TSIBAMS Chapter 87

“The first time you picked me up from the police station, I said that maybe one day he would find someone and realize that what he felt for me was just dependence, not love,” Brother Xu said, taking a cigarette from the pack on the table and lighting it.

The booth was filled with smoke. For the first time, Qi Guang found the smell unbearable, but Brother Xu seemed completely at ease. He even poured two glasses of wine and passed one over.

“So what? The ‘right person’ isn’t even on the horizon, and you’re already pulling out the script and rewriting it?” Qi Guang said.

“Stop trying to lecture me. Just because you have a boyfriend, don’t think you can transform into a busybody neighborhood auntie and eliminate all single people,” Brother Xu glared at him. “I’m telling you, your behavior is no different from those who keep pushing for marriage and children.”

“If it wasn’t for you, if the other person wasn’t Bai Shu, do you think I’d care?” Qi Guang lifted his glass and took a big gulp. “If you can tell me you like some girl right now, I’ll never interfere in your business again and immediately start looking for a good match for Bai Shu.”

“Go ahead!” Brother Xu glanced at him.

Just then, someone put on “Hiroshima Love.” The intense emotion of the duet slowly diffused through the smoke, and the people who had been rolling dice and playing drinking games in the booth a minute ago all quieted down to listen.

Brother Xu was still exhaling smoke, lost in thought.

Qi Guang said coldly, “I always thought you were stubborn, but today I realize you’re just being dramatic.”

“So be it! If we keep this distance long enough, everyone will get used to it. He’ll have enough space to think clearly and realize that he’s no longer a child dependent on me for life.” The light was too dim to see Brother Xu’s expression, but his eyes were bright as he stared at the screen, lost in thought. “No matter who he falls in love with in the future, the premise should be that he’s emotionally independent.”

Qi Guang was stunned, rendered speechless.

If he had felt that Brother Xu’s attitude was a little lousy over the past month because the scales in his heart were slightly tilted toward Bai Shu, all of that vanished in that instant.

He even began to admire Brother Xu a little.

Brother Xu had never made this decision out of selfishness.

“Whether he called the police on my behalf or even yelled at me, I wasn’t actually angry. Don’t you know my temper? Even if we have a fight today, I’d forget it by tomorrow,” Brother Xu said. “But this time, I think it’s an opportunity, so I’ll just go with it and keep my distance.”

“I always knew you weren’t angry about that,” Qi Guang looked at him. “But I just couldn’t understand before.”

“This day was bound to come sooner or later. I knew it from the day I realized he liked me,” Brother Xu said, exhaling smoke. “But I dragged the battle line out too long. I didn’t expect I would delay it until now.”

Qi Guang had a lump in his throat, unsure how to respond.

“The longer it goes on, the more it hurts him,” Brother Xu continued. “Sometimes being indecisive is also a sin. Do you think I feel good seeing him like this?”

“So you just avoid seeing him altogether?” Qi Guang suddenly felt very suffocated and took another big gulp of his drink.

Brother Xu didn’t answer, he just took another cigarette from the pack, lit it, and started smoking, lost in his thoughts.

Qi Guang didn’t press any further, pouring himself another glass of wine.

Both had their own thoughts, neither in the mood to chat. After a long silence, Brother Xu was pulled away to sing a duet. After who knows how many glasses, Qi Guang finally couldn’t hold it anymore and got up to find the restroom.

Fortunately, there was a restroom inside the booth. He went straight to it, but the door handle wouldn’t turn.

Should he wait here or go out to find another one to save time?

Qi Guang, who hadn’t felt too urgent before, suddenly felt an intense urge.

He couldn’t wait!

He immediately turned and left the booth.

Perhaps he was in too much of a hurry, because he didn’t bother to look left or right when he pulled open the door, which was like not checking behind you before getting out of a car – nine times out of ten, something bad would happen.

And sure enough, he bumped into a tall figure.

“What the…” Already feeling depressed and now running into someone blocking his way while he was bursting with the need to pee, Qi Guang’s temper flared up, and when he looked up, his eyes were filled with hostility.

“It’s me,” Ye Xing steadied him.

That voice.

That face.

When Qi Guang saw clearly, the expression on his face froze. Before he could feel ecstatic, his brain quickly replayed the scene of him drinking with Brother Xu in the booth.

It was beer, no doubt!

He couldn’t be hallucinating after only ten glasses, right?

“Qi-ge?” Ye Xing snapped his fingers in front of him.

Qi Guang grabbed his hand and squeezed it. The temperature and touch were just like in his memories. “What the…?”

“I agreed just now, no need to keep repeating the suggestion,” Ye Xing smiled and nodded.

Then, he reached out to hug him.

“What the!” After three “what the”s, Qi Guang pushed away the hand reaching for him and dragged him towards the restroom. “I need to pee!”

“Xiaoyun sings well, she instantly overshadowed those kids from before!” After finishing his cola, Li Ke tilted his head back and swallowed the remaining ice cubes. “She’s got to be the top… or rather, the star performer here, right?”

Bai Shu was slightly startled by his unfiltered way of speaking but quickly returned to normal. “You could say that. She’s a professional. She trained in the city for half a year before her college entrance exam and got into the music academy in S City. She has a bright future.”

“What about you?” Li Ke looked at him. “You look pretty young too. Are you still in college?”

“I didn’t go to college,” Bai Shu said.

Li Ke paused, then tried to cover his blunder. “Community college? Ah, with my terrible grades, my mom always says I can’t even get into community college…”

Bai Shu glanced at him.

He hadn’t paid much attention to this person before, only forming a general impression of his appearance and clothing. That impression definitely didn’t match with a high school student. Hearing his words was a bit of a surprise.

Li Ke didn’t notice his surprise and, instead, became a little smug. People tend to get carried away when they are smug and can’t help but reveal their life story. He continued, “The truth is, I’m a terrible student. I missed the passing score for the art entrance exam last year, so I didn’t take the college entrance exam this year and just repeated a year. That’s why I’m a bit older than Ye Xing and the others.”

“Mm,” Bai Shu responded.

“What’s your major?” Li Ke asked.

“Not a community college either, I didn’t go to school after high school,” Bai Shu smiled.

This smile was like a fatal blow to the communication bridge that Li Ke had painstakingly built.

He probably ruined the conversation.

But it wasn’t without a chance of redemption. He added, “Everyone has different pursuits. It’s good to enter society early. Besides Ye Xing, most of my friends aren’t in school. Whether it’s making friends or anything else, I prefer to interact with mature people.”

Thinking Bai Shu would tease him a bit, he was surprised when he just smiled and said nothing more.

Undeterred, Li Ke shook his empty glass and said, “Can I have a drink? I’m an adult, after all, and this is my first time drinking cola at a bar…”

“Sorry, I’m used to it,” Bai Shu said apologetically, taking a bottle of beer from the cooler and handing it over.

“Used to it?” Li Ke asked.

“Yeah,” Bai Shu replied. “Qi Guang only lets Ye Xing drink cola.”

Li Ke shuddered. He didn’t expect to be not only mocked to his face but also to have lemons thrown at him even after someone had left.

However, it was like finding a new path after hitting a dead end. He had been worried about how to continue the conversation, but now he had successfully shifted the topic to Ye Xing. “They are all upstairs. Let me know if you get too busy. A friend of Ye Xing is a friend of mine, don’t be shy.”

“It’s about done for now,” Bai Shu looked back at the crowd. “If the remaining standing customers need a drink, they can come to the bar to order.”

As soon as he finished speaking, several young people appeared at the bar asking for beer. Bai Shu quickly got up and went behind the bar to help.

Li Ke also acted like he belonged there and followed him inside.

“Did you hire a temp?” As soon as Brother Xu pushed open the door to 1984, he immediately looked toward the bar, then towards the stage.

Shuai Xiaoyun on the stage was performing with ease. The decorations, put up especially for the holiday, were perfectly done, not stealing the show but still unique.

It was obvious that Bai Shu had put his heart into managing the bar well.

The place was still packed, but it was not chaotic at all. People were drinking, chatting, and listening to the music, each gently swaying to the rhythm, enjoying themselves.

Although he had vowed to stay upstairs, since Ye Xing had made a rare visit home, Brother Xu couldn’t help but come down to join everyone.

But he didn’t expect that a new employee had been hired in the few days he’d been away and he didn’t even know it.

Brother Xu looked at the bar again. Besides the bartender who was always there, there were two busy figures with their backs to him, one was Bai Shu, the other had a half-up bun hairstyle, and looked unfamiliar.

Before Qi Guang could even react to who he was talking about, Ye Xing answered, “That’s my roommate from the art studio, he came back with me today.”

“Oh, I know him,” Qi Guang also saw him clearly. “It’s Li Ke.”

“I thought you were face-blind and couldn’t remember names,” Ye Xing glanced at him.

Qi Guang knew he was having one of his fake jealous moments and didn’t indulge him. “Not only do I remember his face and name, but I also have his number in my phone. How’s that? Feeling uncomfortable?”

Ye Xing elbowed him in the chest. “You’re so capable, aren’t you!”

Brother Xu laughed from the side. “Why does it sound a little off to me? This liberal arts or science student… is also…”

He didn’t know how to describe it and after searching for words and failing, he just cleared his throat and asked, “Like you guys?”

“Yeah!” Ye Xing said, “If there are any handsome guys, remember to save them for my brother, he’s getting fed dog food by me every day, he’s about to explode.”

“Mm,” Brother Xu responded, his gaze falling back towards the bar.

Bai Shu was still composed, focused on his work. His seriousness made him seem out of place from everything else in the room. Only when talking to customers did he look up and reveal a smile that wasn’t particularly bright.

It was clear he had become thinner.

The person next to him, however, was energetic and boisterous like a monkey that hadn’t fully evolved, standing next to Bai Shu and looking particularly eye-catching.

For some reason, after realizing he wasn’t straight, seeing this scene again felt a little strange.

Brother Xu stopped in his tracks, turning around and walking toward the door. “Set up a table outside.”

Qi Guang and Ye Xing exchanged a look, then asked Brother Xu, “Do you want some late-night snacks? Should I call Bai Shu and them out?”

“Yeah, it’s not that busy at this time. Let the bartender handle it,” Brother Xu opened the door and walked outside.