening music. Young men and women were unleashing their passion on the dance floor. Even the people in the booths were shouting to talk. Not to mention, in such an environment, it was impossible to quickly and accurately find the box number she needed to deliver to with the naked eye.
Carrying the cake, Xu Qingzhou first asked a bar staff member where room 3201 was.
The staff member, holding a glass of wine and seemingly busy, barely managed to read through the words on Xu Qingzhou's paper before hastily pointing upstairs.
The other person's mouth opened and closed, but the sound was barely audible amidst the bombardment of music.
Xu Qingzhou strained to hear, but only seemed to make out the words "third floor." Before he could ask any more questions, the staff member had already hurriedly disappeared into the crowd.
Xu Qingzhou sighed and looked at the room number on the order form: 3201.
I thought to myself, the third floor is definitely the right place.
In the dimly lit bar lobby, it was difficult to find one's way, let alone find the elevator. Fortunately, a group of people came out from somewhere, and Xu Qingzhou squinted in the direction and found that it was the staircase leading to the second and third floors.
She walked quickly over and almost got bumped by a drunk person as she turned the corner.
Fortunately, Xu Qingzhou reacted quickly and dodged to the side, preventing the cake from suffering an innocent disaster.
Climbing the stairs to the third floor, I discovered that the bar was much larger than I had imagined. It was a maze of interconnected spaces, with long corridors stretching into the distance, and private rooms visible everywhere.
Xu Qingzhou followed the numbers to find his way, then wandered along the long corridor, turning and twisting.
Just as they were about to reach 3201, half a minute later, Xu Qingzhou stopped at the end.
In front of them, the door of the private room was clearly marked with a number: 3199.
The numbers stop here...
Xu Qingzhou looked around, but there wasn't a single staff member to ask. The last customer he encountered was also drunk and staggering along the wall.
Helpless, Xu Qingzhou found a quiet place and sent a message to the client for this order.
I hope that when the client sees this message, she can promptly arrange a convenient meeting place with me.
Almost the instant the message was sent, a phone call came in.
When she first saw the call coming in, Xu Qingzhou hesitated a bit, since it was inconvenient for her to speak. But thinking that the client might suggest a meeting place, she paused for a moment and then answered the phone.
The call connected, and it was indeed a customer.
But the call wasn't prompted by a message she sent. The moment she answered, the other person blurted out, "Hey, where's my cake? It's been so long, why hasn't it arrived yet?"
Xu Qingzhou was unable to speak, but dared not abruptly hang up the customer's call. So he put the phone on speakerphone and listened to the other party's repeated "Hello, hello, can you hear me? Why aren't you saying anything?" while sending text messages to the other party.
The text message was sent, but the other party still didn't seem to notice, just kept saying "hello" and their tone became more and more impatient. In the end, they just hung up the phone.
"..."
Xu Qingzhou was sweating profusely as he continued to send text messages to his client, hoping they would see them, while simultaneously expediting the search for room 3201.
On the other hand, Yan, the customer who hung up the phone, was also somewhat annoyed.
In fact, as an internet celebrity who has nothing to do with clothing stores, Zhiyan shouldn't be at this gathering today. However, upon hearing that the well-known agent, Sister Rolly, was coming, he still came because of his model friend.
People say there's a gap between internet celebrities and stars. Who wouldn't want to transform from an internet celebrity who tries to please the masses and make money by gaining traffic into a star who commands a huge following and is active on television or even the big screen every day?
Especially since Chen Mi, under Rolly's management, had successfully transitioned from an internet celebrity to a professional, Zhiyan became even more eager to try. Even though he knew that Rolly was there for Chi Jun, he was unwilling to just play a supporting role and wanted to fight for himself.
But I never expected that even ordering a cake would cause trouble for me like this.
Zhiyan was feeling very annoyed. Although she couldn't vent her frustration in front of Rolly, her expression was still rather unpleasant when she put down her phone.
Someone nearby comforted him:
"It's okay, we should be there soon."
"The signal is really bad in the bar, why don't you try calling again?"
"No rush, no rush. We just finished eating. Let's play some games and the cake will be delivered soon."
The friend who brought him was quite considerate. While talking, he started to urge, "Since we're just killing time anyway, how about playing musical chairs? The punishment will be big, it'll be more interesting, and the two of us will drink a toast together at the end, how about that?"
This kind of game, with its slightly ambiguous elements, seems to always be particularly popular.
The crowd cheered and applauded in response.
However, Zhiyan seemed somewhat distracted.
Because of social etiquette at the dinner table, his phone was on silent mode the whole time. Now, anxiously waiting for a call, his phone screen remained on the call log page.
While playing the game of musical chairs, he made two more phone calls.
The phone was answered again, but there was no sound.
Is this delivery guy out of his mind?
Out of the corner of her eye, Zhiyan saw Rolly yawn, looking rather unenthusiastic, which made her even more agitated. Just then, her finger accidentally swiped across the screen, and she saw eight unread text messages on the main screen.
He clicked on it casually and took a look, but the next second, his brows furrowed.
Deaf-mute?
Despite the fact that his own interests had been harmed, the deliveryman's special status did not elicit any sympathy from Zhiyan. He impatiently got up, grabbed his phone, and walked out, intending to go to the agreed location in the text message.
As soon as the door to the private room opened and I stepped out, I spotted a yellow deliveryman walking briskly down the left-hand corridor, carrying a cake in his hand.
He quickly called out to the other person, "Over here, over here!"
Inside the private room, everyone was nervously passing around a rattle drum, which was being used as a "flower." In the ensuing silence, Zhiyan's annoyed voice could be clearly heard.
Perhaps she was really annoyed, Zhiyan first complained a few times, but as she complained, she seemed to get angry and forgot that Sister Rolly was there. Her voice became more and more out of control, full of irritability and dissatisfaction.
"You're deaf and mute, what are you doing delivering food? Isn't that just a waste of time?"
"Don't you have any self-awareness? Alright, alright, stop bowing to me, it's so annoying!"
The rattle drum just happened to fall into Chi Jun's hands.
But for some reason, upon hearing the swallows' chirping at the door, he suddenly paused and looked straight up at them.
Just then, the music stopped abruptly, and whether they were intentionally covering up Zhiyan's voice or simply trying to liven up the atmosphere, everyone clapped and cheered, even louder than before.
However, Chi Jun, who was holding the rattle drum, had no expression on his face.
Then, everyone watched as he stood up amidst cheers, his eyes fixed on the half-open door, and walked over.
As everyone's questions arose, the private room gradually fell silent.
Chi Jun opened the door and immediately saw Xu Qingzhou standing in front of Zhiyan, his face flushed and bowing repeatedly.
Xu Qingzhou felt wronged after being scolded so harshly. She pursed her lips tightly, tears welling in her eyes. However, in the instant she looked up, her gaze fell upon Chi Jun behind the man.
She suddenly stopped, a look of astonishment appearing on her face.
By sheer coincidence, she stared at Chi Jun, momentarily speechless.
Zhiyan followed her gaze and looked back, only to find that Chi Jun and the delivery girl were looking at each other, their eyes seemingly filled with a hint of emotion.
He paused, and his rationality gradually returned when he caught a glimpse of the large table of people in the private room.
He opened his mouth, and after a long pause, asked Chi Jun somewhat awkwardly:
"You...know each other?"
But before Chi Jun could reply, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the young delivery girl who had been bowing to him just moments before had turned and fled as if she had seen a ghost.
"..."
He frowned, guessing that Chi Jun didn't know the food delivery guy either.
This girl was probably just a little stunned because Chi Jun was good-looking.
Zhiyan didn't think much of it, picked up the cake and turned to go into the private room. Seeing Chi Jun still standing at the door, she turned her head and called out.
"Xu Jun, let's cut the cake."
Someone turned off the lights in the room, and everyone stood up. In a lively atmosphere, they lit candles one by one, sang "Happy Birthday" to Rolly, and then egged her on to make a wish.
Amidst expectant gazes, Rolly obligingly made a wish and cheerfully blew out the candles.
"Xu Jun, let's cut the cake."
Amay placed the plastic knife into Chi Jun's hand and gently pushed him forward.
Chi Jun seemed lost in thought, a plastic knife clutched in his hand.
As the atmosphere gradually shifted from lively to stagnant, Chen Mi couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch Chi Jun's arm to remind him. But at that moment, Chi Jun blinked slightly, as if waking from a dream, and immediately put down his hand that was cutting the cake.
"Sorry, I have something to attend to, so I'll have to go now."
Without waiting for anyone's reaction, he turned around, picked up his coat hanging on the back of the chair, and quickly walked out of the private room.
The people in the private room were all shocked and dumbfounded.
"Hey, Xu Jun!"
"What happened? He just left suddenly..."
"I'll go take a look."
"..."
*
Stepping out of the bar, the winter night outside, just a door away, seemed even colder and heavier.
Xu Qingzhou recalled the scene he had just witnessed at the entrance of the private room: a room full of handsome men and beautiful women, vibrant and youthful. Chi Jun stood out among them, appearing so harmonious and eye-catching.
And she, Xu Qingzhou, looked down at her bulky and suffocating delivery uniform—
Her heart was like a sponge soaking in water, swollen, heavy, and so heavy that it seemed to drag her to the bottom of the boundless sea.
She suddenly felt very tired and exhausted.
There's a small park across the street, quiet and deserted at night.
Xu Qingzhou pushed his electric bike over, sat down by the flower bed, breathed in the cold winter night air, and stared blankly at the few stars in the sky.
As she looked at the screen, weariness crept over her, and she couldn't help but lower her head again.
This is what Chi Jun saw when he came out of the bar.
The small park was dimly lit at night, with only the lights by the flower beds casting a faint glow. A little girl wearing an oversized, old yellow delivery uniform sat by the flower bed, her hands resting on her sides, her head drooping low.
They seemed extremely tired.
He walked over step by step, but the little girl didn't notice and kept her head down.
As he got closer, Chi Jun realized that Xu Qingzhou had her eyes closed.
It looks like it's asleep.
Chi Jun chuckled unconsciously, but the smile vanished in an instant, and he couldn't help but clench his fingers hanging at his sides.
How tired must you be, how many takeout deliveries did you make in a day, to be so exhausted on this dark and cold winter night that you fall asleep sitting by the flower bed?
In fact, Chi Jun knew better than anyone else that if it weren't for him, Xu Qingzhou's life would never have been so difficult.
Before she died, the old lady still left some savings for her granddaughter.
While they might not be financially secure, they would be more than able to make ends meet until after the college entrance examination.
But in order to get her to let him go, Chi Jun disguised himself as a greedy, lazy, and selfish fox.
And this young girl actually did it, time and time again, emptying her savings and frantically squeezing out her study time to find part-time jobs to earn money. She simply wanted to offer him her whole heart, just to satisfy him—
[Chi Jun, I'll buy you anything you want.]
Cell phones, computers, game consoles... you'll have everything others have.
I can still vividly recall the smile on the little girl's face when she said those words.
Looking back at those smiles, Chi Jun felt an intense pang of bitterness in his heart.
A night breeze swept by, carrying a chill, and the dry, fallen leaves scraped against the cement ground, making a crackling sound.
Xu Qingzhou took a deep breath, and in a moment of clarity, he realized that he had almost fallen asleep.
She shook her head gently, and when she opened her eyes, her first feeling was that she felt a little heavy.
There is a warm, substantial feeling that blocks the invasion of the cold.
Xu Qingzhou looked down.
It's Chi Jun's down jacket.
She paused for a moment, then looked up and saw that Chi Jun was wearing only a thin sweater, half-squatting in front of her, and had been waiting for her for who knows how long.
Seeing that she was awake, Chi Jun's lips curled up slightly.
"woke up?"
Xu Qingzhou nodded.
I don't understand why he didn't stay in the warm private room and came here instead.
Chi Jun didn't seem to have any intention of explaining. He just looked up at her with an unfathomable smile in his eyes.
He just looked at her like that for a long, long time.
As Xu Qingzhou grew increasingly impatient and bent down to take off his clothes to put on him for warmth, a hand suddenly reached out.
Xu Qingzhou paused, then felt Chi Jun's fingers land on the side of her face and gently pinch her cheek.
Despite its icy touch, the area it touched instantly felt like it had been ignited, the heat spreading rapidly through the skin to every part of the body.
This was the first time Chi Jun had ever made such an intimate gesture towards her.
Xu Qingzhou stared blankly at Chi Jun, and then, under the gaze of those dark eyes that made her heart flutter, she heard Chi Jun's hoarse voice, carried on the wind, lingeringly entering her ears—
"Xu Qingzhou, just do your best to give me whatever I need."
"So, I need a girlfriend, are you going to offer yourself to me?"
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