 Chapter 4
At exactly one o’clock in the morning, Yu Li once again tossed and turned in his bed, his face flushed red.
He hated it!
Why didn’t he drink a little more and just black out like others?
Why did he have to remember the details so clearly?
If Yan Sui knew that his best friend and the brother he had always respected had slept together, what would he think?
Maybe it’s better not to contact Yan Sui for now?
After all, Yan Sui has a girlfriend now and will be busy for a while, so he won’t come looking for him.
Yu Li bit his fingertips in frustration, pulling the air conditioning quilt over his face.
No, the key thing is, does Yan Shiting remember what happened last night?
If he hasn’t come to trouble him yet, it should mean he doesn’t remember, right?
But last night, Yan Shiting didn’t drink as much as him, would he really black out?
Yu Li threw off the quilt and anxiously turned over again.
He clasped his hands together, looking out at the crescent moon outside the window, silently making a wish in his heart:
Hopefully, Yan Shiting has a poor alcohol tolerance and blacks out as soon as he drinks!
…
Yu Li deliberately avoided Yan Sui for a period of time.
Yan Sui sent him a WeChat message in the morning asking where he was, and he replied late at night, “I’ve been too busy, just saw it.”
When Yan Sui mentioned the party that night, Yu Li would wait a day before replying, “I’ve really been too busy, sorry, what about the party?”
This way, Yan Sui believed that he was truly busy and wouldn’t come to “disturb” him again.
Of course, Yu Li wasn’t entirely lying.
To prevent himself from being idle and overthinking, he found another part-time job at night, cutting fruit in the back kitchen of a bar, and didn’t get off work until 2 a.m.
So he was indeed very busy.
However, a week later, Yu Li encountered Yan Sui during the day at the restaurant where he worked, and Yan Sui was there with Xu Changke to have a meal.
In the private room, Yan Sui and Xu Changke had already ordered their food, and when Yu Li went out with the order tablet, Yan Sui also got up and followed him out.
“Xiao Li, you said you were busy, so I had to come find you here.”
Yan Sui told the manager of the restaurant, then took Yu Li to the corner of the hallway.
Standing next to a large vase, Yan Sui lowered his head and apologetically said, “Little Li, I’m sorry.”
Yu Li’s heart jumped to his throat. “Why are you suddenly apologizing?”
Yan Sui looked even more guilty as he said, “That night at the party, it’s all my fault as the host for not taking good care of you…”
Yu Li felt his hairs standing on end.
Yan Sui knows that he and his brother slept together?!
“Actually…”
“I didn’t expect that Shen Rui would dare to do such a thing!”
Yu Li’s words were interrupted by the angry and ashamed Yan Sui.
“Ah?” Yu Li was puzzled for a moment.
Shen Rui?
Yan Sui clenched his fists and pounded the wall with force. “I’m sorry, Xiao Li, the last drink Shen Rui gave you that night was drugged. After all, you were the victim, I think you should know about this.”
“Drugs?” Yu Li was puzzled again.
“Yes, similar to what happened to Wei-ge.”
So that night he didn’t sleep with Yan Shiting in a drunken state, but was drugged by Shen Rui?
Yu Li had a somewhat complicated mood.
He pursed his lips and after a moment, raised his hand to rub his temples, saying, “It’s okay, it has nothing to do with you, it’s all my fault for not being more vigilant.”
Yan Sui looked at Yu Li with a hesitant gaze.
Yu Li was an easy-to-understand person, and in the three years of knowing him, Yan Sui knew his character better than anyone.
This good friend of his has always been simple, and probably doesn’t know that there are such dirty things as drugging in this world.
And, Yu Li doesn’t know how to refuse others, and as his brother said, after knowing that Shen Rui was his childhood friend, he must have let his guard down.
In the end, he really has to bear half the responsibility.
But he couldn’t say this to Yu Li, otherwise Yu Li would take on the entire responsibility in his heart.
Yan Sui said, “It’s not your fault, it’s all Shen Rui’s fault.”
He sighed and continued, “My brother has already handled this matter, don’t worry, he won’t let Shen Rui off the hook.”
Hearing Yan Sui mention his brother, Yu Li couldn’t help but feel a little nervous again.
Since Yan Sui knows that Shen Rui drugged him, does he also know that he slept with Yan Shiting that night?
In Yu Li’s mind, this was more terrifying than waking up to find himself sleeping with Yan Shiting.
Yu Li didn’t dare to look at Yan Sui’s expression, hesitantly saying, “That night I drank a little too much, I’m not very clear about what happened afterwards.”
He tentatively said, “I just remember your brother came…”
Yan Sui nodded and said, “It was my brother who called the security to temporarily detain Shen Rui, and he took you back to the guest room you usually stay in, and then after that–“
Yan Sui paused.
He almost blurted out the fact that his brother had also been drugged.
He looked a little annoyed, but Yu Li was looking down and didn’t notice it.
Yan Sui continued, “And then the next morning, my brother had me watch the surveillance footage, and scolded me, saying I should also learn to screen my friends.”
Yu Li thought about it for a while.
Yan Sui was also an easy-to-understand person.
If Yan Sui knew what had happened between him and Yan Shiting that night, he wouldn’t be speaking in this tone right now.
Since Yan Sui doesn’t know, he doesn’t have to be too guilty, and he can still interact normally with Yan Sui and be friends as usual.
Yu Li secretly felt relieved.
“It’s good that the bad guy has been punished, I won’t blame you, and you don’t have to feel guilty either,” Yu Li comforted.
Yan Sui chuckled lightly, “Of course I know you won’t blame me, we’re the best of friends.”
Yu Li smiled and patted Yan Sui’s shoulder, “The food you guys ordered should be ready soon, you should go back. I also have to get back to work, can’t stay idle for too long.”
“Okay.” Yan Sui nodded and waved at Yu Li before leaving.
Yu Li watched him leave, then let out a long sigh.
It’s good that Yan Sui doesn’t know, as for Yan Shiting…
As long as they don’t have much contact, if Yan Shiting takes the initiative to come find him, he’ll just continue to avoid him.
Putting aside his thoughts, Yu Li turned around, but saw a group of people standing at the elevator around the corner.
Among them were several people who often appeared in financial news, as well as some well-known alumni of Y University.
And at the very center of the group, standing out like a crane among chickens, was the very person he had just decided to avoid – Yan Shiting!
Yu Li drew in a sharp breath, quickly turning around, but the manager’s voice came from behind him, “Little Yu, wait a moment.”
Yu Li’s footsteps paused.
He stiffly turned around to see the manager walking towards him, and not far away was the group of people waiting for the elevator, with Yan Shiting among them.
Seeming to have noticed Yu Li, Yan Shiting slightly turned his head, his gaze sweeping across him indifferently.
Yu Li’s body shuddered, and he lowered his head, “What’s the matter, manager?”
“President Yan’s private room is Hongyun Pavilion, you and Xiao Yang will go serve them later. Remember to be extra polite in your service, those are VIPs we can’t offend.”
“Normally President Yan doesn’t drink alcohol when he’s present, but the VIPs may talk for a long time, so you’ll have to work overtime for two hours after 6 o’clock, and the overtime pay will be triple.”
Life is like this, when you try to avoid something, it will inevitably come crashing into you.
Yu Li had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, “Okay, thank you, manager.”
The manager patted his shoulder approvingly and left.
–
Outside the Hongyun Pavilion, Yu Li took a few deep breaths, then pushed the tea trolley and walked in with his colleague Xiao Yang.
The Hongyun Pavilion was the largest private room in Yuting Pavilion, several times bigger than the one Yan Sui had booked. It was usually only reserved for the company’s senior executives.
Before serving the dishes, the two servers would go into the private room to serve tea and snacks, then wait outside, ready to handle any emergencies.
Yu Li walked into the private room without looking sideways, and he and Xiao Yang poured tea and served the snacks, one on the left and one on the right.
The clear and transparent pu’er tea was poured into the white porcelain cups, the steaming hot air rising.
A man around forty years old stared at the opposite Yu Li, watching his slender hands carefully pouring the tea, then suddenly smiled, “The tea in Yuting Pavilion is beautiful, and the servers are beautiful too.”
As his words fell, a few gazes vaguely fell on Yu Li.
The young man lowered his eyes, the long and dense eyelashes casting a fan-like shadow, and with each blink, the tear mole under his right eye appeared and disappeared in the shadow.
Yu Li tried his best to ignore those gazes, his tea-pouring movements unaffected.
The man asked again, “I don’t like to drink pu’er, does Yuting Pavilion have Da Hong Pao?”
Xiao Yang, who had just finished pouring tea for the man, nodded, “Yes, we do.”
The man said excitedly, “Then you–” he nodded towards Yu Li, “can you brew the tea?”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Yu Li could not pretend not to have seen it, he smiled and said, “We have prepared Da Hong Pao, don’t worry, our tea is all brewed by professional tea artists.”
The man was unsatisfied, “Drinking tea is first about the tea leaves and the tea soup, and second about appreciating the tea artist’s movements, only then can one truly enjoy the tea.”
This meant that he insisted on Yu Li brewing the tea for him.
Yu Li was a bit at a loss.
Yuting Pavilion had indeed trained them on how to brew tea, and he could do it, but he was definitely not as skilled as the professional tea artists.
But in this situation, it seemed he couldn’t refuse.
Yu Li pursed his lips, just about to agree, when he heard a light cough.
This voice was not unusual, but the problem was, it came from the direction where Yan Shiting was sitting.
Everyone involuntarily looked at Yan Shiting.
Yan Shiting picked up his teacup, but didn’t say anything.
Sitting to his left was the assistant – Jiang Miao, who had just coughed, and he smiled cheerfully, “If Manager Li wants to see, then call the tea artist.”
He narrowed his eyes even more, “Why bother troubling a server?”
The man who had just been flirting with Yu Li put on a flattering smile.
He smiled obsequiously, “Assistant Jiang is right, professional matters should be left to professionals.”
Jiang Miao looked at Yu Li again, his tone gentle, “After you’ve finished pouring the tea, go find the best tea artist quickly for Manager Li.”
Yu Li visibly relaxed, nodding quickly, “Yes, please wait a moment.”
He and Xiao Yang pushed the tea cart out to the lobby and contacted the manager using the walkie-talkie.
By the time the tea artist came into the private room with the tea set, Yu Li and Xiao Yang both let out a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yang tugged at the collar of his uniform, “It’s a good thing President Yan was there, he hates that kind of vulgar atmosphere the most, otherwise little Yu would have had to brew that pot of tea.”
Yu Li was momentarily taken aback.
He had always thought that businessmen would be like that, after all, he often heard people say that it was better to discuss business on the dining table.
He put away his surprise and asked, “What if President Yan wasn’t here?”
“The big boss of our Yuting Pavilion is also a company president, the customers will give us a little face, they won’t be too demanding. Like today’s Manager Li, he’s the minority.”
Xiao Yang thought for a moment, then added, “If you encounter a troublesome one and get bullied, you can apply for compensation, there’s a few thousand.”
Yu Li listened to Xiao Yang’s advice and nodded.
He glanced sideways at the door leading to the inner room, and after a while, he said he needed to go to the restroom and left the Hongyun Pavilion.
In the restroom, Yu Li leaned over the sink and splashed some water on his face.
He patted his cheeks, trying to curve his lips into a smile, making the muscles on his face less stiff.
After a moment, he wiped the water droplets off his face and walked out of the restroom, only to run straight into a person.
Yu Li’s heart jumped back up to his throat.
Damn, it’s Yan Shiting, alone!
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