The bar counter was lined with high stools, and Yun Li exerted some effort to climb onto one. Looking down, she noticed how she had to perch on the footrest while Fu Shize could effortlessly rest his shoes on the floor.
Unable to hide her thoughts, Yun Li asked, "Why did you have me sit here?"
Without looking up, Fu Shize replied, "You're the first."
Yun Li racked her brain, recalling their earlier conversation, and a terrifying possibility dawned on her. "Are you saying I'm the first person to hit on you?"
His tone indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him, he countered, "Isn't that so?"
"..."
His words neither confirmed nor denied it. Having just assumed the identity of a 'suitor,' Yun Li found hidden meanings in every word Fu Shize spoke.
Having watched too many people with Deng Chuqi—those who unabashedly expressed their feelings and went to great lengths to convey their affections, only to be outright rejected—Yun Li feared she might become one of them.
She took out her phone, pretending to browse. "I'm not."
Scrolling through E-Station, she clarified her motives, "I just came over to order another drink. Once I get it, I'll go back."
"And," she struggled further, "if you didn't want me to sit here, I wouldn't have. So, you must have wanted me to sit here."
Just then, the drink arrived. Fu Shize downed it in one gulp and said casually, "Then help me block them."
Yun Li asked, "Are a lot of people going to hit on you later?"
Fu Shize thought for a moment. "Quite a few."
Hearing this, Yun Li glanced at the empty seat to his right. "You could have Fu Zhengchu sit on your right. After all, not everyone who hits on you is female."
"..."
Yun Li had heard before that some people went to bars seeking excitement. Studying Fu Shize closely, she noticed his face and neck had thin skin, appearing almost ascetically pale under the bar's purple-pink lighting, his lips strikingly vivid.
He was likely a prime target for many.
And judging by his demeanor, it seemed he frequented bars often.
"Qiqi mentioned that some people come to bars to... find partners," Yun Li used a more discreet term, though her hesitant tone likely gave away her meaning. Fu Shize waited for her to finish.
Yun Li asked, "Is that why you're here too?"
That shouldn’t have been too direct, right? She cautiously observed Fu Shize's expression. He lowered his eyes, fiddling with the dice, and asked, "Did you come here because of what Deng Chuqi said?"
Yun Li was dumbfounded, not catching on immediately.
Fu Shize pressed on, "Do you want to find a partner?"
"..."
"No, I don’t." Feeling led by the nose again, Yun Li retorted irritably, "You can’t answer a question with another question."
Fu Shize asked calmly, "Why not?"
Yun Li explained earnestly, "Because when you ask me a question, I have to focus on how to answer you, and the conversation can’t progress."
Fu Shize gave a noncommittal "Hmm," though it was unclear if he took it in.
"Then you still haven’t answered my question," Yun Li chided.
Fu Shize: "..."
"I'm not."
Hearing this answer, Yun Li felt much better.
Only when they were close did she catch the strong scent of alcohol on him. Since entering, Fu Shize had only had one small glass of whiskey—he must have drunk quite a bit before arriving.
Seeing him still shaking the dice, Yun Li asked, "What are you playing?"
Fu Shize said, "Start with two dice. Multiply the numbers after shaking."
"..."Yun Li didn't quite understand the entertainment of academic elites, so she just sat aside watching him play.
After a while, the bartender handed her the drink menu. Determined not to repeat the choking incident from earlier, she scanned the unfamiliar names indecisively.
Before she could make any sense of it, Fu Shize took the menu directly from her and returned it to the bartender. "Make her a soft drink," he said.
Caught off guard that Fu Shize had noticed her reluctance to drink, Yun Li hesitated for a long moment before finally murmuring a quiet "Thank you."
The soft drink arrived quickly—a mixed fruit juice. By her original plan, she should have been heading home by now.
She picked up her glass and glanced back, only to find two strangers had somehow taken seats at their booth. A bucket of beer sat on the table, and the group was engrossed in a dice game, with the loser having to down half a glass of beer.
"..."
She sat back down.
Drinks kept coming, seemingly endless. Fu Shize took a sip after every few rounds of dice, barely paying attention to her.
Yun Li sensed something was off. She also noticed that while Fu Shize had initially juggled over a dozen dice at once, he could now only manage six or seven.
"Maybe you should... drink a little less?"
"It's fine." Whether it was the alcohol or not, Fu Shize was more talkative than usual and admitted frankly, "I'm in a bad mood."
Yun Li swallowed nervously and clinked her glass lightly against his.
"I'll keep you company for a bit."
Fu Shize glanced at her, then picked up his own glass and tapped it lightly against hers.
"If you're feeling down, maybe we could play something?" Afraid her intentions were too obvious, she quickly added, "I'll call the others over. Wait a sec."
Surprisingly, Fu Shize gave a faint hum of agreement.
The others soon came downstairs. They picked the three phones with the largest screens and downloaded a two-player game. Deng Chuqi volunteered to pair up with Xia Congsheng, but the remaining four posed a dilemma.
Yun Li thought carefully. She wasn't close to Xu Qingsong, so she’d most likely end up paired with Fu Zhengchu.
While the others were still downloading the game, she sidled up to Fu Shize and whispered, "Qiqi said she wants to team up with Xia Xia. Later, can I not be paired with Fu Zhengchu?"
She couldn’t let him realize she wanted to be with him instead.
Mentally apologizing to Fu Zhengchu, she forced out a lie: "Fu Zhengchu seems to like me..."
Fu Shize: "..."
She had carefully crafted this excuse—it explained why she hadn’t drunk the beverage Fu Zhengchu offered, why she’d chosen to sit with Fu Shize instead of staying in the booth with Fu Zhengchu, and why she didn’t want to be paired with him now.
But to Fu Shize, the reasoning sounded bizarre and far-fetched.
He knew Fu Zhengchu well and had never considered such a possibility. Besides, since childhood, Fu Zhengchu had been hung up on a girl named Sang Zhi. Even after a few relationships, he still hadn’t moved on.
Recalling how Fu Zhengchu had repeatedly complimented Yun Li’s looks and how he’d lunged at her drunkenly the last time they parted, Fu Shize conceded that those actions could easily be misconstrued.
He had no interest in discussing Fu Zhengchu’s romantic affairs with Yun Li, resolving only to remind his cousin later to watch his behavior.
Once the game was downloaded, they moved to a long table. The app contained over a dozen two-player minigames, requiring two people to operate the same screen face-to-face. Most were simple, like competing to solve arithmetic problems faster.The group took their seats. Fu Zhengchu was about to sit across from Yun Li when Fu Shize, who had just arrived at the long table, nudged him aside.
Fu Shize said, "Move over."
Fu Zhengchu didn’t understand, but having drunk too much during the dice game earlier, he could only passively process the instruction and scooted aside.
Fu Shize sat down opposite Yun Li. His usually sharp and cold gaze seemed softened, as if veiled in a layer of moisture. He tapped his phone screen and said hoarsely, "Start."
"..."
Yun Li obediently opened the gaming app. The screen split into two halves, with each person controlling one side. The first two-player game was arithmetic.
From the very beginning, Yun Li found herself utterly dominated by Fu Shize. Meanwhile, Fu Zhengchu and Xu Qingsong were evenly matched beside them—she had already heard Fu Zhengchu exclaim "Holy crap!" multiple times.
Yun Li began to regret pairing herself with Fu Shize.
Would he think she was an idiot right after she started pursuing him?
Her grades weren’t exceptional, but they were decent. And wasn’t this just arithmetic? How could there be such a huge gap in arithmetic skills?
Before long, Fu Shize rested one arm on the table, propping his chin, while the other hand tapped on the screen.
752 + 288 = ?
Yun Li had just entered the answer when the other half of the screen declared victory. Dozens of rounds in, she hadn’t won a single one.
Her morale was crumbling. "Can’t you go easy on me?"
Fu Shize paused, momentarily snapping out of his indifferent demeanor. From then on, he focused intently, waiting for Yun Li to win each round before making his move.
After winning several rounds in a row, Yun Li felt humiliated instead. She said slowly to the person across from her, "Fu Shize, leave me some dignity."
"..."
By the time they had cycled through most of the mini-games, over an hour had passed. Fu Zhengchu asked Yun Li if a woman had hit on Fu Shize earlier.
She answered truthfully.
Fu Zhengchu, already heavily intoxicated, scoffed. "Overestimating herself. My uncle’s money is only for his juniors to spend." Realizing this excluded the other two, he added, "Spending it on Sister Lili is fine too."
Deng Chuqi found this amusing. "Why not say you can spend it on me too? Are you discriminating against me?"
Fu Zhengchu glanced at Deng Chuqi, then at Yun Li, and said earnestly, "Sister Lili is so pretty. If she grew her hair out—" Before he could finish, a peanut smacked him on the head.
Before he could even locate the source, Fu Shize pressed a hand onto Fu Zhengchu’s head and ruffled his hair, saying flatly, "Rein it in."
With that, he told the others to keep playing and left the room.
At the table, Fu Zhengchu was already drunk and asleep against his chair. Xia Congsheng and Deng Chuqi, both holding their liquor well, were chatting about work.
After waiting for a long time with no sign of Fu Shize returning, Yun Li excused herself to the restroom and slipped out through a back door.
Early autumn’s cool breeze wound through the streets and alleys, carrying the faint scent of osmanthus that blanketed Nanwu.
Shadows of people dotted the roadside. Yun Li tightened her coat and looked around but saw no trace of Fu Shize. Hugging herself, she walked forward. At this hour, the bars along the street were brightly lit.
She reached the bridge, circled it a few times, and still found no one. Not even a streetlight illuminated the other side of the bridge.
After hesitating, Yun Li turned back.
"Yun Lili."
After a few steps, Fu Shize’s voice suddenly reached her. Yun Li didn’t react immediately. Only when she turned around did she spot a faint red glow beneath a tree.
Fu Shize emerged from the shadows.Yun Li looked at the ground. Though unclear, there were already clusters of cigarette butts.
Not knowing when he had noticed her, Yun Li asked in confusion, "Have you been here the whole time?"
"Yeah."
Yun Li couldn't believe it. "How come I didn’t see you?"
Fu Shize wasn’t wearing a jacket, just a thin shirt, yet he didn’t seem to feel the cold.
He crushed the cigarette butt underfoot and replied, "Were you looking for me?"
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