Seeing that Pei Shaocheng was no longer speaking to him, Yi Li pursed his lips, which were wet with wine, and asked, "Does Senior Brother like oil paintings?"
"Just browsing."
Yi Li nodded. He had wanted to use this topic to chat with Pei Shaocheng a bit more, but he realized that the other party had no intention of giving him any room to maneuver, and his fingertips under the table twitched slightly.
He closed his eyes, raised a faint smile again, picked up the wine glass in front of him and said to Pei Shaocheng, "Let me toast you, senior brother. I may need to trouble you more in the future."
Pei Shaocheng didn't say anything, but he still politely clinked glasses with Yi Li.
As a result, Yi Li's hand trembled accidentally, spilling some wine on Pei Shaocheng's pants. He let out a soft cry and hurriedly grabbed a tissue from the side to help Pei Shaocheng wipe it off, but Pei Shaocheng grabbed his wrist.
"I'm sorry, senior brother, I... I was a little nervous meeting my idol." Yi Li's voice was soft after drinking, and his guilty expression made him look like a frightened lamb, obedient and pitiful.
If an ordinary person saw this, it would be difficult not to be tempted.
However, Pei Shaocheng simply took the tissue from his hand, said it was okay, and then wiped his wet pants on his own.
Yi Li bit her lip, lowered her eyes, and her eyelashes fluttered.
"It's raining outside." A'Luo finished her cigarette and pushed the door open to come in. "Tian Wen can stay here tonight. How are you guys leaving later?"
“I called a driver.” Pei Shaocheng looked at Yi Li, asking him with his eyes.
"I..." Yi Li started to think about saying that he could also call a driver, but the words caught in his throat and ended up being, "Senior brother, could you give me a ride?"
A Luo raised her eyebrows, leaned against the wall, and observed the two of them with an air of amusement.
Just then, two muffled claps of thunder came from outside, and a few raindrops fell on the glass window, then turned into lines and began to fall recklessly.
Pei Shaocheng frowned slightly, his deep gaze making Yi Li somewhat flustered.
He steadied himself, gave an awkward smile, and asked in a low voice, "Is it... inconvenient? It's okay! Or should I..."
"convenient."
Pei Shaocheng looked away, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and thought of going to the door to smoke a cigarette.
Just as he was about to go out, the wind chimes hanging on the door frame suddenly rang. Immediately afterward, a slender figure, accompanied by dampness, pushed open the door and entered before him.
"They're still open?"
With his back to Pei Shaocheng, the man closed his umbrella and smiled helplessly at A Luo, "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk, and suddenly it started raining. That shady shopkeeper charged me 50 yuan for an umbrella, it's outrageous..."
Pei Shaocheng's pupils contracted, and he felt as if he had been frozen in place.
The person stood the umbrella against the corner of the wall, and froze the moment they turned around.
"Wen Yuhan..."
Pei Shaocheng's deep voice forced Wen Yuhan to come back to his senses, and he realized that he had instinctively taken the umbrella he had just put down back into his hand.
Pei Shaocheng narrowed his eyes slightly, taking in Wen Yuhan's attempt to escape.
He felt a surge of irritation and couldn't help but take another half step forward, looking down at the other person.
Wen Yuhan knew that she would no longer be able to leave Pei Shaocheng's sight smoothly. She could only sigh and say with a forced smile, "What a coincidence, Yancheng is so big, yet we still managed to meet twice in one day."
However, Pei Shaocheng completely ignored his words and instead bluntly said, "Meeting here isn't exactly a coincidence, is it?"
Wen Yuhan understood what Pei Shaocheng was referring to, after all, the name of the store was "Pan".
His eyes flickered, then he changed the subject again, saying to A'Luo, who was watching the scene unfold:
"What should I do? My hidden gem shop has been discovered. You should also prepare to become an internet sensation."
There were no other customers in the bar at this time. A Luo, with a cigarette between her fingers, glanced back and forth between Wen Yuhan and Pei Shaocheng, and exhaled a smoke ring as she said, "I was just talking to the big star about you, and you actually came."
As she spoke, she waved to Wen Yuhan, "This rain isn't going to stop anytime soon, how about we have a drink together?"
Wen Yuhan rummaged through his pockets and shrugged at A Luo, saying, "I only have fifty yuan on me, which I used to buy an umbrella. I didn't even bring my phone."
A Luo, always eager for drama, gestured with her chin towards Pei Shaocheng: "A big star like him wouldn't be short of money for a few drinks, would he? Don't worry, if he doesn't pay, I'll treat him."
Wen Yuhan chuckled to himself, thinking to himself, "This cunning woman."
He turned his head, about to ask Pei Shaocheng if he didn't have any work scheduled for tomorrow, when he saw Pei Shaocheng take out his phone and tell the driver on the other end, "I have something to do, don't come yet."
Wen Yuhan was completely speechless.
…
Chapter 22
The rain continued to fall relentlessly, and the scattered lights outside became hazy patches of light hidden by the rain.
Director Tian's phone call lasted quite a while. When he returned and met Wen Yuhan, he was about to introduce himself when he was interrupted by another phone call.
A Luo glanced at Tian Wen's busy figure, shook her head and sighed, "So, even someone like me who runs a bar can sleep during the day, but you guys in this line of work don't get any rest at all?"
Yi Li smiled, his eyebrows curving upwards, "Being busy is a good thing. Director Tian's films have been especially popular in the last two years." Although he was speaking to A Luo, his attention was always on Wen Yuhan beside him, his drunken eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry.
"Senior brother, you haven't introduced him yet," Yi Li asked Pei Shaocheng, tilting his head.
Pei Shaocheng didn't reply, but kept staring at Wen Yuhan, and said in a deep voice, "He is also your senior. He had already graduated when you came to the drama academy."
"I see." Yi Li smiled sweetly at Wen Yuhan and said softly, "Hello, Senior Brother, I am Yi Li."
“Yi Li…” Wen Yuhan murmured, then raised her wine glass to him, “A good name.”
"How should I address my senior brother?"
"My surname is Wen, Wen Yuhan."
"Ah, I know you!" Yi Li's eyes widened in surprise. "Back in school, I always heard teachers and senior students talk about you!"
"Hmm? I see..."
Wen Yuhan stirred the ice cubes in his glass with his index finger, a slight smile playing on his lips, seemingly uninterested in how people at school perceived him.
"Do you mind if I smoke a cigarette?" Wen Yuhan shook the cigarette pack at Yi Li.
"Ah, it's alright!" Yi Li quickly replied.
Wen Yuhan knocked out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled before saying, "That was really heavy."
The tone of voice seemed to be talking to someone, but it also seemed like he was just talking to himself.
He was still wearing the same thin white shirt he had worn during the day, now mostly soaked and clinging to his body.
Pei Shaocheng's gaze traveled from top to bottom, from the stray hairs covering Wen Yuhan's forehead to his sharp chin, and finally landed on his pale white ankle.
A few water droplets brought in from outside were still clinging to the tip of the protruding ankle bone.
He must have actually gone out for a walk, because he was only wearing flip-flops before he left the house.
"Are you cold?" Aro asked, putting down her curling stone. "Shall I go find you a blanket?"
"No need." Wen Yuhan, with a cigarette between his fingers, casually untied the hair tie behind his head. "But if you have a dry towel, you could give me one."
Aro nodded: "I'll go find it for you."
The temperature difference between day and night was significant at this time, and Pei Shaocheng, wearing a trench coat, felt just barely warm. As he watched Wen Yuhan pick up tweezers and take two more ice cubes from the ice bucket and throw them into his wine glass, he finally couldn't help but sullenly unbutton his trench coat.
Just as he was about to get up and drape the cloak over Wen Yuhan's shoulders, he heard the phone vibrate on her body.
Pei Shaocheng sighed inwardly. Didn't he just say he didn't bring his phone? How can this person lie so easily without even thinking?
Wen Yuhan wasn't embarrassed at all. She took out her phone from her pocket, glanced at it, got up, and walked around Pei Shaocheng to a corner.
Pei Shaocheng's movements froze the moment he saw the caller ID.
Contact person: Lu Yanheng.
Wen Yuhan pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear: "What's wrong, Yanheng?"
His voice was almost imperceptibly hidden in the music playing in the bar.
"Hmm... I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk... Yeah, it's raining quite heavily... No need, I'll just stay at the bar near my house... Tomorrow? Tomorrow won't work, how about the weekend..."
Listening to Wen Yuhan's intermittent conversation with the person on the other end of the phone, it was as if her previously ethereal state had been instantly pulled back to reality. With her usual smile and tone, she subtly stimulated Pei Shaocheng's senses.
Pei Shaocheng suddenly felt like a ridiculous clown, and the trench coat in his hand felt like it was covered in a thousand needles, piercing his veins and heading straight for his heart.
He picked up the glass on the table and silently downed it. Then he took the whiskey that was used as a base spirit and refilled his glass.
Yi Li also noticed Pei Shaocheng's unusual behavior. His gaze swept over Pei Shaocheng's face and then fell on Wen Yuhan in the corner, as if he had vaguely sensed something.
But he remained calm, only gently pressing down on Pei Shaocheng's hand as he was about to drink again, shaking his head and saying, "Senior brother, don't drink too fast, you'll have a headache tomorrow."
However, at this moment, Pei Shaocheng felt his temples throbbing incessantly and desperately needed alcohol to suppress this unbearable emotion.
Seeing that Pei Shaocheng was unwilling to let go, Yi Li sighed, took the overcoat that Pei Shaocheng had taken off, and put it back on him. Then he buried his head in front of him and carefully buttoned up Pei Shaocheng's coat one by one.
Pei Shaocheng looked down at Yi Li and saw that the other's face was slightly flushed, and his slender, fair fingers were fiddling with the buttons on his chest.
Yi Li carried the scent of men's light cologne, sweet but not cloying, which lingered in Pei Shaocheng's nostrils as he moved.
This time, Pei Shaocheng didn't push him away again, but quietly watched him, letting Yi Li do as he pleased.
When Wen Yuhan hung up the phone and turned around, this was the scene she saw.
He was stunned for a moment, unsure whether to go back to his seat or stand still.
Upon noticing Wen Yuhan looking in his direction, Pei Shaocheng's eyes darkened, and then, as if possessed, he raised his hand and stroked Yi Li's head.
Yi Li's movements suddenly froze, and when he looked up, he met Pei Shaocheng's dark gaze.
"Senior brother..." he murmured softly, nervously clutching Pei Shaocheng's button.
Pei Shaocheng ruffled Yi Li's soft hair and smiled at him.
This was the first time Yi Li had seen Pei Shaocheng smile, and he felt completely absorbed into his eyes.
"There's one more button." Pei Shaocheng whispered to Yi Li to help him fasten the last button.
Yi Li's small Adam's apple bobbed, and he nodded nervously and happily.
Pei Shaocheng glanced at Wen Yuhan out of the corner of his eye. He saw Wen Yuhan standing alone in the corner. Although his expression was calm, the ash on his fingers betrayed his absent-mindedness.
A sudden surge of vengeful pleasure rose in Pei Shaocheng's heart. He slowly lit a cigarette and smoked it silently.
Here, a dry towel.
When A Luo returned, she tossed the towel to Wen Yuhan, who caught it, thanked her, and stubbed out her cigarette while wiping her still-damp hair.