UI CH 2

The music in the bar reached its peak, mixed with the greasy guy’s howling and cursing. The noise made Shen Ran’s ears ring as he impatiently braced himself against the wall and moved forward.

He didn’t pay attention to the commotion behind him. Although his steps were unsteady, he still managed to make his way to the door. Just as he pulled the door open, a blast of icy rain hit him square in the face, instantly sobering him up.

He hadn’t spent long at the gay bar, but outside, the scene had completely changed.

The sky seemed to be pouring out rain like a broken spout, with dense raindrops cascading down. The branches of the phoenix trees on either side of the road swayed wildly in the strong wind. There were hardly any pedestrians on the street, and even the occasional cars seemed to be drowning in the rain.

In the short time he looked outside, Shen Ran’s T-shirt and jeans were already soaked by the slanting rain. He quickly shut the door, feeling frustrated about how to get home, when a voice came from behind him:

“Did you come alone?”

The voice was clear, cool, and a bit deep—but very pleasant. Shen Ran turned around. A soft blue light cast over the person’s face, but it did nothing to diminish his striking beauty. Especially those slender, elegant eyes behind the glasses; his gaze was like the delicate feathers of a bird’s tail, subtly stirring the nerves.

Shen Ran found himself staring absentmindedly until the other person snapped his fingers by his ear, pulling him back to reality. After a moment of hesitation, Shen Ran finally remembered this was the person who had helped him earlier.

He had been too angry from being harassed to thank him before, so he awkwardly said,
“About earlier—thank you.”

Zhao Jiyu showed no reaction. His handsome features looked even colder under the blue light. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his tailored dress pants, and his eyes rested on Shen Ran’s rain-soaked chest. His voice was emotionless as he asked,

“You really don’t remember me?”

The bar was dimly lit, the music and voices blending into a chaotic hum. Shen Ran had only been standing for a short while before the alcohol hit him again, forcing him to lean against the wall for support. He squinted as he continued to study the person in front of him.

Zhao Jiyu let him look, but after a while, Shen Ran finally said,
“You do look a bit familiar.”

And that was it—nothing more.

Zhao Jiyu was speechless.

They had been at the same university for two years. Even if they were in different classes, they had still run into each other quite a few times. It seemed Shen Ran was really drunk.

But why had he ended up at a gay bar?

Just as the question surfaced, Zhao Jiyu remembered the gossip Huang Shengpeng had shared in their group chat two days ago—the scandalous rumor about campus beauty Li. Suddenly, it all made sense.

Returning to his original question, Zhao Jiyu asked again,
“Did you come alone?”

Shen Ran responded sluggishly with a “Mm.” He was still examining Zhao Jiyu, clearly struggling to think. Eventually, a look of sudden realization crossed his face, and he said,

“You’re Zhao! Zhao… from the next class!”

After repeating “Zhao” twice, he fell silent again.

The person in front of him prompted, “Zhao Jiyu.”

“Yes, Zhao Jiyu.”
Shen Ran chuckled,
“What are you doing in a place like this?”

Zhao Jiyu threw the question back at him,
“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see what it’s like,” Shen Ran replied casually, his gaze seemingly random as it swept over the surrounding crowd before returning to Zhao Jiyu’s face. He hesitated, his brows knitting together as he finally asked,

“You… You’re not into men, are you?”

Zhao Jiyu met his gaze, his expression neither immediately admitting nor denying anything. Just as Shen Ran’s internal alarm bells rang, thinking he had uncovered the true orientation of this famous classmate, Zhao Jiyu said,
“No, I was dragged here by a friend. He left early because of something.”

Shen Ran’s tense emotions relaxed again. He nodded in understanding, not wanting to waste more time in a place like this. He pointed toward the door, “I’m leaving too.”

Though his words seemed clear-headed, his steps were unsteady. Zhao Jiyu said,
“The wind and rain outside are too strong. It’s hard to get a ride at this hour. Why not wait until it calms down before leaving?”

“I’d rather not.”

Shen Ran didn’t want to risk encountering another unpleasant situation like earlier. But just as he reached for the door handle, Zhao Jiyu blocked it with his hand.
“My friend drove off with my car. It’s a bit awkward for me to be here alone. Why don’t you stay with me for a while? If someone’s with me, others won’t bother me.”

Shen Ran tilted his head, considering Zhao Jiyu’s words. He also recalled the situation outside earlier; it did seem quite unsafe right now.

After a brief pause, he said, “Alright then.”

The two returned to Shen Ran’s previous seat, but it was already occupied by two other customers. Fortunately, a corner booth nearby had just become available. Zhao Jiyu and Shen Ran went over, called a waiter, ordered a bottle of Glenfiddich, and a few snacks.

Shen Ran hadn’t had dinner. Seeing that the menu actually offered fried noodles, he wanted to order, but hesitated when he saw the price of 88 yuan for a single serving.

Zhao Jiyu, ready to pay via QR code, noticed Shen Ran’s attention lingering on the seafood fried noodles page. He told the waiter,
“Add a seafood fried noodle.”

“Do you want it spicy?” the waiter asked.

Zhao Jiyu looked at Shen Ran. Shen Ran, a bit slow to react, quickly said,
“I don’t eat that.”

Zhao Jiyu completed the payment. After the waiter left, Shen Ran asked,
“How much did you pay? I’ll transfer you half.”

“No need.”
Zhao Jiyu took out a pack of white cigarettes from his pants pocket, unwrapped it, pulled one out, and lit it.
“I was the one who asked you to stay. My treat.”

His demeanor was relaxed, left arm resting on the back of the sofa, long legs casually sprawled. Shen Ran found his gaze drifting again to Zhao Jiyu’s face, the most striking feature of his entire appearance, and remembered the rumors about this guy who was considered a “male god” by many female classmates.

Zhao Jiyu came from a well-off family, with exceptional looks and physique. What was even more frustrating was that he was also academically outstanding, ranking second in the provincial science exams when he was admitted to their university.

Shen Ran was in the same year and the same department as him, and even though they weren’t in the same class, he often heard things about him.

However, Zhao Jiyu also had his shortcomings. The most well-known was his arrogant personality—he was cold and unapproachable to everyone. This was according to Zheng Mingjin’s younger sister, Zheng Mingming. But today, he didn’t seem quite as distant.

Shen Ran took out his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. He had muted all his WeChat groups, big and small. Opening his landlord’s chat, he saw a message from an hour ago saying there would be a power and water outage tonight.

He wasn’t a local from Xiamen. Since entering university here, he had always stayed in the dorms. But with the dorms closed for the summer break, he had to find a shared rental outside. Unfortunately, the place he found had many issues, and the living conditions were poor. Realizing he still had to stay in that apartment for over a month, Shen Ran’s mood, which had just improved, sank back to rock bottom.

On stage, the singer finished a song, took a short break, and started the next one. As the melody began, Shen Ran’s expression grew even darker. He stared motionlessly at his phone screen until it went dark.

Zhao Jiyu glanced at the singer. The singer’s voice was husky, adding a sense of weariness and powerlessness to the song, especially the line, “Love never gets the chance to grow old.” The lead vocalist sang it with a raspy shout, prompting many in the crowd to sing along.

Flicking ash into a crystal ashtray, Zhao Jiyu signaled the waiter to pour the whiskey. Once the waiter left, Shen Ran, without needing a reminder, picked up his glass and downed it in one go.

The clinking of ice echoed. Shen Ran reached for the bottle and poured himself another drink. Zhao Jiyu didn’t stop him, only reminding him after his third glass,
“If you keep drinking like this, you won’t make it home tonight.”

Shen Ran paused, a struggle evident in his expression. But in the end, he couldn’t resist and poured another glass. After drinking it, he leaned back on the sofa and continued to check his phone.

Zhao Jiyu took a sip from his own glass, his gaze occasionally landing on Shen Ran.

They had occasionally crossed paths on campus over the past two years, but it was always just in passing—never had they sat face-to-face like this. Judging by Shen Ran’s reaction tonight, he clearly didn’t remember who Zhao Jiyu was.

After finishing his drink, Zhao Jiyu lit another cigarette. The singer on stage finished his song, resonating with the audience. The next songs were all classic love ballads.

By the fifth song, Zhao Jiyu noticed Shen Ran staring at the table next to them. Following his gaze, Zhao Jiyu took a quick look and then turned back to observe Shen Ran.

Two men at the next table were tightly wrapped around each other on the sofa, their movements intense and passionate.

Zhao Jiyu watched Shen Ran’s reaction. His eyes were a bit red, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking as he looked at the two men. Soon, he turned away, grabbed his glass, and took a large gulp of whiskey. The strong drink made him cough a few times. Then Shen Ran looked at Zhao Jiyu and suddenly asked,
“Can two men really feel anything doing that?”

Though his voice was not loud, Zhao Jiyu heard every word clearly.

Blowing out a slow stream of smoke, Zhao Jiyu straightened up. He reached forward, pressing his cigarette into the ice bucket in front of Shen Ran.

The ice sizzled against the heat, a small puff of smoke rising. Zhao Jiyu’s lips curled slightly as he looked up at Shen Ran from his leaned-forward position, his tone casual: “You won’t know until you try.”

“Try?”

Shen Ran repeated the words slowly, his mind fogged from the several shots of hard liquor he’d just downed. His gaze was dazed and confused, as if he couldn’t comprehend what Zhao Jiyu was saying.

“Mhm,” Zhao Jiyu nodded, then blinked at him. His thick, long lashes framed eyes that tilted upward subtly, their allure cutting through the thin lenses of his glasses as he glanced sideways.

Staring into those captivating eyes, Shen Ran’s breath hitched. When Zhao smiled softly, the haze in Shen Ran’s drunken mind suddenly clarified why so many girls fawned over that delicate, androgynous beauty.

“In dim lighting, it’s truly…”

His alcohol-numbed brain failed to find the right word. Shen Ran could only watch as Zhao sat down beside him, their arms brushing through the fabric of Zhao’s shirt. Zhao’s low voice, devoid of emotion, carried a warmth that seared Shen Ran’s ear:
“Want to try it tonight?”