Waterbound Love - Chapter 15
“Xiaobai, there’s an event at ‘Shadow’ tonight. I need you to cover for me.”
Hearing Shao’s sharp voice through the phone, Du Bai immediately felt a headache coming on. Only this woman would dare to be so recklessly unrestrained.
“Sis, can you just calm down for a bit? If you can’t, at least let me have some peace, okay?”
“617, you’ve got 30 minutes. I know you’re part of the biker gang.”
“Hey, hey!” Du Bai could only smile wryly as the busy tone came through the phone. She changed her clothes and took a cab over. “Biker gang,” she snickered to herself. It would be hard to get back to riding now.
“Shadow” is an absolute entertainment venue: in simple terms, it’s luxuriously decorated with exquisite rooms. In abstract terms, there’s no comfort you can dream of that they don’t provide.
“Good evening, do you have a reservation?”
Apparently, the staff didn’t dare to make a quick judgment on how to address Du Bai. With her tall build, dressed up meticulously for Shao’s event, her delicate and refined appearance made it difficult for anyone to determine her gender at first glance. She couldn’t be bothered to correct their assumptions. “Uh, 617.”
“Number 7, take this guest to room 617,” the receptionist instructed a nearby attendant, then turned back to Du Bai. “Please follow our staff. She will take you there.”
Du Bai nodded, thinking that Shadow truly lived up to its international reputation. The level of service was impeccable. When she had the time, she might revamp Somn to provide an international level of service at domestic prices. That sounded pretty appealing.
As she walked around a corner, someone suddenly burst out, and Du Bai couldn’t dodge in time, colliding with them. It was a group of kids celebrating a birthday, and the one who ran into her was today’s birthday star, and naturally covered in cake and cream, which also ended up on Du Bai. She raised an eyebrow, somewhat helplessly amused.
The young boy looked at Du Bai shyly, his face turning red, unsure of where to place his hands, clearly in the standard pose of a child awaiting punishment for doing something wrong. His expression actually amused Du Bai, making her wonder why a seemingly friendly youth would look at her as if she were going to eat him.
Du Bai smiled gently, her eyes sparkling with light. “Happy birthday. Keep playing.” She ruffled the boy’s hair, a gesture she had perfected on Wei Qingqian.
The boy stood there dazed, then flashed a bright smile before hugging Du Bai and giving her a peck on the cheek. “Thank you,” he said, running off smoothly as if it was planned all along.
This time, it was Du Bai’s turn to be stunned. Was she just teased? Seriously, no warning?
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but…” The attendant began, worried. Du Bai shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ll fix myself up in the restroom. No need to wait, I’ve been here before. I know the way.” With that, she headed straight to the restroom.
After scrubbing off the mess for a while, making herself halfway presentable, Du Bai stepped out and found room “617.” She hesitated outside, psyching herself up, unsure of what antics Shao had planned this time. Putting on a determined face, she opened the door and walked in, glancing around, only for both sides to freeze.
Du Bai took in the room. She knew she should probably say “Sorry, wrong room,” then gracefully close the door and bolt away. But her curiosity got the better of her. She continued to observe.
It seemed as if the room had been paused the moment Du Bai entered. Three men’s surprised gazes, the girl holding a microphone mid-song, and the stunned joy of the guy lifting his drink created a surreal tableau. If Du Bai were less fair-skinned, she’d have resembled a large, freestanding block of beehive coal.
Finally, the spectacled man lazily spoke, “Looks like everyone’s here now.”
Du Bai raised an eyebrow and shrugged, not angered nor showing the embarrassment one might expect from stumbling upon someone else’s secret.
“Sorry, wrong room.” She nodded and elegantly closed the door.
Oh, heavy tastes, huh? She felt a twinge of regret, thinking if she had entered a moment later, she might have seen the live action. Would she get a stye from this?
Seeing the room number outside, she realized her mistake. In her haste, she had confused room 611 for 617. She smiled wryly and shook her head. She had barely taken two steps when someone grabbed her arm.
“Du Bai, it’s not what you think.”
Du Bai raised an eyebrow again, not because she wasn’t professional, but because hearing such melodramatic lines twice in her lifetime seemed like a tragedy.
“Young Master Wei, could you please let go first?”
Wei Wen released her hand awkwardly, wanting to explain but unable to find the words. He frowned, the scar on his forehead becoming more prominent.
“Du Bai, I was just out for a drink. Don’t be mad.”
Du Bai raised her hand to stop him. “I think you misunderstand, Young Master Wei. I wasn’t looking for you. I just accidentally went into the wrong room while out having fun.”
Wei Wen’s anxious and handsome face turned slightly grim. He seemed incredulous as he spoke in a low voice, “Is it really that simple?”
“It’s really that simple.” Seeing his defeated expression, Du Bai knew she had to clarify things to avoid trouble, which she despised. “What happened today was a mistake. I just entered the wrong room. As for what I saw, I can’t really remember. It doesn’t concern me, right?”
Wei Wen’s eyes dimmed, staring at Du Bai with a complicated emotion.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving. My friend is still waiting for me.” Du Bai said, walking away. Behind her, Wei Wen tried to stop her, opening his mouth but no sound came out. His hand dropped helplessly, leaving a fleeting mark in the air. Unbeknownst to them, this scene was observed by a pair of piercing eyes behind glasses.
Even though Du Bai had mentally prepared herself, the scene inside when she opened the door was shocking, far more intense than what she had just seen in 611.
The previous scene, though shocking, had nothing to do with Du Bai, so she could detach herself and watch with idle curiosity. But this time, her own life was at stake.
“Shao, are we hosting a large-scale drinking party today?” Du Bai felt a chill down her spine. She bet she could soak a towel with the sweat on her forehead right now.
“Young Master Du, you sure know how to make an entrance. Just an hour late, and I, as the host, surely can’t help but toast to your grand arrival, right?”
Seeing Shao lounging on the sofa with her legs crossed, fanning herself with one hand, Du Bai raised an eyebrow. In this cold weather, wasn’t she afraid of catching a chill? She looked just like a landlady in charge of a tenement.
“Do we really have to do one shot per minute?” There was no way she could avoid this, but she could at least try to drink a little less. Drinking that much, she thought, even a pregnant woman wouldn’t be able to hold it all.
“Oh, Young Master Du, you have such style. Think it’s too little? Bring more glasses, and hey, don’t use those tiny ones; do you want to raise fish in them? Yep, that bigger one.”
She thought to herself, “Do you want to brew tea with that big glass?” But she kept it to herself. “No, no, no, really, that’s not necessary. Shao, drinking too much alcohol isn’t good for you.” Bargaining with this woman who was practically a man in disguise had never worked, so she tried appealing to her emotions.
“No worries. It’s all beer. I know your tolerance. Even if you end up doing something reckless, I’ll find you someone perfect, and you’d still come out ahead.”
Reluctantly, Du Bai walked to the table, picked up a glass, and started drinking. The people around cheered loudly, appreciating her effort. Du Bai could only manage a bitter smile; of course, they’d cheer-they weren’t the ones drinking.
She kept drinking one glass after another. After downing more than ten glasses, she couldn’t take it anymore and called for a break, heading to the restroom. Glancing back at the forty-some glasses left on the table, she wished she could just keep walking and never return.
“Young Master Du, should I find someone to accompany you?” Shao said lazily, still in the same relaxed position on the sofa.
“No need.” Those two words were practically squeezed out from between Du Bai’s teeth.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Du Bai saw her flushed cheeks, contrasting starkly with her normally pale complexion, creating an oddly eerie effect. When she noticed her own eyes in the reflection, her mind went blank for a moment. She smiled self-deprecatingly, thinking, luckily, she hadn’t actually smiled out loud.
Who knows how she would have lost her composure otherwise.
“Are you okay?” Tiantian pointed to Du Bai’s face. “You don’t look so good.”
Du Bai slightly raised the corner of her mouth and spoke slowly, “I’m fine.” She also pointed to her face, “Don’t let it fool you, it’s just the alcohol showing on my face.”
Tiantian felt awkward at that moment, shifting uncomfortably.
Du Bai smiled and ruffled Tiantian’s hair, “Let’s go back and watch me drink.”
Back in the private room, Du Bai picked up the alcohol and started drinking without a word, one glass after another. Occasionally, she looked through the glass at Tiantian’s gentle face, then closed her eyes and downed the glass in one gulp. She had no idea how many glasses she’d drunk. She picked up another glass without looking closely and drank it down. The liquid burned her throat and turned her stomach upside down in an instant. Du Bai tried to smile and keep drinking, but couldn’t hold back and vomited. She bent over in pain and started coughing violently.
Shao rushed over and patted Du Bai’s back. Once Du Bai calmed down a bit, Shao grabbed the glass Du Bai had hidden behind her back.
“Who? Who switched her drink to Baijiu1?” Shao said, throwing the glass to the ground with a loud crash.
The room fell silent immediately, the sudden event halting all jokes. No one dared to admit it. Shao smiled coldly, her face full of menace. “Fine, no one wants to own up to it?”
Everyone knew Shao’s temper well enough to understand that once she started investigating, it would be no fun anymore. After a long pause, someone stood up hesitantly, head lowered. “I’m sorry, I thought it would be more fun this way.”
Shao’s face twisted with rage. She rushed over, grabbing the person by the collar. “Fun? You better remember, the only one allowed to mess with her is me.”
“Shao,” Du Bai struggled to stand and looked at the napkins on the table. Tiantian understood, pulling out two and handing them to her. Du Bai wiped the corners of her mouth. “Let her go, I’m okay.”
“But-”
“I said I’m okay.” To prove her point, she picked up a beer from the table and chugged it. Placing the empty glass on the table, she reached for a second one, but Shao quickly grabbed it from her hand. “What are you doing?”
Seeing Shao’s red eyes, Du Bai couldn’t help but feel a bit softened. “Proving I’m fine, why are you snatching my glass? There’s still so much left.” She spoke with a tone of grievance, her innocent eyes looking pitifully at Shao.
“You-, I’ll drink for you!” Shao’s roar seemed to shake the skies. Du Bai’s heart trembled, though with amusement.
“Alright, everyone, come over, Shao said she’ll drink the rest for me. Cheering, everyone, cheer her on,” Du Bai’s shout livened up the previously tense atmosphere. Shao only gave her a glare before picking up the glass and starting to drink. Seeing the mood lighten, everyone gathered around Shao to cheer her on.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Du Bai slipped out unnoticed.
Footnote:
- Baijiu(白酒):Baijiu is a traditional Chinese distilled liquor, typically made from grains such as sorghum, corn, and wheat.
