Chapter 20

Drinking Alone at the Bar

Nie Hao drove to the bar, where he reserved a sofa booth and called over a group of his rowdy friends.

At this age, a single phone call could summon several girls.

And those girls could bring along a few of their close friends.

At this table, there was no shortage of alcohol or girls, leaving the surrounding young men green with envy.

Some of them were sitting at scattered tables, without a single girl to accompany them—what a pitiful bunch of guys!

Over twenty men and women swayed their heads to the DJ’s beats, clinking glasses and toasting each other. They then asked the waiter for dice and gathered around to play drinking games, with the losers downing a glass.

When the atmosphere reached a certain level, the guys, emboldened by alcohol, started hugging and grabbing the girls. The girls played hard to get, some willingly falling into their arms if interested, while others giggled and dodged if not.

In Nie Hao’s booth, a dozen girls occasionally glanced in one direction with their Colored contact lenses—a direction where a boy who had collectively piqued their interest sat.

But that boy, after a polite toast during the first round, had been sitting alone in the corner, drinking in solitude, completely detached from the group’s activities.

“Woody, why aren’t you joining the fun?”

Nie Hao, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, sauntered over to Lin Senmu.

The bar was noisy, so they had to speak close to each other’s ears.

After asking, his eyes suddenly lit up. Without waiting for Lin Senmu’s response, he snatched Lin Senmu’s phone and teased, “Not bad, not bad. This girl is really pretty. I’ve never seen someone so beautiful. No wonder she’s captivated my buddy.”

“Go play with your own stuff.”

Lin Senmu grabbed his phone back. The screen displayed a photo of Jiang Yuan.

“Forget it. There were two girls over there who wanted to add you on WeChat. I came to ask if you were willing to give it to them, but now I know how to answer.”

Nie Hao clinked glasses with Lin Senmu and then returned to the center of the booth to continue the fun.

Lin Senmu lit a cigarette and remained seated, drinking alone. He occasionally took out his phone to look at the photo album.

The album was filled with photos from his travels in the Western Regions, many of which featured a girl’s radiant smile.

Since his parents announced their divorce, his mood had been terrible, until he met Jiang Yuan, which made things a little better.

But the person who had helped him forget his troubles was someone he might never see again in his lifetime.

“You’ll get drunk drinking like this!”

A girl with a pure appearance suddenly sat down next to Lin Senmu, her red lips close to his ear as she spoke.

Lin Senmu looked at her with drunken eyes, barely recognizing her.

Among the group Nie Hao had called over, Lin Senmu didn’t know most of them, but there were a few familiar faces from high school.

For example, Li Xin Yue was a girl from the class next to theirs.

“Drink less!”

The DJ music in the bar was deafening, so the conversation between the two was conducted in whispers.

“I know.”

Lin Senmu nodded, noticing that Li Xin Yue hadn’t left yet, and added, “They’ve all gone to the dance floor. You should go join them!”

“Lin Senmu, you’re so clueless!”

Li Xin Yue looked at Lin Senmu with a resentful gaze. She had mustered the courage to come over, and before she could even warm her seat, she was being sent away.

“My heart belongs to someone else!”

Lin Senmu spoke the truth.

“Who? Someone from our school?”

Li Xin Yue was both sad and curious.

“No, someone I met while traveling!”

Lin Senmu thought for a moment and decided not to refuse to answer the question.

“No way, are you planning to have an online and long-distance relationship? Isn’t that silly? If you want to date someone, why not date me?”

Li Xin Yue was both angry and anxious.

Lin Senmu glanced at Li Xin Yue. The girl with a pure and pretty face was indeed beautiful, but no matter how beautiful she was, he couldn’t feel anything for her.

He found an excuse and said, “I like big waves!”

Li Xin Yue, furious, scolded, “Lin Senmu, stop lying! I asked Nie Hao, and he said you like small ones, ABC is fine, and I’m a C!”

“After this trip, I’ve started to prefer D and above!”

Lin Senmu did like C, but now he preferred B, and Jiang Yuan was just that size.

“Lin Senmu, you’re going to be the death of me!”

Li Xin Yue pouted and punched him.

“I’m warning you, don’t hit me. If I punch back, you might not be able to take it!”

Lin Senmu dodged the girl’s small fists.

“Lin Senmu, you’re such a jerk! I’m done with you!”

Li Xin Yue gritted her teeth and cursed.

Lin Senmu poured himself a glass of whiskey and was about to drink it when he noticed Li Xin Yue was still sitting beside him. He asked curiously, “I’ve been so rude, why haven’t you left yet?”

“Lin Senmu, I’ve been dumped again!”

Li Xin Yue stared at Lin Senmu. She liked this boy and had confessed her feelings to him face-to-face right after high school, but he had rejected her.

Lin Senmu met the girl’s gaze and couldn’t help but soften his tone, “Xin Yue, you should know about my family situation. My parents are getting divorced, and I haven’t been in the mood for a relationship.”

“I know you might ask why I’ve fallen for a girl I met while traveling now. All I can say is that we might have met at the wrong time!”

“But with her, we met at the right time.”

Li Xin Yue bit her lip and murmured, “But even if you’re with her, it’s still a long-distance relationship. I can be with you every day, and once the college entrance exam results are out, I can apply to the same university as you.”

“I’m sorry, Xin Yue.”

Lin Senmu only wanted to love one person for his entire life.

Li Xin Yue’s eyes immediately reddened. She wiped them with a tissue but still didn’t leave. She picked up her glass and faced Lin Senmu, “Drink with me!”

“Alright.”

Lin Senmu didn’t refuse and clinked glasses with Li Xin Yue.

“More!”

Li Xin Yue filled both their glasses to the brim.

“Clink!”

Lin Senmu drank another glass with her.

“More!”

Li Xin Yue filled them again.

This time, Lin Senmu didn’t drink. He looked at Li Xin Yue with a bit of suspicion, “Wait, I feel like you’re trying to get me drunk.”

“No, I’m not.”

Li Xin Yue’s eyes flickered with panic, but she tried to stay calm.

Lin Senmu scrutinized Li Xin Yue and noticed she couldn’t even look him in the eye. He put down his glass and asked cautiously, “What are you trying to do?”

“I’ve been dumped, can’t you just drink a few more glasses with me?”

Li Xin Yue pleaded pitifully.

Lin Senmu frowned, “I can’t outdrink you.”

“It’s fine. If you get drunk, I’ll help you book a hotel room later!”

Li Xin Yue’s eyes sparkled slightly.

Lin Senmu saw the fleeting joy in Li Xin Yue’s eyes and became even more hesitant to continue drinking, “No, let’s stop drinking.”

“Lin Senmu, I’m so annoyed with you!”

Li Xin Yue angrily threw down her wine glass and stormed out of the booth. She had originally planned to get Lin Senmu drunk and then ask her girlfriends or Nie Hao to help book a room.

She didn’t believe that after sharing a bed, Lin Senmu would refuse to take responsibility.

Who said girls couldn’t act this way?

But in the end, Lin Senmu was too shrewd and didn’t fall for it at all.