Chapter 90: The One in My Heart

Bar Street was as crowded as ever.

Nightlight Bar, however, was far quieter than before. A lone neon guitar sign blinked by the entrance, lonely in the dark. Only now and then did one or two people enter together.

A taxi pulled up outside. Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye got out one after the other and headed inside.

The dim lighting took a moment to grow accustomed to. On the stage ahead, a young boy held a guitar in his arms and sang softly and alone.

“Your city has no door opening for me. In the end, I must still return to the road... Zebra, zebra, that red from the south within you—could it also be a moving story? If the actor next door cannot stay, who will keep you company until dawn...”

The melody was familiar. Lin Chuan had sung this song here before. It was the song “Zebra, Zebra.” Somehow, over time, it had become wildly popular in bars, and many bar singers would perform it nearly every night.

“How was it? Pretty decent, right?” A voice suddenly came from behind them.

Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye turned and saw Brother Xu standing there with a broad smile.

“Brother Xu, haven’t seen you in a while. Looks like you’ve put on some weight—your beer belly’s coming along nicely too,” Yuan Ye teased with a grin.

“You brat, always making fun of me. So, what brings the two of you to my little bar? Xiao Chuan, you’re a big celebrity now. Still daring to hang around with Yuan Ye? Aren’t you afraid he’ll lead you astray?” Brother Xu lightly punched Yuan Ye on the shoulder.

“Brother Xu, Xiao Chuan and I are here in Beining on proper business. We just dropped by to see you. Why are you so ungrateful?” Yuan Ye said with a long face, looking aggrieved.

To be honest, Brother Xu was more than a generation older than the two of them, and yet theirs was a rare friendship across age. Perhaps it was his personality, or perhaps years spent in the bar scene had kept him from clinging to outdated ideas.

Because of that, the three of them could talk without the slightest generation gap. Both Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye held the old big brother in high regard.

“Heh, just dropping by to see me? So you didn’t come especially for me?” Brother Xu glared at them, sounding displeased.

Immediately, Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye burst out laughing.

They took seats at the bar, and Brother Xu slipped behind it and mixed drinks for them personally.

“Xiao Chuan, how have things been lately? Tell me, what’s it like being a star?” Brother Xu asked while he worked.

“Brother Xu, stop teasing me. Star or no star, I honestly just want to be an ordinary person now—at least to live a simple, peaceful life,” Lin Chuan said with a dry laugh.

“Quit being so precious. How many people dream of becoming stars and never get the chance? And you want to be ordinary?” Yuan Ye rolled his eyes.

“Oh, right. Where’s Yangyang? I haven’t seen him in quite a while. Has he grown taller? Put on weight?” At Brother Xu’s age, he seemed to have a special affection for children.

Whenever he saw Lin Chuan and Lin Yiyang was not beside him, he would always ask after the boy.

“He’s in Quancheng, with Old Master looking after him. The kid hasn’t gotten fatter, but he’s grown quite a bit taller. At this rate, in a few more years he’ll probably be taller than you,” Yuan Ye hurriedly cut in.

“Don’t exaggerate. He’s only five,” Lin Chuan said with a smile.

Yuan Ye grinned broadly. Just then, some unidentified object whistled through the air. He instinctively tilted his head and barely dodged it.

“You brat, what was that supposed to mean just now? ‘In a few more years he’ll be taller than me’—are you saying I’m short?” Brother Xu said angrily.

“No, no, Brother Xu, that was just a figure of speech. That’s not what I meant, absolutely not. I swear...” Yuan Ye hastily tried to explain.

Brother Xu paid him no mind. He simply grabbed another object at hand, turned, and hurled it again. This time Yuan Ye failed to dodge, though the impact did not really hurt.

A few nearby servers froze, staring as their boss roughhoused with a man at the bar. Some customers who did not know what was going on thought a conflict had broken out, and the more timid among them had already begun preparing to flee.

The scuffle ended quickly. Yuan Ye sat back down, and Brother Xu resumed mixing the drinks.

“Xiao Chuan, let me say something. Don’t take it badly,” Brother Xu said. “Always having someone else help raise your child isn’t a long-term solution. He’s still so small, and he needs someone to care for him. You’re busy with work, so sooner or later you’ll miss something. If you ask me, you should just find yourself a girlfriend.”

“A girlfriend?” Lin Chuan frowned.

He had never really thought about it. Since the moment he woke up, all his energy had been focused on his son. Giving his son a better environment and a better life had become his main goal.

As for the word “girlfriend,” it had never even crossed his mind. Part of that was because he simply could not remember.

Now that he was not alone anymore, everything had to revolve around his son. Even if he were to look for a girlfriend, he would first need his son’s approval before he would seriously consider it.

Yuan Ye also nodded with a solemn face. “I agree with Brother Xu. Xiao Chuan, you really should find a girlfriend.”

“We can talk about that later. No rush,” Lin Chuan said with a calm smile.

“No rush? You may not be in a hurry, but we are. Yuan Ye, don’t just talk without acting. You know plenty of girls. Find a couple and introduce them to Xiao Chuan sometime,” Brother Xu ordered.

“Brother Xu, don’t joke around. I’ve already turned over a new leaf and stopped contacting those girls. Besides, how could that kind of vulgar, painted-up pretty thing ever be worthy of our Xiao Chuan? If you ask me, Wang Yue isn’t bad at all. She’s good to Yangyang, she looks decent enough, and I think she might even have some feelings for Xiao Chuan...” By the end, Yuan Ye was glancing sideways at Lin Chuan with a wicked grin.

“Wang Yue? I know that girl. Isn’t she the quiet, refined type? I always thought the two of them were a perfect match...”

“Exactly. Xiao Chuan, let’s not act like some big star. That girl Wang Yue is pretty good. If it weren’t for you, I’d even want to pursue her myself.”

“Cough, cough. Watch your words. You think someone would even look at a man like you? Xiao Chuan, Brother Xu is someone who’s been around. Let me give you the honest truth: those beautiful but hollow vase girls are useless. If you want to live a real life, you need to find a proper girl. Don’t hesitate—Wang Yue it is...”

The two of them sang in perfect harmony, going on and on until Lin Chuan sat there feeling thoroughly awkward.

Still, come to think of it, it had been a very long time since he had seen Wang Yue.

Before long, Brother Xu finished mixing the drinks and brought them over. “Try this. It’s a new drink I’ve been experimenting with. See how it tastes.”

“Brother Xu, why are you using us as test subjects again? This won’t be poisonous, will it?” Yuan Ye had just lifted his glass and was about to drink when he heard that, and promptly set it down again.

“What poison would there be? Hurry up and taste it,” Brother Xu said, glaring.

Under Brother Xu’s “threats,” the two lifted their glasses and took a small sip. The expressions on their faces, however, were completely different.

After tasting it, Yuan Ye’s eyes lit up at once. “Brother Xu, did you add sugar to this? It’s a little sweet, but just right. The flavor is great.”

“Sweet? No way. Why do I taste bitterness? And a bit of astringency too?” Lin Chuan frowned.

“Really? Could it be that Brother Xu gave the two of us different drinks? Let me try.” Yuan Ye took Lin Chuan’s glass and tasted it lightly. “Nope, it tastes the same as mine.”

“The same?” Lin Chuan was a little baffled. Half in doubt, he took another sip, and it was still the same: bitter and astringent, no different from before.

So he picked up Yuan Ye’s glass and took a light sip. A puzzled look slowly appeared on his face. The two drinks were clearly identical—some bitterness, some astringency—so how had that fellow Yuan Ye managed to taste sweetness instead?

Seeing the conflicted look on Lin Chuan’s face, Brother Xu smiled. He lifted his own glass and looked at the pale yellow liquid within.

“This drink was carefully crafted by me. It contains sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy notes. It’s just that the mood of the drinker differs. Certain flavors get magnified endlessly.”

“Is that for real? Then why can I taste sweetness?” Yuan Ye said skeptically, pouting.

“You? Your mind is too broad. There are only two words in your head: women. You’ve got no pressure and no worries, so of course all you’ll taste is sweetness,” Brother Xu said.

“I...” Yuan Ye was left speechless.

Just as Brother Xu had said, Yuan Ye’s heart was so broad that nothing seemed to matter much to him. For him, women were everything. If one day all the women in the world vanished overnight, he probably would not survive a minute.

Brother Xu did not continue paying Yuan Ye any attention. His gaze shifted to Lin Chuan.

“Xiao Chuan, if you can taste bitterness in this drink, then either your life is under too much pressure, or you’re thinking of someone in your heart. The first can be ruled out—you should not be short of money now, and work is going smoothly enough. So... to be frank, who exactly are you thinking about?”

“Who am I thinking about?” Lin Chuan smiled. “Hmm. I’m thinking of my son.”

“Nonsense. Thinking of your son would produce bitterness? Have the two of you been apart for years or something? Hey, Xiao Chuan, you’re not still thinking about... An Xier, are you?” Yuan Ye looked genuinely startled.

Was he thinking about An Xier?

Lin Chuan frowned and quickly pushed that idea aside.

An Xier had been his first love, and also Lin Yiyang’s biological mother. But the two of them had not been in contact for five years, let alone met. In those five years, far too much had happened. Lin Chuan even believed that she was already married by now, and perhaps her child was old enough to run errands and buy soy sauce.

But if not her, then who was he thinking of?

Gradually, a blurry figure appeared in his mind. The figure was indistinct, impossible to make out in face or clothing, but from the outline of the body, it seemed to be a woman.

Just then, that silhouette began walking toward him. When he saw the way she walked, his heart gave a sudden jolt. This person...

Lin Chuan shook his head hard, lifted his glass, and drained it in one swallow. “Brother Xu, what’s the name of this drink? I think I’ve already fallen in love with its flavor.”