Chapter 45: Bar. "Drink less, go to bed early, good night." ...

Gu Ci rarely went to bars on his own initiative. The first time he touched alcohol in his life was when he and Shang Zui drank a glass of glutinous rice wine during their sophomore research trip.

Strangely enough, even after seven years, he still remembered that night. He stood dazed in the night, his mind still half clear, about to call Huo Wenyuan, but as soon as the call was connected, Huo Wenyuan miraculously appeared before him.

Looking back now, it felt like a dream.

Later, after the college entrance exams, the dinner party ended, and Shang Zui suggested going to a bar. After all, it was a novel and tempting place for the newly arrived graduates.

Gu Ci still found it amazing. They booked a private room and sat there doing nothing. They didn't like the wine, and they didn't drink much. They just sat there playing Truth or Dare and board games. Even when they left the bar in the early hours of the morning, they were still full of energy.

Except for Shang Zui, who always passed out after drinking, it was Qu Zhi who ultimately volunteered to escort him back.

Gu Ci sensed something was amiss at the time, but couldn't pinpoint what it was. It wasn't until a year later that Shang Zui revealed to him: he and Qu Zhi were dating.

Shang Zui's unyielding words: If I can't get my sister, a brother is fine. Since I can't be her boyfriend, I'll just be her brother-in-law!

Gu Ci pursed his lips, not arguing. If Shang Zui truly believed that, he wouldn't have cried so bitterly after breaking up, flying to him to cry and curse, seeking comfort.

But Shang Zui was in great shape now. He'd invited people to the bar purely for fun, and Qu Zhi had nothing to do with him. Even after all these years, he was still a playboy and a novice, prone to drinking even the slightest bit, and even couldn't hold a candle to Gu Ci's.

In the private room, neon lights intertwined, and several old friends were reminiscing enthusiastically. Shang Zui noticed Gu Ci sitting in the corner, and brought over a specially made cocktail with a fairly strong alcohol content: "Little Gu Ci, you really don't want some?"

Gu Ci stretched out his hand to refuse: "No, I have an experiment tomorrow afternoon."

Noticing that Shang Zui's face was already a little red, he reminded him kindly: "Shang Zui, you'd better drink less, or you'll be drunk again."

"That's impossible!" Shang Zui denied it flatly, patting his chest confidently, "I haven't practiced in vain all these years! Now please call me Niu Hulu Shang Zui!"

Gu Ci: "..."

Fortunately, Shang Zui didn't have anything important to do tomorrow.

Thinking of the evening's arrangements, he asked again: "Where are you staying tonight? Or at my house?"

"Nonono..." Shang Zui stretched out his finger and shook it mysteriously, "The dance troupe has booked a five-star hotel, and I'm staying there tonight..."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, opened his mobile phone, took a picture in the direction of Gu Ci, then fiddled with it for a few seconds and turned off the phone.

Gu Ci was used to this. Shang Zui would post updates on his life on social media, often filming footage. While he didn't know why he'd be filming in his direction, the posts wouldn't involve him.

Shang Zui dropped his phone, took a sip of his wine, and leaned over to ask, "Little Gu Ci, did you hear what Liu Zhihe just said?"

"Huo Wenyuan's back... You haven't seen each other in all these years, and you don't want to meet?"

As expected, upon hearing the name, Gu Ci froze for a moment, then realized and smiled, "Of course I can, we're still friends."

Shang Zui stared at him, his eyes straining to focus. "He hasn't come back to see you in all these years, aren't you mad at him?"

Gu Ci smiled, "Brother Wenyuan must have his reasons. I'm sure he hasn't truly forgotten me."

Speaking of their separation, Gu Ci still felt a little abrupt. Huo Xiao clearly could have kept his feelings from him, and he even vaguely felt he shouldn't, but he laid them out to Gu Ci so bluntly and openly.

He'd made it clear: Huo Wenyuan liked him, but he didn't agree. Regardless of the reasons, they had to break up.

Gu Ci was reluctant, but under the circumstances, he could only agree with Huo Xiao's decision. It was the best option for both him and Huo Wenyuan. Besides, the joy of youth was often just a fond memory, unlikely to continue. Even if they met now, it would likely be purely for old friendship, right?

Gu Ci felt a sense of relief at this thought.

Shang Zui, however, spoke up for him, "Huo, you're so heartless! You were so kind to him back then, and yet he refused to see you. Seriously, what kind of person..."

Gu Ci shook his head. "Don't say that! Brother Wenyuan is a very good person."

Shang Zui's eyes widened. "Wow! You're still speaking for him! You even call him brother!"

Gu Ci didn't want to continue the conversation. He strategically picked up the water glass in front of him and took a few sips. Only then did he realize something was wrong with his mouth.

It had a slightly fruity, astringent taste, and a burning sensation in his throat.

Shang Zui noticed, his eyes gleaming with fear. "Little Gu Ci, how did you drink all my wine?"

Gu Ci replied, "Ahhh, sorry!!!"

To prevent himself from getting drunk, he quickly poured himself and Shang Zui a glass of lemonade and urged, "Drink some water, dilute it. We're almost done..."

Shang Zui cupped his face in his hands, tilting his head to look at Gu Ci. "But it seems it's too late. Your face seems to be starting to turn red..."

Gu Ci quickly stood up, heading to the bathroom to wash his face as a precaution. He pushed open the door and stepped out, the bar's deafening music blaring again, the air thick with the scent of alcohol.

He made his way through the crowd to the bathroom, turned on the tap at the sink, scooped up a handful of water, and leaned over to pour it over his face.

The cool water instantly stimulated Gu Ci's nerves, and his initial hazy intoxication dissipated. He stood up straight, took out a tissue, and wiped away the water droplets. The man in the mirror regained his clarity.

But he didn't know if it was an illusion. While walking through the crowd back to the private room, Gu Ci always felt that there were eyes locking on him from all directions. But when he tried to catch that sight, the feeling of being tracked disappeared without a trace.

Was it an illusion?

Gu Ci gave up trying to catch it and pushed open the door of the private room again. Several people inside were already playing the King Game with cards.

"Little Gu Ci, come on!" Shang Zui took Liu Zhihe and waved at him, "Let's play together!"

Gu Ci walked over and said hesitantly, "I don't really know how to play this..."

Shang Zui was obviously excited to play. He walked over, took his arm and sat down on the sofa, and persuaded him, "It doesn't matter. You will get familiar with it after playing a few times!"

He introduced the rules of the game to Gu Ci, and the game started again. Everyone drew a hand of cards.

"Excuse me, I'm the King!" Liu Zhihe laid his cards bare, his eyes etched with excitement. "Then I'll give the orders! You all better be careful!"

Qu Zhi jokingly pleaded, "Please let me go." Gu Ci nervously glanced at the cards as Liu Zhihe gave the order: "Numbers 2 and 3, have a toast!"

Everyone flipped their cards, except Shang Zui, who looked ashen.

Number 2 was his, number 3 was Qu Zhi.

Amidst a sea of ambiguous glances, Shang Zui, without waiting for a response, swiftly declared, "Excuse me, I surrender. Three drinks as a penalty."

Before Qu Zhi could intervene, Shang Zui had already downed three glasses of wine, ending the order.

The atmosphere at the scene was silent for a moment, and then Shang Zui shouted loudly: "I don't believe it, let's start over in the next round!"

An hour later, except for Gu Ci who was extremely lucky and didn't draw any penalty cards, everyone else was drunk and lay on the sofa to take a break.

"1, 2, 3, 4..." Gu Ci counted his friends who were twisting and turning on the sofa, frowning a little worriedly.

They all looked drunk, how should he send them back?

Gu Ci thought about it, opened the address book, and found the phone numbers of Shi Fei's husband and Qu Zhi's assistant.

He explained the situation to them one by one, and was about to send the address to the other party when Liu Zhihe suddenly got up from the sofa, pushed open the door and walked out.

Gu Ci quickly sent the address and followed Liu Zhihe: "Zhihe, where are you going?"

Liu Zhihe rubbed his eyes, and now he showed the same expression as before: "I'm going to the bathroom..."

Although it was early in the morning, there were still many people around. Gu Ci saw that Liu Zhihe's steps were a little weak, so he kindly supported her arm and said: "I'll go with you."

All the way to the bathroom, he said to Liu Zhihe: "I'll wait for you at the door." After

Liu Zhihe entered the bathroom, he stood outside the door, not checking his phone, but paying close attention to the surrounding environment.

He was the only one awake now, and he couldn't make

any mistakes. As he was looking into the distance, Gu Ci suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure in a well-tailored suit. From behind, he looked inexplicably familiar, and even the feeling he gave was extremely similar. The feeling of being strangled suddenly came over him.

Gu Ci wanted to get a closer look when Liu Zhihe emerged from the bathroom. Perhaps having washed his hands, the cold water had gradually sobered him up. Seeing Gu Ci's distraction, he called out, "Gu Ci?"

"I'm here!" Gu Ci quickly replied, escorting Liu Zhihe back to the private room.

Shi Fei was finally taken home by her husband. Qu Zhi's stern female assistant also arrived. She had wanted to take Shang Zui with her, but Gu Ci, on second thought, declined. He took Shang Zui to a taxi and dropped Liu Zhihe back at the hotel, then took Shang Zui home.

There wasn't much else going on, except that Shang Zui couldn't drink much. If he'd stayed alone in the hotel, his room would likely have been a completely different scene the next day. With someone watching over him, at least there wouldn't be too many problems.

He didn't know if it was another alcoholic illusion, but all the way home in the taxi, reflecting off the window mirror, he had the feeling a car was following him closely.

But who would do such a thing in the middle of the night?

Gu Ci shook his head, dismissing the thought. The taxi stopped at the entrance. He carefully helped Shang Zui out, used facial recognition to enter the building, and walked towards the residential building.

Under the streetlight, their shadows were stretched out. Gu Ci struggled to steady himself, supporting the rambling Shang Zui forward.

"You said he was the same way, wanting... wanting but never coming back, always demanding pictures. What's wrong with me, am I really a paparazzi?"

"Pretending, what are you pretending for... I'm just a... coward..."

"Huh?" Gu Ci didn't quite catch Shang Zui's words. "Shang Zui, what did you say?"

"No, nothing..." Shang Zui denied with a lisp. "Are we in a five-star hotel?"

Having been friends for so long, Gu Ci had learned to joke, and he said, "Yes, welcome to Gu Ci's five-star hotel." Finally

getting on the elevator and reaching his floor, Gu Ci struggled to free his hand. Just as he was about to unlock the door with his fingerprint, he paused in surprise when he saw the pocket on the door handle.

Hanging on it was a blue bag filled with hangover medicine and tea, with a lamb-shaped sticky note stuck to the outside.

Gu Ci will never forget the font on the sticky note.

"Drink less, go to bed early, good night."