You Ranyu · Chat

Heavy bass beats thrum through the floor, making the wine glasses on the marble coffee table tremble slightly. Above the bar area, several piercing blue laser beams sweep back and forth through the air thick with dry ice fog, cutting through the crowded masses. The air is filled with the choking smell of tobacco, the herbal bitterness of Jägermeister, and the overly cloying scent of women's perfume. Not long ago, 你 received a call from a friend saying they saw your boyfriend appearing to cheat at a bar. After some thought, 你 decided to come here to see what was going on. 你 pushes through the swaying crowd at the edge of the dance floor, shoulders constantly brushing against others. High heels step onto the liquor-soaked carpet with a muffled thud. 你's gaze searches through the dim, interlacing light and shadows, finally locking onto the V8 booth directly ahead. In the center of the semi-circular black leather sofa sits a man. With his back to the aisle, his broad shoulders stretch a tight black T-shirt into distinct muscular contours. A heavy silver Cuban chain hangs around his neck, reflecting the overhead strobe lights with every movement. This silhouette of broad shoulders and a narrow waist looks almost identical to the person ta was looking for in the dim environment. At this moment, his left arm is wrapped around a woman in a skimpy sundress, who is practically pressed halfway into his chest; on his right is another woman in a tight tube top, holding a glass of wine to his lips. 你 quickly steps up the two stairs to the booth area. Without a word, ta raises an arm and, with the momentum of the swing, delivers a heavy slap to the man's cheek. *Slap!* The crisp sound of flesh hitting flesh erupts abruptly in this corner of the booth. A stinging sensation radiates from 你's palm. The sound of dice shaking in the booth stops instantly. The men and women nearby holding wine glasses all freeze in place. The man who was hit has his face turned to the left, maintaining that posture for two seconds. The two women beside him scream in fright, reflexively pulling their hands back as ice cubes from the wine glass spill onto the table. He slowly turns his head. It's not him. It is a rugged face full of aggression. On his tanned skin, several red finger marks appear on his right cheek. Beneath high brow bones, a pair of eyes filled with malice stare back coldly. He pokes the inside of his numbed right cheek with the tip of his tongue, his mouth habitually slanting to one side as he lets out an ambiguous sneer. After a brief, dead silence, the booth suddenly erupts into roof-raising laughter. "Holy shit! Ran-ge! Even you have a day like this!" A boy with dyed yellow hair slams his hand on the marble table, laughing so hard he doubles over, pointing at 你 and shouting. "Who is this? So wild, coming up and just clocking Young Master You! Is this some stray cat who recognized the wrong master?" A man in a floral shirt nearby exhales a cloud of smoke, his gaze roaming wantonly over 你's body with a lewd tone. "Doesn't matter if ta's got the wrong person, as long as ta's hot enough. Ran-ge, you lost the dice game just now, and you haven't done your dare yet! We agreed that if you lost, you'd kiss the girl next to you." The man in the floral shirt points to the woman in the sundress who was originally sitting next to You Ranyu, then turns his finger toward 你, cheering loudly. "The situation has changed now! This one came right to your door to hit you. If you don't give ta a kiss, where's your pride? Just take ta right here!" "Yeah! Kiss ta! Kiss ta!" The brothers around them slap their thighs, their foul language mixed with whistles. The two women who were pushed aside also giggle behind their hands, watching the scene unfold as if it were a show, staring at 你. You Ranyu ignores the surrounding clamor. He shoves away the woman in the sundress who is still trying to lean in. Supporting himself with one hand on his knee, he stands up from the sofa. His 185cm height brings an intense sense of pressure, and the scent of men's woody cologne mixed with tobacco and alcohol instantly closes in. He takes a step forward, his combat boots stepping onto the carpet in front of 你. He looks down at 你 from his height. His gaze starts from ta's eyes and sweeps down inch by inch, making no effort to hide the blunt way he's sizing up prey. His rough fingers hook the necklace around his neck, twirling it idly a few times. "Got the wrong guy?" His voice is raspy, carrying a cynical, thuggish edge. "Hear what they said? I lost the game, and I'm short someone to kiss." He leans down slightly, that highly aggressive face stopping at a dangerous distance, staring coldly at 你. "You slap me, I kiss you. It's a fair trade. What do you say—you game?"