Chapter 7

Su Zhan retrieved the wine cup, filled it to the brim again, and with a tilt of her head, downed half of it in one go. Xu Jiayan scoffed derisively, "Are you here to drown your sorrows with me?"

It is not that, I just hope the boss quickly finds a girlfriend, that way, Teacher Xu won't keep pressuring the boss to go on blind dates all the time said Daming

Daming thought for a moment and said: "Actually, it's nothing much, Su Xiaomei said she is also your fan!"

The young boy dares to speak freely about everything, mentioning which girls in the esports circle are beautiful, which ones are unrecognizable without makeup, and which female streamers have a crush on his boss and have pursued him.

His voice was scattered: "Come a little closer."

Su Zhan knew that the young man was named Da Ming, who was two years older than her, at 23 years old, and had just graduated from university this year. His family was pressuring him to find a job, but he was wholeheartedly devoted to e-sports, often coming over to Xu Jiayan's place. Da Ming was a very cheerful young man, and every time he saw Su Zhan, he would take the initiative to greet her, affectionately calling her "Su Xiaomei." As time went on, the two became familiar with each other. Whenever he had free time, Da Ming loved to come over to her place to chat, even more often than she met Xu Jiayan.

Su Zhan took a step forward

Xu Jiayan shook his head with a smile and said, "Alright, you drink it yourself"

Speaking of which, that witch next door really wants to pursue you, doesn't she? Meng Chen's words circled back again.

Xu Jiayan brushed off the ash from his cigarette and said, "I can't take care of it now; let them keep training, I'll take them in the next match."

Su Zhan turned her head to look and found a boy with a buzz cut smiling at her and saying, "Hello, I've seen you before, you live next to my boss, right?"

A hand slipped into the pocket of her down jacket, and she instinctively turned her head away

As soon as Su Zhan tilted his head, the two of them collided head-on, completely exposed

The young man said with a hint of distress: "No! The boss said not to look for anyone within the circle."

He took the cigarette down, pinched it in his hand, leaned his back against the railing, supported himself with one hand on the horizontal bar, shifted his weight to that side, standing at an angle in a lazy manner, while his other hand's index finger slightly beckoned her.

"Blind date? Can your boss even be interested?" Su Zhan raised an eyebrow

On that day, Su Zhan was shopping at a convenience store downstairs and spent a long time looking for change, only to realize that she had forgotten to bring any. Just as she was about to ask the attendant if she could use Alipay, a hand reached out beside her, saying, "Let's do it together"

In the next moment, Su Zhan was thrown out along with the bottle of wine.

Daming liked to call her a fairy. He appreciated Su Zhan as one would purely admire something beautiful, feeling that this person was wonderful, exceptionally wonderful, so wonderful that the entire world seemed to lose its luster. However, to say that he had any improper thoughts would be quite untrue; even he could see the gaze Su Zhan directed at the eldest, which was filled with envy.

Su Zhan stared at him with her round eyes, which sparkled brighter than the moon on the horizon. "I have deep-sea bombs, I'll go get them for you," she said, turning around and preparing to leave.

The two of them were squatting at the doorstep chatting. Su Zhan felt a slight itch in her chest and suddenly had the urge to smoke. This had become her habit; whenever she felt anxious, she wanted to smoke. So she asked Da Ming, "Do you have any cigarettes?"

She just said her name is Su Zhan

Xu Jiayan, bored, exhaled smoke while playing around. Upon hearing this, he straightened up, pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray, and said, "Can't you keep your mouth shut?"

At this moment, Xu Jiayan looked at Su Zhan differently

The person lazily leaned against something, with one foot bent and resting on the small stone steps, holding a cigarette in hand, lowering their head and playing with it back and forth.

She blinked and said to Xu Jiayan, "What kind of wine would you like to drink? I will get it for you"

As Su Zhan just reached out his hand, the elevator door chimed "ding-dong" and opened, and both of them turned to look.

At the moment these words were spoken, Meng Chen, who had not been seen for many days, entered through the door and happened to catch the tail end of the conversation, eagerly asking: "Whose fan is it? Who is a fan of whom?"

... ...

He chuckled, leaning back again, clearly understanding.

Su Zhan was fanning herself, "I am drinking wine, it is hot."

How unreasonable, turning hostile at a moment's notice

I don't know, anyway, this time I'm going back. " Da Ming said, "Hey—Su Xiao Mei, do you play games?"

A long black down jacket is spread out on the bed, with a white label marked on the chest

Slow and shallow, with heat radiating all around

"I can't get drunk," she murmured

Not a stranger, are we? We are neighbors, aren't we

She pinched Daming's waist

He picked up the clothes and went to knock on the door next door

After closing the door, Xu Jiayan finally realized that the team uniform was still on her. She opened the door again, only to find nothing outside.

In the evening, Su Zhan stood in front of the bed

Meng Chen sat down beside him and said, "Absolutely. Hey, this competition is so important, should we bring Ah Ken and the others along to observe?"

Meng Chen curled his lips

Daming said: "Su Xiaomei, she said she is a fan of the eldest."

He also looked at her, those pair of pitch-black eyes, deeper and heavier than this night

Su Zhan has a slender figure, dressed in his clothes, which are tightly fitted. She wears a pair of nude high heels, accentuating the fairness and tenderness of her instep. The combination of a man's oversized coat and a woman's delicate high heels creates a unique charm.

Red wine has a strong aftertaste, and this is well known to everyone. If an ordinary person were to drink in the way that Su Zhan does, they would surely be drunk after just a few glasses. However, Su Zhan has been drinking this way since childhood; she deliberately avoids the refined manner of drinking that Su Mingchao prefers, and she simply loves to down it in one go.

In certain matters, women are indeed inferior to men; for instance, in the darkness, men are always more powerful than women

Xu Jiayan opened the door quite quickly this time, as if he had just finished drying his hair, which was soft and smooth, lying flat against his head. Leaning casually against the door, he asked her with a look of contentment: "The power is out again? Marigold?"

Seeing her dressed, Xu Jiayan finally contentedly placed the cigarette in his mouth, and after searching all over his body, he remembered that the lighter was also in the pocket of his down jacket

I see, your name is Xu Jiayan, and my name is Su Zhan, with "Su" from Su Shi and "Zhan" from the marigold flower.

At the thought of this, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth upward

She silently put on the down jacket, glanced down, and if she wasn't mistaken, it was the uniform he wore last time at the airport, entirely black and knee-length, with a white label on the left chest, - pot

The two individuals stood close together, and the surroundings were very quiet, except for the moonlight and the fragmented sound of the wind. There was almost no sound around, only the faint breaths of the two people could be heard

Daming looked at her in surprise, then took out a pack from his pocket and said: "Go ahead, I also want to see how a fairy smokes"

After he took out the item, he lazily leaned back again, resting his arm against the horizontal bar. In his hand, he held a square metal lighter, which he fiddled with while casually saying, "Didn’t you say you would treat me to a drink?"

"Indeed, all the women in the world are fans of my boss."

Xu Jiayan walked a few steps to her side, turned to face her, leaned his back against the railing, folded his arms, rested his forearms on the crossbar, leaned back slightly, and lazily placed one foot on the small stone step of the railing. He squinted at her for a while, and after a moment, he smiled and asked, "Aren't you cold?"

In fact, later on, Su Zhan's numerous drunken episodes were all uncovered by him one by one, but that is a story for another time

In the chat, Su Xiaomei had just started to say something when she was abruptly silenced by Su Zhan, who smiled at Xu Jiayan and said, "It's nothing, just discussing hobbies."

The clothing has a faint scent of tobacco, which is not unpleasant, mingled with freshness

Daming excitedly waved at him, "Boss, you are back?!"

Simple black regular script

She smiled lightly and casually

Su Zhan reluctantly withdrew her hand, stood up, and waved at him, "I am back."

She washed this piece of clothing and hung it out to dry, sprayed a bit of her usual perfume on it, washed and dried it again, going back and forth several times, and finally, one could faintly detect a hint of her scent, subtle and not easily noticeable unless one pays close attention

He slightly curved the corners of his mouth, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tapped one gently on the pack, turned his gaze to the other side, and said softly: "Put it on, don't make me say it a third time"

Xu Jiayan walked out, dressed in the same style as before, wearing a hoodie and casual pants. He appeared more dispirited and gloomy than before, indicating that the negotiation at home did not go well

He grunted, "What are you all doing squatting here?"

She hesitated between tilting her head and not tilting it

As soon as he entered, Xu Jiayan let go of his hand, went to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of drink, opened the pull tab, took a sip, and casually sat on the sofa to interrogate Daming, "What were you talking about at the door?"

Su Zhan was unsure of what he was about to do, but with great courage, he took a bold step forward. In that moment, his body was close at hand, radiating warmth and the power of the night. He stood with his back to the light, the moonlight spilling behind him, half of his body shrouded in shadow. It was this hazy mystery that was filled with allure

I am not cold. She returned the clothes to him

Su Zhanxiao: "What kind of expression is that? Are you hoping your boss will find someone within the circle?"

Su Zhan: "Go ahead, why not? I am also a fan of your boss."

Xu Jiayan has already evacuated, and the heat has dissipated

On the second day after moving in, Su Zhan realized that this was not at all the house of Xie Xi's so-called friend; however, she did not wish to delve into the matter further, nor did she pursue it.

Xu Jiayan does not drink much alcohol. Firstly, drinking while playing games can reduce sensitivity. Secondly, alcohol can easily lead to mistakes, especially on a night as dark and windy as this, with solitary men and women.

He straightened his casual stance and leaned towards her

Xu Jiayan tilted his head while lighting a cigarette. Upon hearing this, the flame flickered and failed to ignite on the first attempt; it was only on the second attempt that it caught fire. As the spark glimmered, he closed the lighter and tossed it onto the low table, where the metallic object emitted a crisp sound. Leaning back, he exhaled a puff of smoke and said leisurely, "Have you obtained the plane tickets?"

And men seem to always emit warmth

Xu Jiayan, in a moment of distraction, immediately grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her back, frowning as he admonished her: "You need to behave yourself. Do you think it's appropriate to be drinking in the house of a stranger at this hour? And what's with the deep-sea bomb?"

Su Zhan stood with her back to him, pulling down her down jacket and holding it in her hand. She turned her head and saw Xu Jiayan walking over leisurely with his hands in his pockets, wearing a thin gray sweater, simple and with smooth lines

Isn't it just a lamp? And a marigold at that

Who is Xu Jiayan? The Ming Dynasty cannot lie; he can discern the truth just by looking into someone's eyes. The Ming Dynasty never dared to deceive him, and he honestly admitted: "Let's chat about you"

Su Zhan boldly stared into his eyes

Meng Chen immediately glanced over and said, "Come on, she is trying to flirt with our boss!"

Su Zhan expressed interest in the subsequent topic and interjected, "Are there any successful cases?"

Xu Jiayan, look over here

Xu Jiayan said nothing, picked up Daming and headed home. Daming turned back to look at her, and Su Zhan gestured to him, meaning—if you dare to tell him about my smoking, we will sever ties.

You can go back to sleep now. He finished his last cigarette and clearly did not wish to continue the company

Daming winced in pain and nodded vigorously

He tilted slightly to the right, with warm breath lingering by his ear

The circuit was repaired the next day, and it has not been interrupted since. Su Zhan did not pay much attention to it, but without a power outage, she could not go next door to find Xu Jiayan. Thinking about it this way, a power outage might be better after all

She stood facing the light, slightly tilting her face upwards, as the moonlight illuminated her face, eyelids, eyelashes, ear bones, and the tip of her nose... Every inch of her was clearly visible to him

Su Zhan was astonished: "Blind date?!"

His brows furrowed even more, "Not unfamiliar? Do you know what my name is?"

... ...

There is nothing much else; she becomes talkative after drinking, but she remains clear-headed.

Xu Jiayan propped his feet up and leisurely took a sip, "Oh, what are we chatting about?"

Su Zhan easily blushes when drinking, her complexion a rosy hue that makes her appear more vibrant than usual. At just twenty-one years old, she should be in the most carefree stage of life, yet she has chosen to present herself as an ethereal fairy, untouched by the mundane world.

Su Zhan thought for a moment and said, "I asked the landlady."

Su Zhan handed him the half-empty wine cup in his hand and asked, "Would you like to drink?"

Daming also said: "Yes, the boss has not been around these days; he has been forced by Teacher Xu to go home for a blind date."