Chapter 19: You Wouldn’t Give Someone Else This Chance, Right?
“Wait… marry into??????” His voice cracked, his gaze darting back and forth between Jiang Qing and Shen Zhize, finally locking onto Shen Zhize’s face in disbelief.
“Is your Shen family going bankrupt?! No, that’s not right… Even then, it wouldn’t come to marrying into another family! Plus, doesn’t the Jiang family have three boys???”
He suddenly grabbed Jiang Qing’s shoulders, shaking him frantically: “What do you mean ‘another’??? There’s more than one???? Who was the one before?? Song Lingchen?! It can’t possibly be me, right???” He pointed at himself with a terrified expression.
“Unfortunately, the threshold to marry into the Jiang family is very high…” Song Lingchen leaned over at this moment as well.
Jiang Qing was surrounded by the three of them in the middle—Shen Zhize’s arm still resting on his shoulder, Chi Jiong gripping his arm on one side, and Song Lingchen leaning in on the other.
Right at that moment, a hand with distinct, prominent knuckles gently placed a glass of liquor on the bar counter in front of Jiang Qing, and a cold rose fragrance quietly permeated the air.
Everyone’s gaze was involuntarily drawn over.
Su Lin pushed the glass of liquor in front of Jiang Qing.
The liquid was a profound, dark red, with fine frost condensation on the inside of the glass. Most uniquely, a meticulously carved rose leaned diagonally against the rim of the glass, gleaming with a crystalline luster under the light.
“Night Dew Rose, please enjoy.”
He didn’t look at the others; his gaze fell onto Jiang Qing’s slightly stunned face.
Shen Zhize’s arm subconsciously tightened, his eyes shooting a sharp glare at Su Lin.
This drink was too exquisite, too special—clearly, a lot of thought had been put into it.
Jiang Qing lowered his eyes, looking at the drink, and asked with a smile:
“Bartender Su,” his fingertip hovered over the rose at the rim, “is this… exclusively for me?”
Su Lin gave a slight nod.
“Night dew is fleeting, and roses will eventually wither. But the beauty of this moment is worth cherishing.”
Jiang Qing reached out and took a gentle sip.
The first taste entering his mouth was the sweet-sourness of blackcurrant and the rich fragrance of rose, immediately followed by the unique, spicy aroma of sloe gin spreading through his mouth, leaving a long, slightly astringent aftertaste—just like the lingering charm of a rose soaked in night dew.
Jiang Qing put down the glass.
“I like it.”
“I like it very much.”
Su Lin calmly withdrew his gaze: “I’m glad you like it.” After saying that, he turned back to continue wiping glasses, as if that ingenuity-filled “Night Dew Rose” from just now was merely a casual effort.
The atmosphere around the bar counter completely shifted.
Jiang Qing savored the lingering rose aftertaste in his mouth on his own, his gaze drifting toward Su Lin’s back, his fingertips tapping lightly against the glass.
He was actually somewhat surprised.
He hadn’t expected Su Lin to harbor a bit of interest in him too, considering this glass of Night Dew Rose was absolutely not innocent.
It seemed bringing these three over to stimulate things had been somewhat useful; it really did yield some unexpected gains.
From the corner of his eye, he swept a glance at his side. Shen Zhize was rubbing his glass with a dark expression; Chi Jiong was scrutinizing Su Lin thoughtfully; and Song Lingchen had already couldn’t help but lean in and lower his voice:
“Qingqing, that glass of liquor just now… wasn’t it a bit too deliberate?”
“Qingqing wouldn’t give someone else this chance, right?”
Jiang Qing turned his head, meeting Song Lingchen’s gaze.
“Hmm… deliberate? It was alright.”
“Also, what exactly does this ‘chance’ you speak of refer to?” Jiang Qing asked.
Song Lingchen choked on his words, momentarily not knowing how to reply.
Right at that moment, Su Lin happened to turn around to fetch a tool. Hearing Jiang Qing’s words, his movements paused for a second, then he nonchalantly continued what he was doing.
Song Lingchen felt a bit awkward being stared at by him. He took a deep breath, just about to throw caution to the wind and lay things out clearly, when Chi Jiong suddenly spoke up:
“Aiya, seriously, it wasn’t easy for everyone to make a trip over to my place. I’ve still got a lot of things for you guys to play with here, I guarantee you’ll have a great time.”
Chi Jiong enthusiastically wrapped an arm around Jiang Qing’s shoulders: “Let’s go, let’s go, let Su Lin focus on mixing drinks. Let’s not disturb his ‘artistic creation’ here.” He half-pushed, half-persuaded, “Young Master Song, Young Master Shen, give me some face? Let our Second Young Master Jiang stretch his muscles a bit, just sitting and tasting drinks is so boring.”
Song Lingchen immediately took the out and stood up: “Sure, perfect timing to see what good stuff Young Master Chi has dug up this time.” His arm habitually draped over Jiang Qing’s shoulder, leading him to turn around.
Shen Zhize walked on Jiang Qing’s other side, his tone gentle: “Qing, drink less mixed liquors, it’s easy to get drunk.”
Jiang Qing didn’t object; he really did want to change environments.
Before leaving, his fingertips tapped twice on the bar counter, saying to Su Lin: “The drink was very good. Thank you.”
Behind the bar counter, Su Lin hung the spotlessly wiped glass back onto the rack.
The group moved upstairs to Chi Jiong’s private area. The soundproofing here was excellent, and the decoration leaned more towards luxury and comfort, lacking the noise from downstairs. Chi Jiong brought out a few bottles of fine liquor, the liquid pouring into the glasses, rippling with an alluring luster.
The atmosphere in the private room quickly heated up. Song Lingchen was clearly a master at livening things up, bringing Chi Jiong’s spirits high as well. Although Shen Zhize didn’t talk much, he didn’t hold back when playing. After a few rounds, they had mutual wins and losses.
Jiang Qing’s mind, however, wasn’t entirely on the card game. When he won, he didn’t drink much; when he lost, his expression remained unchanged, only his fingertips occasionally rubbing the rim of his glass.
“Jiang Qing, your turn to call.” Song Lingchen nudged his arm.
Jiang Qing snapped back to reality and casually matched the bet.
After playing a few more rounds, Jiang Qing set down his glass and stood up: “I’m going to the restroom.”
“I’ll go with you?” Shen Zhize immediately looked up.
“No need.” He waved a hand and walked straight toward the door.
Stepping out of the private room, the corridor was much quieter. Jiang Qing didn’t go to the restroom; instead, he leaned against the window at the end of the corridor, pulled out a silver cigarette case, and extracted a slender cigarette.
A cluster of flames sprang from the metal lighter. He tilted his head slightly and leaned in. The firelight illuminated his side profile for a second before extinguishing.
What permeated the air wasn’t a pungent tobacco smell, but a mix of a cold cedar wood scent and a faint mellow aroma of cocoa beans.
This kind of cigarette had no harsh smell and little aftereffect; he just needed a bit of comfort different from alcohol.
Every time Jiang Qing drank, his spirits would run high. But when the heat brought by the alcohol receded from his blood, he would fall into a prolonged period of emotional low.
The cool night breeze blew in through the window crack, slightly dispersing the heat and tipsiness from the private room.
Just as he was thinking about tonight’s events, light footsteps sounded from the other end of the corridor.
Jiang Qing looked up and was slightly stunned.
It was Su Lin.
He had changed out of his bartender uniform, wearing a white shirt and trousers, holding a paper bag in his hand as he walked toward the employee exit. It seemed he was getting off work.
Su Lin also saw Jiang Qing by the window, and his footsteps paused.
The corridor lighting was dim. The two locked eyes across a distance of over ten meters.
Jiang Qing broke the silence first: “Bartender Su, off work?”
Su Lin nodded, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet hallway: “Mm.”
His gaze fell onto the cigarette between Jiang Qing’s fingers, then moved back to his face. He still wore that expressionless look, but it seemed slightly different from when he was at the bar counter.
Jiang Qing walked forward a few steps, closing the distance.
“Bartender Su’s skills have successfully squeezed out the majority of others, occupying a… quite special place in my heart.”
“Is that so.” His voice remained calm, yet Jiang Qing detected a trace of tension hidden within it.
“Yes.” Jiang Qing took another half-step forward, the distance between them now close enough to feel each other’s breathing. “Especially that ‘Night Dew Rose’, it makes me very curious…”
“A Bartender Su who can mix a drink like that, what kind of ‘unexpected delight’ is he hiding in his heart?”
Su Lin’s breath hitched. He looked at Jiang Qing, who was inches away, somewhat dazed.
A few seconds later, he spoke:
“Is Young Master Jiang this… curious about every bartender?”
“No.” Jiang Qing answered crisply and cleanly, “Only the special ones.”
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