Zheng Yu'an genuinely did not expect the conversation to veer off in that direction, mainly because such suggestive content seemed incongruous with Yan Shuwang's almost celestial appearance.
Appetite and lust were the concerns of ordinary mortals, something Yan Shuwang did not seem to possess.
"I'm so busy with work that I'm practically a monk." Once the topic was broached, Zheng Yu'an was not one to be outdone. Discussing risque subjects with an earnest demeanour was, after all, part of the fun. "After all, I'm not just anyone."
Yan Shuwang seemed amused, even smiling slightly as he pulled out a cigarette.
"Want one?" he asked.
Before Zheng Yu'an could answer, the cigarette was offered to him.
Zheng Yu'an took it.
He thanked him, pulled out his lighter, and lit Yan Shuwang's cigarette first. This exchange between the two of them somehow created a tacit understanding. Even the brand of cigarettes was the same. It was unclear who was saving whom money.
"I like that you're not just anyone," Yan Shuwang said suddenly, holding the cigarette, his thumb pressed against his temple, tilting his head to look at Zheng Yu'an.
The lighting in the bar was too dim, which made Yan Shuwang's eyebrows and eyes look brighter. His smile was faint, but the corners of his eyes held a rich and intense emotion, and the two combined seemed to be boundless romance.
Zheng Yu'an calmly averted his gaze, took a drag of his cigarette, and after a long while said, "Stop talking about me. Why doesn't CFO Yan find a partner?"
Yan Shuwang flicked off the ash and said, "There's no one suitable."
Zheng Yu'an casually asked, "What kind of person does Director Yan like?"
Yan Shuwang didn't know if he was being serious or joking: "What I like isn't important. It's more important that the person likes me."
Zheng Yu'an was a little surprised: "Who wouldn't like you?"
Yan Shuwang asked him in return: "Do you like me?"
Zheng Yu'an: "..."
These words were tossed back and forth, going round and round, all revolving around the meaning of teasing. Zheng Yu'an was clearly not drunk, but his mind was a little muddled.
In the end, he could only dryly say: "Director Yan, don't make fun of me."
Yan Shuwang smiled, and after a long time, suddenly said in the Suzhou dialect: "What I seek is not amusement, but joy."
The two finished a cigarette and drank two more bottles of beer. Craft beer was much stronger than ordinary light beer, and Zhang Jin became hopelessly drunk again. Zheng Yu'an had to help call a designated driver to take him home.
"Little Zheng, CFO Yan came today not to give me face." People who were drunk talked a lot. Zhang Jin sat in the car and kept pulling on Zheng Yu'an, talking non-stop. "Luckily you came."
Zheng Yu'an chuckled: "What are you talking about, brother? Go back to sleep early."
Zhang Jin mumbled something, sometimes "You and Director Yan have a good relationship," sometimes "He values you," similar words repeated over and over.
When the car drove away, Zheng Yu'an finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned back and found Yan Shuwang standing at the entrance of the bar, watching him from a distance.
"Did Director Yan call a car?" Zheng Yu'an asked proactively.
Yan Shuwang shook his phone: "It's not easy to call one this late."
Zheng Yu'an: "How about taking my car? I called a designated driver."
Yan Shuwang didn't say yes or no. Zheng Yu'an assumed he had agreed and waited for the designated driver to arrive together on the steps.
The weather was neither hot nor cold. It had rained a few times, and there were many clouds in the sky, obscuring the moon.
Zheng Yu'an took out his phone to see where the designated driver was. He walked down a step, slightly lowering his head in the light of the street lamp.
Yan Shuwang's gaze fell on the back of his neck.
"It seems a bit far away," Zheng Yu'an said without turning his head. "I'll try another one." He swiped his phone, and seemed to remember something. He was just about to turn around and ask, "Director Yan, where do you live?" when suddenly his neck felt warm. Yan Shuwang's palm had actually touched it.
Zheng Yu'an: "?"
Yan Shuwang stood on the higher step. He was already tall, but now he bent his back, and one hand held Zheng Yu'an's neck, their faces facing each other.
"You don't seem to know," Yan Shuwang stared at Zheng Yu'an's face, deliberately slowing down his speech, and said, "When you drink too much, your neck turns red."