CH 35

The bar owner was one of the few people in Shanghai who knew about their relationship.

Back in Beijing, Jiang Heng and Ji Yao had gained quite a reputation as a couple. While they were both well-regarded in their circle, they never entertained the “public,” they went off to privately resolve their issues, leading to many passionate discussions behind their backs among their mutual friends.

Nobody knew how Ji Yao managed to win over Jiang Heng, or how Jiang Heng had been able to avoid triggering Ji Yao’s sensitivities for so long. By the time everyone had realized it, they had already tacitly accepted that these two would be together for a long time

In the ever-changing social circles, and their niche sexual orientation, they struggled to survive within the confines of societal norms and family expectations. People lived for the moment and rarely settled down for a proper relationship.

Jiang Heng and Ji Yao had been together for almost three years when they suddenly and unexpectedly parted ways. Everyone felt it was a pity.

However, their separation was clean and swift. They left Beijing almost simultaneously and disappeared from the city, turning their relationship into a mystery. It became a topic of conversation over tea and dinner, yet almost nobody knew the reason behind it.

Seeing them together again, the bar owner almost felt like he had time-traveled. He could hardly believe his eyes and had the urge to take out his phone to check what year it was.

Ji Yao covered the whisky with ice, and the bar owner glanced at Jiang Heng, seeing no objection. He turned around, grabbed the necessary tools from the shelf, and mixed a Tequila Sunrise for him.

With half of the base alcohol, the sweet aroma of fresh orange juice and pomegranate syrup became particularly strong. Jiang Heng tilted the glass, watching the transparent surface of the drink catch the warm, golden glow of the dim bar lights.

Jiang Heng rarely drank such sweet cocktails, and his expression became somewhat peculiar.

“… Doing this will make me think you’re trying to flirt with me,” Jiang Heng said.

“Just drink it,” Ji Yao said. “Don’t want another trip to the hospital, do you?”

His tone was light, his demeanor natural and calm. Jiang Heng was almost certain that Ji Yao had come to see him on purpose this time.

If it had been a chance encounter, he would never have initiated a conversation.

Jiang Heng propped his head on his hand and couldn’t help asking, “How did you find me?”

He glanced at the bar owner from the corner of his eye, and the bar owner widened his eyes, hastily shaking his head to indicate that he had nothing to do with this.

“I asked Ge Xing,” Ji Yao said.

With an impulsive desire to clarify things, Ji Yao initially thought of Jiang Heng. However, as he stood at the subway station entrance, he suddenly realized that he didn’t even have Jiang Heng’s contact information.

Shanghai was thousands of square kilometers in size, and the streets were bustling with people. But Ji Yao realized that without a way to communicate with someone, meeting them was surprisingly difficult.

He hesitated with his phone for a while, then reluctantly called Ge Xing to ask for Jiang Heng’s contact information again.

“Jiang Heng?” Ge Xing’s tone sounded matter-of-fact, not even bothering to ask why he wanted it: “He’s at The Qingbo bar.”

Ji Yao paused momentarily, but before he could ask further, Ge Xing had already hung up, sending Ji Yao the location through WeChat.

“The bar at Qingbo is here,” a new message popped up in the chat: “It’s not easy to find. If you get lost, call me.”

Ji Yao, not being from Shanghai, was unfamiliar with the city’s old streets and alleys. He got lost for twenty minutes among winding paths and alleys, finally finding his way with the help of navigation and asking around.

The sign for The One Bar was low-key and unassuming, embedded in the wall with a wooden plaque. He almost missed it as he walked past the entrance.

“Ge Xing,” Jiang Heng couldn’t help shaking his head, smiling helplessly: “He really is the top agent of the Beijing branch of FBI’s Red Line Division.”

Jiang Heng pushed the whisky glass that he had originally ordered to Ji Yao and said, “Don’t waste it; consider it my treat.”

Ji Yao’s fingertips touched the cold glass surface, getting a few droplets of water on them.

He didn’t sit down, didn’t drink the glass of whisky, but simply moved the glass in front of him.

From a high vantage point, Ji Yao’s gaze traced the outline of Jiang Heng. He suddenly felt a surreal sensation.

Ji Yao had never thought that after their breakup, he and Jiang Heng could sit down together and have a peaceful conversation.

When they broke up, Jiang Heng had left with obvious frustration. Rumor had it that he didn’t even return to their rented place and had merely given the landlord an additional fee to handle the cleanup, leaving behind everything except work-related documents.

In the months following their breakup, Ji Yao would occasionally dream of Jiang Heng.

The atmosphere in those dreams was always gloomy, the sky covered in shades of gray, empty streets with no one around, only the constant flow of cars.

He and Jiang Heng often met on the streets of Beijing in his dreams, either silent or accusing each other. Every time he woke up, Ji Yao’s mood was far from good.

Zhou Qingbo anxiously sat behind the bar counter, his eyes darting back and forth between Ji Yao and Jiang Heng. He lamented internally, wondering why the atmosphere was so tense.

He couldn’t resist sliding off his stool, cautiously crouching down to hide himself, leaving only his eyes peeking out as he stared at them, attempting to minimize his presence.

Fortunately, neither Jiang Heng nor Ji Yao noticed him amidst the dim lighting. Zhou Qingbo couldn’t resist typing out his complaints on the screen.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were bringing Ji Yao here?” Zhou Qingbo typed out a row of exclamation marks: “What if they start fighting as soon as they see each other, and blood splatters everywhere?”

“It won’t come to that. Everyone there is an adult, they know how to behave,” Ge Xing replied quickly: “How’s the atmosphere?”

“Okay, I guess?” Zhou Qingbo glanced at the two people on the opposite side and replied: “They’re still in a standoff, no fight has broken out yet. The atmosphere seems relatively peaceful.”

“I told you,” Ge Xing said.

Zhou Qingbo wanted to poke a hole in the screen with his finger: “If they start fighting here, you’ll be responsible for all the broken bottles!”

“It won’t happen,” Ge Xing said: “To be honest, I’ve consulted an astrologer about their zodiac signs and blood types. Their compatibility score is quite high, and they’re definitely not done with each other. There’s still room for reconcilement.”

Zhou Qingbo: “???”

Has this person become obsessed with playing matchmaker? Zhou Qingbo thought..

Zhou Qingbo decided not to play the role of Ge Xing’s matchmaking surveillance camera. He slid off his stool and made his way toward the back kitchen passage, and slipped away discreetly.

Hidden in the dim light, neither Jiang Heng nor Ji Yao noticed him slipping away quietly.

“I’m not here for anything else,” Ji Yao lowered his gaze and lightly tapped his glass: “Just here to thank you for helping me.”

“Don’t get me into trouble, alright?” Jiang Heng couldn’t help but laugh: “Don’t spread rumors; I have legal principles to uphold. If you say things like that, I might not get any clients in the future.”

“So, you weren’t intending to help me?” Ji Yao asked.

“Exactly.” Jiang Heng took a sip of his drink, the sweetness almost overwhelming, and he pushed the glass away with a playful nudge: “Why would I bother helping you? What’s in it for me?”

“My lawyer told me that by doing this, you were helping me,” Ji Yao said. “So, it wasn’t your intention?”

“Of course not.” Jiang Heng said, “Mrs. Li wants to send everyone who harmed her son to jail. I just helped her.”

Ji Yao looked at him with lowered eyes.

Subconsciously, he might have been expecting a different answer, but now that Jiang Heng had straightforwardly denied it, Ji Yao surprisingly didn’t feel disappointed.

“Oh,” Ji Yao nodded nonchalantly, then casually continued, “So if he didn’t provide false testimony, your preparation would have been in vain.”

“And there’s also the fact of polygamy,” Jiang Heng said: “Three months ago, Zhou Fang had a child for him.”

“I see,” Ji Yao nodded, then suddenly changed the subject: “So why didn’t you just handle it that way?”

Jiang Heng: “…”

The drink was too sweet, Jiang Heng thought. It must be the overly sweet drink or perhaps his excessive working overtime that had rusted his brain.

Ji Yao had a rare verbal victory over him, and seeing Jiang Heng choked up, not being able to say anything, he couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

Jiang Heng pursed his lips and decided to cut his losses, quickly heading home to get some rest. He stood up decisively, finishing the remaining half cup of drink in one gulp.

“…I’m leaving now.”