Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 13
Chapter 13 Falling into the Abyss
2024-10-13 07:11 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
Behind the heavy door seemed to lie another world, dimly lit and filled with languid music. Under the purple-blue neon lights, a man with a heart full of filth and corruption shook a cocktail shaker and poured amber liquid into a glass.
“Don’t just chat, let’s drink! Come on, let’s all have a drink together.”
The young master raised his glass, speaking to everyone, but his eyes were fixed on the girl beside him.
“Oh, by the way, let me introduce you.” The young master gently placed his hand on the girl’s shoulder.
“This is Tang Xiaowan, our company’s new office clerk, and that director… yes, Director You, you have the same job.”
The young master gave the girl a push: “You should learn more from Director You in the future. Look how perceptive he was just now, and how well he served the bureau.”
*Clatter!* The glass fell to the ground with a soft thud.
The commotion was small, but it made the air in the private room freeze for a moment.
Fan Xiao slowly leaned back into the large sofa, crossed his long legs, and looked at the Crown Prince with a pair of smiling eyes.
The music is flowing gently, and there is only music.
Fan Xiao’s laughter comes in many forms, but this one is one that You Shulang has never seen before.
He appeared listless and nonchalant, yet no one could ignore the sudden oppressive aura emanating from him.
The young master had been pampered for years, and now he looked rather embarrassed. However, his friendship with Fan Xiao was for business purposes, so he could only force a smile and apologize to You Shulang.
“Please don’t take offense at what I’m saying, Director You.”
You Shulang hadn’t expected Fan Xiao to be so blunt with his attitude towards him. He couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. He glanced at Fan Xiao, his gratitude evident in his eyes.
Forced into the storm, he smiled faintly, his gaze shifting from Fan Xiao, and casually brushed it aside: “Actually, Vice President Xue is right. The primary focus of office work is service. You must be clear about what to do in what situation.”
His words were neither humble nor arrogant, but sincere, which helped the Crown Prince regain some face and improve his expression.
You Shulang shifted his gaze to the girl and continued, “Xiao Wan, is that right? Since your boss asked me to give you some pointers, I’ll take the liberty of teaching you today.”
He got up slowly, walked to the girl and sat down, found an empty cup on the table, unscrewed the bottle and filled it halfway with mineral water.
“To provide good service, you must first stay sober. If you get drunk, who will take care of your boss?”
The man pushed the water glass towards the girl, a slight smile playing on his thin lips: “The first rule for office workers attending a banquet is: if you can’t hold your liquor, don’t pick up a glass.”
The girl’s eyes were filled with gratitude, and You Shulang glanced at the Crown Prince, whose expression was indeed displeased.
“But our Little Bowl has a good capacity for alcohol, so she can keep all the brothers company while also taking care of me, the boss.” The young master patted the girl’s shoulder, leaned forward to meet her gaze, and said with a hint of sarcasm, “Isn’t that Little Bowl?”
The girl’s body stiffened even more. She twisted her hands and hesitated for a long time before finally nodding slightly under the Crown Prince’s almost intimidating gaze.
“Hey, that’s settled then.” The man pushed the water glass in front of the girl along the glass tabletop, and it slid far away, splashing water and spilling half of it.
“Come on, cheers!”
When the Crown Prince raised his glass, Fan Xiao kept glancing at You Shulang; to be precise, his gaze never left him.
At this moment, Director You remained calm, still displaying his composed demeanor. However, he took out a cigarette, lowered his eyes, and tossed it into his mouth without lighting it.
His voice, still clear despite the cigarette in his mouth, told Fan Xiao, “What’s the point of just drinking?”
He looked up and smiled, “Want to play cards? Whoever loses drinks.”
“Okay,” Fan Xiao replied first, drawing out the rest of his voice.
Shi Lihua, who had been watching the show, paused for a moment, then exclaimed, “Playing cards, playing cards! We should have started playing cards a long time ago!”
The young master, his face darkening as he watched the girl put down her wine glass again, gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, what game are we playing? How are we drinking?”
“How about a straight?” You Shulang touched his lighter, tilted his head to light a cigarette, and toyed with the gold-embossed lighter in his well-defined fingers. Having received approval, he put the lighter back in his pocket, took out the cigarette, held it between two fingers, and retrieved a deck of cards from the game basket.
It wasn’t until Fan Xiao saw You Shulang shuffle the cards with practiced ease that he was certain You Shulang actually knew how to play. His long, slender fingers appeared even whiter against the black tabletop. After shuffling the cards three times deftly, You Shulang cut the deck with one hand, glanced at everyone, and asked casually, “Who’s playing?”
In the world of fame and fortune, status and hierarchy are the most outward manifestations. Apart from Fan Xiao, Shi Lihua, and the young master, no one else in the private room was trying to climb the ranks. You Shulang understood this and presented the cards to the three of them in turn, letting them cut the cards.
“Even a small bowl can play.” The young master cut the cards and casually sent out a bomb.
You Shulang paused slightly as he held the cards, then glanced at the girl and asked, “You know how to play?”
The girl nodded: “Vice President Xue taught me.”
You Shulang didn’t say anything, cleared the table and started dealing cards. Only Fan Xiao noticed the ring of marks on the cigarette butt he was biting…
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Shi Lihua downed four small glasses of rum. He loved the smoothness and sweetness of rum, but it had a strong aftereffect, and he was already feeling tipsy.
“Damn, why do I always lose?” He downed his last drink, slammed the glass down on the table, and calculated, “Fan Xiao drank four, Director You drank two, Lao Xue, how many did you drink?”
The young master, with his arms outstretched on the back of the sofa, snorted: “It doesn’t matter how many I drink, what matters is that none of us in the small bowls drank.”
On the delicate wooden shelf beside the girl were eight small cups of brownish broth, which were the wines that had just been spiked.
“Those trained by Vice President Xue naturally possess excellent skills and good luck,” You Shulang complimented at the opportune moment.
“I’ll deal the cards,” the young master said, relaxing his shoulders and extending his hand. “How could I possibly trouble Director You all this time?”
Just as You Shulang was about to refuse, someone next to the young master presented him with a new deck of cards. The man took the cards, shuffled and cut them, giving You Shulang a meaningful glance before dealing the cards.
After one round, the girl lost.
The young master touched the diamond earring on his left ear and sighed repeatedly, but his eyes kept glancing at the girl’s high breasts.
The girl picked up her wine glass and brought it to her lips.
The young master raised his eyebrows, the green-haired man whistled, Shi Lihua looked around, and Fan Xiao looked at You Shulang.
Taking a deep breath, the girl slowly raised her wrist…
“Wait.” The girl was stopped by the refined-looking man beside her.
“How can I let that young lady drink alone?” You Shulang said with a smile, picking up his glass and gently tapping it against the girl’s. “I’ll keep you company.”
“Oh, by the way,” the man’s eyes suddenly deepened, a distinct smile playing on his lips, his pupils gleaming with a light that seemed even more profound than usual, “If someone gets drunk and wants to drink a toast with you during the meal, what should you, as a host, do?”
The girl was bewildered by the rambling conversation, and everyone else was even more puzzled. Then they heard You Shulang say gently, “Just consider me a know-it-all; I’ll teach you today.”
He took the wine glass from the girl’s hand and placed it on the wooden shelf, then switched the wooden shelves between the girl and himself.
A glass of wine that originally belonged to the girl is now in You Shulang’s hands: “You can say that drinking from the same cup is inconvenient, but you can exchange wines. This way, it won’t affect your work or offend the customers. Generally, men of decent character won’t make any excessive demands.”
“Did you remember?” You Shulang clinked glasses with the girl again, his gaze piercing through the filth in the room.
Fan Xiao suppressed a smile, took out a match from his pocket, pinched one corner between two fingers, and kept fiddling with it.
The previously boisterous Shi Lihua quieted down. He looked at You Shulang with disbelief, and then showed an even more surprised expression when he saw the matchbox that Fan Xiao was turning over and over in his hand.
Is Fan Xiao agitated? Fan Xiao is actually agitated by his own “fun”?
Before he could think it through, You Shulang accidentally knocked over a glass of wine. The aroma of the wine filled the air, and the brownish liquid splashed onto his white shirt, quickly seeping into the fabric.
The man brushed his clothes with his hand and said sheepishly, “Sorry.”
He picked up another cup, but before he could bring it to his lips, he heard the young master’s cool voice: “Director You, don’t spill it this time.”
His thick eyelashes fluttered twice, and You Shulang slowly curved his lips into a smile that spread throughout the dimly lit room, making it seem as if a bright pearl was shining through, radiant and dazzling.
As You Shulang deftly slurped down the wine, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and Shi Lihua heard the sound of Fan Xiao’s matchbox being crushed.
You Shulang drank four cups in total. After finishing the last cup, he gently put it down, calmly got up, and, as usual, smiled and said that he needed to use the restroom.
The Crown Prince’s eyes now held a hint of admiration. He chuckled and gestured respectfully, “Go quickly, go quickly.”
With unhurried and steady movements, his strong arms pulled open the heavy door, and only after the door slowly closed did You Shulang’s gaze turn cold as he strode towards the restroom…
The toilet button was pressed by slender fingers, and the sound of flushing water rang out. You Shulang slowly got up, took out a few tissues, and wiped the corners of his mouth.
Pushing open the door to the cubicle, I looked up and saw Fan Xiao leaning against the sink, smoking.
“Did you drink too much?” He took off his cigarette and handed her a bottle of water.
“Okay.” You Shulang walked over and took it, then rinsed his mouth and washed his face at the sink.
He straightened up and threw the tissue he had used to wipe his face into the trash can: “I’m not feeling well tonight, so I’ll be leaving now.” He then smiled and said, “Have fun.”
Fan Xiao extinguished his cigarette: “I’ll take you.”
“Need not.”
“Let’s go.” The man walked ahead of You Shulang, leaving him only with his tall back.
It’s hot, very hot.
A fire rose within my body.
His breathing grew heavier and heavier as You Shulang sank into the abyss of desire beside a man he had known for less than six months…
