Chapter 51: Bar Romance

Chapter 51: Bar Temptation

"That's the third proposal today!"

Unable to free his hand, Yun Fan used his other hand to forcefully slap Liu Erxing's. A few drops of liquor splattered as they struggled, and with all his might, Yun Fan quickly reddened Liu Erxing's hand.

The commotion was loud, drawing the attention of friends who had previously hesitated to disturb them. Liu Erxing had no choice but to release his grip, biting his lip. He stretched out his legs, looking somewhat dejected as he gazed at Yun Fan.

Even without Yun Fan speaking, Liu Erxing already knew the answer, but Yun Fan spoke anyway.

"Young Master Liu, please don't joke like that. I still have to work for the Wen family," Yun Fan said, rubbing his wrist and eyeing the red mark, his tone tinged with coldness.

Liu Erxing lazily replied, "I'm not joking."

Yun Fan frowned, his usually pleasant eyes now filled with confusion. After a few seconds, his gaze turned completely cold. He didn't even bother to ask what Liu Erxing was thinking; he simply wanted him to retract those words.

This left Liu Erxing feeling quite defeated, yet for some reason, the indifference in those almond eyes left him with no confidence to say more. Yun Fan was calm, yet he possessed a power that could control him.

But he didn't want to give up either. In the end, he couldn't bear to trouble Yun Fan further. He let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Forget it, just pretend this never happened."

"Okay," Yun Fan replied without a moment's hesitation.

Liu Erxing stared at Yun Fan, who showed no lingering emotion, and was stunned for a full five seconds. People always said Liu Erxing left others speechless, but Yun Fan was even more so. Now, Liu Erxing had no idea what his next move should be.

A burst of noisy exclamations erupted from the dance floor. Yun Fan glanced over, then slid off the bar stool and smoothed his clothes. "I'm going to try that."

Liu Erxing didn't react immediately, unsure what activity in the bar could possibly pique Yun Fan's interest. His eyes followed Yun Fan's retreating figure as he raised a hand and vigorously rubbed the back of his head.

A friend approached with a drink and teased, "Breakup?"

"Heh, we never held hands, so how could we break up?" Liu Erxing looked at his own palm, empty.

The host on stage was gathering everyone for a PK battle, and the content of the competition was, surprisingly, knowledge—literally, knowledge.

Yun Fan walked over and stood not far from the microphone, waiting for the host to announce the questions.

"Alright, listen carefully!" the host shouted to the drumbeat. "Odd changes to even, unchanged!"

"Sign depends on the quadrant!" the crowd shouted back in unison.

"Whoa, not bad! Keep going!" the host exclaimed excitedly.

"Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron!"

"Whoa!" Liu Erxing laughed and stood up. He knew this one too—it was his phone ringtone. So he moved closer to Yun Fan and joined in shouting the answers.

Next, the host led everyone in reciting classical poetry. As they went further, fewer and fewer people could keep up, but Yun Fan was still there, excitedly waving his hand and following every line.

The host paused as he looked in Yun Fan’s direction. He spotted Liu Erxing—this guy was paying the bill tonight, so he didn’t dare stop. He simply pulled out his question book, pointed a finger to the sky, and continued shouting.

But he was exhausted. After shouting all night, his throat was raw. No, he had to end this battle sooner.

"Alright, we just recited the periodic table horizontally. Now let’s try it vertically!"

"Ah—" The crowd groaned in unison.

Yun Fan eagerly raised his hand. "I can do it! I can do it!"

Liu Erxing turned to him in surprise, finding it hard to believe. "You still remember that?"

"Absolutely!" Yun Fan jumped up and down, rubbing his hands excitedly.

"Hahaha, alright." Liu Erxing pushed Yun Fan forward.

So this was Yun Fan’s comfort zone. Liu Erxing shook his head, his gaze full of adoration as he looked at Yun Fan.

Naturally, the crowd’s focus shifted to them. Many who recognized Liu Erxing lit up, instantly realizing that Liu Erxing liked Yun Fan.

But Yun Fan didn’t notice. Right now, he only had a thirst for victory.

The host didn’t recognize the characters on the periodic table. On his draft paper, it was Chinese translated into Chinese: "Qing li na jia ru she fang!"

"Beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, radium!" Yun Fan shouted, his clear, bright voice echoing through the bar via the microphone.

Liu Erxing was beside himself with laughter. He never would have thought that the bar king tonight would be Yun Fan, who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol. He was certain that even Wen Zhaofu had never seen Yun Fan like this.

Sweaty, the hair on Yun Fan’s forehead clung limply to his skin. From excitement, his cheeks were flushed. He looked exceptionally attractive, yet no one dared to pull him into an embrace.

Because at that moment, if anyone tried to hug Yun Fan, he’d likely slap them across the face. Everyone with such thoughts shuddered, hoping only that Yun Fan would win.

The host shouted a line, and Yun Fan bounced as he followed. As more and more unfamiliar characters appeared, the host was barely holding on.

After finishing the last column, the host’s draft paper turned to the final page. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but Yun Fan was still staring intently, waiting for the next question.

"Bro! You win!" The host clasped his hands and bowed.

The entire venue erupted into cheers. Someone rushed over, wanting to lift Yun Fan up and toss him, but Liu Erxing pushed them away, stretching an arm to protect Yun Fan’s back. He smiled thinly at those people.

They all harbored similar intentions, and Liu Erxing could see right through them, guessing what they were thinking about Yun Fan.

"What are you doing? Back off," Liu Erxing waved a hand. "I’m buying, so go drink more."

*

Yun Fan collected his prize, bouncing as he turned around and ran right into Liu Erxing’s gaze. If Liu Erxing hadn’t provoked him earlier, he might not have achieved such great results.

But one thing was separate from another. He’d won, and he wanted to share his joy. He lifted the five kilograms of rice in his hands and patted the packaging bag at Liu Erxing. "See, knowledge creates wealth."

"Impressive, impressive," Liu Erxing said sincerely while carefully observing Yun Fan’s expression.

Yun Fan, confident and vibrant, was truly captivating.

Liu Erxing recalled how Yun Fan had played the piano at Shengken Academy—focused and serious, elegant in every movement, like a true piano prince.

And today, Yun Fan had become the king of the bar. His flying hair as he jumped, his waving arms in excitement—so vivid and full of life—made Liu Erxing’s heart race because of him multiple times.

Suddenly, Liu Erxing took a step forward and crouched down abruptly in front of Yun Fan. The next second, Yun Fan’s feet left the ground. Liu Erxing had lifted him by the legs, hoisting him high up.

"Oh my god, Liu Erxing!" Yun Fan exclaimed, swaying unsteadily and wrapping his arms around his bag of rice. "Put me down!"

Everyone who saw this cheered in unison. Who could forget Yun Fan tonight? Who could forget that exhilarating showdown?

The applause filled Yun Fan’s ears, and he gradually relaxed, tilting his head back and laughing heartily. Everyone looked up at Yun Fan—his perfect facial contours, his radiant energy—all of it inspiring longing.

So when Liu Erxing set Yun Fan down, more people surged forward. Liu Erxing regretted it instantly. What should he do now? He couldn’t exactly hide Yun Fan away.

With Liu Erxing there, no one dared to snatch Yun Fan directly. But for a taste of that beauty, someone was bound to take a risk.

A glass of alcohol was thrown straight at Yun Fan’s face. Liu Erxing swiftly moved, rushing in front of Yun Fan and taking the splash on his back.

"Whoa..." Liu Erxing narrowed his eyes and turned to face the culprit.

The man chuckled awkwardly. Liu Erxing tilted his head, raised his hand, grabbed the collar of his T-shirt, and yanked it off.

"Whoa!" Yun Fan, being the closest, was the first to exclaim.

Damn, Liu Erxing was showing off his physique in public!

Normally, Liu Erxing looked quite slender, but now that he had taken off his shirt, one could see his well-developed back muscles. Yun Fan quickly averted his gaze, silently repeating to himself, "Look away from inappropriate sights."

The people on the dance floor could no longer focus on anything else—some screamed, some whistled, and even more pulled out their phones to take pictures.

Liu Erxing had successfully made himself the center of attention, so no one would get any ideas about Yun Fan in his presence.

"Let's go, I gotta wash up," Liu Erxing's voice sounded again near Yun Fan's ear. "I really need to clean up; I'm all sweaty."

Only then did Yun Fan look up at him. They were so close that even the tiny beads of sweat on Liu Erxing's collarbone were clearly visible. For a moment, Yun Fan felt that this guy wasn’t just showing off—he might actually be trying to seduce him.

Because Liu Erxing's body was getting closer and closer to Yun Fan! He wrapped his arms around, and Yun Fan, frightened, ducked and slipped under Liu Erxing’s elbow.

"Hey! You’re something else, man." Liu Erxing shook his head with a laugh, swinging his shirt as he chased after him.

The night grew deeper, but after all the commotion, Yun Fan was no longer sleepy. Liu Erxing, having drunk alcohol, was even more amped up, his breath felt hot.

They left the bar, and Yun Fan took a deep breath. He pulled out his phone, glanced at it, and said, "Crap."

"Mr. Wen Zhaofu called me several times, and I missed them all." Yun Fan looked at Liu Erxing, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Liu Erxing stopped in his tracks, thinking that Wen Zhaofu must have already gotten wind of what happened that morning. There are no secrets in this world—if he could keep tabs on Wen Yanlan’s affairs in Jing City, then Wen Zhaofu could certainly track Yun Fan’s whereabouts.

"You’re a grown man, and you’re with me. What could possibly happen? He’s just overreacting," Liu Erxing said coldly.

Yun Fan pouted, displeased. "Don’t talk about him like that."

As he walked, he sent a message to Wen Zhaofu. Unexpectedly, Wen Zhaofu called back immediately.

"Mr. Zhao Fu!" Yun Fan’s tone sounded cheerier as he came to a stop.

Liu Erxing leaned against a light pole, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and lit one. He preferred slim cigarettes, but his hands were large, making the cigarette look like a toothpick between his fingers.

"Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry," Yun Fan said softly. "Yes, okay, I’ll let you know every day from now on."

"Tsk..." Liu Erxing glanced at the glowing tip of his cigarette, a sour feeling churning in his stomach.

To be fair, Liu Erxing had to admit that the eldest son of the Wen family knew how to play it smooth. From Yun Fan’s tone, it was clear that even though Wen Zhaofu was anxious, he hadn’t scolded anyone. He expressed concern without being annoying.

He's so smooth with words. Liu Erxing rubbed the tip of his nose—he needed to learn a thing or two. Being someone who doesn’t spoil the mood was important.

"Let’s go, Yun Fan. If you’re not done having fun, we can keep going," Liu Erxing said with a big grin.

Yun Fan glanced at him, then put away his phone, glanced at him again, and started walking.

"You’re drunk," Yun Fan shook his head helplessly, adding another diagnosis, "And you're nuts."

*

They arrived in Jin City overnight and had just lain down in the hotel when the alarm went off. Yun Fan got dressed and stepped out to find Liu Erxing in the hallway rubbing the back of his neck, holding a box of eggs.

Seeing Yun Fan come out, Liu Erxing waved and pointed toward one end of the corridor. "Look, we made it in time for sunrise."

"Haven’t seen a sunrise in a long time, have you?" Liu Erxing turned to look at Yun Fan.

Yun Fan smiled but didn’t answer. He gazed at the distant mountains, watching as the sun began to reveal a gentle, curved edge from behind the peaks.

Seeing Yun Fan’s relaxed smile, Liu Erxing’s mood lifted as well. He let out a long sigh, cupped his hands over his mouth, and let out a quiet "woo" into the air.

"Hey! Keep it down—people are still sleeping!" Yun Fan glanced back nervously.

"It’s fine," Liu Erxing reached out and hooked an arm around Yun Fan’s neck.

Yun Fan took a step aside, pulled out his phone, took a photo, and sent it to Wen Zhaofu. He had just been reminded of the red sun he once watched over the sea with Wen Zhaofu.

Unexpectedly, Wen Zhaofu was already awake and replied immediately: *What a beautiful sunrise. Thank you, Xiao Yun/Yunduo.*

Yun Fan’s smile was sweet, and it wasn’t lost on Liu Erxing. He didn’t need to guess to know that the person Yun Fan was talking to was Wen Zhaofu.

"Let’s go, let’s go," Liu Erxing tugged at Yun Fan’s sleeve, getting antsy.

Downstairs, two e-scooters were parked at the hotel entrance, clashing with the luxurious building.

Liu Erxing tossed Yun Fan a key. "You know how to ride, right?"

Yun Fan took it, swiftly unlocked the scooter, put on his helmet, swung a leg over, and nodded at Liu Erxing. "Let’s go!"

The morning air was still chilly on their arms. Yun Fan was happy—it had been too long since he’d ridden through empty streets just to buy a jianbing.

Yun Fan looked at Liu Erxing riding slightly ahead and sighed. Initially, he felt he had the most to talk about with Liu Erxing, but after last night, he couldn’t stay calm anymore.

Because he knew clearly that Liu Erxing wanted more than just friendship.

This is messy...

But for now, there was an even trickier situation. Yun Fan shouted, and Liu Erxing wobbled to a stop.

Yun Fan picked up a brick from a flowerbed, weighing it in his hand. Liu Erxing was startled, his legs going weak, almost tipping over with his bike.

What, had Yun Fan remembered what happened last night and decided he was coming for him?

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Author's note: Taking a break tomorrow, see you the day after! [Fighting!]