At the edge of the bar were high stools. Yun Li struggled a bit to climb onto one. Looking down, she had to rest her feet on the footrest, while Fu Shi could easily place his shoes on the floor.
Yun Li couldn’t hide her thoughts: “Why did you have me sit here?”
Fu Shi didn’t look up: “You’re the first.”
Yun Li tried hard to recall their earlier conversation, considering a frightening possibility: “Are you saying I’m the first person to approach you?”
Fu Shi’s tone suggested the matter was unrelated to him as he asked, “Aren’t you?”
“…”
His response was neither confirmation nor denial. Yun Li, having just started to see herself as a ‘pursuer’, found hidden meaning in every word Fu Shi spoke.
She had seen too many people with Deng Chuqi who, despite openly expressing their feelings and going to great lengths to convey their intentions, were bluntly rejected.
Yun Li feared becoming one of them.
She took out her phone, pretending to be occupied: “I’m not.”
While scrolling through E-station, she clarified her motives: “I just came to order another drink. Once I get it, I’ll go back.”
“Besides,” Yun Li struggled further, “if you hadn’t let me sit here, I wouldn’t have. You wanted me to sit here.”
Just then, the drink arrived. Fu Shi downed it in one go and said casually, “Then help me keep others away.”
Yun Li asked, “Will many people try to chat you up later?”
Fu Shi thought for a moment and said, “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 approaches you will be a woman.”
“…”
Yun Li had heard that some people come to bars seeking excitement. Looking closely, she noticed Fu Shi’s facial and neck skin was very thin, appearing almost ascetically pale in the bar’s purple-pink lighting, with his thin lips appearing vivid.
He was likely a target for many people’s advances.
Moreover, judging by his demeanor, he seemed to frequent bars often.
“I heard from Qiqi that some people come to bars to find partners,” Yun Li used a more subtle term, but from her suggestive tone, Fu Shi could guess her meaning and waited for her to finish.
Yun Li asked, “Is that what you’re here for too?”
She hoped this wasn’t too direct. Yun Li carefully observed Fu Shi’s expression as he lowered his eyes to fiddle with some dice, asking her, “You came here after hearing what Deng Chuqi said?”
Yun Li was at a loss for words, not having expected this.
Fu Shi continued, “Are you looking for a partner?”
“…”
“I’m not.” Feeling led on by Fu Shi again, Yun Li said irritably, “You can’t answer a question with another question.”
Fu Shi calmly asked, “Why not?”
Yun Li explained seriously, “Because when you ask me something, I have to focus on how to answer your question, and the conversation can’t move forward.”
Fu Shi made a noncommittal sound, unclear if he had taken her words to heart.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Yun Li said accusingly.
Fu Shi: “…”
“I’m not.”
Hearing this answer, Yun Li felt much more at ease.
As they sat closer, Yun Li could smell the strong scent of alcohol on him. Since entering, Fu Shi had only drunk one small glass of whiskey, so he must have had quite a bit before coming.
Seeing him still shaking the dice, Yun Li asked, “What game are you playing?”
Fu Shi explained, “Starting with two dice, roll and multiply the numbers.”
“…”
Yun Li didn’t quite understand the entertainment of academics, but she sat beside him, watching him play.
After a while, the bartender brought the drink menu to Yun Li. Not wanting to repeat her earlier choking experience, she scanned the unfamiliar names back and forth.
Before she could decide, Fu Shi took the menu and handed it back to the bartender: “Make her a soft drink.”
Surprised that Fu Shi had noticed she didn’t want alcohol, Yun Li thought for a moment before saying, “Thank you.”
The soft drink was quickly prepared—a mixed fruit juice. According to Yun Li’s earlier statement, she should have left by now.
Yun Li picked up her glass and looked back to see two strangers had joined the booth. They had ordered a bucket of beer and were enthusiastically playing dice, with the loser having to drink half a glass of beer.
“…”
She sat back down.
Drinks continued to arrive endlessly. Fu Shi would drink after every few dice rolls, not paying much attention to her beside him.
Yun Li felt this wasn’t a good sign. She also noticed that while Fu Shi had started with up to a dozen dice, he was now only rolling six or seven.
“Maybe you should drink a little less.”
“It’s fine,” Fu Shi said, more talkative than usual, perhaps due to the alcohol. He admitted, “I’m not in a good mood.”
Yun Li swallowed and clinked her glass with his.
“I’ll drink with you for a while.”
Fu Shi glanced at her, picked up his glass, and lightly clinked it with hers.
“If you’re not feeling well, why don’t we find something to play for a bit?” Afraid of revealing her thoughts too clearly, Yun Li added, “I’ll call the others. Wait a moment.”
Surprisingly, Fu Shi agreed.
The others quickly came downstairs. They chose the three phones with the largest screens and downloaded a two-player game. Deng Chuqi volunteered to pair with Xia Congsheng, but pairing the other four became a challenge.
Yun Li thought carefully. She wasn’t close with Xu Qingsong, so she’d likely be paired with Fu Zhengchu.
While the others were downloading the game, she sat next to Fu Shi and lowered her voice: “Qiqi said she wants to pair with Xia Xia. Can I not be paired with Fu Zhengchu later?”
Not wanting him to realize she wanted to be paired with him, Yun Li could only apologize to Fu Zhengchu in her heart and lie: “I think Fu Zhengchu likes me…”
Fu Shi: “…”
Yun Li had carefully considered this reason. It would explain why she didn’t drink the beverage Fu Zhengchu gave her, why she didn’t want to stay in the booth with him but sat with Fu Shi instead, and why she didn’t want to be paired with Fu Zhengchu now.
But to Fu Shi, this sounded strange and far-fetched.
He knew Fu Zhengchu well and had never thought of him that way. Besides, since childhood, Fu Zhengchu had liked a girl named Sang Zhi and hadn’t moved on despite several relationships.
Recalling the several times Fu Zhengchu had praised Yun Li’s beauty and how he had lunged towards her when drunk last time, Fu Shi could see how these actions might be misunderstood.
Fu Shi wasn’t interested in discussing Fu Zhengchu’s gossip with Yun Li but made a mental note to remind Fu Zhengchu to be more mindful of his behavior.
With the software downloaded, they moved to a long table. The app had over a dozen two-player mini-games, requiring two people to operate the same screen face-to-face. Most games were simple, like competing in arithmetic speed.
As they sat down, Fu Zhengchu was about to sit across from Yun Li when Fu Shi, approaching the table, nudged him.
Fu Shi said, “Move over.”
Fu Zhengchu didn’t understand, but having drunk too much while playing dice earlier, he passively accepted the information and shifted aside.
Fu Shi sat across from Yun Li. His eyes, usually sharp and cold, now seemed veiled with a layer of moisture. He tapped the phone screen and said in a husky voice, “Let’s start.”
“…”
Yun Li obediently opened the game app, which split the screen in two, with each person controlling half. The first two-player game was arithmetic.
From the start, Yun Li found herself brutally outmatched by Fu Shi. Nearby, Fu Zhengchu and Xu Qingsong were evenly matched, and Yun Li had already heard Fu Zhengchu exclaim “Wow!” several times.
Yun Li began to regret pairing herself with Fu Shi.
She worried that just as she was starting to pursue him, he might think she was foolish.
While her grades weren’t outstanding, they weren’t bad either. But this was just arithmetic, right? How could there be such a big gap in arithmetic?
After playing for a while, Fu Shi rested his hand on the table, propping up his face, while his other hand tapped the screen.
752+288=?
Just as Yun Li inputted her answer, the other side of the screen declared victory. They had played dozens of rounds, and she hadn’t won a single one.
Her composure cracking, she said, “Can’t you let me win once?”
Fu Shi paused, his previously nonchalant demeanor now focused. In each subsequent round, he waited for Yun Li to win before making his move.
After winning several rounds in a row, Yun Li felt humiliated and said slowly to the person across from her, “Fu Shi, leave me some dignity.”
“…”
After playing through almost all the mini-games, over an hour had passed. Fu Zhengchu asked Yun Li if a woman had been flirting with Fu Shi earlier.
She told him the truth.
Fu Zhengchu, already drunk, pouted: “She’s overestimating herself. Uncle’s money is only for the younger generation to spend.” Realizing this didn’t include the other two, he added, “It’s okay for Sister Yun Li to spend it too.”
Deng Chuqi found this amusing and asked, “Why not say I can spend it too? Are you discriminating against me?”
Fu Zhengchu looked at Deng Chuqi, then at Yun Li, and said seriously, “Sister Yun Li is so pretty if she had long hair…” Before he could finish, a peanut hit his head.
Before he could identify the direction it came from, he saw Fu Shi press one hand on Fu Zhengchu’s head and ruffle it, saying coolly, “Behave yourself.”
After saying this, he told the others to continue playing and left the room.
At the table, Fu Zhengchu had already fallen asleep against his chair, drunk. Xia Congsheng and Deng Chuqi, with their higher alcohol tolerance, were discussing company matters.
After waiting for a long time without Fu Shi returning, Yun Li got up, excused herself to use the restroom, and slipped out through a back door.
In early autumn, a cool breeze wafted through the streets and alleys of Nanwu, filled with the faint fragrance of osmanthus.
Shadows flickered along the roadside as Yun Li tightened her coat and looked around, not seeing any sign of Fu Shi. She hugged herself and walked forward, passing brightly lit bars.
Reaching the bridge, she circled a few times without finding him. The other side of the bridge didn’t even have a single streetlight.
After hesitating for a moment, Yun Li turned to go back.
“Yun Li Li.”
She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly heard Fu Shi’s voice. Yun Li didn’t react immediately, turning around to see a faint red glow under a tree.
Fu Shi emerged from the shadows.
Yun Li looked at the ground, where she could make out a pile of cigarette butts, though not clearly.
Unsure when he had noticed her, Yun Li asked puzzled, “Have you been here the whole time?”
“Mm.”
Yun Li couldn’t believe it: “How did I not see you?”
Fu Shi wasn’t wearing a coat, just a thin shirt, but he didn’t seem to feel the cold.
He stubbed out his cigarette and replied, “Were you looking for me?”