Chapter 1

Rainy Night

In the summer evening, the sky was gloomy at nearly six oclock, with dark clouds piled up in the sky, fog rolling heavily with the wind, and the air was filled with the smell of impending storms. As dusk fell, the lights of the shops on North Street next to Huajing University were turned on early.

Lin Xuer walked along the street, carefully avoiding puddles on the roadside.

It took her some effort to find the address her boyfriend Zhang Xuting said, a store called "Fog", but the decoration of the store in front of her was a little beyond her expectations. It didnt look like an ordinary restaurant, but more like a bar.

In order to avoid making a mistake, Lin Xuer turned on her phone and confirmed again and again that it was indeed this store.

She had never been to a bar before, and was a little overwhelmed for a moment. After hesitating in front of the door for a while, she could only walk in tentatively. There were not many people in the store. The waiter came up and asked: "Hello, do you have a reservation?"

Lin Xuer nodded quickly: "Hello, my boyfriend said he has a reservation here."

After the waiter and Lin Xuer confirmed, he took Lin Xuer to a more secluded location.

There were not many people in the bar at this time, it was very deserted, and only a few people were drinking at the bar.

Zhang Xuting had not arrived yet, and Lin Xuer did not drink, so this was her first time in a bar, and she was a little restrained, but she adjusted her mood and began to observe the environment of the bar. The bar was very quiet, and she could even hear the waiter and the bartender talking.

"Is Ayu coming over tonight?"

"I just heard that hes coming over after finishing his game recently."

The waiter patted the bartender on the shoulder: "Lets pray for good luck tonight, well probably be very busy."

The other party clicked his tongue a few times: "Hes a top student at Hua University, a famous young man, he runs his own game studio, hes handsome, he plays in a band, hes got all the buffs..."

The whispering conversation continued, but Lin Xuer didnt listen anymore, she just lowered her head to reply to her boyfriend Zhang Xuting.

Lin Xuer: [Im already here. ]

Lin Xuer: [Why did you choose the bar?]

The message was sent successfully, but there was no response from Zhang Xuting for a long time. Time passed by minute by minute. Lin Xuer was so bored that she read all the hot searches on Weibo, but there was still no movement on her phone. But at this time, it was more than ten minutes past the time they agreed to meet, and Lin Xuers mood became a little agitated and bored. She hesitated for a while and still called.

The beeping sound lasted for a few seconds, and then it turned into a mechanical female voice, "Hello, the number you dialed is busy..."

Zhang Xuting hung up her phone.

Now, Lin Xuer couldnt help but feel a little nervous.

Lin Xuer: [What happened? ]

Lin Xuer: [Is there anything I can help with? ]

Lin Xuer: [If you check your phone, please reply to my message. ]

She was a little flustered, and sent three messages in a row, but there was still no response. After more than ten minutes, Lin Xuer couldnt help but dial the number again.

But she was hung up as usual, and there was no reply on WeChat.

It was almost seven oclock, and there were more and more people in the bar, and the surrounding noises became noisy, but Lin Xuer was absent-minded. There were even boys around her who came to chat with her, but Lin Xuer politely refused. Fortunately, the boys were very tactful and left without entanglement.

Lin Xuer spent a lot of time preparing for todays date. She even spent a whole day matching her makeup and clothes. She was beautiful, and now she was even more eye-catching in the crowd.

Zhang Xuting would never hang up her phone for no reason. This was the first time.

The phone vibrated slightly, and Lin Xuer suddenly raised her eyes, her eyes slightly bright, but after looking carefully, she found that it was a message from the part-time job.

Her mood suddenly became more depressed.

After replying to the message from the part-time job, there was still no movement from Zhang Xuting. After waiting for nearly an hour, she felt a slight pain in her stomach. Because she was too worried about Zhang Xuting, she realized that she had not drunk water for an hour and her mouth was dry. She put away the carefully wrapped gift at hand and put it back in her bag, preparing to order a drink to divert her attention.

She picked up the menu at hand, and just as she was about to flip the menu, the phone vibrated slightly, the screen lit up, and the message that had been buried in the sea finally received a reply.

It was Zhang Xuting.

Zhang Xuting: [There is an important banquet at my home, so I cant accompany you tonight.]

Zhang Xuting: [No need to call me again, Im not in a good position to answer now.]

When Lin Xuer saw this message, the glimmer of joy in her eyes faded away like a firework that had burned out.

She was relieved to know that he had not encountered any accident, but she was still disappointed to know that Zhang Xuting could not come.

Zhang Xuting is one year higher than her and is now a senior. Recently, because of Zhang Xutings internship, the two of them have had very few opportunities to meet. Now that she has finally squeezed out time to meet, she has been looking forward to it for a long time, spent two hours putting on makeup in advance, and was worried for a long time because he didnt answer the phone and didnt get any messages. Now that she knows that he cant make it, her mood cant help but sink to the bottom.

Forget it, maybe that family banquet is really important, and she cant let Zhang Xuting come to date her regardless of the face of the elders at home.

She has always had a good temper and wont make trouble at this time.

She raised her hand and replied to the message, understanding: [Its okay, I thought something happened to you, Im glad youre okay. ]

Zhang Xuting replied quickly at this time: [Well, you probably havent eaten yet, I ordered a meal for you, eat something before going back to school. ]

He has always been indifferent, this is his greatest concern.

Lin Xuer was looking down at this message, and the message from her friend Qiao Qiao popped up above.

Qiao Qiao: [Xiao Er, did you bring your key? If you bring your key, we wont leave the door open for you tonight. ]

Lin Xuer: [Its okay, Ill go back to the dormitory in a while. ]

Qiao Qiao: [Arent you going to play longer tonight? Come back so early? ]

Lin Xuer: [Xu Ting had something to do tonight and couldnt come. Im alone at the bar now. ]

Qiao Qiao: [Ah? He stood you up at the last minute? You clearly agreed to spend the anniversary together, what is this? Its too much! ]

She and Zhang Xuting have been together for several months, but they have not had any special holidays to celebrate. Last Valentines Day, Zhang Xuting was busy and they did not go on a date, so Lin Xuer proposed a time when everyone was free to date seriously, but it still fell through.

Lin Xuer subconsciously spoke for Zhang Xuting: [He had something to do temporarily, there was nothing he could do.]

Qiao Qiao was straightforward and straightforward: [But at least he should have told you in advance. He left you alone for an hour before telling you that his phone fell into the ditch?]

Lin Xuer explained: [He was attending a family dinner, the elders were all there, he should not have time to look at his phone.]

Just as Lin Xuer lowered her head to reply to the message, the waiter placed the meal in front of her.

"Hello, this is the meal your boyfriend ordered for you."

There were many people in the bar at this time, and he just said "I wish you a happy meal" in a hurry, and turned to do other things.

Lin Xuer saw the meal in front of her, which was a seafood risotto and some fried snacks, and a drink similar to sparkling water, with bubbles surging up and dotted on the green mint leaves. She and Zhang Xuting had said many times that she didnt drink alcohol, so it should be sparkling water.

She was really thirsty, so she held the glass with both hands and took a sip. The taste was like refreshing mint soda, sour and sweet.

The phone lit up, and there were many chat records between her and Qiao Qiao. Lin Xuer only saw Qiao Qiaos last sentence.

Qiao Qiao seemed helpless: [Baby, you are still making up for him after all this, you should go out in the rain to sober up now. ]

The band seemed to have changed people halfway through, and the girls screams became more and more enthusiastic, and the atmosphere was very high.

In such a noisy environment, people should only become more and more excited, but somehow, Lin Xuer only felt that her consciousness was getting more and more drowsy, as if she was drunk. Under the colorful lights, her peripheral vision swept to the glass of sparkling water in front of her.

Could this be a bar?

When this guess came to her mind, Lin Xuers heart suddenly sank. She had a very low alcohol tolerance and basically didnt drink alcohol, for fear of being alone and unconscious.

Just then, a waiter passed by, and she forced herself to ask the waiter: "Hello, is this wine?"

"Yes, its a mojito."

Is it wine?

The moment she found out, she felt cold all over, and she dialed Qiao Qiaos number with trembling hands.

"Qiao Qiao, I accidentally drank some wine, can you please pick me up?"

Qiao Qiao knew that she had a very low alcohol tolerance, so she didnt dare to delay and immediately rushed to the bar from school. When she arrived, the bar was still very lively. Qiao Qiao took some effort to find Lin Xuer, who was just sitting there quietly.

When seeing Lin Xuer in this state, Qiao Qiao cursed Zhang Xuting countless times in her heart, but still walked towards her: "Xiao Er, are you okay?"

Lin Xuer just raised her head slowly, and her reaction seemed to be half a beat slower: "Not bad."

She looked sober.

Qiao Qiao breathed a sigh of relief, but still complained in a low voice: "Doesnt Zhang Xuting know that you cant drink? And he ordered a set meal with wine for you?"

But Lin Xuer didnt seem to realize that she was talking, and stood up obediently.

The lights in the bar were dim, and Qiao Qiao couldnt see clearly. When she was about to reach for the phone on the table, she accidentally knocked over the half-full cup of mojito, and the liquor mixed with ice cubes poured all over her hands.

Qiao Qiao thought she was unlucky and prepared to go to the bathroom to wash her hands, but she was not very reassured when she saw Lin Xuers appearance. When she was still hesitating, Lin Xuer spoke.

"You go wash your hands, Ill go outside to sober up."

Qiao Qiao thought that she was not too drunk, so she nodded: "You go outside and wait for me."

It was still raining outside, and the neon lights of the shops on the street were soft. After the fine rain curtain like fog was gathered, it became a little more hazy.

The bar was very lively, but it was extremely deserted and quiet outside.

Lin Xuer just stood in front of the bar. The cool breeze of the summer night came with drizzle. Lin Xuer turned his head slightly and saw a figure leaning against the door.

The night was humid and the lights were dimmed into blurry circles. The tall figure of the boy was half hidden in the darkness. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants, and his posture was casual. He held a cigarette between his fingertips and played with the lighter in his hand boredly. He pried up the lid carelessly, making a crisp "ding" sound. The flame was ignited in the dimness, and then "clicked" closed. The movement was extremely smooth and beautiful. A faint smoke rose up and dissipated little by little in the humid air.

It was very quiet at the door, with only Lin Xuer and him.

After a moment, a well-behaved and soft voice sounded in the drizzle.

"Dont you have an umbrella?"

Her voice was as soft as cotton, falling silently in the rainy night.

The man seemed to realize that Lin Xuer was talking to him, and then he slowly turned around.

Lin Xuer could barely see that he seemed to be wearing a pair of half-frame glasses, his skin was cold and white, and his black hair was casually scattered in front of his forehead, but he didnt look gentle at all. His narrow and delicate eyes were slightly drooped, and his expression was cold and rebellious.

After the rustling sound, Lin Xuer lowered her head and took out a small pink folding umbrella from her bag and handed it to him.

The girls wrist was very white, delicate and without any jewelry, and the blue veins could be seen in the dim light.

He didnt take it, but just looked up and finally fell on her face.

The little girl was wearing a very beautiful little white dress, which was out of place in the noisy bar. She was slender, clean, graceful, with a small face the size of a palm, bright eyes and red lips, and her makeup was very light, but very clear and beautiful. Her long black hair was braided and hung down obediently. It can be seen that she dressed very carefully, as if she was going to an important date.

The other person spoke slowly, his voice lazy and low: "I took your umbrella, what will you do?"

Lin Xuer slowly raised her eyes and looked forward, her tone was very light, her eyes were indifferent as if she had seen through the world: "It doesnt matter, my friend said that my mind might not be clear, let me go to the rain to sober up."

The man paused for a moment, then approached her. Lin Xuer subconsciously raised her eyes and met his teasing gaze. Her eyes were bright, clear and moist as if washed by water. At this time, she looked at him without blinking, and was particularly calm. Except for her slightly red cheeks, there was no sign of drunkenness at all.

The man retracted his gaze, lowered his face, and chuckled, which was magnetic and beautiful.

He said in a teasing tone: "Sister, you are very drunk."