Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Jing Xi wanted to come find Xie Qingfeng at noon, but thinking it might backfire, incessantly pestering him would only displease the National Teacher, so he restrained himself and didn't come.

Having eaten a lonely and flavorless lunch, Jing Xi couldn't resist and went to the market to buy a bag full of groceries, planning to stage a chance encounter at the main entrance.

Initially, he hid in the shadows, afraid of being spotted by the National Teacher from afar, which would make it hard to pretend he had just arrived. He did manage to wait for someone, but it turned out to be a group.

And not just any group, they gave him a "surprise."

Following Yin Jinhui's gaze, Xie Qingfeng saw Jing Xi clinging to the iron fence outside. Despite wearing a mask and hat, his appearance nearly made Xie Qingfeng smile. Suppressing it, he managed only a twitch of the mouth under his mask: If this scene were captured, it would definitely be blackmail material in the future.

Jing Xi himself knew how... his current appearance looked.

Xie Qingfeng met Jing Xi's somewhat reproachful gaze, not only did he not let go, but patted twice more before withdrawing his hand.

Liu Wen and his friends assumed the two knew each other well, chatting about the famous bar they were heading to and recommending a particular drink they had seen on a forum.

When Xie Qingfeng's group finally reached the entrance, amidst the crowd coming and going, he immediately noticed the man standing at the door, holding a bag of groceries and looking eagerly their way.

It was hard to ignore him; his tall stature and good build drew attention. Many people glanced over, whispering. If it weren't for the wrong timing, some might have approached him for contact details.

Liu Wen and his friends recognized Jing Xi, remembering him following Xie Qingfeng before. They tilted their heads to remind Xie Qingfeng but noticed he was deliberately avoiding looking that way.

Liu Wen and his friends: ?? Didn't he see him?

Just as they were about to point him out, Jing Xi approached with his groceries, stopping a few steps away and called out in a steady voice, "I just finished buying groceries, are you heading back now?"

Xie Qingfeng acted as if he had just noticed him, glanced briefly and looked away, "No, I have a gathering tonight. You eat by yourself."

Jing Xi opened his mouth but said nothing, "Then what time will you be back tonight?"

Xie Qingfeng, walking past him: "I don’t know."

Perhaps Jing Xi's look was too wistful, as Liu Wen and his friends exchanged glances, feeling bad about leaving him alone. But just as they were about to speak, Xie Qingfeng, a few steps ahead, turned back, "Aren’t we going? Didn’t you say it's a bit far?"

Liu Wen and his friends quickly voiced their agreement: Xie hadn't invited him, so they’d better not say anything.

Jing Xi's outstretched hand clenched in the air and then quietly retreated. Especially when he heard someone quietly ask if the National Teacher was staying at his place, to which the reply was "Just temporarily staying for a few days before leaving," he felt even more aggrieved. The next moment, hearing words like "bar" and "recommended drinks," his mind buzzed: What? Going to a bar? I thought it was just a gathering?

Xie Qingfeng's group of five needed two cars since they couldn't all fit in one.

Xie Qingfeng and Yin Jinhui, being more acquainted, went together.

Liu Wen and his friends took another car, leaving a bit later.

Just as Liu Wen's group was opening the back door of their car, the front passenger door of the car in front also opened.

Liu Wen looked up in surprise, "You... Sir, are you also going?"

He wondered why he hadn't spoken up when Xie Qingfeng was around. Shouldn't he inform Xie Qingfeng first?

Jing Xi, without looking around, said, "I heard you mention the bar and wanted to have a drink too. Is it inconvenient to share the ride? We can split the fare."

Liu Wen, facing Xie Qingfeng's temporary "housemate," found himself unable to refuse.

So, when Xie Qingfeng and Yin Jinhui arrived at the bar and waited outside for five minutes, Liu Wen and his friends arrived belatedly.

However, it wasn't just three of them who got out of the car but four.

Xie Qingfeng, seeing the extra person, asked in silence, "Why are you here instead of going home?"

Jing Xi looked up at the sky, avoiding his gaze, "I've never tried the drinks here and wanted to give it a go. Is there a problem?"

Liu Wen and his friends thought Jing Xi was talking about the bar's drinks and assumed he had similar interests. Since he was already there, they couldn't just turn him away. Besides, they didn’t own the bar and had no right to deny entry.

They glanced at Xie Qingfeng and Jing Xi, wondering if they were having a conflict.

Xie Qingfeng: "There’s no problem, but if you're going to drink, do you have enough money?"

He had only given him two thousand, and the grocery shopping over the last few days must have cost a fair bit. If Jing Xi ordered expensive drinks, was he planning to wash dishes to pay off the debt?

Jing Xi's heart leaped with joy: Was the National Teacher... worried about him?

Just as he was about to express his happiness, Xie Qingfeng changed his tone, "Well, since you've decided, it's none of our concern. Let's go in."

Jing Xi, however, was in high spirits, thinking that despite Xie Qingfeng's words, he was actually giving him an early warning, concerned he might embarrass himself or be taken advantage of.

After all, he's still nominally Jing Mianfeng. If people discover the washed-up movie star drinking like a tyrant in a bar, he could become infamous without even making a comeback.

Infamously blacklisted.

Jing Xi didn't immediately follow inside but first sent a message to Liang Chenglei.

[Jing: I'm going to a bar. How much money should you transfer to me?]

Liang Chenglei, who was drinking with President Zhu and their partner, almost spit out his drink when he read the message.

Alarmed, he jumped up, excusing himself to the restroom, and then hurried away to make a call, "Ancestor, are you crazy? I thought you didn’t want to make a comeback. Why are you going to a bar?"

Jing Xi, amidst chaos, replied with a calm voice, "He's here, I need to keep an eye on him."

In case he gets drunk or something, this is a bar, after all.

He had been doing his research online lately. The National Teacher is attractive to both men and women. If the National Teacher gets drunk and finds someone else appealing, Jing Xi felt like he could die.

Liang Chenglei's lips trembled, "Then, you must promise not to drink or show your face!"

Helpless, since he couldn't prevent Jing Xi from going, if something really happened to Master Xie, with Jing Xi's love-struck mind, he might end up wrecking the bar.

That would definitely lead to a scandalous trending topic, and probably an explosive one.

Liang Chenglei gave countless warnings and, with trembling courage, transferred fifty thousand yuan.

Jing Xi squinted his eyes: Do we really need this much money for a bar?

Xie Qingfeng and his group chose a booth since it was not yet eight o'clock and the bar wasn't crowded.

Liu Wen and his friends huddled over the menu, their curiosity piqued on their first visit here. Seeing the extravagant prices listed next to each fancy drink, they inhaled sharply.

It was beyond their spending capacity.

Then they casually ordered a couple of fruit platters.

After the waiter left, they whispered, "I just saw that the recommended drink costs 888 per glass. It’s so expensive."

Yin Jinhui, who would have once thought it cheap, now exclaimed, "Damn, are we sure that forum post wasn't sponsored?"

Liu Wen and his friends also suspected the same: "There are cheaper beers, but even those are 88 a glass. Let's just stick to those."

It would be a waste to come and not drink anything.

Xie Qingfeng was indifferent; he just didn't want to go home and came to check it out, not expecting Jing Xi to not only wait at the door but also follow them inside.

Thinking of Jing Xi, Xie Qingfeng realized he hadn't followed immediately.

Glancing around, he finally spotted him a few booths away, sitting straight and easily noticeable, staring in his direction.

Jing Xi, meeting Xie Qingfeng's gaze, then averted his eyes.

The waiter, noticing the gentleman's attention was finally on him, quickly asked if there was anything he needed.

It was Jing Xi's first time here, so he casually pointed towards Xie Qingfeng’s group: “I’ll have the same as them, whatever they’re having, get it for me too.”

The waiter looked in the direction he was pointing; there were two booths there.

One to the left, one to the right.

One booth had four people, the other just one.

The waiter, thinking it impossible to serve the same as four people, assumed he meant the other lone guest in a crisp suit and responded, "Of course, sir, just a moment."

On Xie Qingfeng’s side, while Liu Wen and others were waiting for their fruit plate, they curiously scanned the dimly lit surroundings, only to be startled by a nasal voice demanding, “Another ‘Heartbroken Pacific’! No, make it three!”

The waiter approached immediately, eyes shining with enthusiasm, “Right away, sir!”

Liu Wen and his group looked over to see a young man in a sharp suit, sitting alone across the aisle, appearing heartbroken as he lay on the table with an empty glass already there.

Even in the dim light, his face appeared somewhat red, clearly showing the strength of the drink, and now he was ordering three more: impressive.

Liu Wen mouthed silently: Must be heartbroken.

Yin Jinhui and the others immediately nodded in agreement.

Soon, the three ordered 'Heartbroken Pacifics' were brought over, beautifully layered in colors, the top layer resembling the ocean.

Liu Wen and his group couldn’t help but glance over as the tray with drinks and the bill were placed down.

After seeing the bill, they gasped: Wow, what kind of drink is this? 8888 per glass.

Three glasses, no, four!

Six.

Before Liu Wen and his friends could recover from their shock, another waiter followed, carrying a tray with four glasses of the same heartbreak-themed drink.

Liu Wen and his friends' mouths fell open in astonishment, curious to see who else was splurging so recklessly. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw it was Jing Xi sitting a few tables away: ???

Liu Wen, startled, hiccupped and immediately turned to Xie Qingfeng: "Damn, Xie, is your friend heartbroken?"

Xie Qingfeng, sitting on the opposite side and not having seen the price, looked up in confusion: "What?"

Liu Wen quickly pointed behind them: "Four glasses of 'Heartbroken Pacific', 8888 per glass."

That's several tens of thousands for four glasses. He hadn't realized this other person was so wealthy.

Following their gaze, Xie Qingfeng indeed saw Jing Xi sitting calmly, not questioning the arrival of the four drinks, assuming they were for the group of four at his table.

He just wondered why they were served to him first.

But as soon as he met Xie Qingfeng's gaze, Jing Xi guiltily looked away, gesturing for the waiter to leave them.

Once the waiter left, Jing Xi glanced again and noticed Xie Qingfeng was still looking at him. His eyes, visible above the mask, seemed oddly strange. Worried the National Teacher might think he was mimicking them, he nervously touched his nose, pulled down his mask, and, to divert attention, picked up a glass and downed it in one go.

He savored the taste, finding it surprisingly good.

Then one glass followed another until all four were gone.

Liu Wen and his friends: "Damn, such a tough guy, downing four glasses of strong liquor in one go?"

Xie Qingfeng: "..."