The café had been short-staffed for a few days, so Xiao Lan and the others all got home over an hour later than usual. It was different at the law firm; there wasn’t a set time when everyone would stay late together, as the nature of the job didn’t distinguish between working hours and off-hours.

Chen Yu had taken a few glances outside when he first got off work. Many windows on the upper floors were still lit, but by eight o’clock, they started to go dark one by one. He remembered that Meng Tingchuan’s office window faced the back street. After returning to the café and waiting for a while, he went out again from the back door.

Fortunately, the cashier on duty that night was not Xiao Lan, but a somewhat introverted male who was not familiar with the staff or the boss. He only glanced at the boss as he came and went, showing no curiosity at all.

Chen Yu went out the back door and looked up, noticing that all the lights upstairs were already off.

He paused, checking the chat window from noon to confirm there were no new messages.

The last one was his reply, and before that, it was a voice message from Meng Tingchuan. He played the voice message, and Lawyer Meng’s voice came through, saying, “I’ll be working late tonight…”

Meng Tingchuan, already back home?

He had said he would work late, and yet he left without a word?

The back street of the café was very narrow, too narrow for a car to drive through. The narrow path was lined with lonely street lamps, making it seem quite desolate. Chen Yu felt a void in his heart, similar to the emptiness of the street.

If it had been someone else, like Mr. Wang, Chen Yu wouldn’t have been surprised at all. A meeting or a no-show—these were just two possible outcomes, and he was prepared for either. If it had been Ning Qianjin, Chen Yu could have directly called to ask.

But Lawyer Meng was different. They hadn’t known each other long, and Chen Yu didn’t know much about him, yet he had an inexplicable sense of trust. Meng Tingchuan’s no-show was a surprise, but he didn’t feel he had the right to ask for an explanation.

He didn’t know if he would get one later.

Perhaps Meng Tingchuan didn’t consider this a formal meeting.

Chen Yu stood outside for a while before going back into the café. Inside and outside the door seemed like two different worlds. The café was filled with a rich, warm aroma, and Chen Yu only then realized how cold he had become, having forgotten to wear a coat when he went out.

Since Meng Tingchuan had already gone home, Chen Yu didn’t need to wait anymore. He went to the break room to grab a work uniform and was about to head to the front to help when he froze in the lobby—standing by the cash register was a familiar customer, tall and handsome.

The lawyer he thought had already gone home was now standing at the bar with his laptop bag, just like the other customers who came to the café to work. The difference was, he had come for the meeting.

As soon as Chen Yu came into view, Meng Tingchuan noticed him. His gaze fell on Chen Yu’s hair. It was drizzling outside, and the fine raindrops couldn’t soak through the clothes but clung to the hair, glistening under the lights.

Meng Tingchuan greeted him without asking where he had been, simply saying, “Are you done?”

Chen Yu felt ashamed of his misunderstanding and nodded to cover it up. “I had something to do… What would you like to drink?”

“Anything is fine,” Meng Tingchuan said. “I don’t know much about coffee; I used to drink it just to stay awake.”

Hearing this, Chen Yu understood why Meng Tingchuan had ordered an espresso earlier. It was probably because it was small and could be finished in one gulp, efficiently. Though Lawyer Meng had studied abroad, he was different from the other expatriate customers of the café.

Chen Yu remembered Meng Tingchuan mentioning a brewed cup of coffee at lunch. However, brewing usually referred to methods like drip or pour-over, or heated methods like the siphon or Moka pot, the closest being the Moka pot.

So he asked, “Would a Moka pot be okay?”

“Sure.”

Meng Tingchuan found a two-person table nearby, set up his laptop, and was genuinely there to work. Chen Yu didn’t disturb him and walked to the cash register.

The long bar was lined with various equipment. When guests used specific tools to extract coffee, this area became the stage for the barista. In a way, a barista’s job was similar to that of a bartender.

The electric grinder had some leftover coffee, so Chen Yu used a manual grinder. The coffee beans were the most expensive in the shop, usually used for blending. Although Lawyer Meng had said he didn’t know much about coffee and probably wouldn’t taste much of a difference, Chen Yu still used the best.

As the grinder turned, the coffee beans were ground into granules the size of sugar, releasing a harmonious blend of nutty, chocolate, and toffee aromas, mingling with the rich coffee scent and wafting through the air.

He added water, filled the pot, placed it on the stove, and monitored the process. The Moka pot required careful attention to the heat. When he looked up, he noticed Meng Tingchuan watching him.

For a moment, he forgot what he was doing, hastily grabbing a jar and asking, “Do you want sugar?”

As expected, Lawyer Meng shook his head.

Without calling a server, Chen Yu brought the coffee over himself. Besides the laptop, there was a stack of foreign documents on the table. Chen Yu’s English had been good in school but had faded over the years. However, from the scattered words, he could tell it was related to international logistics.

He didn’t look further and placed the coffee in front of Meng Tingchuan, intending to leave. Meng Tingchuan suddenly said, “Do you usually stay in the café at night?”

Chen Yu replied, “I’ve been living in the café recently.”

Meng Tingchuan nodded but didn’t ask more. Chen Yu felt it would be odd to just leave, but sitting down would be even stranger. He tried to make small talk, “Do you often work late?”

“When there’s work, overtime is the norm.”

Chen Yu thought for a moment and said, “The café closes at 10:30 PM. If you’re alone, you can come here.”

Meng Tingchuan looked up and smiled, “Sure.”

Although Chen Yu wasn’t particularly interested in socializing, he had a sharp intuition. He knew that Meng Tingchuan’s “sure” was just a polite response.

He wouldn’t really come.

But Chen Yu wasn’t being polite. Meng Tingchuan’s reaction made him feel powerless.

Chen Yu remembered the strong emotion he felt when he saw the lights off in Meng Tingchuan’s office and the surprise when he saw him in the café. He realized that the interesting part wasn’t Lawyer Meng, but himself.

Lawyer Meng was calm and rational, perhaps fond of him, but not urgently so. He maintained a comfortable distance.

Chen Yu calmed down as well.

The café usually closed at 10:30 PM, and Chen Yu would go to sleep right after. But tonight, he wasn’t sleepy. He stood at the break room door for a while before driving to a bar.

Chen Yu could mix drinks but didn’t like to drink. He preferred cheap carbonated drinks or Wang Zai milk, much to Ning Qianjin’s amusement, who often teased him about his low alcohol tolerance for a bartender.

But Chen Yu had chosen to be a bartender rather than a host, who made more money initially, precisely because he didn’t like drinking.

Tonight, he unusually ordered a Ramos Gin Fizz. The bartender’s face turned green at the mention, but upon seeing Chen Yu, he smiled, “Brother Chen, you’re messing with me? Mr. Ning didn’t say you were coming tonight.”

He moved the bar tools to make space for Chen Yu.

Chen Yu shook his head, “I’m not here to work.”

The bartender looked at him and the bar tools, “So, you’re really going to drink?”

Chen Yu saw his hesitation and didn’t push, “Just mix me something.”

When Ning Qianjin arrived, Chen Yu was already drinking.

“Hey, what’s the occasion for drinking tonight? Did Bobby add some goji berries to our Mr. Chen’s drink?”

Chen Yu ignored the second part, “I drank coffee earlier and couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk.”

Ning Qianjin looked at him for a while and then said, “No, no, something’s up.”

He propped his chin on his hand, “Let me guess, it’s your lawyer?”

Chen Yu corrected him, “Not mine.”

Ning Qianjin snapped his fingers, “So it must be the lawyer.”

Chen Yu didn’t deny it and said after a while, “It won’t work.”

He had said this earlier, and Ning Qianjin felt something had happened, prompting Chen Yu to come to the bar at this hour to repeat it.

Ning Qianjin also ordered a drink and shook his head, “Tell me, what’s going on?”

Chen Yu shook his head, “Nothing to tell, I’m not good enough for him.”

Ning Qianjin objected, “Why not good enough? Are we still in ancient times, talking about matching families?”

“He has a master’s from Oxford, and I didn’t even finish high school…”

Ning Qianjin interrupted, “Education is for finding a job. Who cares about that at your age? Who knows who earns more?”

Chen Yu continued, “His father is a university professor, and his mother was a judge in a mid-level court before retiring.”

Ning Qianjin whistled, “That’s a good background, isn’t it?”

But what if Meng Tingchuan had a good background? It wouldn’t be hard for him to find someone better than Chen Yu, but finding someone more attractive might be challenging.

Beauty is a scarce resource, after all.

But saying this to Chen Yu wouldn’t be appropriate, as he had encountered too many people who were after his looks.

Chen Yu said, “What would we talk about? The Ramos Gin Fizz that needs to be shaken for twelve minutes, or how the Blue Mountain No. 1 I bought with great effort and was hyped up is just a high-altitude bean?”

“Love is about…” Ning Qianjin started but then changed his words, “It’s because you don’t love him enough. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be worried about this.”

Chen Yu took a sip of his drink, not responding. Ning Qianjin, despite being the same age, was naive and idealistic in matters of the heart. There were no fairy tales in the real world, and passion alone couldn’t sustain a lifetime.

Especially since he currently didn’t even have that passion.

Ning Qianjin raised his glass and clinked it with Chen Yu’s, “I know what you’re hesitating about. Don’t think too far ahead, like a lifetime. Just start dating.”

“You’re becoming a saint. You’re in your thirties, and I feel awkward even making a joke in front of you,” he continued, “Making your brother feel so constrained, is that right?”

Chen Yu: “…”

“Really, listen to me. I’ve thought about it. Those rich guys, they think they’re something just because they have money. You don’t need that. Find someone who listens.”

He pointed to a guy a few tables away, “How about that cute guy over there?”

Chen Yu thought he had a crush on the guy, who looked like a student, so he asked, “Is he out of college?”

“Not yet, but he’s an adult,” he said casually, then noticed Chen Yu’s skeptical look, “No, what’s that look for? I’m not a pimp, he’s the one who’s interested.”

The guy had been paying attention to them. When they looked over, he raised his glass, and his tablemate whistled.

Chen Yu looked away, ignoring them.

Such eye contact was common in bars. Sometimes, if it clicked, they would leave for a hotel. Chen Yu’s reaction meant it didn’t click.

Ning Qianjin sipped his drink and laughed, “Not interested?”

Chen Yu, more relaxed after drinking, said lazily, “Too young.”

He was probably a generation younger. At his age, he didn’t need to experience the thrills he missed out on in his youth.

Ning Qianjin, unsurprisingly, blinked, “Not too young, that age is perfect, energetic, and much better than those who sit in offices all day.”

Chen Yu felt he was hinting at a certain lawyer named Meng. He had just said he didn’t like making crude jokes, yet now he was discussing such topics.

But Chen Yu hadn’t thought about these things. He had thought a lot about a future partner, but never in this way. He said honestly, “I haven’t thought about it. Not having it is fine.”