No Ghosting Allowed

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The “young talent” Pei You who had a respectable family background and a disciplined routine, hardly ever ventured into bars or clubs. Unfortunately, after spending so much time with Zhou Qingbo, he was gradually getting influenced by him.

At 6:30 in the evening, Black Bar was preparing for its final business hours. Zhou Qingbo smoothly entered through the back door, tossing his suit jacket onto the counter. As he greeted the staff, he reached his arm out to get a cold can of cola from the mini-fridge.

But before his hand could touch the fridge door, he felt a pat on the back of his hand.

Startled, Zhou Qingbo jumped back a bit, resembling a startled cat. He retreated a couple of steps, clutching his hand and cautiously looking towards the counter.

“hey” Zhou Qingbo called warily.

“… It’s me.”

Soon, a familiar figure stood up from behind the counter. Ge Xing’s hair was slightly messy, and there were a few specks of dust on his white t-shirt, making him look a bit unkempt.

“What are you doing?” Zhou Qingbo breathed a sigh of relief, asking with a hint of annoyance, “Stealing something?”

“I’m looking for ice.” Ge Xing patted the dust off his clothes and casually said, “When did the fridge change places? I wanted an ice-cold cocktail, but Xiao Li wasn’t around, so I had to do it myself.”

Ge, the boss, was known for his mysterious appearances and disappearances. Zhou Qingbo hadn’t seen him for over two months, so he just responded with an “uh-huh,” lifted the counter’s cover, and walked into the bar area. He grabbed the back of Ge’s collar and pulled him back a bit.

“The fridge at the counter broke two days ago. It’s not fixed yet, so the ice is stored in the big fridge in the storage room.” Zhou Qingbo said, unbuttoning his shirt cuffs and rolling up his sleeves, adding, “Xiao Li’s wife is having a baby, so he’s taken a couple of days off. Qiang-ge asked me to come over and cover for him.”

This little domain behind the counter was now occupied by a professional, and Ge Xing didn’t need to be inside, so he walked out of the counter and sat at one of the booths outside.

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“Oh, no wonder.” Ge Xing took the offered glass of wine, and in a casual manner, he asked, “Speaking of which, how have you been lately? Any romantic affairs?”

“None.” Zhou Qingbo replied absentmindedly, “If you have time to worry about my romantic affairs, you might as well worry about yourself first.”

“This statement is quite something.” Ge Xing disagreed and retorted, “I’m concerned about your personal well being.”

“My well being is fine, thank you.” Zhou Qingbo threw an ice cube into his glass and calmly said, “I’ve been peaceful and relaxed for the past six months, I’ve encountered no danger. So thank you for your concern but I’m good.”

Ge Xing looked at Zhou Qingbo’s resolute expression and struggled with his words, however, arguing with Zhou Qingbo was pointless. Ge Xing looked around and asked, “By the way, Pei You didn’t come with you today?”

Zhou Qingbo was wiping the counter with his head down and replied nonchalantly, “He’ll be here later. He’s stuck in traffic at the moment, his company is quite far away.”

As soon as Zhou Qingbo finished speaking, he realized something and raised an eyebrow, “Wait a minute, how do you know we are meeting later?”

He glanced at Ge Xing with suspicion and said with a puzzled expression, ” you aren’t stalking us, are you?” Ge Xing rolled his eyes and said, “I overheard it from the servers while chatting with them just now.”

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Zhou Qingbo had been getting closer to Pei You recently, and it wasn’t a secret at Black Bar.

Pei You had a dignified demeanor. He didn’t come to the bar for entertainment or to socialize; he would always sit at the bar counter after ordering and remain there, quite eye-catching in his stillness.

Sometimes, he would take care of some work matters and chat with Zhou Qingbo when he had free time.

Between the two of them, there was a unique understanding. In certain moments, they’d casually exchange a few words, and when busy, they’d focus on their own tasks, occasionally lifting their heads to lock eyes, always sensing the other’s gaze.

Before Zhou Qingbo arrived, Ge Xing had already mingled with the crowd and gathered some gossip. The more he heard, the more he felt intrigued, so he couldn’t help but stay to observe whether their interactions were truly as others described it.

At 7:30 in the evening, the lighting effects at Black Bar began to change. Pei You entered the scene punctually, as if on a schedule, joining the first group of customers entering the bar.

With his frequent visits, Pei You had become more at ease and no longer seemed as unsure as when he first came. He walked confidently to his usual spot at the corner of the bar counter.

That secluded and quiet corner was nearest to the cocktail area and didn’t obstruct the ordering area. It had become Pei You’s “reserved seat” over the past two months.

“Good evening.” Ge Xing leaned his head on his hand, casually raised his glass towards Pei You, and asked, “Came to see Qingbo?”

As Pei You had initially been introduced to Zhou Qingbo through Ge Xing, his impression of him was positive. He nodded in response to the question and politely replied, “Yes.”

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“Well, Qingbo and I were planning to have dinner outside, but he wanted to come work here part-time, so we decided to meet here,” Pei You explained.

Ge Xing made an “Oh” sound and nodded thoughtfully. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt that Pei You’s tone when mentioning Zhou Qingbo was more than that of an ordinary friend; it carried a sense of natural closeness.

As they conversed, Zhou Qingbo, who had finished showering and changing, walked out from the back. He was wearing a loose dark green T-shirt with a slightly open neckline, revealing his collarbone still adorned with water droplets.

Seemingly in a hurry, Zhou Qingbo’s hair still held some water droplets at the tips. Pei You frowned upon seeing this, about to say something, but Zhou Qingbo interrupted him.

“I know,, let me dry off—” Zhou Qingbai playfully ran his hand through his hair and smiled mischievously.

When at Black Bar, Zhou Qingbo usually didn’t pay much attention to his appearance. His hair remained unstyled, softly hanging over his forehead, giving him an innocent look.

 

Pei You was helpless in this situation, plus customers were already there, so he couldn’t ask Zhou Qingbo to go back and dry his hair. He sighed and compromised, “At least use a towel next time.”

Zhou Qingbo smiled admitting his mistake, promising to do better.

Meanwhile, the first group of customers had arrived. Those who gathered at the bar for the drinks were mostly regulars. Seeing Zhou Qingbo behind the counter that day, they were particularly enthusiastic. They chatted with him while placing their drink orders.

Zhou Qingbo smiled and said, “Wait a moment, there’s someone ahead of you.”

He turned to look at Pei You and asked, “What would you like to drink?”

“Anything is fine,,” Pei You replied.

It seemed that Zhou Qingbo didn’t really need his input. He had already turned around, grabbed the ingredients he needed from the liquor cabinet, and started mixing the drink.

Since Pei You had been coming to Black Bar to keep him company, Zhou Qingbo had gotten used to preparing the first drink for him.

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He pushed a well-crafted non-alcoholic mocktail Mojito toward Pei You, then winked at him before turning around to serve the other customers.

Pei You placed the glass by his side and took out his phone to respond to a couple of work messages.

Ge Xing observed with a cold eye and couldn’t help shaking his head, wearing a weary expression. Men, he thought, some people were so cautious about interacting with Pei You just a few months ago. Yet, within less than half a year, it is as if they’d been enchanted, presenting drinks with a flirtatious glance, smiling from ear to ear.

“What’s wrong?” His sigh was quite loud, even prompting Pei You to ask, “Is something bothering you?”

“Nothing.” Ge Xing shook his head, saying with a meaningful tone, “I just suddenly realized that men are such unpredictable creatures.”

Pei You was puzzled by his words, but as he wasn’t very close to Ge Xing, he hesitated to ask for more details. He could only nod in response, refocusing his attention on his phone.

At Black Bar, Zhou Qingbo was treated as a “special guest,” that day as he rarely worked shifts.. As a result, some of the regular customers were unusually enthusiastic, resulting in a one-third increase in drink orders.

Even a few regular customers came over to tease him, specifically requesting to drink Ramos Gin Fizz.

“Nope,” Zhou Qingbo said, “My hands are tired.”

“Well, that won’t do,” one old regular customer chuckled, “Today, it’s just you, can’t back out now.”

Working a shift and guest-starring were different. Zhou Qingbo sighed, made a playful remark, and reluctantly picked a spring from a spare cup.

Ramos Gin Fizz was complex and demanding, shaking one glass for about ten to twenty minutes. After Zhou Qingbo finally “entertained” the old regular customers there to watch, he felt his hands were so sore he could hardly lift them.

After he was done with the orders and serving drinks,, Zhou Qingbo took a few steps towards the corner of the bar, sat down on a stool, extended his arm, and weakly tapped on the tabletop near Pei You’s hand.

“My hands are so sore,” Zhou Qingbo rested his arm on the bar counter, mumbled, “Could you massage them for me?”

Pei You had just seen how busy he was. Without a second thought, he put down his phone, held Zhou Qingbo’s wrist in his hand, and gently massaged his stiff wrist.

Ge Xing: “…”

Zhou Qingbo lazily rested his head on his arm, occasionally giving a “command,” acting like a pampered prince. After a while, Ge Xing couldn’t stand it anymore and cleared his throat.

“Zhou Qingbo,” Ge Xing said, “When did you become so flirtatious and spoiled?”

“Not too long ago,” Zhou Qingbo replied without embarrassment but with pride, “What’s wrong with that?”

He acted as if there was no one else around, as if he didn’t realize that there might be something off about his interactions with Pei You. Ge Xing’s gaze swept back and forth between him and Pei You, and seeing that Pei You had no objections, he finally understood.

His expression shifted from disdain to bewilderment, then in an instant, he seemed to grasp the situation. He took out his phone from his pocket, stood up as if in a trance, and turned to leave.

Confused, Zhou Qingbo called after him, asking, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the VIP lounge to reserve a room for you two,” Ge Xing said absently, “By the way, do you prefer Champagne Rose or Perfumed Lily?”