Zheng Xunqian soon appeared.

The group of four hailed a taxi at the school gate. Since Jing Tian was closer, he opened the back door and got in first. Yang Yue, who was originally standing with him, followed suit, and Shu Ziqin naturally followed. Left alone, Zheng Xunqian looked at them speechlessly for a few seconds before sitting alone in the front.

Even after getting into the car, Shu Ziqin was still immersed in the joy of “I killed someone,” eagerly showing off his phone to Yang Yue. Yang Yue earnestly commented on it, giving a few instructions as they both looked at the same screen, chatting incessantly.

In the backseat, Jing Tian felt particularly lonely.

He couldn’t help but think, no wonder Yang Yue insisted on not letting Zheng Xunqian move in; this situation did feel a bit awkward.

Thinking of Zheng Xunqian, he secretly glanced at the front passenger seat. Zheng Xunqian was silently looking out the window, probably wearing the same expression as usual.

After about five minutes, they arrived at their destination.

Although it was only his second time here, Jing Tian’s experience surpassed that of fifty percent of the members present, making him somewhat of a senior.

The bar had just opened, with few customers, an empty dance floor, and the music didn’t have the same energetic vibe as Jing Tian remembered, sounding relatively mellow.

Shu Ziqin looked fresh and excited, asking questions left and right.

Yang Yue answered them one by one, and he nodded earnestly, with Shu Ziqin exclaiming, “Senior, you’re amazing, how do you know everything?”

Yang Yue couldn’t help but laugh at his words, jokingly saying, “I’m omniscient and omnipotent, nicknamed Genius A, the first little genius.”

Shu Ziqin blinked at him and gave him a thumbs up, “Awesome!”

Compared to Shu Ziqin, Zheng Xunqian, who was also visiting such a place for the first time, appeared much calmer.

Jing Tian wanted to show off in front of him but lacked the opportunity, so he had to create it himself.

“It’ll get lively here in a while,” he told Zheng Xunqian proactively.

Zheng Xunqian nodded silently.

Jing Tian asked him, “What do you want to drink later?”

“Anything,” Zheng Xunqian replied.

“Do you have a good alcohol tolerance?” Jing Tian asked again.

Zheng Xunqian thought for a moment, “It’s okay.”

After saying that, he quickly added, “If you’re drinking, I won’t touch it.”

“… I’m not drinking,” Jing Tian said.

Zheng Xunqian smiled at him, “It’s okay, I’m here.”

His words felt strange. Jing Tian didn’t know how to respond, so he remained silent.

As time passed, the bar quickly became lively, and members of the eating, drinking, and playing group began to appear.

They warmly welcomed the two new friends, ordering drinks for them, and even a lot of snacks and fruits. Then, they started to play boisterously.

There were already quite a few people on the dance floor. Jing Tian was itching to join, but hesitated because Zheng Xunqian was sitting next to him.

“… Do you want to give it a try?” he asked Zheng Xunqian.

Zheng Xunqian turned his head to look at the lively dance floor. His profile was illuminated by the flickering lights, giving him a different aura than usual.

How to describe this feeling? Jing Tian pondered for a moment and came up with a strange conclusion.

At this moment, Zheng Xunqian seemed like a playboy who played with people’s feelings.

This bizarre thought made him laugh out loud. His laughter seemed insignificant amidst the noisy environment, but it immediately made Zheng Xunqian turn his head.

He looked at Jing Tian and replied, “…maybe later.” Then he asked, “Why aren’t you going?”

“I… I’ll go later too,” Jing Tian replied.

Where was the happiest place for him to dance? Without any worries, without caring about his image, he could indulge himself freely, regardless of whether his posture was elegant. Although he was in the crowd, he could fully enjoy himself.

But if Zheng Xunqian was watching, all of this would be impossible. He would become restrained, concerned about his image, and unable to relax.

Jing Tian realized belatedly that bringing Zheng Xunqian along was completely inappropriate.

He couldn’t drink, couldn’t dance. All they could do was eat snacks and play cards.

Compared to Zheng Xunqian, Shu Ziqin’s interest in the dance floor was much stronger. He was sitting facing the dance floor, his mouth agape, looking curious.

Seeing this, Yang Yue asked him, “Do you want to give it a try?”

Shu Ziqin immediately shook his head, “I can’t!”

Yang Yue smiled, “It’s okay, just follow the rhythm and dance casually. You’ll get it once you try.”

Shu Ziqin seemed visibly tempted, mixed with a hint of hesitation, “I’m not coordinated, I’ll definitely look awkward.”

“Don’t worry,” Yang Yue reached out and pulled him up, “Look there, are there any people who dance well? No one will care!”

It was the same rhetoric he used to persuade Jing Tian.

Shu Ziqin might have been convinced by this logic, or maybe not. But when Yang Yue took his hand, he completely lost all resistance, looking dumbfounded, and simply followed Yang Yue.

Jing Tian watched from the side, speculating that even if Shu Ziqin entered the dance floor, he probably wouldn’t be able to let loose.

His gaze followed the two as they held hands and approached the edge of the dance floor.

After Yang Yue let go of his hand, he smiled and said something to Shu Ziqin, then raised his arms and moved slightly to the music’s rhythm. Seeing that Shu Ziqin was still staring blankly without moving, he patted his arm forcefully, then put his hand on his shoulder, forcibly pulling him along to dance with him to the rhythm of the music.

Shu Ziqin cooperated seriously. He was stiff all over, couldn’t even find the beat, and his movements resembled a long-neglected robot, appearing somewhat ridiculous.

Yang Yue couldn’t stop laughing at his appearance, and Shu Ziqin looked at him and laughed along.

The atmosphere seemed quite nice.

Jing Tian found himself loving this scene. Love, gently surging in a person’s chest, was unexpectedly so moving that even bystanders couldn’t help but smile unconsciously.

“It’s your turn!” The girl sitting opposite him shouted, “Stop staring and play a round before you go!”

Jing Tian quickly regained his focus and concentrated on the cards in his hand.

He wasn’t particularly good at this kind of game and quickly lost.

Because he had already said he wouldn’t drink before coming, he had to embarrassingly lick his fingers to finish a small plate of popcorn under everyone’s gaze.

This punishment was too embarrassing, especially in front of Zheng Xunqian. Jing Tian dared not play another round.

With fewer people playing cards, they couldn’t form a group. The girl sitting opposite Jing Tian then set her sights on Zheng Xunqian.

“Hey handsome, don’t just watch, come and play too.”

Zheng Xunqian shook his head, “I don’t know how to play.”

Nobody believed him, taking it as an excuse to decline.

“Just play one round,” the girl smiled at him, “If you lose, give me your contact information.”

Others immediately started cheering at this proposition.

This girl was always outgoing and loved joking around, so it was hard to tell how much of it was serious.

“I really don’t know how,” Zheng Xunqian said, then in front of everyone, he grabbed Jing Tian’s hand, “I’m afraid he’ll be upset if I lose.”

Jing Tian was dumbfounded, only coming back to his senses when everyone started joking and teasing them.

He tried to pull his hand back, but failed.

“Seriously?” The girl widened her eyes, then quickly smiled and asked, “Then handsome, have you seen the tattoo on our Tiantian’s back?”

Zheng Xunqian nodded, “Yes, I have.”

Jing Tian felt like his forehead was about to burst into flames. He suspected he had once publicized the story of “only showing it to my boyfriend” in his friend circle.

“Wow!” The girl exaggeratedly exclaimed, then picked up her glass, “Let me toast to you guys!”

She raised her glass and drank it all in one gulp. Jing Tian quickly picked up his own glass.

Just as he was about to drink, he was rejected.

“Don’t you have any face?” the girl stood up and leaned over the table, pressing down on his cup, “Quickly, switch it out!”

His glass was filled with non-alcoholic juice.

The others joined in teasing him, urging him to drink a little.

Jing Tian felt helpless, “I can’t handle alcohol, you all know that.”

“At least mix a little!” The girl picked up a bottle of fruit wine, “You like this one, right? Just a little bit for you as a gesture.”

Since the girl had pushed it to this point, it would be too disrespectful to refuse again. He had promised Yang Yue that he would only drink half a glass at most before coming, so just adding a sip should be fine now.

Jing Tian nervously put down his glass and subconsciously glanced at Zheng Xunqian.

Zheng Xunqian smiled at him, “It’s okay, even if you get drunk, I’ll protect you.”

The girl was leaning over to pour alcohol into Jing Tian’s juice glass, very close to him. Although Zheng Xunqian’s voice was not loud, it clearly reached her ears.

“So cheesy!” she exclaimed, pouring the alcohol into Jing Tian’s glass with a gulp, “Hurry up, get drunk and give your boyfriend a chance to perform!”

Jing Tian quickly snatched back his glass, “That’s enough!”

The girl stood up straight, pointed at him, and said, “Drink!”

Jing Tian felt embarrassed and helpless, so he sighed and picked up his glass, taking a small sip.

As the sweet, bubbly fruit-flavored liquid flowed into his mouth, he silently asked himself why he was being so honest. At least he should have shared half of it with Zheng Xunqian, how could he let him watch and laugh on the sidelines?

After downing the entire glass of fruit wine mixed drink in one go, Jing Tian let out a long sigh, thinking to himself that maybe it was because he had secretly hoped to take a sip before coming.

Many people who couldn’t handle alcohol were greedy for it.