This wasn’t a casual dinner, it was a Hongmen Banquet, a not-so-subtle display of territorial claim.
The two men who had just been bickering endlessly immediately understood why Zhong Lan had invited them both to dinner. Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu exchanged a glance, then both let out a “tch” and turned their heads away.
Jiang Xu didn’t discriminate against same-sex couples, but he couldn’t help feeling a little disheartened at the news.
All these years, he had been so caught up competing with Shen Fangyu that he hardly had time to touch the ground, let alone date. It wasn’t until his family started pressuring him to get married that he even considered looking for a partner.
Zhong Lan had a good personality, was nearby, and Jiang Xu had always liked her, so he didn’t hesitate to pursue her. But just as he started, Shen Fangyu also publicly declared his interest in her. The two of them became “rival suitors” for a whole month, only to discover that Zhong Lan already had someone she loved, and neither of them even passed the first hurdle: the gender requirement.
Jiang Xu’s last meal had been some soup dumplings that morning. He’d only had a pack of milk during the hectic surgery-filled afternoon. He had imagined a romantic candlelit dinner tonight, but the reality was far from it, he was hungry, but somehow everything on the table tasted bland and unappetizing.
Dinner ended with each of them nursing their own emotional wounds. When Zhong Lan’s girlfriend got up to pay the bill, Jiang Xu instinctively tried to stop her, it was a habit of his to foot the bill when dining with women. But before he could say anything, Shen Fangyu had already paid.
Unbelievable. He’s even competing over this.
Jiang Xu rolled his eyes at him silently. After the four of them parted ways at the restaurant entrance, they watched as Zhong Lan and her girlfriend walked away sweetly hand-in-hand. The two rejected men stood there in silence, their faces full of frustration.
Finally, Jiang Xu took a deep breath, adjusted his mood, and prepared to call a ride home, after all, he had the lead surgery slot first thing in the morning. But then Shen Fangyu suddenly reached out his hand.
Jiang Xu, phone in hand, gave him a confused look.
With a straight face, Shen Fangyu said, “I only pay for women’s meals. Now pay me back.”
“…Is your face made of concrete?” Jiang Xu looked at him in disbelief, wishing he could dissect his skull and check whether his skin was twice as thick as a normal person’s.
“No need to pay if you buy me a drink,” Shen Fangyu said, pointing at a bar next to the restaurant. “I’m in a bad mood.”
Jiang Xu didn’t even look up from his phone. “I’m in a bad mood too.”
“Great, let’s drink together then.” And with that, Shen Fangyu didn’t even wait for a response, he casually swung an arm around Jiang Xu’s shoulders and started dragging him toward the bar.
Jiang Xu shoved his hand away in disgust, and when he looked up, his eyes landed on the sign that read:
“Hell Bar.”
Four characters in total, and not a single one of the neon lights was fully intact. The character for “hell” was hanging at a crooked angle, like it might fall off with the next gust of wind, and Jiang Xu feared that their hospital’s ER would get another patient because of it.
The neon lights on the sign were a garish mix of fluorescent green and pink, interwoven in a way that made Jiang Xu feel like a shady nightclub owner was about to come out and start soliciting customers.
“Is this place even legitimate?” Jiang Xu took a step back.
Shen Fangyu glanced at the bar sign and replied earnestly, “Doesn’t it look nice? So colorful.”
Jiang Xu cast him a bland sideways glance, a question flashing through his mind.
With taste like this, how does Shen Fangyu manage to make himself look halfway decent every day?
The bartender at the door had already noticed the two of them bickering and tugging at each other. Seeing things getting intense, he quickly came over to coax them in, “Hey, handsome fellas, come have some fun! Ours is the only bar for miles, past here, there’s nowhere else to drink. Everything’s 10% off tonight!”
Suddenly, Jiang Xu stepped forward.
“You were convinced that easily?” Shen Fangyu said in surprise. “Dr. Jiang, are you really that cheap?”
Without even turning around, Jiang Xu replied, “Because you only deserve 10%-off booze.”
Shen Fangyu, “…Screw you.”
Thankfully, the inside of Hell Bar wasn’t as outrageous as its gaudy sign. It was just a regular bar, with booths and private rooms.
Since drinks were on discount, Shen Fangyu went wild with the menu, ordering a mess of random things until their table was completely covered.
Jiang Xu sat upright across from him, arms crossed, dressed in formalwear and a tie, like he was headed to a court hearing. Shen Fangyu suddenly stood up, slid over to sit beside him, and grinned, “Come on, drink with me, don’t be shy.”
Jiang Xu turned his head away, not even sparing a glance at the garishly colored drinks on the table.
Just then, a man in a loud floral shirt came over, leaning casually on the back of their sofa. Raising a glass, he said, “Hey handsome, care to have a drink with me?”
Shen Fangyu cut him off instantly. “Nope.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” the man said, ignoring Shen Fangyu and turning his full attention to Jiang Xu. “Handsome, you’re definitely the man who caught my eye tonight.” His gaze roamed boldly over Jiang Xu, finally resting on the tightly fastened collar of his shirt. “Buttoned up so high, aren’t you hot?”
Shen Fangyu leaned forward, blocking the man’s line of sight. “None of your business.”
The man raised an eyebrow, and seeing Jiang Xu remain silent, he grew more provocative. After a pause, he turned to Jiang Xu again, “Honey, why don’t you come sit at my table instead?”
“Who the hell is your ‘honey’?!” Shen Fangyu nearly gagged. “We’re both straight. Back off and show some respect.”
“And who are you to him, exactly?” The man, clearly annoyed at being interrupted a third time, dropped his flirty tone. “He hasn’t said a word, and you keep jumping in. If you’re not his boyfriend, then step aside.”
Shen Fangyu crossed his legs. “I’m his love rival and career nemesis. I’m here to pick a fight. Got a problem?”
The man looked over at Jiang Xu in disbelief, who nodded calmly. “He’s telling the truth.”
“…” The man finally picked up on the tension between the two. After a brief silence, he raised his hands and muttered, “My bad. I’ll leave you two to it.”
They watched him walk off toward his next target. Shen Fangyu shot a triumphant glance at Jiang Xu. “God, I’m such a saint. I returned good for evil and blocked that creep for you. I have to be in the hospital’s Top Ten Most Touching Stories of the Year.”
Jiang Xu picked up a glass and dumped its contents on Shen Fangyu’s face.
“Can’t take a joke, Jiang Xu?” Shen Fangyu wiped his face and suddenly grabbed Jiang Xu by the shoulders, pulling him close.
Jiang Xu wrinkled his nose at the sudden proximity and turned his head instinctively, the strong smell of alcohol hit him like a wave.
Shen Fangyu paused, as if he’d discovered something. “You can’t hold your liquor?” He let go and grinned smugly. “So you’re weak, huh, Jiang Xu?”
At that, Jiang Xu gave him a cold look, picked up the nearest glass, lifted his head, and downed the drink in one go. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, leaving behind an empty glass.
His eyes locked sharply onto Shen Fangyu, even through the lenses of his glasses, the look was piercing and full of disdain.
“Oh, feeling competitive now?”
Shen Fangyu met his gaze, picked up a glass himself, downed it in one gulp, and slammed it against the table right in front of Jiang Xu, eyes full of challenge.
Jiang Xu didn’t even glance at his hand. He picked up another glass and downed it in three swallows.
And just like that, their brief truce, forged from mutual heartbreak, shattered into pieces. Their deep-rooted rivalry flared up again. Drink after drink, they raced against each other, the pace growing faster, more intense… until—
“Smack!”
Only one untouched glass remained on the table. The two former enemies stared at each other with bloodshot eyes, each clinging tightly to the other’s hand, neither willing to let go and give up the final glass.
Until, with their heads nearly touching, their mouths nearly brushing, they finally tipped the glass and downed it together.
Only then did Jiang Xu snap out of it and realize what they had just done.
Shit.
This damn need to win.
His brain felt like mush, and his face was burning hot. He tugged at his tie and shook his heavy head, but the dizziness overwhelmed him. He could see Shen Fangyu’s face splitting into two, then three… then back to one again.
Everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was, somehow, lying on a big hotel bed.
Author’s Note:
Jiang Xu’s eternal weakness: Shen Fangyu’s reverse psychology.