The two found a relatively quiet spot and sat down. They also placed their orders.
Soon, the waiter brought over two glasses of lemon water and a small snack.
Qu Jiaran asked her, "Yuyu, are you hungry? We can order some more food."
"I'm not very hungry. I ate something before I came out."
Just then, Sister Min sent her a message. She took out her phone and started reading it, typing on the screen from time to time.
The atmosphere in the bar was the same as before. Under the dim lights, everyone's face seemed to be veiled, making it hard to see their features clearly.
Seeing that Nan Yu was busy, Qu Jiaran didn't want to interrupt her. She just sipped the lemon water in her glass and nibbled on the snacks from time to time.
After a while, she finally couldn't hold it in anymore and murmured softly, "This is so boring."
Nan Yu had just finished her business. She put down her phone and looked up at Qu Jiaran.
It was Qu Jiaran who had been so eager to come out, and now it was also Qu Jiaran who was complaining about being bored.
Nan Yu thought for a moment. Since they had nothing to talk about, it might be a good idea to clear the air and avoid Qu Jiaran always bringing up Tan Linyuan in front of her in the future.
"Um," Nan Yu took a sip of lemon water before slowly saying, "There's something I want to make clear to you. I and Tan..."
"Right!" Qu Jiaran interrupted her before she could finish. An idea suddenly struck her. "Since it's so boring, how about we call Linyuan over to play with us?"
Nan Yu wanted to say no, but Qu Jiaran didn't even bother to hear her opinion. She took out her phone and called Tan Linyuan.
Nan Yu pursed her lips slightly. "Didn't you two just have a fight?"
"That's exactly why we need to meet. We can't keep giving each other the cold shoulder."
While waiting for the call to connect, Qu Jiaran said reasonably, "We had a fight because of a misunderstanding. If there's a misunderstanding, we should meet and sort it out."
Nan Yu thought to herself that it turned out that Miss Qu could also come up with some quite philosophical remarks.
To some extent, Qu Jiaran's way of life was worth learning from.
For example, she was positive, straightforward, proud, and confident. And no matter what happened, she could always be at peace with herself and never get caught up in self - inflicted troubles.
Soon, the call was answered.
Qu Jiaran's voice was cheerful, still in her usual coquettish tone. "Linyuan, where are you? Will you come out and play with me?"
There was no sign at all that the two had had a fight.
Nan Yu was sitting across from her. The noise in the bar was so loud that she couldn't guess what Tan Linyuan had said.
"It doesn't matter. You can come after your meeting. Yuyu and I will wait for you!" Qu Jiaran said with a big smile. "If you don't come, Yuyu and I will wait for you till dawn."
"You don't believe me?" Qu Jiaran suddenly raised her voice. "Then I'll let Yuyu talk to you!"
After saying that, Qu Jiaran stood up and thrust the phone into Nan Yu's hand without asking. "Yuyu, he doesn't believe I'm with you. Hurry up and prove it to him!"
When the phone was stuffed into her hand, her heart skipped a beat.
Prove what?
She wished Tan Linyuan didn't even know she was here so that she could slip away later.
She wasn't as straightforward as Qu Jiaran. They had just had a fight in the morning, and now she had to meet him at night.
"Answer the phone quickly!" Seeing Nan Yu standing there in a daze with the phone in her hand, Qu Jiaran couldn't help but urge impatiently. "Otherwise, he'll think I'm lying. I never lie!"
Nan Yu had no choice but to put the phone to her ear.
But even so, she didn't know how to start, let alone what to say to him.
Tan Linyuan didn't say a word either. He just listened quietly.
After a long and awkward silence, Qu Jiaran couldn't sit still anymore. "Did he hang up?"
He didn't.
Nan Yu could hear his steady breathing coming through the phone.
Finally, his cold voice came from the other end of the phone. "Where are you?"
His tone was devoid of much emotion, just as cold as he was, like the snow falling in a mountain stream.
Nan Yu's heart skipped a beat.
"I'm..."
"We're at Liang Yi's bar!" Qu Jiaran couldn't stand Nan Yu's hesitation anymore. She immediately stood up, leaned over the table, and shouted into the phone.
Nan Yu: ...
There was a brief and awkward silence.
A few seconds later, she wondered if it was just her imagination, but she seemed to hear a hint of a smile in his voice. "Wait for me."
Just these two words made her heart race for no reason.
Tan Linyuan was usually so cold - tempered that even a slight show of kindness from him could soften one's heart.
She couldn't help but wonder: Was this for her or for Qu Jiaran?
Nan Yu returned the phone to Qu Jiaran. "I'm going to the restroom."
Qu Jiaran was now sure that Tan Linyuan would come. Her tone became cheerful. "I'll go with you!"
"No, you stay here." Seeing that Qu Jiaran was about to argue, Nan Yu came up with a perfect excuse. "What if Tan Linyuan comes and can't find our table?"
Qu Jiaran thought it made sense. "Okay, I'll wait for you. Hurry back."
Nan Yu got up from her seat and walked into the restroom under Qu Jiaran's gaze.
In fact, Nan Yu didn't really need to go.
She just needed an excuse to leave for a while so that she could slip away when Tan Linyuan came and was chatting with Qu Jiaran.
In fact, Nan Yu never intended to meet Tan Linyuan.
She thought she was in a mess and couldn't sit calmly at the same table with him, pretending that nothing had happened and chatting merrily.
She didn't dare to look into his calm and cold eyes.
...
Nan Yu lingered in the restroom for a long time before slowly coming out of the cubicle. She washed her hands and took out her phone from her pocket.
Qu Jiaran didn't come to find her or contact her. Maybe Tan Linyuan had already arrived.
Nan Yu let out a sigh of relief and carefully walked out of the restroom.
As soon as she stepped out, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly. Nan Yu instinctively turned her head. The moment she saw the person's face, her expression turned to one of panic.
---
Tan Linyuan had been there for a while. He was sitting in the chair where Nan Yu had been sitting.
Qu Jiaran propped her chin on her hand and looked at him with shining eyes. She told him that although the atmosphere in this bar was great, there were too many people. It was a mixed - up place with all kinds of people.
Tan Linyuan remained calm and silent, just listening to Qu Jiaran talk.
After a while, he finally asked, "How long has Nan Yu been in the restroom?"
"Let me check."
Qu Jiaran suddenly stopped talking. She took out her phone and checked the time when she had called Tan Linyuan. "She went in almost right after we hung up..."
Suddenly, her voice trailed off. She looked blank. "She's been in there for an hour."
What kind of toilet took an hour?
Qu Jiaran had a bad feeling. "She wouldn't have..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Tan Linyuan stood up and strode towards the restroom.
His expression remained unchanged, but his steps carried a cold and menacing aura, as if he was about to explode at any moment.