Chapter 298: Billiards

Chapter 298: Billiards

Ye Wang sat behind the bar, watching from a distance as the waiter intercepted the new money guy: "Sir, he doesn’t work here. Maybe try someone else—"

Before he could finish, the man shoved him aside and bellowed, "He’s wearing your uniform—you take me for an idiot? Hey, you! Come here, I said come here!"

"Sir, he really isn’t—"

"Beat it! You think I’m broke?"

The waiter staggered back, hesitating.

At that moment, the nouveau riche slid a dark blue cocktail across the table and crooked a finger at Jiang Qi. "You. Come here. Have a drink—my treat."

Jiang Qi laid down his cue stick and replied coolly, "Sorry. I don’t drink."

"Hah? You don’t drink?" The man laughed exaggeratedly. "You’re in a nightclub and you don’t drink? Who’re you kidding?"

His gaze swept over Jiang Qi. "Oh, I get it. You’re not like the others, huh? Playing the ice prince act, huh? I know the game. I like that style too."

He reached across the pool table to grab Jiang Qi, who slapped his hand away with a sharp crack, leaving the man’s knuckles red. Enraged, the nouveau riche hurled his glass to the floor, shattering it. "Spicy, are we? Fine. You two—"

Before he could finish, two enforcers stepped forward, ready to act.

But Jiang Qi wasn’t looking at them. His peripheral vision flicked toward the back, where two Security Officers exchanged glances and began approaching.

His fingers flexed, palming a sleeve dagger.

Unlike the nouveau riche, the officers packed smart-lock pistols. Forcing an escape risked severe injury—but blowing his cover wasn’t an option. His body tensed, coiled like a sprung trap.

Then, someone stopped him.

A hand settled lightly on his shoulder from behind. Jiang Qi instinctively tightened his grip on the blade before forcing himself to relax.

The person behind him pulled him into a half-embrace. "This one’s mine—I called dibs. He’ll be having a drink with me."

"..."

It was Ye Wang’s voice. His husband.

Jiang Qi froze, fingers brushing his mask to confirm it was still securely in place before exhaling silently.

—Knowing the Pei clan’s rep for wild tastes, Pei Gu’s presence here wasn’t unusual.

The only thing left to hope was that he hadn’t made Jiang Qi.

The drunken man slurred, "Who the hell are you?"

Ye Wang flipped open Pei Gu’s military ID. "Major General Pei Gu, 3rd Army."

"..."

The Peis were imperial heavyweights, and a major general’s stripes spoke loud enough. The nouveau riche faltered, backpedaling fast. "Then... I won’t disturb you further."

Without waiting for Ye Wang to respond, he slinked off to a corner.

Ye Wang lowered his gaze to the man in his arms.

From the moment he appeared, Jiang Qi had melted back into his pliant self. His head was slightly bowed, revealing the soft fuzz along his neckline, the graceful dip vanishing under his collar. On the fair skin behind his ear, a tiny black mole peeked out.

Ye Wang inexplicably felt the urge to touch that small mole, but the impulse flickered briefly before being suppressed. The commander said nonchalantly, "You're an attendant here, and I happen to be in the mood. Join me for a game of pool."

Jiang Qi: "...Alright."

He took the chalk and rubbed the cue tip, blowing away the dust. "Your break or mine?"

Ye Wang: "You first."

He stood by the table, watching Jiang Qi take his shot.

Off-duty, the commander also played pool. He enjoyed calculating angles, force, and how the balls would collide in his mind, as if simulating a mathematical model. Jiang Qi's shots, however, was pure instinct—he naturally knew how to strike and in which direction, a muscle memory ingrained through thousands of shots.

Ye Wang thought, *This guy would be tough to beat.*

—On the ever-changing battlefield, top soldiers didn't overthink; instinct would guide their aim.

The lighting in The Nightfall Pool Hall was a dim, muted amber. After a few straightforward shots, the remaining balls were at tricky angles. Jiang Qi bent forward, his waist flexing softly, calves slightly raised as he pressed his body flat against the table. Then, intentionally scratched, he handed the cue back to Ye Wang.

Ye Wang leaned down as well, his shirt stretching taut over his back, accentuating his muscular frame.

Left hand steadying the cue, eyes locked on the target—one shot, sinking it cleanly.

Jiang Qi clapped lightly, playing the part of an attentive server. "You have excellent skills, sir."

Ye Wang glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "How excellent?"

"...World-class."

Ye Wang shifted his stance, eyes fixed on the cue ball, and chuckled. "How exceptionally good?"

"..."

Ye Wang: "Compared to you?"

"..."

Jiang Qi forced out, "Yours, of course."

Ye Wang laughed again. "Alright, thank you for that."

"..."

In the awkward silence, a commotion erupted at the stairwell. The basement bust had concluded, and officers were escorting scruffy gamblers and brawlers upstairs. Among them were the short man and the burly fighter who had clashed with Jiang Qi earlier. Hands on their heads, they crouched in a line against the wall. Jiang Qi turned slightly, edging into Ye Wang’s shadow.

If he were recognized as a participant in the fight, it'd mean trouble.

The tall fighter caught sight of Jiang Qi from the corner of his eye, perking up as he suddenly raised a hand. "Officer, I want to report—that masked one—"

Ye Wang, facing away, was setting up his shot for the last colored ball on the table and didn’t notice the disturbance behind him. His arm was abruptly pulled—cold fingers wrapped around his wrist, and then Jiang Qi pressed entirely against him.

The warmth of the other’s skin, the calloused fingertips brushing his wrist, sent a strange shiver through him, both numbing and ticklish.

Ye Wang’s hand jerked. The cue ball spiraled past the target ball and plunked into the pocket.

The commander looked downright spooked.

Jiang Qi clung to his arm, his eyes sharp as they swept behind them, but his words were smoothly suggesting. "Sir, we’ve been playing for a while now. How about inviting me to a VIP room for a drink?"

"..."

"Alright," Ye Wang's hand twitched. "Come over here."

The billiards hall had certain arrangements, and whether it was guests getting handsy or staff looking to climb the social ladder, they needed a suitable setting. The back area had a row of independent VIP rooms with excellent soundproofing.

Ye Wang flicked on the light and settled into an armchair, casually flipping through the drink menu. "You refused that new money guy’s drink earlier, yet you’re willing to have one with me now?"

"..."

Jiang Qi lowered his eyes, speaking slowly. "You’re in a class of your own."

Ye Wang tsk'd in disbelief, thinking to himself, *Yeah, real different. The only difference is you probably want to kill me more than that upstart.*

What he actually said was, "Fine. Since the pretty one's asking, I’d be rude to decline."

The commander randomly pointed at an item and handed the menu to the waiter. "Two of these."

Before long, two pale green drinks garnished with lemon slices were brought over. Ye Wang pushed one toward Jiang Qi and picked up the other. "Try it. *Bitter Summer*—their signature drink. Vodka at 120-proof as the base, mixed with perfume lemon, mint, pepper, and basil. Spicy and intense, like the relentless, buzzing heat of summer."

After saying this, he took a sip and quietly watched Jiang Qi.

Ye Wang knew Jiang Qi had stomach issues.

What would happen to someone who got stomachaches from eating chili if they threw back a glass of strong liquor like vodka?

"..."

At this point, it seemed he had no choice but to drink.

The scent of alcohol lingered in the small booth. Jiang Qi said calmly, "Thank you for the invitation."

He raised his glass and downed half of it in one go.

Then doubled over coughing.

Ye Wang froze mid-sip, visibly stunned.

His expression was priceless, almost completely lost. "Wait, you choked on *this*? I asked them to leave out the vodka!"

*Bitter Summer* was one of the rare cocktails at the bar that came in two versions—one with vodka and another where the vodka was replaced with soda water and grapefruit juice, making it a virgin version.

The glass in Jiang Qi’s hand was the specially prepared non-alcoholic version.

Jiang Qi waved a hand, half-leaning against the table as he turned away, hacking up a lung as if trying to expel tears. After a moment’s hesitation, Ye Wang reached out and patted his back.

He gave reassuring pats along Jiang Qi’s spine, feeling the tense muscles and faint tremors beneath his palm, completely thrown. "...What’s going on? Need water? What even choked you? There’s no alcohol in that glass. Right? There isn’t any, is there?"

Ye Wang picked up Jiang Qi’s glass and took a sip, tasting not a hint of alcohol.

Jiang Qi probably found this embarrassing too. Between coughs, he managed to explain, "...S-sorry, sir... I... *cough*... I don't really do fizzy drinks... The lemon... too sour... caught me off guard..."

*Bitter Summer*, true to its name, was bitter and intense. Even the alcohol-free version had a distinctive taste, and gulping it down could easily cause a coughing fit.

Ye Wang: "..."

The commander was genuinely dumbfounded. He had no idea the Empire’s golden boy could be such a lightweight. Not being able to handle chili was one thing, but choking on lemon juice? Jiang Qi’s image was the polar opposite of the cold-blooded killer he’d imagined. The cold, distant figure at the forefront of his mind was fading, replaced instead by the memory of Jiang Qi’s supple waist and the faint mole behind his ear.

Ye Wang picked up the water pitcher. "Jesus... You're really something else."

He poured a cup of water and slid it toward Jiang Qi. "Here."

After drinking some water, Jiang Qi finally recovered, lowering his gaze to grip the cup. "Thank you, but... what about this drink?"

Ye Wang: "Forget it. Drinking too much alcohol late at night isn’t good. Just have some soda."

Jiang Qi paused. "Thank you."

Ye Wang: "No problem."

He pushed aside the partition curtain in the booth and glanced through the glass window at the pool hall. "Alright, they’re almost finishing up. I’ll take my leave—you do whatever you want."

With that, Ye Wang pulled open the booth door and strode out, calling to the Security Officer, "Have you finished counting the gambling participants? Let’s go."

The Security Officer glanced into the booth and lowered his voice. "Everything else is settled, but what about the one you brought in?"

Ye Wang walked ahead without turning, speaking in a tone Jiang Qi couldn’t hear. "Leave him be. He’s with me."

The Security Officer chuckled nervously. "Ah, ah, understood."

With that, the team regrouped, escorting the gamblers, the owner, and the players out of the pool hall in a long line.

Ye Wang lingered at the back, pulling his trench coat tight before pulling his cousin Pei Qi up from his seat. "Let’s go. The raid's over—why are you still here?"

Pei Qi followed reluctantly.

Behind them, Jiang Qi stood silently, watching the doorway as the Third Army’s major general walked through the doorway and vanished into the dark night.

Jiang Qi lowered his gaze and took a sip of the remaining drink in his cup.

It was bitter and intense; the sour bite faded, only to be replaced by the grapefruit's bright sweetness.

A really weird taste.