Zheng Yu'an genuinely did not know. He subconsciously covered his neck, his expression under the streetlights both awkward and a little embarrassed.
Yan Shuwang quietly looked at him.
The atmosphere at this moment was difficult to describe. Perhaps it was because the streetlights were too gentle, or perhaps because there were no stars or moon in the sky. Yan Shuwang's gaze rarely contained so much. His eyelashes were long, casting crescent-shaped shadows. The temperature of his gaze was like the sunlight projected onto a lawn in the early morning, soft and lush.
The hand on his neck remained there for a long time, unmoved. Yan Shuwang seemed to always possess a kind of discreet consideration. He seemed to be shielding someone from embarrassment, yet his attitude was open and upright.
After a while, Zheng Yu'an couldn't help but say, "It's alright now."
Yan Shuwang seemed to be teasing him, "No need to be embarrassed."
Zheng Yu'an sighed, "I thought I didn't show it when I drank."
Yan Shuwang thought for a moment, consoling him, "It's not really showing."
Zheng Yu'an laughed. They were not as close as they had been just now. The aroma of the beer hops hadn't dissipated, lingering between the two of them. Zheng Yu'an's double eyelid creases weren't wide, but because of his high brow bone, they appeared very amorous.
Yan Shuwang seemed to always love looking at his eyes.
Zheng Yu'an sometimes felt that his actions didn't match his age, that he was too capricious, but he couldn't remember where he had read a sentence saying that men were boys until they died.
He remembered An Dai saying before that he was boring, that he lived like an adult and was very tired. Zheng Yu'an didn't quite understand the reasoning behind "boring" at the time, but now he seemed to understand it a little.
When the designated driver arrived, Zheng Yu'an's thoughts had wandered a bit. He came back to his senses, taking the driver to open his car. Yan Shuwang sat in the back seat, subconsciously moving to a spot further inside. Zheng Yu'an hesitated for a moment, but still got in.
Milk stout wasn't ordinary beer. The after-effects were as strong as red wine. Zheng Yu'an was still dizzy, so he leaned against the back of the seat and closed his eyes to rest. It was the first time he had sat in the back seat of his own car. His long legs couldn't be fully stretched out, and he somewhat regretted not buying an SUV at the time.
Yan Shuwang suddenly spoke from the side, "Turn left up ahead."
The driver asked, "Drive in?"
Yan Shuwang unceremoniously took charge, "Drive in."
Zheng Yu'an opened his eyes and discovered that Yan Shuwang lived in Moon Bay. He casually said, "What's the housing price here now?"
Yan Shuwang, "40,000 or 50,000 yuan per square meter, I haven't paid much attention."
Zheng Yu'an was silent, feeling a lemon-like sourness in his heart.
The driver drove all the way to the building. High-end residential areas didn't have many ground parking spaces. After Yan Shuwang got out of the car, Zheng Yu'an also followed to see him off. He didn't go far, leaning against the car door, waiting for Yan Shuwang to enter the unit.
"I'm here to familiarise myself with the place," Zheng Yu'an said jokingly.
Yan Shuwang glanced at him and asked, "Have you familiarised yourself?"
Zheng Yu'an pretended to look around, saying, "I have."
Yan Shuwang smiled in the night. "You can come upstairs next time to familiarise yourself with the place again."
Zheng Yu'an: "Which floor?"
Yan Shuwang: "Seventh."
Zheng Yu'an praised, "Good meaning, rising and falling."
Yan Shuwang: "I didn't expect you to be so superstitious."
Zheng Yu'an waved his hand. The designated driver was still waiting, and he had to leave.
Yan Shuwang finally said, "Get in the car."
Zheng Yu'an then got into the car. He lowered the car window, still wanting Yan Shuwang to go up first, but the other party stood in place, his hands in his pockets, looking like he wasn't planning to move, constantly looking at him.
The designated driver stepped on the gas pedal, "Let's go, boss."
"Mm." Zheng Yu'an never raised the window, watching Yan Shuwang, who slowly turned into a dot, in the rearview mirror.
Qin Hanguan condescended to visit Zheng Yu'an's floor's break room again the next day.
The two were old smoking buddies, chatting while smoking, "Did you drink yesterday?"
Zheng Yu'an nodded, "Drank with the people from WE GO."
Qin Hanguan, "Yan Shuwang went too?"
Zheng Yu'an didn't deny it.
Qin Hanguan: "Tsk. Isn't he a little too attentive to you? How many times has he privately asked you out?"
"..." Zheng Yu'an held his cigarette, somewhat speechless, "Why are you saying it so ambiguously?"
Qin Hanguan laughed, "Take a look yourself, where is it not ambiguous?"
Zheng Yu'an didn't really want to take up his line of thought. Qin Hanguan himself didn't think there was anything wrong.
"A big client, it's right to serve him well," he thought quite openly, "Ask Yan Shuwang if he plays mahjong."
Zheng Yu'an had a bit of a headache. Besides work, Qin Hanguan didn't have any particularly good habits. He was almost completely different in style from Zheng Yu'an. He was thriving on the mahjong table, familiar with several high-end mahjong rooms in the park. Even several wealth management clients of JZ Bank were dug up by Qin Hanguan from the mahjong table.
Qin Hanguan spoke plausibly, "Do you know that playing cards enhances relationships? Yan Shuwang is putting on such a high-class act, we have to give him some down-to-earthness."
Zheng Yu'an, "He's quite down-to-earth, a different kind of down-to-earth."
Qin Hanguan, "..."
That's what he said, but forced by the leader's power, Zheng Yu'an still took the time to ask Yan Shuwang on WeChat.
Not long after the message was sent, the other side replied, "Play with flowers or white tiles?"
Zheng Yu'an knew at a glance that he was an old hand at mahjong.
He typed on the nine-grid keyboard, "Play with flowers."
Yan Shuwang then asked, "How much per point?"
Zheng Yu'an, "Five yuan?"
Yan Shuwang, "Qin Hanguan usually doesn't go for such small stakes."
"..." Zheng Yu'an was a little surprised, "How did you know it was him who asked?"
Yan Shuwang replied after a long time, "Because I know you don't play mahjong much."