Volume 1 Chapter 40: The Bar
Ning Chu had never been to a bar before. In TV dramas, bars were usually deafening—music blasting, men and women recklessly venting their youth on the dance floor, a chaotic mess he didn't like at all.
But the bar they came to today was different from what he had imagined.
The music was gentle and soft. The chatter of the customers was a little noisy, but not overwhelming. Behind the counter, the bartender's flashy cocktail-making skills drew admiring looks from several young girls.
They sat down in a booth in the corner. Ning Chu leaned stiffly against the sofa, visibly uneasy.
Zhang Shaoqing, on the other hand, looked like he had come home the moment he entered the bar. Completely relaxed, he crossed one leg over the other and waved his hand with the air of a nouveau riche, ordering a whole pile of cocktails. In no time, the table was covered with various drinks and snacks to go with them.
Wang Jie looked just as reserved as Ning Chu at first, but after a few sips, his face flushed from the alcohol. His tense posture quickly relaxed, and he started chatting and laughing with Zhang Shaoqing.
Wen Yang simply sat quietly to one side, sipping his drink. His gaze wandered around the bar, and he looked a little bored.
"This place is a lounge bar," Zhang Shaoqing said to Ning Chu with a cheeky grin. "It's quieter, but the service isn't great. Otherwise, I could've gotten a couple of girls to liven things up."
"..."
Ning Chu had almost forgotten that bars even had hostesses. After all, he'd never had any contact with that world.
"Want a drink?"
"No." He turned his head away expressionlessly.
Zhang Shaoqing refused to give up and pushed a glass toward him. "It's cola. Hardly any alcohol—don't worry."
"Heh~"
He'd heard that plenty of girls got tricked in bars with exactly those words! After a few drinks, they'd pass out and be at the mercy of others.
Even though he'd known Zhang Shaoqing for a while now, Ning Chu still hadn't dropped his guard around this so-called villain. He didn't even spare the glass in front of him a glance.
"Who comes to a bar and doesn't drink?" Zhang Shaoqing muttered. He stopped bothering Ning Chu, grabbed a set of dice, and shot a provocative look at Wang Jie and Wen Yang. "Game?"
"Sure."
So boring…
It was just a place to drink and eat.
Ning Chu slumped listlessly against the sofa, slowly munching on a bag of chips, completely out of sync with the others who were rolling dice and drinking.
He'd vaguely expected that a bar in a hentai world might have bunny girls or some kind of strange performances… but instead, there was only a middle-aged man on stage, singing love songs in a hoarse, weathered voice.
After a few drinks, Wen Yang was slightly tipsy and gradually loosened up. He turned his head toward Ning Chu and asked, "Want to join us?"
"If I get drunk too, the four of us will end up lying on the street."
"No, no, this one's really just a drink!" Zhang Shaoqing pushed the glass over again. "If you don't believe me, ask Wang Jie."
Wang Jie nodded. "I've had so many and don't feel anything at all."
"..."
Judging by how things were going, they'd probably be stuck in the bar for at least an hour. With nothing to do for an entire hour, it really was a bit too boring.
Ning Chu glanced at Wen Yang and pressed his lips together.
The protagonist wouldn't lie, right?
He picked up the glass and took a small sip. He couldn't really taste any alcohol—it was more like carbonated water mixed with cola, sweet, with a faint lingering aftertaste.
He really shouldn't have come to a bar.
Letting Zhang Shaoqing go to that villa party wouldn't have been a big deal anyway. It wasn't like the guy would suddenly go dark just from losing a ranked match.
Ning Chu rubbed his temples in frustration and used his phone's selfie camera to examine his face.
His eyelashes were longer now, the corners of his eyes always faintly flushed pink. There were fewer blemishes on his skin, and his features had grown more delicate. His softer facial contours made him look even more like a girl.
This change was to his face… He wondered if his roommates had noticed anything strange.
Feeling troubled, he took another sip of his drink. Without realizing it, he finished the entire glass.
"Another one, please."
Drinking this much cola in a short time would normally make someone bloated and burping, but drinking this caused no such reaction at all—his complexion didn't change either.
Even if there was alcohol in it, the content was probably lower than beer.
"Another one?" Wen Yang paused, looking a little surprised. He glanced at Ning Chu's slightly unfocused eyes, chuckled softly, and handed him another glass. "Here. Relax a bit today. You're always shutting yourself in—bottling things up for too long isn't good."
"Drowning your sorrows in alcohol is the least reliable method." Ning Chu shot him a look and muttered, "I don't want to touch alcohol at all. I already broke my rule because of you guys."
"It's a drink," Wen Yang corrected.
"Do I look stupid to you?"
Ning Chu sighed faintly and turned his head to look at the other booths. After scanning around and not spotting many pretty girls, he felt a little more at ease.
There probably wasn't any need to worry about some girl taking advantage of Wen Yang while he was drunk.
Besides, aside from plot-related characters, not all the girls here would be bold enough to try to push a man down.
After just two glasses, Ning Chu forced himself to stop. He nibbled on snacks to pass the time. He wasn't sure how long had passed when Wen Yang suddenly leaned his head onto Ning Chu's shoulder.
Startled, Ning Chu jerked and looked down, only to see Wen Yang's face flushed bright red, eyes half-open, hiccupping drunkenly.
Damn—he was already drunk?
No wonder those twins in the plot had succeeded so easily. His alcohol tolerance was really awful.
"Wen Yang really can't hold his liquor," Zhang Shaoqing glanced over and teased. "With that level, if he goes to business dinners in the future, he'll probably end up in the hospital. He needs more practice."
"How about I drag him to bars with me every weekend?"
Ning Chu rolled his eyes. "You just want to corrupt Wen Yang."
So heavy…
In less than two minutes, the shoulder supporting Wen Yang's head started aching. Ning Chu awkwardly tried to adjust his posture, but the moment he moved, Wen Yang's body slid down along his shoulder, his head landing directly on Ning Chu's thigh.
—Hiss!
Ning Chu froze, at a complete loss. He tried to lift Wen Yang up, but drunk people were unbelievably heavy. After struggling for quite a while, he achieved absolutely nothing.
He couldn't exactly shove Wen Yang onto the floor, could he?
Left with no choice, he looked toward Zhang Shaoqing for help, but Zhang Shaoqing was already playing cards with Wang Jie and had no time to pay attention to him.
Whatever—Wen Yang was half-conscious anyway…
Even if there was some close contact, he was still a man right now. There was no way Wen Yang would want to do anything to him.
Ning Chu completely gave up. He leaned back against the sofa, staring lifelessly at the ceiling.
So hot…
His vision started to blur.
The aftereffects of the two drinks from earlier slowly caught up to him. Without realizing it, Ning Chu's face had turned bright red. He felt restless heat all over his body, his consciousness gradually growing fuzzy.
He just drank two glasses! Was the kick really that strong?!
He shook his head hard and rubbed his temples, forcing himself to stay awake.
But a mix of alcohol and some strange scent kept drifting into his nose.
Ning Chu subconsciously looked down at Wen Yang lying on his thigh. Wen Yang's breathing brushed against his lower abdomen, making the heat intensify even more.
That unfamiliar sensation was coming back again!
Uneasily, he rubbed his thighs together, his breathing already much heavier. The corners of his eyes, already tinged red, glistened with a hint of moisture, and even his ears were burning hot.
The subtle movement rubbed against his chest. A faint ache mixed with pleasure shot straight to his tailbone.
He… he wanted someone to hold him.
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Note:
Link for character illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IxOucqi87ss3bmqfO9zI2gYiM1Gy8Hz2