SZAR Chapter 124

Chu Xiu woke from his dream, raising a hand to press against his forehead.

He was hungover from last night’s drinking, his head splitting in two. Fortunately, the guests had been generous enough that his earnings for the month were already secured.

He rolled out of bed, cupped some water, and splashed his face. Looking up at the mirror, the bartender staring back was somewhere between awake and asleep; dark circles under his eyes and pale lips. Just by this face, no one would recognize him as the illustrious Cointreau.

Chu Xiu fished out his phone to ask the shift manager for a day off.

At their level, bartenders didn’t need to sit the bar every day; if you weren’t in good condition, you could call in, and someone else with a better state would cover. If a guest were annoyed, no one could afford to take responsibility.

The manager quickly replied with an “OK” emoji: 【Understood. You drank too much yesterday. Rest well today.】

Chu Xiu tossed the phone aside, opened his medicine kit, and downed a few pills in one go. Many people in their line of work had stomach issues, and Chu Xiu was no exception. Yesterday he had nearly thrown up everything he ate, then slept until the afternoon. Now, crawling out of bed, his stomach ached terribly.

But cooking wasn’t on his mind. He lazily ordered plain congee for delivery, adding a note:  ⟦ Please be quick, my stomach might perforate. ⟧

Ten minutes later, the phone rang.

Chu Xiu grabbed it, thinking today’s delivery service was unusually fast, but when he read the caller ID, his face immediately went cold.

Still, when he answered, his tone was polite and smiling:  ⟦ Shift manager, is there something wrong? Didn’t I request the day off? ⟧

The manager never disturbed bartenders during personal time unless a guest specifically requested someone.

Sighing, the manager explained:  ⟦ Cointreau, I know you’re tired today, but Mr. Li brought a guest. He’s been doing jewelry business overseas for years, extremely generous, and he insisted on you. No one else will do. Alan and Bowen tried, but he didn’t even glance at them. Mr. Li is embarrassed. If this continues, he’ll lose his temper. ⟧

Mr. Li was a regular at the bar. Chu Xiu had never served him, but he had heard that this man spent money like water and had influence in both the north and south. Anyone he recommended could not be offended.

Chu Xiu had no choice but to say, 【 I’ll come. 】

He hurried to clean up, wiping away the smell of alcohol. Normally, Cointreau didn’t wear makeup, but his condition today forced him to lightly conceal his dark circles with powder, darken his eyebrows, and add a touch of color to his lips. In the mirror, he finally looked presentable.

While choosing clothes, he asked the manager, 【Who is the guest? Why request me?】

The manager replied, 【 I don’t know the name; Mr. Li didn’t say. He’s been overseas for a long time, very beautiful, a little older than you, and seems quite refined.】 Hesitating, he added: 【 He seems to know you. He asked specifically for you. Cointreau, you haven’t been abroad, right? 】

Chu Xiu let out a short snort of laughter.【 No. 】

The shift manager probed, 【 So… haven’t offended anyone? 】

In a law-abiding society, you couldn’t just rip someone’s arm off in the street, but if you had angered a big shot, getting revenge on a small fry like Chu Xiu could be simple. The fastest way was to lure them to bed, play some extreme games, and if everything appeared consensual, even if someone got hurt, no one could really complain.

Chu Xiu said, 【 Nope, not that either. 】

Still full of suspicion, he arrived at the location designated by the manager; not the bar, but a luxurious resort hotel occupying the best-rated stretch of sand in City A. The location was prime; from the porch, the sea stretched endlessly. Inside, the hall gleamed with marble everywhere, clearly expensive.

A waiter led him to the innermost private room. Chu Xiu pushed open the door. At the host’s seat was the familiar Mr. Li. The guest of honor was a man he didn’t know, dressed in a silver-gray suit with glasses hanging on a chain. Time had left slight traces on his face, but it only added an air of refined calm to his appearance.

Chu Xiu forced a smile and introduced himself, 【 I’m Cointreau. Sorry for being late.】

He lifted a glass from the table and approached the refined-looking man, bowing slightly, 【Thank you for your favor. I’ll punish myself with a drink.】

In situations like this, drinking was never wrong.

But the moment the glass neared, the alcohol scent hitting his nose, Chu Xiu instantly regretted it.

It was a strong liquor.

Bartenders had precise control over their spirits. From the smell alone, Chu Xiu knew the alcohol content was no less than 50%. Drinking this on an empty stomach would land him in the hospital by tomorrow.

Still, in the current situation, he had no choice but to drink.

Biting his teeth, he lifted the glass to gulp it down, but suddenly, a hand shot across and held him firmly.

It was the guest.

Chu Xiu lowered his gaze. The guest was also watching him, an unreadable emotion in his eyes. When he noticed Chu Xiu’s stare, he hurriedly looked down, his hand holding Chu Xiu’s shaking slightly.

Chu Xiu smiled faintly. “May I ask… what’s this?”

“Don’t drink,” the guest said. “I don’t want you to drink.”

This was truly a strange guest, requesting a bartender for company but not drinking at all. What kind of logic was that? Chu Xiu had never encountered anyone like this before. He didn’t understand it, yet kept a professional smile on his face and smoothly said, “Of course, everything will follow your wishes.”

Chu Xiu put down the glass and took a seat beside the guest. “May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

“Yi Xi,” the guest said. “You may just call me Yi Xi.”

Chu Xiu nodded. “Mr. Yi Xi.”

His posture was polite, his tone respectful and flawless. The very best bartenders were like this. Yet as the guest looked at him, those beautiful eyes drooped, the glassy pupils seemed to lose focus, as if brewing a deep sorrow.

“…Please just call me by my name,” Yi Xi said. “Please don’t call me that.”

Even the usually oblivious Mr. Li sensed the awkwardness in the air.

Yi Xi was clearly the center of the gathering, yet everyone else was careful not to overshadow him, afraid of upsetting him. But the sadness radiating from him seemed almost to overflow. His mind wandered elsewhere, as if he had lost something extremely important. The others dared not speak, unsure how to lighten the atmosphere.

Mr. Li’s first instinct was that Chu Xiu must have offended him. But Yi Xi’s hand remained on Chu Xiu’s arm, familiar and natural, as if he had held it hundreds of times. Mr. Li’s words to urge them apart died on his tongue and turned instead into: “Are you tired? Perhaps you should rest early?”

Yi Xi blinked, as if awakening from a dream. He released Chu Xiu’s arm and nodded: “Thank you for your trouble.”

Mr. Li also stood, smiling. “I’ve reserved rooms at this resort for all of you. During Yi Xi’s stay in City A, I hope you’ll accompany him. Enjoy yourselves.”

Chu Xiu nodded, smiling faintly. “Of course. Don’t worry.”

He thought: ‘Not enjoying it at all.’

Chu Xiu had gone a full day and night without eating. Now he was so hungry he felt faint. He hadn’t touched a single dish on the table, planning to rush back and deal with food later. But judging from Mr. Li, they would have to stay at the hotel for several days to accompany the distinguished guest. And the hotel meals weren’t cheap. He didn’t know if the expenses would be reimbursed, and if Mr. Yi Xi wasn’t generous enough, Chu Xiu might even have to cover the cost himself.

The shift manager reassured him again and again, “Of course, don’t worry.”

They all dispersed and returned to their rooms.

Chu Xiu was so hungry he felt like his front and back were sticking together. He raided the hotel minibar, downed a lot of water, and then opened the menu, trying to decide what to eat.

Before he could make up his mind, whether to order the 888-yuan plain noodles or the 666-yuan slow-cooked white porridge, the doorbell rang.

A waiter pushed in a cart loaded with food, all light and easy to digest. After checking a long receipt, he bowed and said, “Enjoy your meal.”

Chu Xiu’s brow twitched. “Who ordered this for me?”

Surely it wasn’t his notoriously stingy shift manager suddenly having a change of heart and deciding to feed him, right?

The waiter said, “The guest in 1606.”

1606 — Mr. Yi Xi’s room.

Chu Xiu had long noticed that Mr. Yi Xi treated him unusually. From the way he looked at him, Chu Xiu almost thought they shared some unresolved, lingering past affair.

But he had never met yi Xi before. The only reasonable explanation left was one: his face had somehow caught Mr. Yi Xi’s eye, and the man had crossed continents, requested him by name, probably intending to come sleep with him.

Chu Xiu stared at the food before him and thought coldly, ‘There’s no poison in this, right?’

He quickly dismissed the thought. The food was delivered by the hotel staff directly, and the hotel wasn’t stupid, illegal or shady stuff? Even if Yi Xi wanted it, the hotel wouldn’t go along.

His mind was a whirlwind, and after a moment, he picked up the food decisively, thinking, ‘Just deal with whatever comes.‘

Yet, all through the evening, there was no sign of anything from 1606.

Just as Chu Xiu, full of suspicion, was about to go to bed, a ping from Mr. Li’s group chat finally stirred the calm.

Yi Xi: 【 Could you send a bartender to my room? I’ve got a bottle of Sapphire Tequila I don’t want to waste. 】

Chu Xiu resignedly stood up.

He knew the guest’s motives weren’t entirely pure. But Alan and Bowen had already been dismissed by Yi Xi, and the shift manager hadn’t sat a bar in ages, so besides him, Cointreau, who else could mix drinks for Mr. Yi Xi?

Chu Xiu walked heavily toward 1606.

He pushed open the door. The elegant guest leaned against the windowsill, dressed in a pure white silk robe, the slit revealing smoothly shaped calves. A book rested in his hands, and an ice bucket in front of him held a bottle of icy blue liquor. He nodded slightly at Chu Xiu: “You’re here.”

Chu Xiu kept his gaze straight ahead, walked directly to the bar, and politely asked, “What would you like to drink?”

Yi Xi paused for a moment, then sat at the bar as well. “I’m not picky. Just make something you like.”

Chu Xiu snorted quietly to himself, he knew Yi Xi’s interest wasn’t really the drink. He maintained a courteous, distant posture and didn’t speak, focusing on mixing the drinks. Surprisingly, Yi Xi remained silent as well.

Chu Xiu mixed in silence; Yi Xi drank in silence. One drink followed another. The bottle gradually emptied, yet they maintained that safe distance, as if he were merely a bartender and Yi Xi a lover of good liquor, no boundaries crossed.

Chu Xiu felt a quiet alarm in his chest.

Tequila is over 50% alcohol, a bottle like this is impossible for anyone to finish safely. When Yi Xi drained another glass and reached for the next, Chu Xiu swatted his hand away.

“Enough!” Chu Xiu said sharply.

Immediately, he felt something was off. He was just a bartender; his job was to serve. There was no reason to stop a guest from drinking, but for some reason, a furious heat blazed in his chest, and he didn’t even know why he was angry.

He took a deep breath, forced down his frustration, and slowed his tone: “You can’t drink anymore.”

Yi Xi stopped as expected.

A faint blush colored his face. He turned toward Chu Xiu, a mix of confusion and subtle reproach in his gaze. “Why?” he asked.

Chu Xiu, still flustered, said, “This is strong liquor. If you drink more, it’ll make you sick.”

Yi Xi said nothing, only looked at him.

Chu Xiu had no idea whether this distinguished guest was drunk or not; all he knew was that he was unbearably irritated. The man’s face was handsome and refined, his manners elegant and poised, the exact type Chu Xiu liked most, but he carried a filthy intent, a desire to sleep with him, which made even that elegance seem disgusting. Now, the man seemed somewhere between drunk and sober, his gaze heavy and intense, beautiful yet sorrowful, as if Chu Xiu had committed some unpardonable offense and broken his heart.

In the silent standoff, Yi Xi was the first to lower his eyes. He reached out and touched the tequila bottle, hesitated for a moment, then let his palm rest fully against the icy blue glass.

Chu Xiu still held the bottle, and in that moment, it was as if their palms were pressed together through the glass.

Startled, Chu Xiu jerked his hand back, stepped two paces away. The bottle lost support, tipped toward the edge of the table, and then crashed to the floor with a bang, shattering into pieces as the liquor spilled everywhere.

“Mr. Yi Xi, I need to make this clear,” Chu Xiu said, taking a deep breath. “Although I work at a bar, and some of my colleagues earn extra money… if you’ve checked my record, you’d know that I only accompany guests for drinks and outings. I do not sleep with them.”

He emphasized the last four words, enunciating each syllable with heavy weight.

Yi Xi stared at the broken bottle on the floor.

Following his gaze, Chu Xiu forced himself to say, “I’m sorry for disturbing your mood, and I’m sorry for breaking such an expensive bottle. I’ll pay for it…”

“Stop,” Yi Xi suddenly said.

He cut Chu Xiu off, then raised his hands to cover his face. “Stop… please, I really… I really don’t know what to do anymore.”

Chu Xiu had never been this cold toward him. Since they met, Cointreau had always been the proactive one, witty, attentive, and  considerate, always protecting Yi Xi, never letting him suffer a single grievance, never showing a cold face.

Yi Xi had never been in a relationship before; all his experience came from Chu Xiu. He was used to following the other’s pace, never needing to take the initiative. And now, with Chu Xiu so indifferent, he could barely bear it.

Chu Xiu took a step back, bowed politely. “I’m sorry. But if there’s nothing else you need, I’ll be leaving now.”

He turned, fingers gripping the door handle. Yi Xi watched his back, and an uncontrollable thought rose in his heart:

— He was about to lose Cointreau.

If Cointreau walked out that door, if Cointreau strode away, Yi Xi would never have him again in this life. He would never taste the drinks Chu Xiu made, never eat the food he cooked, never exchange kisses with him, never be held close in Chu Xiu’s arms, never feel the burning, cherished love Chu Xiu offered… He would lose Cointreau forever.

Even back when the aircraft had crashed in his previous life, waiting for the verdict, Yi Xi had never felt such despair.

“Chu Xiu! Wait!” Yi Xi suddenly raised his voice.

Chu Xiu frowned. Yi Xi had called him by his real name instead of his professional name, proof he had looked him up. Yi Xi hadn’t crossed the ocean to A City on a whim. In this situation, asking a high-ranking guest to give up sleeping with him was not an easy task.

Chu Xiu turned slightly, ready with some sharp words, but when he saw what was in front of him, his pupils constricted, and every word froze in his throat.

Yi Xi loosened the sash of his bathrobe.

The robe was held together by that single sash, and with it undone, it slipped completely down.

The refined, elegant guest now stood before him completely exposed. The skin around his collarbone was pale with a subtle pink, every contour revealed in detail. He stood rigid in place, shivering with embarrassment.

“Come… try it,” Yi Xi said, lowering his eyes. His skin flushed an unnatural cherry pink, his fingertips pressing hard, nails almost digging into his flesh, toes curling tightly.

Chu Xiu almost thought he was hearing things.

He looked at Yi Xi in disbelief, at the composed and refined guest before him.

“Come… try it. You’ll like it, I promise.”

That was what the guest said.