After Dan Zi sat down, an atmosphere of quiet awkwardness between strangers spread. Qiao Ling instantly became timid, the battle desire from earlier completely disappeared.
Dan Zi ordered drinks with the waiter, asking directly without avoiding: “Chen Kuang isn’t here today?”
The waiter smiled ambiguously: “Sorry, miss jiejie, today isn’t his shift.”
“Still going to play here?”
“Of course, I really like the atmosphere of your place, the drinks are also very good.” Dan Zi joked with him, then ordered an original special mix.
Qiao Ling shrank on the opposite side of the bar table, watching her calmly and appropriately blend into the surrounding atmosphere quickly, lowering her eyes to secretly feel envious.
Girls good at socializing really are liked by people.
Last night she was sitting farther away, only now did she clearly recognize how pretty Dan Zi was.
Placed in a university campus, this absolutely counted as the kind of looks called department flower or school flower.
Dan Zi’s beauty was not gaudy, unlike Xie Rouyin’s soft and sexy type.
She was like a light purple daisy, gentle and generous, making people have a strong desire to protect.
“Yesterday I saw you here too, chatting with the shop owner.” Dan Zi finished ordering drinks, very naturally started conversation with Qiao Ling, when leaning closer a floral-type perfume scent drifted over, full of elegance.
“You’re the shop owner’s friend?”
Qiao Ling shook her head, honestly explained: “My cousin is the deputy manager here, sometimes I come sit around.”
Dan Zi understood, always with a smile, eyes fixed on her: “You’re so cute, soft and fluffy, look like a university student. Have you graduated?”
“Last year… just graduated.” Qiao Ling was praised until her face turned red, a little shy.
“Today all the staff here are looking at me with quite ambiguous expressions, do you guys know about my relationship with Chen Kuang?”
Dan Zi didn’t avoid at all, playing with her own soft long hair, “How’s your relationship with Chen Kuang?”
Qiao Ling stared at her own cup, “… just so-so.”
Lying to you! He sleeps in my living room every day!
“He’s a person not good at expressing himself, even in university he was always cold, actually he’s really good, don’t be afraid of him.” Dan Zi saw she was timid at one glance, joking about Chen Kuang.
Qiao Ling nodded, really couldn’t think of what to talk about with a romantic rival, glanced at her: “Hearing your accent, you’re not from Binyang, right?”
“I’m from Nancheng, just resigned recently and plan to gap for a while, so came to my aunt’s house in Binyang for a vacation.” Dan Zi introduced her own situation generously, but couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning Chen Kuang, “Didn’t expect to find him here.”
“Since last year, Chen Kuang cut contact with his old friends, everyone looked for him for a long time.”
She laughed helplessly: “If not for seeing this bar’s promotion video while scrolling short videos, I wouldn’t have thought he was actually working here doing this, completely stunned me.”
Qiao Ling heard her shocked tone, couldn’t help but ask: “You didn’t know Chen Kuang could mix drinks?”
Dan Zi waved her hand, “Yeah. After all, who would have thought back then the number one in Southern Institute of Technology’s Information Science major, a top seedling the professors strongly recommended for graduate school, after graduation didn’t go to any company and actually ran to a small city to play at bartending.”
Qiao Ling was completely stunned listening.
Southern Institute of Technology, Information Technology, guaranteed graduate school placement, number one in the major.
So Chen Kuang was actually this kind of top student!?
“So amazing… Southern Institute of Technology was a school I didn’t even dare to think about applying to in high school.” Qiao Ling gave an awkward laugh, playing with the napkin, “You and he are alumni, you’re also really impressive.”
“Did you work abroad?”
“After undergrad I went to the US for graduate studies, then worked in Hong Kong for two years. After breaking up with my ex-boyfriend, I still decided to come back here to develop.”
Dan Zi shrugged, seeming a little troubled: “I’ve submitted some resumes, but there’s no result yet.”
“The job market is bad recently, a lot of my classmates can’t find jobs either.” Qiao Ling consoled her.
Dan Zi saw her sincere face, paused for a moment, curved her apricot eyes and nodded: “The bad job market is indeed one aspect.”
“The main thing is I have decision paralysis, haven’t decided which offer to go back to, so I just let it rot for now.”
Qiao Ling let out an “ah” sound, awkwardly lifted her cup, only then realizing she had underestimated the other party.
So she’s… a sought-after professional talent.
“Actually, I don’t want to so quickly enter another workplace. These past few years, studying and working, I’ve always been pushed along.”
Dan Zi looked at the fruit platter the waiter delivered, brows and eyes carrying desolation, “There hasn’t been any time to settle down, to seriously think about what I really want.”
“I had a few muddled relationships, all short-lived passions with no result.”
She looked around at this environment familiar and intimate to Chen Kuang, “After separating from him, I’ve never been able to let it go. I really hated my immature self back then.”
“Why couldn’t I have understood him a little more.”
Speaking of this, Dan Zi hadn’t even drunk yet but already seemed drunk, supporting her forehead: “I don’t even dare think how upset he was back then. The more I think, the more I hate myself.”
Qiao Ling listened with wide eyes, but couldn’t say even half a mocking word toward this “heartless woman.”
Maybe the hardest person to blame is the one who, from the start, takes all the reason for a relationship’s failure onto themselves.
Obviously sitting at the same table, yet Qiao Ling felt her distance from Dan Zi was so far, even standing on tiptoe she couldn’t reach.
The other party was much more outstanding than she had imagined.
Thinking about her own education and savings, Qiao Ling kept up a stiff smile, drinking her own drink.
Suddenly, she regretted a little that she hadn’t ordered alcohol today.
While the two were chatting up to this point, a waiter not far away suddenly called out, “Here he comes, Kuang-ge!” making the two of them almost simultaneously look up, turning toward the bar entrance.
They saw Chen Kuang coming in from the main door at a not-slow-not-fast pace.
Chen Kuang looked toward the waiter who greeted him, and with the corner of his eye, caught sight of them.
The moment his gaze swept over, Qiao Ling almost immediately lowered her head.
The sweatshirt jacket on him wasn’t the same as last night’s.
He had gone home and changed clothes.
Dan Zi raised her hand to greet Chen Kuang, excitedly asking the waiter, “Didn’t you say he wasn’t on shift today?”
The waiter guy explained, “Our scheduling is pretty flexible. Sometimes when the bar gets crowded, we have to get both of our bartenders on duty at the same time.”
“They’ll call people back, then after getting through the busiest period, they get off work early.”
Dan Zi nodded, “That’s really hard work.”
The waiter had just finished speaking when he turned his head and saw Chen Kuang walking toward their table, secretly whistling in his heart.
Chen Kuang walking toward Dan Zi and Qiao Ling’s table—unaware that because of this move, almost everyone who knew the inside story glanced over.
The atmosphere in this bar quietly stirred with undercurrents.
Dan Zi raised her beautiful smile, spoke to Chen Kuang as he gradually approached: “Good evening, I thought I wouldn’t run into you today.”
Chen Kuang only met her gaze for a second, didn’t say anything, and immediately placed his attention on the person with her head lowered, shrinking in her seat.
He glanced at the drink in Qiao Ling’s hand, judging it to be a non-alcoholic drink from the menu.
“Your ge is in the shop, and you don’t even dare to order alcohol? Are you that afraid of him?”
The ignored Dan Zi’s smile paused for a moment, following his line of sight to look at Qiao Ling.
Qiao Ling, feeling two burning gazes, didn’t dare lift her head even more, awkwardly smiled: “It’s not that… Anyway, I don’t really drink, might as well not waste good stuff.”
“There’s no such thing as whether you can drink or not, good taste is good alcohol.” Chen Kuang saw she kept her head down avoiding looking at him, more or less guessed why.
He reached out, knocked on the table beside her hand, “Stay a little longer. The ‘Picking Faults’ I didn’t make for you yesterday, I’ll make up for it today.”
Qiao Ling silently stared at Chen Kuang, blinking, a little embarrassed, but still happily nodded in agreement.
After speaking, Chen Kuang ignored Dan Zi’s not-so-good-looking expression, turned around and walked toward the cocktail bar.
Not far away, Xie Rouyin, who had witnessed the whole thing, lowered her head, let out a soft laugh, her breath gentle as if it could release fragrance.
This Chen Kuang, truly had both the talent to win over girls and first-class ability to hurt their hearts.
That’s just how it was.
With Chen Kuang’s personality, for people who had hurt him, no matter what the other party did, he definitely wouldn’t look back at them again.
She glanced sideways, saw Xia Tian next to her looking smug, like he’d seen a tsundere little dog, couldn’t resist rubbing his head hard: “Aiya little boy, things like this you still have to slowly learn!”
“It’s normal if you don’t get it right now.”
Xia Tian was caught off guard by the head rub, his face and even his ears turning tomato red, quickly adjusting his glasses frame, “Boss! I’m working here, don’t mess around!”
“Don’t, don’t touch anymore, what if hair falls into the glass!”
The bar’s customers all laughed.
Chen Kuang walked in, grabbed an apron and tied it on, glanced at the two fooling around, raising his brows in confusion.
…………
Qiao Ling thought after Chen Kuang left, Dan Zi would question her about her relationship with Chen Kuang. However, that didn’t happen.
Dan Zi quickly put away her suspicion and complicated expression, pulling her along to continue chatting just like before Chen Kuang came over, without any probing hints in her words.
This made her even less able to raise any real guard against Dan Zi.
A well-traveled and beautiful girl who doesn’t have any intention to make things difficult for a “love rival”—who could really dislike that kind of person?
Qiao Ling had barely left home since she was young. Even traveling had only been within the country, so listening to Dan Zi talk about many things abroad, she listened with great interest.
She didn’t even have time to pay attention to the rare occasion of Chen Kuang personally coming over to pour drinks.
Her academic grades were average; after working hard for three years in high school, she only got into a local Binyang first-tier university, completely incomparable to a top science and technology school like Southern Institute of Technology.
Qiao Ling was very interested in top student daily life, as if through Dan Zi’s descriptions, she also became a Southern Institute of Technology student for a moment.
And even though Dan Zi deliberately held back, she still revealed quite a lot about Chen Kuang’s school days between the lines, which made Qiao Ling even happier listening.
Time flew by while chatting like that, and very soon it passed midnight.
“You’re leaving?” Dan Zi saw her start packing up her things.
“Mm, I’m different from those with weekends off, I still have to open my shop tomorrow.” Qiao Ling packed her things, saw Dan Zi looking quite like she wanted to wait until Chen Kuang got off work to have a chat, so she simply left first on her own initiative.
At the same time, Chen Kuang, who was washing glasses at the cocktail bar, looked up and saw Qiao Ling getting up to leave. He stopped what he was doing, wiped his hands, and said to Xia Tian: “I’m off now, sleepy.”
Xia Tian tsked once, glared at him: “What’s your deal, it’s only what time?”
“Helping you out and you’re still complaining I’m not working hard?” Chen Kuang sneered, took off his apron and hung it to the side: “Once it’s past twelve, there are fewer customers. You can handle it. I’m off.”
Xie Rouyin, just coming back from smoking outside, bumped into him, “Going home?”
Chen Kuang nodded.
Xie Rouyin thought of a certain little girl who had just left the shop door, and said with a meaningful tone: “I heard guests saying tonight it’s especially hard to get a ride. And it’s going to rain too.”
“Sleep early, see you tomorrow.”
…………
Qiao Ling came out of the bar to call a car on her phone, but it was hard to get a ride this late at night, and the ground gradually showed signs of dampness.
She squatted in a corner, sighed.
Why is it going to rain again, annoying.
The bar door was pushed open, she turned her head and saw Chen Kuang, drew a quick breath in.
Immediately after, Dan Zi followed him out.
“Chen Kuang, wait for me a moment.”
For some reason, Qiao Ling, feeling guilty like a thief, shifted farther away, pulling up her jacket hood to cover her face, lowering her presence.
“……”
Why does your exes catching up always have to happen right in front of me?
I personally have! No! Interest in this!
Pa-da, pa-da.
The dry white ground started to show dot-shaped dark water spots, becoming denser and denser.
Said it would rain, and it rained.
Once the rain started, the city that should have been quiet in the middle of the night was drowned in a single-track loop of white noise.
Dan Zi, who had been calm all night, finally couldn’t hold it in at this moment. Clutching her bag strap, her slightly reddened eyes were full of sincerity.
Qiao Ling was standing a bit far away, couldn’t hear clearly what they were saying, could only guess through their reactions.
Chen Kuang had his hands in his pockets, his eyelids drooping the whole time as he listened, showing no expression, and even more so never opening his mouth.
Like he was enduring his patience, giving her the most basic respect.
However, he suddenly tilted his head and glanced over at her.
Dan Zi saw him getting distracted even while talking to her, couldn’t help but glare over along with him.
Qiao Ling was so scared her legs went soft, quickly lowered her head and continued pretending to be invisible.
Why suddenly look at me!
Dan Zi couldn’t help but grab onto his sleeve, just like back then when she would pull on him without restraint, grinding at his temper.
“Chen Kuang, I understand your personality.”
“At that time, neither of us really had a choice, and we weren’t mature. Since all these years you still haven’t accepted anyone else, why can’t you give me another chance?”
“Actually, back then we only spent less than three months together, we didn’t even really understand each other, right?”
“I’m already different from back then.”
The rain drifted along with the wind, soaking through that not-so-waterproof layer of ‘dignity’ people use to wrap up their hearts.
Chen Kuang’s expression was calm, even somewhat unfeeling.
He decisively removed Dan Zi’s hand grabbing onto him, “There’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you since last time.”
Qiao Ling finally heard it clearly, hugged her knees tighter, perked up her ears.
What? Say what…?
Chen Kuang looked directly at Dan Zi’s expectant yet uneasy face, let out a light laugh.
And spoke cruel words.
“Dan Zi, we’re both not people worth turning back for.”
“I’m not, and neither are you.”
After speaking, he walked two steps forward, then stopped again, thinking of a certain “living fossil” still squatting in place.
Chen Kuang helplessly, hands still in his pockets, called her: “Qiao Ling.”
Under the light rain, under Dan Zi’s gaze.
She looked up, saw him tilt his head slightly toward her, saying——
“Let’s go, go home.”
Qiao Ling didn’t even dare look closely at Dan Zi’s shocked face, stood up and quickly caught up, voice small and awkward: “You… why’d you have to say it like that…”
“What did I say wrong?” He raised his eyebrows, pulling her along as they waited for a taxi.
She stayed quiet: “…Nothing.”
It really was that kind of relationship where they needed to go home together.
Dan Zi stood frozen outside the bar, her mind buzzing, suddenly finding her own words earlier—“Anyway, you haven’t accepted anyone else these years”—especially laughable.
She looked at those two people standing under the light rain, with a bit of height difference yet appearing extremely compatible, couldn’t say a single word, nor did she have the courage to take another step forward to try and get him back.
“Say sorry.”
“Huh? Why do I have to apologize again.”
“Say sorry, about someone venting on me after drinking last night. I can forget all of it.”
“……”
Qiao Ling thought for a moment, raised her head to meet his gaze, calmly said: “No, this time there’s no need.”
“Remember it well. I was exactly the one you made cry.”
Chen Kuang froze, the teasing intent at the corner of his eyes halted.
…………
Seeing clearly that moment’s expression when he looked at Qiao Ling, the last stone hanging in Dan Zi’s heart finally dropped.
Back in university, so many people chased after Chen Kuang, she too had once been the girl closest to him, yet she had never seen him show that kind of expression.
Dan Zi stiffly held onto the bar’s front door, gritted her teeth hard, turned around, not wanting to look again.