Zheng Yu'an remembered this was the second time Yan Shuwang had called him by his full name.
People from the South rarely have perfectly standard Mandarin; they more or less carry a Jiangnan accent, which sounds soft. But Yan Shuwang did not.
The way he said Zheng Yu'an's name was as if he held the words on the tip of his tongue, rolled them around once, and then spat them out one by one.
Zhang Jin couldn't see the subtle back-and-forth between them. He had gotten good beer, so naturally drinking was the most important thing. Craft beers all came in small bottles, so there was no need to be particular; drinking straight from the bottle was fine.
Zheng Yu'an simply didn't bother with a glass, taking small sips from the bottle's mouth.
Shi Tao's flavour was rich and complex, with a bit of the classic black beer's pungent bitterness, the hops abundant, fragrant and dense.
Yan Shuwang patiently listened to Zhang Jin praising how good the beer was as he drank. The latter's alcohol tolerance was truly terrible; he was clearly tipsy after less than half a bottle, and his speech began to slur.
When men get drunk, they basically do three things: sleep, hug the toilet, or reminisce about the past. Sleeping and hugging the toilet weren't an option, so Zhang Jin could only reminisce.
"Little Zheng," Zhang Jin didn't dare to put his arm around Yan Shuwang's shoulders even when drunk, so he could only put an arm around Zheng Yu'an's shoulder. "I still remember when you were at the public counter, so fresh. I came to do accounting. Do you remember? I wasn't even married then, and you gave me a smile, tsk tsk, so shy!"
Zheng Yu'an chuckled and said, "Brother, you only came a few times. Sister Yan basically came every time."
Zhang Jin retorted, "Who says? I went quite a few times. The counter was busy, and you didn't have time to greet us. To avoid affecting your work, we only stayed for a few minutes."
Zheng Yu'an vaguely felt something was strange and repeated the question, "You all?"
Zhang Jin slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory. Back then, our WE GO was just a small workshop. Several times, Director Yan personally went to your bank to make deposits. Do you remember?"
"..." Zheng Yu'an really didn't remember at all.
This couldn't be blamed on him. Bank tellers, not to mention being separated by a layer of glass, had to process thousands of vouchers every day at the public counter, rarely having the opportunity to look up. The finance departments of each company basically came to make deposits during those few time slots. It was all streamlined operation, without the need for much small talk or exchange. Delaying here would cause the people behind to rush you. Balancing the accounts had a time limit; delaying it would mean being a day late, which would be a major disaster.
Zheng Yu'an was considered to have a good memory. The transaction volume handled by WE GO had been at its highest and steadily increasing for many years. In addition, Luo Yan was warm and enthusiastic, with "thank you" and "hello" always on her lips, so Zheng Yu'an had a good impression of her.
"Director Yan didn't have long hair back then," Zhang Jin thought for a moment, trying to find a reason for him. "It's normal that you didn't recognize him."
Yan Shuwang slowly drank his beer, seemingly not caring about what Zhang Jin was making up about him.
Zheng Yu'an couldn't help but ask him, "Have you met me before?"
Yan Shuwang's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. He squinted as if recalling, and after a long while, he shook his head. "I don't remember."
Zheng Yu'an also felt it was unreliable. It was something from seven or eight years ago. Life wasn't a novel, so there was no way it was secretly playing out like that.
"Then I must have a lot of charm," Zheng Yu'an said with a self-deprecating smile.
Yan Shuwang tilted his head back and drank his beer. His Adam's apple moved up and down, and his lips were stained with some beer, glistening in the light.
Zheng Yu'an thought he seemed to have smiled.
"What are you thinking?" Yan Shuwang asked. "Thinking that I fell in love with you at first sight, or that a secret crush came true?"
Zheng Yu'an blinked. He felt as if he had been struck with a club, and he became somewhat sober.
Yan Shuwang raised his bottle and lightly tapped it against his, teasingly saying, "Zheng Yu'an, you're a bit too certain."
If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Zheng Yu'an felt that this time it wasn't as simple as getting his shoes wet, but that he had almost capsized.
He was getting carried away and had forgotten the rules of the two circles. An Dai had said that Yan Shuwang had never looked for anyone outside the circle. He actually thought he was the exception.
Why was he the exception? Zheng Yu'an vaguely thought, shame and self-reproach were both full and bitter. The dryness of the craft beer was infinitely magnified, falling into his stomach, and there was a faint burning sensation. Zheng Yu'an couldn't understand the greater emptiness and sense of loss behind the single layer of emotion.
The alcohol made him feel a little nauseous, but he had to make a proper response.
"I'm just being presumptuous," Zheng Yu'an said, holding the bottle, smiling somewhat embarrassedly. "Director Yan, please don't mind."
Yan Shuwang stared at his expression, but unfortunately, he didn't see any flaws in the end, so he listlessly flicked the hair by his ear.
He lazily said "Mmm" and then suddenly asked, "Why don't you have a girlfriend?"
Zheng Yu'an was stunned for a moment, and after a while, he sluggishly said, "Relationships... can't just be casual, right?"
Yan Shuwang: "You don't have needs?"
Zheng Yu'an didn't react: "Need what?"
Yan Shuwang raised an eyebrow ambiguously. He took another sip of beer, his tongue seemingly unintentionally licking the glass bottle's mouth, his voice low, husky, and seductive: "Sex, f**king, whatever."
He looked at Zheng Yu'an and asked, "Don't you want to?"