Behind the wine bar was a small office, which, from its design, seemed never intended to accommodate so many people.
Mo Lin stood at the door, glancing inside—
Several tall young men formed a circle, and the one who had been hit sat in a chair, his face bruised and swollen, looking angry. He occasionally shot a fierce glare at He Ye, who stood opposite him.
He Ye crossed his arms, with dark red blood staining the corners of his mouth and the knuckles of his hands, but his face remained stern and cold.
The only one speaking eloquently was Jiang Yuanmu’s partner, Ji Ming.
He fervently defended He Ye, skillfully appeased the injured young man, and intermittently used “money power” to try to calm the situation. One of the young men was the owner of the wine bar, and he clearly didn’t want to escalate things on the opening day.
Both sides negotiated the interests behind the incident.
Mo Lin heard this and knew that the incident was nothing serious.
She turned and walked to the other end of the corridor.
Cheng Lulu, with her exquisite makeup, was now sitting on a small stool at the end of the corridor, anxiously tapping one foot and constantly shaking. She couldn’t help but start biting her thumbnail.
Cheng Lulu had mentioned that she had developed this bad habit in high school; whenever she felt anxious, she would start biting her nails, especially her thumbnails. Before every math exam, Cheng Lulu would anxiously bite her nails until they were nearly gone.
Later, when she went to university, she wanted to be a beauty, and beauties couldn’t have chewed-up nails. So Cheng Lulu, under Mo Lin’s supervision, got rid of the habit.
But now, she was at it again.
There was only one small stool, so Mo Lin walked over and leaned against the wall next to Cheng Lulu. “Ji Ming, Jiang Yuanmu’s partner, is handling it. He’s good at communicating; it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
Cheng Lulu kept shaking her leg, absentmindedly responding, “Mm.”
“Is He Ye the boyfriend you had in university?” Mo Lin asked. “It’s been a while, but I just remembered. The one you often played games with.”
“Mm.” Cheng Lulu was still absent-minded.
Mo Lin was silent for a moment, then squatted down, looking at Cheng Lulu, and asked, “Are you anxious because of him?”
“Mm… mm?” Cheng Lulu finally reacted, glancing at Mo Lin, “Do I look like I’m sick? We broke up so long ago, why would I be anxious about him? He’s got issues. I’m out having fun, what does that have to do with him? He just caused trouble.”
This answer was unexpected for Mo Lin.
“Then what are you anxious about?” Mo Lin asked.
“Ugh…” Cheng Lulu bit her nails again, looking around anxiously, “Jiang Yuanmu… he won’t think that I brought you here to play, right?”
Mo Lin: “…”
This worry was also unexpected for Mo Lin.
“This has nothing to do with…”
“Of course it does!” Cheng Lulu interrupted Mo Lin, “I heard that my dad’s company wants to collaborate with Jiang Yuanmu’s company to promote a new product. What if Jiang Yuanmu causes trouble for my dad because of this? You know, the market is tough right now, and my dad is really stressed. If the business deal falls through because of this, my dad will cook me…”
After a flurry of complaints, Mo Lin understood. Although she didn’t quite get it, she still tried to reassure Cheng Lulu:
“Jiang Yuanmu isn’t the type to mix personal and professional matters. This has nothing to do with him. Besides, it was my decision to come here. Jiang Yuanmu and I are in the process of getting divorced, as you said. Us going out doesn’t concern him.”
Cheng Lulu pursed her lips, still anxious despite Mo Lin’s words. “It’s exactly because you’re in the process of divorcing but not yet divorced.” She sighed, looking towards the end of the corridor, her voice melancholic, “He doesn’t seem to be giving up…”
At the other end was the restroom of the wine bar, unisex, with individual stalls inside and a shared sink area.
Cheng Lulu’s anxiety was kept outside by the wooden door, and at that moment, behind that door, next to the sink, a valuable-looking watch was being removed by a slender hand and placed aside.
Jiang Yuanmu slowly washed his hands, surrounded by a noisy environment. There was a drunk woman, sad for some unknown reason, being comforted by her friend who kept patting her back. A man was rambling about his past, with someone beside him smiling and supporting him, trying to take him away. A young person who had drunk too much was sitting in a corner, bent over and breathing heavily.
After washing his hands, Jiang Yuanmu straightened up and pulled out a paper towel to dry his hands. In the mirror, amidst the intoxicated and dazed faces, he looked like a Buddha devoid of sorrow or joy.
A puff of smoke drifted over, blurring his reflection in the mirror. Jiang Yuanmu glanced sideways and saw Xu Yuan leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.
Xu Yuan lowered his head, casually flicking the ash, and glanced at Jiang Yuanmu’s watch. “I didn’t expect to see such a big shot in a small place like this.”
Jiang Yuanmu indifferently put on his watch, “The place is decent, but the management isn’t up to par.”
The place was run by Xu Yuan’s friend, something Jiang Yuanmu already knew from the earlier altercation.
Xu Yuan was also aware that Jiang Yuanmu knew.
“Handling regular customers is fine, but the wealthy should go to places meant for them, instead of trying to fit in here.” Xu Yuan tilted his head slightly, his eyes curved in a smile as he looked at Jiang Yuanmu, “Choosing a place to eat, finding someone to spend your days with, it’s all the same principle, right, Mr. Jiang?”
It’s hard to claim that there was no other meaning in his words.
Jiang Yuanmu finally looked at Xu Yuan’s face.
What came to his mind, however, was the image of him talking to Mo Lin under the flashing lights.
His emotions inevitably fluctuated again, just like this afternoon, a feeling that was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
Jiang Yuanmu showed no change in his expression, tugging at his sleeve without revealing any emotion.
“I already said, the place is nice, but the people aren’t. Besides, there aren’t specific places meant for specific people; everyone just chooses where they want to go.” Jiang Yuanmu took a step to leave, brushing past Xu Yuan’s shoulder, and left with a light remark, “Choosing a place to eat, finding someone to spend your life with, it’s all the same principle.”
Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned, then turned around, staring at Jiang Yuanmu’s back, and the smile on his face finally faded: “Stop bothering Mo Lin.”
He didn’t call her “sister.”
Seeing Jiang Yuanmu’s steps falter, Xu Yuan continued: “You and she are not meant to be together, that’s why you’ve reached the point of divorce. Amicably parting ways is best for everyone, Mr. Jiang.”
Jiang Yuanmu turned back and saw that the young man’s face couldn’t hide his anger and… his ambition.
Xu Yuan revealed his emotions, but Jiang Yuanmu did not.
Despite…
Jiang Yuanmu had no idea! During his five years of marriage! When did this competitor emerge!
But!
He still maintained an air of control, showing no emotions…
“What you said earlier, about the rich having places meant for them and Mo Lin and I not being meant to be together, that’s all your assumption. Mister… don’t use your conjectures to speculate about my and Mo Lin’s lives, and don’t try to interfere with our choices. It’s none of your business; you have no standing or position.”
After leaving that remark, Jiang Yuanmu took a step out but then turned back to add, “And, cigarettes are a group I carcinogen. Neither Mo Lin nor I like others smoking in front of us. It’s irresponsible to both your own and others’ health.”
Jiang Yuanmu pushed the door open and left.
The wooden door opened and closed again. Xu Yuan stood by the sink, listening to the noise in the restroom’s common area. He silently pinched out the cigarette’s ember with his fingers. The faint “sizzle” was the sound of high heat scorching his skin, but Xu Yuan didn’t even frown. With a somber face, he tossed the extinguished cigarette into the trash.
“Brother Yuan!” The door opened again, and a friend of Xu Yuan’s walked in. “Why have you been in the restroom so long?”
“Mm, not feeling well.” Xu Yuan responded.
“Drunk? You shouldn’t be; you haven’t had a drink.”
Xu Yuan avoided answering: “Is everything outside sorted?”
“Mm, the guy who came with that kid is pretty good at handling things. It’s almost settled, just compensation to finalize.”
Xu Yuan nodded. His friend sighed deeply and offered him a cigarette, “I was looking forward to having a good time today. This is such a bummer.”
Xu Yuan glanced at the cigarette in his friend’s fingers, “Quit.”
The friend made another complaint, then realized, “Huh? Quit smoking? When did you quit?”
Xu Yuan rinsed the ash off his fingertips in the sink, “Just now.”
The fun was definitely over.
Mo Lin and Cheng Lulu were about to leave. Just as they were about to go, Ji Ming had almost resolved the situation, and He Ye walked out. When he and Cheng Lulu made eye contact, Cheng Lulu, who was sitting on a small stool, frowned and showed some displeasure.
“He Ye!” she called out angrily, “Let’s talk outside!”
He Ye looked at her calmly, but Mo Lin could vaguely sense that He Ye still had some lingering feelings for Cheng Lulu.
Mo Lin initially planned to go out with them and then find a taxi by herself, but before she could move, she saw someone walking out from the direction of the corridor restroom.
“Mo Lin.” Jiang Yuanmu called her, his voice the same as usual, but for some reason, Mo Lin felt that Jiang Yuanmu was suppressing a surge of anger.
Perhaps, it was more than just one surge of anger?
“Let’s talk outside.”
He said this, and Mo Lin did not refuse.
