At 9:02 PM, in a trendy sunken bar located in the old town of S City, the wind chime rang.

The waiter asked a customer carrying an exquisite gift box, “Hello, how many people?”

The bar’s lighting wasn’t too bright. The person, wearing black-framed glasses, looked quite delicate. Coupled with the canvas messenger bag slung over his shoulder, he seemed like a college student.

Chu Lai: “I’m here to find someone.”

The waiter was about to say something, but the guest had already accurately located the person he was looking for and was about to walk over.

Some customers came one after another, so the waiter didn’t say much and simply followed the young man. Just as she was about to head to the bar to grab a glass, she saw the man quickly snatch a drink from a table as he passed by a booth and dumped it on a couple who were cuddling intimately.

The little bar had a literary vibe, with soft, soothing music. Thick green potted plants separated the tables, so it was hard to see the people sitting nearby, and the space was quite large.

“Who the hell are you…? Chu Lai, what are you doing here?”

One of the men who was splashed wore a coat, and his hairstyle seemed freshly done, looking rather fluffy. The man he had just been kissing, nestled in his arms, looked even younger.

Chu Lai was precise with his aim: 90% of the cup of sake spilled onto Shen Quanzhang’s face.

This was the first time Chu Lai had thrown a drink. Though the act was outrageous, his expression under the dim light was strangely calm, and his gaze towards Shen Quanzhang appeared no different than usual.

The surrounding music wasn’t particularly loud, but combined with the chatter of the drinking patrons, the atmosphere was quite noisy.

Shen Quanzhang remained seated. People in the adjacent booths couldn’t see his face clearly, but the customers on the left could see Chu Lai’s face distinctly.

The bird’s nest-shaped chandelier emitted a warm yellow glow, casting a faint hue over Chu Lai’s typically pale skin, giving it a slightly warm tone. But his gaze remained icy, draining the bluster from Shen Quanzhang. Feeling guilty, Shen Quanzhang released the man in his arms, walked over to Chu Lai, and whispered, “Why are you here? Sit down.”

Chu Lai: “If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have found out you were cheating, would I?”

At first glance, Chu Lai had a plain, somewhat indifferent appearance. His delicate features were half hidden by black-framed glasses, and with his casual gray, comfortable attire, he could easily blend into a crowd.

But his voice was very distinctive, contrary to his looks, leaving an impression that lingered in the ear—rich and textured.

The man across from him, who was splashed a little, couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Chu Lai.

Chu Lai glanced at the gift he had carried all the way from the subway and thought of the message Shen Quanzhang had sent an hour ago.

“I have to work late tonight. You should go home first.”

“We can go for hotpot next time.”

At the time, Chu Lai didn’t think much of it. He had been with Shen Quanzhang for three years, from their third year in college to now when the latter had graduated from grad school and started working. Their relationship had been relatively stable.

When same-sex marriage was legalized last year, Chu Lai had even thought they might eventually get married.

Chu Lai wasn’t a fan of change. He liked using the same brand of phone, the same hotpot base, and spending each day with the same person.

The first two could stay the same. The last one? Not so much.

And it would all unravel in the most coincidental way.

Half an hour ago, while on the subway, Chu Lai had opened a colleague’s WeChat Moments. The video the colleague posted was taken in this very bar. By chance, Shen Quanzhang was caught on camera kissing someone.

Shen Quanzhang couldn’t deny it. His first reaction after being exposed was: “Didn’t you turn off your Moments?”

That response was worse than nothing, making even the man who seemed like the third party snicker.

Chu Lai put away his phone. “I turned it on on a whim. Just happened to bump into you.”

Even though his voice sounded cold, it had a gentle, jewel-like quality, as if someone who looked like him should always be smiling, polite, and graceful.

But unfortunately, Chu Lai’s personality was far from likable.

His 400-degree nearsighted glasses didn’t seem too heavy, yet they managed to obscure his naturally upturned eyes, giving off a sense of detachment. He wasn’t the kind of person you’d approach if you were lost.

Shen Quanzhang: “It’s not what it looks like.”

His scalp tingled, and just as he was about to explain, Chu Lai wasn’t in the mood to listen.

When he got the message, he had already taken two subway lines, exhausted and sleepy. Once he confirmed the situation, he was ready to leave.

Shen Quanzhang: “Let me explain—”

Before Chu Lai could respond, the man sitting across from them stood up and poured the rest of his sake on Shen Quanzhang.

The man wasn’t particularly handsome but wore designer brands from head to toe. After setting down the cup, he explained to Chu Lai, “I work in the company next to his. He told me he was single.”

And then, he left.

The place was already noisy. The waiter awkwardly asked Shen Quanzhang, “Sir, would you like a refill?”

Shen Quanzhang was thankful the greenery was thick enough to obscure the faces in the adjacent booth. He tried to grab Chu Lai’s hand but was shaken off.

Chu Lai shook his head. “No need for a refill.”

They sat on a sofa, and outside the window, people hurried by.

Today was an ordinary workday, Thursday of some random week in October, with no wind or rain.

Autumn in the south was short. After the National Day holiday, the weather cooled down. Chu Lai had a jacket on over his hoodie, and from Shen Quanzhang’s angle, he couldn’t see any trace of emotion on Chu Lai’s face—none of the typical reaction to catching a partner cheating.

It was as if Chu Lai didn’t care about the relationship at all.

Ironically, despite being the one who cheated, Shen Quanzhang was the one who suddenly felt enraged. He slammed the table and questioned Chu Lai—

“Chu Lai, did you ever love me?”

It was truly embarrassing.

Chu Lai lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on the gift box he had placed on the floor.

It was a limited edition keyboard from a certain brand, something Chu Lai had bought to celebrate Shen Quanzhang getting a job.

He had even rushed the order so that the gift and the fancy box would arrive at his workplace, leading to his coworkers teasing him all afternoon.

He had never been one for crowds, having been reserved and a bit of a loner his whole life.

After working for several years, he had no friendships with colleagues beyond work gatherings.

He valued his privacy. His coworkers only knew he had a boyfriend. Apart from one colleague who joined the department at the same time as him, no one knew the specifics about his boyfriend.

Maybe Chu Lai was too low-key, so compared to others who celebrated every holiday by giving gifts to their partners, he seemed somewhat mysterious. This time, someone even messaged him to ask if it was a special day.

Chu Lai didn’t answer.

It was just the one-month anniversary of his boyfriend passing his probation period at the new job.

Seeing Chu Lai stay silent, Shen Quanzhang got more agitated. It was unclear how much he had drunk, but the alcohol smell was strong. Grabbing Chu Lai’s shoulder, he loudly questioned—

“You never really loved me!”

“Do you even remember our anniversary? I bet you don’t!”

“Chu Lai, you’re not only allergic to romance but also cold and heartless. So what if I cheated? Let’s just break up!”

As he said the last sentence, the background music happened to change, and Shen Quanzhang’s words overlapped with a man’s voice at the neighboring table—

“Cen Wei, you’re completely unromantic and don’t love me. You didn’t care when I cheated either, so let’s just break up.”

The two sentences were spoken almost simultaneously, making the surrounding chatter eerily quiet.

Even the waiter passing by with drinks couldn’t help but glance at the two booths.

Perhaps the odds of such similar phrases being spoken at the same time were too high, but Chu Lai burst into laughter.

Romance, cheating, and breaking up.

The cheaters were so self-righteous that Chu Lai couldn’t help but glance at the booth next to them.

The greenery blocked his view, so he couldn’t see the man who had spoken. But he could see the side profile of the poor soul being dumped.

A second later, the speaker stood up and left. As he passed by the booth, his cologne, as aggressive as his aura, wafted in the air—stylish and bold, clearly not someone from a mundane profession.

In that moment, Chu Lai idly thought, for someone like that to take an interest in you, you must look pretty good too.

Perhaps Chu Lai’s reaction was too calm, which made Shen Quanzhang even angrier. He tried to grab Chu Lai’s hand again but was forcefully shrugged off, causing him to slip from his chair and land under the table.

Chu Lai took a good look at Shen Quanzhang’s face.

He didn’t like people who stood out.

Chu Lai was an ordinary person. He knew he should find someone equally average in looks, background, academic performance, and career.

Stability—knowing exactly what’s coming—is what he valued in life.

That didn’t include cheating, affairs, or clingy behavior.

He pursed his lips. Even though he knew he shouldn’t be upset, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated at having wasted three years of his life.

Chu Lai placed the gift box on the table. “You’re right, I’m not romantic. I must have been out of my mind to get you a present.”

“Might as well keep it for myself.”

The warm yellow light bathed him, and his tone carried not only frustration but also a hint of excitement at the thought of using the new keyboard.

Even with his lowered gaze, his eyes behind the glasses were naturally cool and distant. Seeing Shen Quanzhang awkwardly scrambling up, Chu Lai’s mind wandered to the memory of kissing him, and he instinctively called out, “Babe” but Chu Lai had already stood up and was walking away.

On his way to the bar, Chu Lai had come across a review about this place.

It mentioned that this bar, called “Lixin” served a sake named “Twists and Turns” renowned for its lingering taste.

But it was pricey—2999 yuan.

Chu Lai smiled at the stunned waiter. “Charge it to Table 4, thanks.”

With that, he grabbed the bottle, holding it as if he were about to swing it, and left.

At the neighboring table, the man who had just been dumped paid the bill under the sympathetic gaze of the waiter. As he left, the waiter confirmed the bill with Shen Quanzhang at Table 4.

“Where did this drink come from? I didn’t order it.”

“Your ex-boyfriend ordered it. He also asked me to remind you to pay back the rent you owe him.”

As Cen Wei walked by, he overheard the exchange but didn’t bother to see what the man who cheated like his ex-boyfriend looked like.

He was in the area because of a message from Shen Ke’s location.

The map app reviews for this street were filled with rave reviews. The street food was described as life-changing, and pairing it with the bar’s sake was a match made in heaven.

It had been a while since Cen Wei ate junk food, and he couldn’t decide what to choose. He couldn’t help but glance at Chu Lai, who was grabbing another skewer of grilled green peppers.

Chu Lai also heard the question, and as their eyes met for a second, he quickly looked away. “He’s with me.” he told the stall owner.

The man standing next to Chu Lai was much taller, probably nearing 1.9 meters, with an imposing presence.

Yet he had been cheated on too?

Cheating is never a good excuse, no matter how you look at it. Chu Lai had heard stories.

He looked at Cen Wei with sympathy. “Want a drink?”

Cen Wei looked at the bottle in Chu Lai’s hand, recalling what the waiter had said earlier, and found it amusing. He asked, “Your ex’s drink, and you’re offering it to me? No problem with that?”

Chu Lai shrugged. “Why would there be? You’re not my current boyfriend.”