Chapter 28: Bar
“My name is Lu Siyuan. I arrived a bit earlier. I think we’re all roommates in this dorm, right?”
“Hi, I’m Su Yu.”
Su Yu put down his luggage and politely replied. The boy in front of him was slightly shorter than him, wearing glasses, looking gentle and refined, somewhat handsome. Well… not as handsome as him.
Qingchuan University wasn’t an old institution, but it was a key investment project in Qingchuan. The facilities were new and modern. The freshman dorms were all standard four-person rooms, at least better than those at Jiangnan University in his previous life. But… he suddenly missed his old roommates, wondering who had taken his place.
Two out of four had arrived. Shortly after Su Yu, another person entered, dragging a suitcase. Chu Feng had tanned skin and wore a short-sleeved shirt, revealing his toned arms. Su Yu was a bit taken aback; this guy clearly worked out.
Surprisingly, Chu Feng was easygoing, speaking with a slight accent and sharing some local specialties from his hometown with Su Yu and Lu Siyuan.
The last to arrive was a local from Qingchuan, also quite friendly, but his pale complexion gave him a sickly appearance, a stark contrast to Chu Feng.
“Are we just going to stay in the dorm until school starts tomorrow?”
As the sky gradually darkened, the atmosphere in the dorm became somewhat subdued. No matter how quickly they got acquainted, after exchanging basic information, the conversation lulled.
Gu Chuan, the pale-looking one, suddenly suggested with a smile, “Why don’t we… go out and explore? This is your first time in Qingchuan, right?”
“Going out to party as soon as we arrive?” Lu Siyuan was stunned, not quite processing the suggestion.
“I’m fine with it, whatever.”
Su Yu called out from the balcony. They were on the fifth floor, a relatively high floor. Looking down at the freshmen still bustling about with their luggage, he felt genuinely happy. In this second life, there was no confusion, no obsession, no worries about the future. He could simply enjoy the present moment.
“See? Su Yu is more open-minded than you guys. Who knows, military training might start tomorrow. If we don’t go out now, we’ll be too exhausted later.”
“Then… let’s go.”
Lu Siyuan didn’t object, and Chu Feng nodded silently in agreement.
“Where are we going?” Su Yu asked casually as he walked back from the balcony.
“How about a bar? Let’s go for a drink.” Gu Chuan immediately replied. “I know all the bars around here.”
“A bar… isn’t it too noisy?” Su Yu hesitated. He didn’t like crowded, noisy places.
“It’s just a lounge bar. Let’s have some drinks, have some fun, make some new friends.” Gu Chuan raised his eyebrows suggestively. “I’ll introduce you to some of our classmates.”
…
The bar Gu Chuan mentioned wasn’t far from the university. When they arrived, it had just opened. As for the friends Gu Chuan mentioned… they were his classmates and some girls he had met while drinking before. Including Gu Chuan’s friends and the girls they had invited, there were four boys and four girls, making the gathering less awkward.
“Seize the opportunity, okay? I’m watching you.” At the entrance of the bar, Gu Chuan gave them a pointed reminder, glancing at Su Yu in particular.
The bar was quiet, the dim lighting just right, the hazy shadows obscuring facial details. All they could see were the gleaming eyes of the other patrons, conveying an ambiguous mood that permeated the entire bar.
“Let’s… play a game. Just drinking is boring.”
“Okay… how about truth or dare? I’ll spin the bottle.” Gu Chuan agreed with Luo Xiaoxiao’s suggestion, calling everyone to gather around the table.
Luo Xiaoxiao was also a friend Gu Chuan had invited, a girl dressed provocatively in a lacy camisole that revealed ample skin. Her makeup was exquisite, her dark eyeshadow alluring, her every blink seemingly capable of captivating souls. She attracted many gazes, their depths filled with desire.
“You don’t seem to like talking much?”
Luo Xiaoxiao looked at Su Yu, who was quietly drinking beside her. Her eyeshadow accentuated her long eyelashes, her voice laced with a natural charm.
“Not really, you guys go ahead.” Su Yu smiled, the scent of Luo Xiaoxiao’s perfume wafting into his nose. It smelled good… but he couldn’t quite place the scent. It was probably an expensive perfume. And Luo Xiaoxiao was… a bit too close.
“Hey, Xiaoxiao, it’s your turn.” The girl next to her giggled, breaking the strange atmosphere between them.
“Fine, I’ll ask you when it’s your turn. Let’s see how you escape then.”
Luo Xiaoxiao winked playfully and sat back, picking up a large glass of alcohol and downing it in one gulp. The bottle had landed on her, and before choosing truth or dare, she had to drink.
“Truth. Ask away.”
The person asking the question was Lu Siyuan, who was also quite drunk, his face flushed. But he was talkative, at least more so than Chu Feng. “Okay, I’ll ask. Xiaoxiao, do you have a boyfriend?”
A chorus of teasing sounds filled the air. It wasn’t a particularly intrusive question, and Luo Xiaoxiao answered readily.
“Gu Chuan knows. I… haven’t been in a relationship before.”
Luo Xiaoxiao tilted her head, her gaze lingering on Su Yu for a moment. Even when he noticed, she just blinked, not looking away.
“I can vouch for that. Xiaoxiao didn’t even hold a boy’s hand in high school.” Gu Chuan chuckled and nodded.
Gu Chuan spun the bottle again, and it whirled on the smooth tabletop. Su Yu watched as it gradually slowed down, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
“Your turn, Su Yu. Choose dare. It’s all been truth, it’s boring.”
Gu Chuan pointed at the bottle, which was pointing at Su Yu. The other end was pointing at himself. “I definitely won’t make things difficult for you.”
“Fine, dare then.” Su Yu sighed and agreed. He didn’t want to spoil the fun.
“Then go ask for someone’s contact information. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
“Whose?”
“See that girl in the corner? Ask for hers.”
“Huh?”
Su Yu followed Gu Chuan’s gaze. A girl was sitting alone at a table in the corner of the bar.
The dim lighting didn’t reach the corner, so Su Yu couldn’t see her face clearly, only her general outline.
The girl sat there quietly, sipping her drink, as if she owned the place, all the noise fading away around her. Yet, her allure was striking.
Su Yu watched as the girl pulled her long hair into a high bun, not just alluring… but also with a hint of coldness. He couldn’t help but smile wryly as he stood up and walked towards her.
“Gu Chuan, aren’t you making things difficult for me?”
If he couldn’t get her contact information, he would just apologize. He could only comfort himself with this thought.
