48: Zhou Langxing Gets Drunk

As the lights of the city began to twinkle, each person here had their own fate.

Qin Yan was preparing dinner, directing Zhou Shurong to wash and chop vegetables, while Zhou Langxing was drowning his sorrows in a friend’s bar.

He didn’t want to go home, so he drove aimlessly around the city. The city lights suddenly lit up in unison, and he realized it was already evening.

Sitting at the bar counter, he silently warded off countless people who tried to strike up a conversation.

Zhou Langxing’s friends were not around, and no one cared about his inner turmoil. He drank cup after cup, still with a cold face and clear eyes, as if no amount of alcohol could intoxicate him.

The others quietly observed, whispering among themselves, counting how many drinks he had, and discussing how expensive his choice of alcohol was.

The bartender, recognizing that Zhou Langxing was the boss’s friend, approached him with concern. “Sir?” He waved his hand in front of him to see if he was drunk.

Zhou Langxing let out a low chuckle.

He raised his face. “I’m not drunk.”

The bartender mumbled to himself: People who are drunk always say they aren’t.

Suddenly, a beam of light hit him, casting a warm red glow across Zhou Langxing’s face. It really did look like the flush of alcohol. The bartender began to think that maybe he was drunk after all.

He feared that something might happen and the boss would be upset with him.

When Zhou Langxing ordered another drink, the bartender hesitated, trying to change the subject.

Zhou Langxing was too lazy to respond. He placed his palm on the counter, effortlessly flipping a bottle over the bar, causing the bartender to stammer in fear, warning him to be careful with the equipment.

Zhou Langxing took the alcohol and the tools himself. “I’ll make it myself.”

“That’s not allowed!”

“I’m a shareholder here.”

“Ah?” The bartender hesitated, unsure if he was telling the truth. However, with a keen eye, he could tell that Zhou Langxing was a rich heir. The watch on his wrist alone was worth more than a house in the city center.

Business had been slow lately.

And now, it was just past seven, so there weren’t many people looking for happiness or seeking to drown their sorrows.

The bartender stood watch, alert, wary of Zhou Langxing’s unconventional ways, afraid he might break something and put the blame on him.

Seeing Zhou Langxing’s calm, skillful movements, the bartender opened his mouth. “You know how to make drinks?”

“It’s easy,” Zhou Langxing casually responded.

The bartender closed his mouth, watching Zhou Langxing as he nonchalantly said, “Not hard. This job is really easy.”

He lowered his head and rolled his eyes. A rich heir, never having to deal with real work! Try making drinks nonstop for a whole night. It’ll break your hands!

“However…”

He perked his ears, curious about what Zhou Langxing was about to say.

“Well, no matter how easy a job is, doing it repeatedly can still get boring and tiring.”

“Of course!”

Zhou Langxing continued to chat, already preparing a drink. It was a beautiful blue and purple mix, like a flowing galaxy. Of course, it also had a kick.

He glanced at the bartender, casually asking, “Hey, what do you think is the easiest job?”

“There’s no such thing as an easy job. Not working is the best! Stay at home and do nothing!”

“No,” he sipped the cold drink, “Staying at home isn’t good. When you have nothing to do, you end up thinking too much. Your mind starts to go bad, and then your body follows.”

“Your own experience?”

He smiled, “Yeah.”

“Then don’t think too much!”

“Can’t help it, I can’t control it. If you tell someone not to think too much, they’ll only think more.”

The bartender watched Zhou Langxing’s face, noticing his distant gaze. He seemed to be lost in some memory, and it looked like he might be lovesick.

This was a common affliction for young people, and the bartender had seen it often during his years as a bartender. People who sit at the bar, silently drinking, usually had similar issues.

Sometimes, he would talk to these disheartened people, offering words of comfort that were always the same, almost automatic:

“There’s always another bar after this one.”

“Heartbreak in love, but success in money, right?”

“Let it go, love is never the only thing. You’re young, and you have more chances to find someone new.”

“The next one will be better!”

These were the usual clichés, outdated, empty words of comfort.

Zhou Langxing just smiled.

He wasn’t really looking for someone to open up to, though.

He continued drinking. Alcohol, at least, understood him. Once he was drunk, it felt like the one person who truly understood him was looking at him with affection.

He leaned on the counter, gazing absentmindedly.

The bartender didn’t dare disturb him.

The soft music played, and the curious, searching gazes gradually receded. Each person had their own troubles, and they chatted while sipping their drinks.

Everything was calm until the unexpected happened.

When the scream echoed, Zhou Langxing was still tilting his head, staring at the face in front of him. He smiled at him, and Zhou Langxing couldn’t help but whisper his name, then reached out his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing through Qin Yan’s cheek, as if passing through the surface of water.

Qin Yan was still smiling, but Zhou Langxing sadly realized that it wasn’t really Qin Yan who had arrived.

There was a cacophony of noise—screams, running footsteps, glasses crashing to the ground, chairs toppling over, and a distant howl echoing…

Zhou Langxing simply lowered his eyes in desolation.

Soon, the bartender, who had gone to check the situation, rushed back, frantic. He shook Zhou Langxing, shouting, “You need to get out! There’s… there’s a ghost in the restroom!”

Zhou Langxing’s cheeks flushed, his eyes dazed. He raised his finger to his lips, saying, “Shh, don’t disturb me. I’m watching him.”

The bartender gritted his teeth, deciding not to argue and quickly fled.

Once everything settled, a burly middle-aged man emerged from the restroom.

His colleagues called him “Brother Wu.”

The ghost-hunting equipment had detected that a vengeful ghost had appeared earlier that day, but they couldn’t find it. By this stage, it had blended in so well that it seemed like an ordinary person. If it chose to hide, they couldn’t spot it.

Only when someone like a wonton shop owner or an old lady from the hospital appeared in public could they pinpoint a ghost’s exact location.

Today, Brother Wu was off duty, having worked tirelessly for a long time. He was just here to unwind and hoped to find a woman for some fun.

However, when he entered the bar, nature called, and in the restroom, he saw a top-tier wandering spirit clinging to a man. The man’s life force was weak, and half of the spirit’s body had already entered him. It was trying to possess him.

He immediately took action to exorcise the spirit.

The commotion caused by the struggle led others to misunderstand, thinking Brother Wu was a ghost attacking a living person, especially when they saw his second head emerge.

“Ah, trouble. We’ll have to block the news again.”

He was just as confused as everyone else as to why the authorities never made the situation public, always creating obstacles when it came to handling these incidents.

Brother Wu came out, and unsurprisingly, the people in the bar scattered.

Those people were too curious. Upon hearing the scream, they rushed over without hesitation to watch. Brother Wu’s second head hadn’t been put away yet.

The ghost inside him was “mischievous,” smiling eerily at those people. Blood oozed from his seven orifices, and the flesh on his face fell off with a whoosh.

How could they not be scared out of their wits?

“Eh?” There was one more person.

Brother Wu walked over, saw Zhou Langxing sitting at the bar, and asked, “Are you the bartender?”

Zhou Langxing looked up. “Mm.”

“Make me a drink, something strong. The strongest!”

“Alright, sir.” Zhou Langxing stood up and began making the drink with great flair.

Brother Wu was very interested in him. Not only did he not run away, but there was also yin energy around him. Brother Wu judged that he had recently come into contact with ghosts.

Zhou Langxing finished making the drink, garnished it with a slice of lime, and pushed it over. Brother Wu took it, downed it in one gulp, then took the lime slice and chewed it.

“I just heard a ghost.”

Brother Wu glanced at him and noticed his face was a bit red.

“You’re a member of the Observation Society?”

So, he was someone in the know. Brother Wu nodded calmly, “If you notice anything unusual, you can speak now.” If the reward was good, he might take an extra shift.

Zhou Langxing fell silent for a moment, took the empty glass, and asked, “Would you like another drink?”

“Sure. A different one.”

“No problem.”

Soon, Zhou Langxing prepared the second drink and pushed it over. Brother Wu drank it in one go again. The bottom of the glass hit the table with a thud. “That didn’t hit the spot! The glass is too small!”

Zhou Langxing took a bottle of Polish distilled vodka from the back shelf.

Brother Wu laughed heartily, “Now that’s more like it!”

He pushed the cap open with his thumb. At this moment, Zhou Langxing spoke softly, “I know of a ghost. It has a human body, a human shadow, and lives with a person… I’m a little confused, is it a ghost?”

Brother Wu’s face changed. “A vengeful ghost!”

“A vengeful ghost…”

Killing a vengeful ghost would leave behind artifacts, which would greatly enhance one’s strength. Since it wasn’t working hours, he could secretly dealt with it and use it for himself.

“Where is it?” he asked in a deep voice, his tiger-like eyes fixed on Zhou Langxing.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Langxing just smiled foolishly and pointed to his head. “In my dreams.”

Brother Wu: “…”

He frowned, looking at Zhou Langxing, whose face showed the signs of drunkenness. He threatened, “The reason a vengeful ghost is a vengeful ghost is because of the grudges in its heart. These grievances mostly target the living. If you don’t speak, those living with it will suffer.”

Zhou Langxing simply slowly leaned on the table, his eyes half-closed, looking dazed and sleepy.

Brother Wu’s frown deepened, and after trying a few more words with no result, he gave up.

He thought: If it’s a medium-level vengeful ghost, I’m not sure I can severely wound it, let alone destroy it.

Brother Wu left a business card. “If you need anything, contact me. I see you’re well off enough to afford the reward.”

Then, he left with a thoughtful look.

After he left, Zhou Langxing slowly raised his head, took the card and slipped it into his pocket. He then stumbled to get up, closed the door, and went upstairs to find a resting room to sleep.

As soon as he lay down, his phone in his pocket rang.

It was a friend calling, asking what had happened.

“That little Chen keeps saying there’s a ghost. Ridiculous! He says you’re there. What happened?”

“It’s all fine now.”

He spoke slowly, his voice light, his eyelids heavy, wanting to sleep. He closed his eyes as he wished, and the phone slipped from his hand, falling onto the carpet.

“Hello? Hello? Hello!——”

…

By eight in the evening, Qin Yan finally brought the food to the table. He muttered to Zhou Shurong, “It’s all your fault, you suddenly leaned in while washing the vegetables.”

Zhou Shurong looked a little aggrieved. “I just wanted to get closer to you.”

Qin Yan looked at him weirdly. Zhou Shurong’s tongue was cold but soft, and when it entered his mouth to entangle him, he almost thought a snake had crawled in.

It was too strange.

There wasn’t even the slightest trace of a romantic atmosphere!

Zhou Shurong seemed satisfied, resting his cheek and squinting his eyes, as if savoring the moment.

Qin Yan sat down, giving him a glance. He also had a bowl of rice in front of him. “I’ve gotten used to making your portion. You don’t need to force yourself. Just watch me eat.”

Zhou Shurong blinked. “I want to try.”

Qin Yan hesitantly handed him a pair of chopsticks. “Once it’s in your mouth, if it has no taste, spit it out quickly. I don’t know what might happen if you swallow it.”

Zhou Shurong took the chopsticks, picked up a mouthful of rice, and put it in his mouth. After a moment, he immediately spit it out into his hand.

Qin Yan anxiously asked, “How is it?”

“It has no taste. Ah, no need to make my portion from now on. I’ll just watch you eat.”

Qin Yan responded softly, “Oh.”

Zhou Shurong cleaned his palm and cautiously drank a sip of water, but the water had no taste to begin with.

Qin Yan kept watching him and quickly asked, “Did you swallow it?”

Zhou Shurong nodded.

“How does it feel? Do you feel uncomfortable?”

“…” Zhou Shurong thought for a moment, “I ate your saliva before, and nothing happened.”

Qin Yan blushed deeply.