Bai Qinglin did not block Zhu Jingru’s number; it was still there. As for why, he didn’t bother to think about it if he couldn’t come up with a reason.
Opening the shop in the morning, closing it at night, everything returned to normal. There was no need to guess when Zhu Jingru would appear, much less deliberate on how to respond.
The familiar vibration of his phone, like the source of an addiction, could be weaned off with time. Bai Qinglin lowered his head to tie his apron and heavily ground a fresh batch of Mandheling coffee beans.
A bitter, caramel-like aroma spilled out. It would only turn sweet after being brewed and having condensed milk or milk added.
More than a week passed in the blink of an eye. After wiping down a table, Tong Yin looked at the neon sign of the bar across the street, wondering why Zhu Jingru hadn’t come for coffee again.
She was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by Yue Chuan. “Little sister, let me ask you something.”
“What is it, Teacher Yue? You scared me.”
Yue Chuan lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, “Do you have Zhu Jingru’s contact information?”
“I do.”
“Copy it and send it to me.”
Tong Yin was bewildered. “Didn’t you add him before?”
“I went to the bar to look for him but couldn’t find him.” Yue Chuan’s heart was like dead ashes; he only dared to mumble quietly, “It’s because that guy in there is too ruthless. He made me delete everything overnight. I feel like I’d get beaten to death if I didn’t delete it.”
“I’ve been working at the shop for so long, I’ve never even heard the manager swear. How could he possibly hit someone?” Tong Yin quickly turned her head to look. Bai Qinglin was no different from usual, standing there making coffee.
“So young, so naive,” Yue Chuan said, finally letting out a long sigh of relief after adding the WeChat contact back. “He’s ruthless. He doesn’t lose his temper easily, but when he does, it’s deadly.”
Tong Yin: “So why did you have to delete Brother Jingru?”
Yue Chuan bluffed casually, “He was jealous that I was chatting too happily with him.”
Tong Yin laughed out loud. “Really?”
Yue Chuan, with nothing left to lose, said, “Anyway, just mention him less in front of that guy in the future. It’s a forbidden topic.”
Just as he finished speaking, speak of the devil, Zhu Jingru pushed the door open. He was clearly in much lower spirits than before, his slightly pale cheeks lacking color. His striking features, tinged with a sickly air, made him look even more innocent. He wasn’t wearing a scarf and was dressed in a pure black down jacket as he sat down at the window seat.
He smiled and nodded at Yue Chuan and Tong Yin, but pointedly did not spare Bai Qinglin even a glance from the corner of his eye.
Yuan Ye, who followed close behind, frowned slightly. He had a faint stubble, a unique temperament, and a rugged, untamed look about him. He sat down in the chair next to Zhu Jingru and asked, “When did you change your taste? You used to complain it tasted like Chinese medicine, now you’re rushing to drink it.”
Without looking up, Zhu Jingru pointed at the order counter. “Go buy a latte.”
Yuan Ye stood up. When he was ordering, he inadvertently met Bai Qinglin’s gaze. It was a look familiar between male creatures. He raised an eyebrow, a slightly provocative smirk on his lips, and deliberately turned his head to speak loudly to Zhu Jingru, “If you’re sick, just drink some hot water. I’ll drink the latte for you.”
“Fine, suit yourself.” Zhu Jingru sat in a relaxed posture, looking out the window. The stud in his ear cartilage was particularly noticeable.
Bai Qinglin made the coffee as usual, without a single misstep. After washing his hands for the fourth time, he wiped them dry with a towel, hiding the impatience rising in his eyes. He adjusted his glasses with his knuckles, then turned and went into the small kitchen doorway to smoke. As he lit the cigarette, he silently turned his head to look at the window seat.
This person was too close to Zhu Jingru.
Yuan Ye felt a prickling on his back. He simply moved his chair to be shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhu Jingru. “You called me here just to play this game?”
Zhu Jingru’s fingertips tapped a regular rhythm on the tabletop. “How could I? Of course, it’s to treat you to a drink.”
Yuan Ye saw through it but didn’t expose it. He simply drank the water and coffee that had been brought over in one go, then cursed with a laugh, “You’re a real schemer. Well, if there’s no liquor tonight, I’m smashing your shabby shop.”
Zhu Jingru laughed out loud. “There’s enough Erguotou to go around.”
Old friends reunited, they chatted energetically about everything. They had known each other for a long time, having met in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. At the time, Zhu Jingru was selling mineral water at a stall, while Yuan Ye had traded a snakeskin he had hunted for a bottle of water. Later, they became friends after fighting and had been tricking each other ever since. Yuan Ye had rarely managed to outsmart Zhu Jingru.
They chatted casually for a while before leaving, their retreating figures a handsome sight, as if they had endless things to talk about.
The glass door of the café closed. Half a cigarette butt also appeared in the kitchen trash can. Bai Qinglin remained indifferent, except that the cigarette butt was crumpled, as if it had been forcefully crushed and extinguished by someone’s fingers.
At ten o’clock at night, Bai Qinglin sat on the sofa, counting the ticks of the clock. The faint light from the screen illuminated his chin. He frowned and unblocked the number from his WeChat blacklist, then clicked into his Moments. The most recent post was a photo with that man.
All the videos and photos that had been intentionally hidden before were now public. There was a half-naked back stained with paint, turning to gaze at the camera; being plied with drinks by a bartender under hazy lights; lying in a sea of flowers; wearing goggles while riding a racing motorcycle… There wasn’t a single day Zhu Jingru was well-behaved. He had ridden horses on the grasslands, chased meteors in the desert, photographed wolf packs on glaciers, and seen the aurora borealis.
A way of life completely different from Bai Qinglin’s.
And a person like that would not like to be tied down.
Right now, it was just because of a face. Bai Qinglin turned off the screen, plunging himself back into darkness. As one aged, one’s looks would also fade. It was all just a whim.
After being rejected, of course there was no need to continue wasting time. So, finding someone else was also an option.
Bai Qinglin took a sleeping pill and stood up, intending to go to the bedroom. But just then, his phone suddenly lit up—the first call from Zhu Jingru in all these days.
Bai Qinglin froze, preparing to hang up. But his fingertip rubbed the screen again. This time, however, Zhu Jing-ru hung up first.
The few seconds stretched into an eternity. The vibration of a text message was incredibly clear.
Bai Qinglin’s suspended heart seemed to suddenly drop.
[Brother Bai, I’m downstairs at your place.]
[Do you want to see me?]
