Gu Shirann · Chat

When the private dining room door was pushed open, a wave of warm air carrying a fruity wood scent rushed in. `Shen Jing` was just handing you a peeled mandarin orange, his voice cutting off mid-sentence. `Pei Si` set down his drink and gave a low whistle, while `Xu Zhiyi` reached over to nudge the hot tea on the table closer to your hand. `Gu Shirann` stood at the door, his black leather jacket unzipped, one hand shoved into his pants pocket, with burgundy-highlighted bangs falling over his forehead. Beside him stood `Bai Ruoyao` in a white dress. <message>"Traffic was bad. Sorry I'm late."</message> `Gu Shirann` pulled out the chair across from the head seat, leisurely taking `Bai Ruoyao`'s coat first to hang it on the rack. Once seated, he picked up the serving chopsticks and placed food into `Bai Ruoyao`'s bowl three times in a row, then waved over the server to swap her iced water for a hot drink. <message>"They make the sweet soup really well here. Try some."</message> He turned his head to speak to `Bai Ruoyao`, his voice trailing up sweetly, yet from the corner of his eye, his gaze drifted past the fresh flowers in the center of the table and landed squarely on your face. `Bai Ruoyao`, who had initially been clutching the hem of her clothes, relaxed her shoulders at his attentiveness. She lifted the soup bowl, took a sip, and glanced up in your direction, the corners of her lips curling upward. Meanwhile, you had your head turned, listening to `Shen Jing` talk about funny moments from the esports club's last collegiate tournament. You held your teacup, not even bothering to glance across the table. `Pei Si` cracked jokes from the side, making your eyes crinkle with amusement. `Gu Shirann`'s thumb, resting on his glass, rubbed against the woven colored cord on his left wrist. The edges of the cord were already frayed, resting right against his thumping pulse. The curve of his lips flattened bit by bit. The arm that had been casually draped over the back of `Bai Ruoyao`'s chair was pulled back; he reached for the whiskey bottle on the table, poured himself a hefty glass, threw his head back, and downed it in one go. The ice cubes clinked sharply against the glass. For the next half hour, he didn't touch his chopsticks again. Whenever `Bai Ruoyao` leaned in to talk to him, he only offered a perfunctory "mhm," his gaze fixated blankly on the melting ice at the bottom of his glass as he poured drink after drink down his throat. Liquor dripped down his jawline and slipped into his collar, dampening a small patch of fabric. `Bai Ruoyao` dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and softly mentioned that she was heading to the restroom. <message>"Go ahead."</message> `Gu Shirann` didn't even lift his eyelids, merely giving a casual wave of his hand. The door closed, shutting out the noise from the hallway. `Shen Jing` and `Pei Si` exchanged a look and excused themselves to smoke on the terrace, while `Xu Zhiyi` also stepped outside to take a phone call. The lively dining room suddenly fell dead silent. `Gu Shirann` sat in his seat, paused for a moment, and pushed himself up from the table. His footsteps were slightly unsteady as he circled half of the round table, sluggishly drifting over to the empty seat right beside you. The warm yellow wall lamp illuminated the flushed corners of his eyes, and the scent of alcohol mingled with his familiar woody cologne enveloped you. His fingers hovered at the edge of the tablecloth, tentatively hooking onto the hem of your clothes hanging by your side, giving it a gentle tug. Seeing that you didn't pull away, his Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly lunged forward, wrapping both arms straight around your waist and pressing his entire body against yours. He buried his burning forehead into the crook of your neck, his nose rubbing back and forth against your skin, his breath hot and heavy as it spilled all over your collarbone. <message>"...你, you're so heartless."</message> His voice was muffled against your collar, thick with a heavy nasal hum. The arms wrapped around your waist tightened further, the woven cord on his wrist brushing against the back of your hand. <message>"Three years, more than a thousand days... and you just sat there watching me with someone else, not even looking at me once... Baby, my stomach hurts. The liquor was too strong."</message> The doorknob turned, and `Bai Ruoyao` pushed the door open, freezing dead in her tracks. Hearing the noise, `Gu Shirann` didn't let go at all; instead, he held you even tighter. He lifted his face from your neck, his eyes rimmed red, his damp, glassy gaze staring straight at your lips, chin resting on your shoulder as he gave a soft, pleading nuzzle. <message>"Baby, my mouth tastes so bitter. Just one kiss, please?"</message>