Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Something's Off Xie Zeyan: [Glad You Like It] On the stage, the intense drumbeats drowned out Xie Zeyan's last two sentences. Nan Shu didn't catch them and asked vaguely, "Hmm... what did you just say?" Xie Zeyan looked thoughtfully at the shaker in his hand, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Nothing." The liquid in the shaker slid along the glass wall, slowly pouring into the cup, gradually separating into layers of blue and pink—dreamlike, like the aurora. "Done." Xie Zeyan slid the frosted glass toward Nan Shu. "So pretty." Nan Shu couldn't help but marvel, pulling out her phone to snap several photos. "I almost can't bear to drink it." Xie Zeyan removed his black gloves and looked at Nan Shu. "If it tastes good, I'll make it for you again next time." He didn't seem to be saying it casually—it was a genuine promise. Nan Shu suppressed the restless drumming in her heart, cupped the glass, and took a small sip. The moment the alcohol touched her tongue, there was a slight tingling sensation, but quickly, the flavor spread, and the fresh aroma of white peach dissolved between her lips and teeth. It was a fruit cocktail with a very low alcohol content, and the taste was truly excellent. "So good." Nan Shu lifted her bright, apricot-like eyes and took another small sip. Xie Zeyan's gaze fell on the girl's slightly parted lips, moistened by the drink, glistening. His Adam's apple visibly rolled as he poured himself a glass of ice water and took a big gulp, suppressing the heat surging through his body. "Oh, right, Xie Zeyan." Nan Shu set down her glass reluctantly, the unmelted ice cubes clinking crisply against the cup. "I didn't expect to run into you here today, so I didn't bring the ring." She hadn't anticipated at all that "next time" would come so soon. "Then you'll just have to bring it to me the time after that." Nan Shu sighed. "I don't know when we'll meet again. How about we set a time, and I'll drop it off for you at Siji? Or if you're busy, I can have someone else here pass it to you?" "No need," he paused, the corner of his eye lifting slightly. "Judging by this frequency, our next meeting should come pretty soon." Nan Shu couldn't help but curl her lips, an indescribable, wonderful feeling rippling through her heart. It seemed that as long as the ring hadn't been returned, this meeting of theirs would never be the last. She raised her gaze and met his eyes. The man's gaze was deep and dark, fixed on her without blinking. Their eyes met. Nan Shu's heartbeat suddenly quickened. She gently bit her lower lip and said, "Then... see you next time?" After a long moment, Xie Zeyan looked away and replied, "See you next time." In the distance, a hurried figure rushed toward the bar. "Nannan! You're here! I've been looking everywhere for you." Liang Jiayi had been frantically searching and finally spotted Nan Shu here. "I went to the booth to find you and you were gone. Someone nearby said some creepy guy was causing a drunken scene, and a really handsome guy stepped in to help. Are you hurt? Let me see." "I'm fine." Nan Shu stood up and let Liang Jiayi check her over. "See? Not a scratch." "Good, good. I'm never leaving you alone again." Liang Jiayi turned her head and inadvertently caught sight of the guy beside her—impeccable proportions, radiating an air of distinction. Wait, he looks kind of familiar? Liang Jiayi looked back for another few glances. When she realized who he was, her eyes flew wide open and she gasped, "Xie, the school heartthrob?!" The three of them had been classmates for a year before the class split, and back then, Xie Zeyan's reputation at Jingjia No. 1 High School was legendary—everyone knew him. Liang Jiayi recognized him at a glance and was certain she wasn't mistaken. Handsome on a completely different level from everyone else—who else could it be but Xie Zeyan? Liang Jiayi was a social butterfly, so she reached out to greet him. "Xie, the school heartthrob! Long time no see! Nannan and I were your classmates in freshman year—remember?" Xie Zeyan gave a slight nod, as cold and distant as ever. "Mm." Sure enough, still the same unapproachable ice-cold heartthrob from back then. Not a single change. Liang Jiayi didn't dare disturb the school heartthrob's peace further. She turned back and helped Nan Shu up from her seat at the bar. "Nannan, it's past ten. Let's head back." Hearing this, Xie Zeyan came out from behind the bar, his sharply defined profile blocking a large swath of light. "I'll walk you both back." He hadn't been drinking, but both girls looked a bit tipsy, and he wasn't comfortable letting them go alone. "No need, no need." Nan Shu and Liang Jiayi said in unison. Nan Shu was thinking that it wouldn't be good for Xie Zeyan to leave his post without permission—she didn't want to hold up his work. Liang Jiayi, on the other hand, said, "My brother's coming to pick us up, so no trouble!" Xie Zeyan didn't insist. "Alright." The two walked out of the bar, where traffic still flowed like a woven tapestry and neon lights dotted the night. Nan Shu asked, "Your brother's coming to pick us up?" Liang Jiayi's brother, Liang Xubai, was two years older than them and worked as a doctor with a very busy schedule, so Nan Shu was actually quite surprised to hear he was coming. "Yeah, he happened to call me. When he found out we were both at the bar, he said he'd swing by to pick us up after work." "Nannan," Liang Jiayi glanced back into the bar—Xie Zeyan was no longer at the counter. She turned back, curiosity piqued. "You and Xie Zeyan... since when did you two get so close?" When Xie Zeyan had offered to drive them home earlier, Liang Jiayi had sensed something off. In her memory, Xie Zeyan was always cold and unapproachable. She'd never seen him pay extra attention to anyone. Let alone voluntarily offering to drive them home. Nan Shu knew she couldn't hide it from Liang Jiayi, so she confessed honestly: "Do you remember how I found a dog walker to take care of Huituichang before I joined the film crew this time?" "I remember. Wait a second!" Liang Jiayi lowered her voice, incredulous: "Don't tell me the dog walker was Xie Zeyan?" "Yes." "Oh my god." Liang Jiayi glanced toward the bar again in surprise. "How did Xie Zeyan end up being a dog walker?" "He's probably hit some financial difficulties." Nan Shu put it delicately, and Liang Jiayi understood the implication. She sighed. "Life's so unpredictable—who would've thought Xie Zeyan... But come to think of it, he doesn't look worn down by life at all. When I saw him just now, I thought he must be some big boss now, because he looks..." Liang Jiayi searched for the right word but couldn't find one: "He just has that presence of someone in power, you know what I mean?" Nan Shu understood. Xie Zeyan did exude an aura that was impossible to ignore. Refined, composed, as if everything was under his control. A few minutes later, a black G-Class pulled up at the bar entrance. Liang Xubai stepped out, wearing a white shirt. His gentle gaze landed on Nan Shu. "Didn't drink too much, did you?" Nan Shu curved her eyes into a smile. "Thanks for your concern, Xubai-ge. We only had a little." Liang Jiayi had already reached the back seat. She called out to Nan Shu, "Nannan, you get in first." Liang Xubai opened the passenger door for Nan Shu. "Nannan gets carsick easily—sit up front." After getting in, Liang Xubai grabbed two blankets from the back seat. He tossed one to Liang Jiayi and draped the other over Nan Shu. "The AC in the car is cold. Be careful not to catch a chill." Just as Nan Shu was about to say "thank you," Liang Xubai spoke first: "No more thank-yous. Don't be so formal with me." "Exactly, Nannan. My brother is your brother too. Don't stand on ceremony with our brother." Liang Jiayi looked down at her phone and noticed a post Nan Shu had made on Moments about ten minutes earlier. She looked up and asked, "Nannan, that drink you posted on Moments is so pretty! I didn't see it on the menu—did you order it later?" Nan Shu hummed in acknowledgment. "It was a special cocktail he made." Liang Jiayi liked the post and gushed, "I'm so jealous of youuuu." Liang Xubai didn't follow their cryptic exchange. He asked, "Who?" Liang Jiayi said, "We ran into a high school classmate at the bar—Xie Zeyan. Bro, you've probably heard the name before. He was really famous at No. 1 High School." When they were freshmen, Liang Xubai was a senior, but Xie Zeyan's name had echoed throughout all of Jingjia No. 1 High School. "Vaguely familiar." Liang Xubai remembered hearing the name from someone—and not just from high school. "See, I told you—everyone knows the name of the school heartthrob. I remember in our freshman year, our classroom door was completely mobbed, all with people delivering love letters to Xie Zeyan. Nannan, do you remember how our class monitor back then also liked Xie Zeyan?" Once the topic opened up, Liang Jiayi couldn't stop. For the rest of the ride, she analyzed which classmates had liked Xie Zeyan and who had secretly harbored feelings without ever confessing. Nan Shu had never told anyone about her secret crush on Xie Zeyan in high school. Those sensitive girlish feelings were buried deep. As she listened to Liang Jiayi's analysis, she secretly broke out in a cold sweat, terrified that Liang Jiayi might analyze her way to the truth. Finally, the car stopped at the entrance of Liang Jiayi's residential complex. Liang Xubai's head was throbbing from her chatter. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can get out now." Liang Jiayi grumbled a few words at Liang Xubai, then waved at Nan Shu in the passenger seat. "I'm heading off then!" After watching Liang Jiayi disappear into the complex, the black G-Class slowly pulled away again. Without Liang Jiayi's chatter, the car fell silent, settling into a brief awkwardness. Liang Xubai cleared his throat and asked, "When's your next shoot?" Nan Shu, who had been gazing out the window, turned back. "I have a film to shoot after National Day." Liang Xubai nodded. After a moment, he asked again, "How's Grandma doing? I've been busy with work lately and haven't had the chance to visit her." "She's doing well. I'm actually heading back tomorrow." Before she got out of the car, Liang Xubai reminded her once more: "Drink some honey water when you get home. You won't have a headache tomorrow." "Okay." She hadn't drunk much at the bar—one mojito and one of Xie Zeyan's special cocktails. But maybe she couldn't hold her liquor, because when she was showering, she felt terribly dizzy. She rubbed her aching head, walked over to the refrigerator, found a few apples and oranges, and prepared to boil some honey water to sober up. While waiting for the water in the pot to boil, she opened WeChat and scrolled to the Moments post she had made at the bar. A simple photo—the special cocktail Xie Zeyan had made. Caption: 【Like】 It wasn't until she was about to fall asleep, her eyes drowsily closing, that she vaguely noticed a new comment had appeared beneath that Moments post. Xie Zeyan: 【Glad you like it】