Chapter 41: A Smile Hard to Come By

Chapter 41: A Smile Hard to Come By

"Violet Mask," Shen Xian scanned the drink menu without much thought, and this name caught her eye.

"Why?" Shu Yan inquired eagerly.

"It gives me a sense of security," Zhou Mu replied promptly.

One question followed by a swift answer. In this exchange, Shu Yan's charming dimples faded as she exchanged a glance with Zhou Mu, who sat quietly beside her.

"What's going on?" Shen Xian noticed their subtle communication.

Zhou Mu caught the look between them with her sharp senses.

"Well, well, Violet Mask sounds nice. Purple represents romance, suggesting that Senior, you have a tender heart," Shu Yan quickly averted her gaze, her big eyes blinking innocently.

Jen Xian's gaze sharpened, and she lifted an eyebrow, asking Shu Yan seriously, "Are you studying psychology?"

"Aah?"

The question caught Shu Yan off guard.

"It doesn't matter what you study; the ability to converse is crucial, right, Shu Yan? Why do you always assign significance to insignificant things? Names are just casually given, aren't they?"

Zhou Mu skillfully changed the subject, coinciding with the arrival of their ordered drinks by the waiter. He promptly handed Shen Xian her Rainbow Seven first.

"Haha, don't mind me, Senior, I'm not really good at small talk."

Shu Yan smiled, her dimples adding a playful charm that made her endearing to all.

Seeing such a girl smile and talk to him like this, Shen Xian couldn't help but feel delighted. He shook his head, indicating that there was no need to take it to heart.

"It's been so long since I've been to a bar. I feel like my horizons have narrowed," Zhou Mu remarked, surveying the surroundings with a sigh. "Everything looks appealing."

"Well, do I look appealing to you?"

Supporting her chin with one hand, Shu Yan turned to Zhou Mu, who was absorbed in the music.

With a mouthful of alcohol still unswallowed, Zhou Mu suddenly broke into a fit of coughing. His face and ears flushed red instantly, leaving it unclear if it was due to Shu Yan's words or the coughing itself.

It was the first time Shen Xian had seen Zhou Mu so flustered, and she couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Shu Yan secretly stole glances at Shen Xian, attentively observing every subtle expression on her face.

"You young lady, how dare you ask anything and everything?"

Zhou Mu was caught off guard by Shu Yan's words and coughed for quite a while before recovering.

"What's wrong? I'm not just asking you. Isn't it obvious that I look good, Senior Sister?" Shu Yan ignored Zhou Mu, her gaze still fixed on Shen Xian as she casually picked up her glass for a sip.

"Beautiful," Shen Xian replied.

"There you go. It's not that hard to compliment someone, is it? You got all worked up like this, Uncle Zhou. Have you never praised anyone before?"

Shu Yan lifted her chin in defiance, looking at Zhou Mu with an incredibly haughty tone.

"I don't praise people easily. When I do..."

"...they're not exactly human."

"…Not human."

Two voices rang out simultaneously – Shen Xian continued Zhou Mu's sentence, and they finished it together.

This sudden synchronization led to another spontaneous high-five between them, followed by boisterous laughter.

Shu Yan stomped her foot, pouting adorably with a wrinkled nose, "You're saying I'm not human!"

Her words were said in a coquettish manner, and her expression matched the tone, causing the two laughing men to burst into even more laughter.

Shen Xian leaned on the round table with one hand while resting his forehead with the other, laughing heartily, genuinely happy.

It was a genuine, uninhibited laugh.

Zhou Mu's smiling, crescent-shaped eyes gazed deeply at Shen Xian. How long had it been since he last saw this side of Shen Xian?

Not during the past three years of separation, not in the few months since their reunion, nor even at their parting three years ago...

It had been a long time, far too long...

Back then, she was the one who would collapse in laughter after completing tough training, the one who would frolic with her teammates on the lawn and do a backflip in joy upon winning spoils of war.

She could run freely, laugh heartily, be uninhibited, bold, or serene...

Yet, as these memories overlapped with the present, they seemed worlds apart, distant and unfamiliar.

Shu Yan still had her nose wrinkled and lips pouted, angrily glancing left and right as if she was genuinely upset.

Amidst her laughter, Shen Xian put down her hands. The contrast between Shu Yan's current expression and her cool, edgy attire was too stark.

"No, not... human..." Shen Xian attempted to explain, but her words were interrupted by giggles, which still conveyed the same meaning as before.

"Haha, you're still saying it! You guys, you're bullying me!" Shu Yan protested, her lower teeth biting onto her upper lip as her chin trembled violently. Her big eyes pleaded with Shen Xian.

Shen Xian struggled to suppress her laughter, but Shu Yan's antics pierced through her efforts. "Hahaha..."

Finally, with great effort, Shen Xian managed to regain control. She lightly tapped the table as if to push the laughter back, wiping away tears as she spoke to Shu Yan, "You're not human, you're a fairy, a fairy."

Over on Zhou Mu's side, his laughter had ceased. With a bright smile, he shifted his gaze from Shen Xian back to Shu Yan, echoing, "Yes, a fairy. I was just about to praise you like that."

"Ha ha ha!"

This laughter belonged to Shuyan, who, mimicking Shen Xian's gesture, slapped the table with gusto. "I told you, with my innate beauty and charm, why can't I be praised?"

"Praise away, praise away," Shen Xian replied, barely suppressing her smile as she echoed Shuyan's words with an upward curve of her lips.

"Senior, I'm so thrilled to have met you! A thousand cups are never enough when you find a kindred spirit. Let's cheers!"

Shuyan raised her glass high, her gaze resolute as she looked at Shen Xian, as if preparing for a heroic departure.

"Toasts!" Shen Xian's smile lit up her eyes, and she promptly lifted her rainbow-colored cup, ready for the clink. Just as the two glasses were about to meet, a third one suddenly appeared in between.

Zhou Mu hastily raised his own glass, "How could I be left out? Cheers!"

Noticing the additional cup, Shen Xian and Shuyan exchanged glances before all three of them chorused, "Cheers!"

The tempo on stage shifted from a soothing melody to an energetic tune, with the singer, drummer, and musicians harmonizing together, inspiring the young crowd in the bar to join in the chorus:

"Who plants the flag on the tallest building after the heavy rain, still holding onto the old days, though the heart is rotten, crumbling and retreating, destruction is salvation..."

This was one of Shen Xian's favorite songs, its rhythm lively and powerful. She sang along loudly, her emotions pouring out.

Today, it was as if she had unlocked a tightly sealed valve within herself, allowing some hidden emotion to surface quietly.

Shu Yan joined in, mimicking Shen Xian's gestures, swaying and tapping vigorously to the beat. Alternating between watching the stage and Shen Xian, she nudged Zhou Mu with her elbow while continuing to sing, encouraging him to participate even if he didn't know the lyrics; moving to the rhythm would suffice.

Amidst the surrounding chorus, their voices nearly drowned out those on stage.

Understanding Shu Yan's cue, Zhou Mu nodded and tapped along, gradually becoming part of the collective harmony...

However, his gaze remained mostly fixed on Shen Xian, who was lost in the music.