– CP | Chapter 8

I have to say, I was lucky—and a little reckless. Fresh out of school, naïve as could be, and somehow I managed to run into a player and still end up friends with him.

One day, after drinking too much, I grabbed Han Che and told him how amazing I was for escaping a jerk unscathed. He immediately objected.

“Me? A jerk?”

I nearly spat out my drink. Pointing at him, I launched into a rant about men.

“Seriously, has science figured it out yet? Which gene sequence is responsible for this twisted confidence and blind self-belief?”

That came later.

For now, let’s expose just how much of a player this man really was.

He ordered a bottle of vodka.

I scoffed.

“One bottle won’t be enough to cover all the lies this guy’s told.”

Han Che sat cross-legged across from me. The music was deafening, so close that our knees touched.

I cleared my throat dramatically and began my interrogation.

“Are you really a road-and-bridge engineer?”

With a smug twist of his neck, he pushed a full shot glass toward me.

“Absolutely genuine.”

I still didn’t believe him and looked toward his friend for confirmation.

His friend stared back as if I’d asked the dumbest question imaginable.

So I tipped back the shot.

Boldly.

Big mistake.

I wasn’t used to hard liquor. The vodka burned all the way down. I grabbed the bottle and squinted at the label.

50% alcohol.

Well, bar liquor was usually watered down. Let’s call it 30%.

Han Che whistled and watched me with amused eyes.

I made an “O” shape with my mouth and exhaled.

“Xi’an Jiaotong University?”

“Drink.”

He held another shot up to my lips and shook his head dramatically.

“Tsk. Getting you drunk is harder than I thought.”

“Do you really own a place by Moonlight Lake?”

He pushed another glass toward me.

“Your age?”

Another nod toward the table.

Damn it.

I drank again.

“You don’t actually have a former name, do you?”

This time he snapped his fingers approvingly and drained a shot himself.

The whole time he watched me.

Even while drinking.

The tilt of his head, the movement of his throat.

Thankfully the bar was dark, otherwise my lovestruck expression would’ve been impossible to hide.

“Everything you wrote on Zhihu—is it true?” I asked.

“Zhihu?”

He froze.

“What?”

“Wasn’t that you? The way you answer questions, your professional knowledge—it’s exactly the same.”

Including all those dating strategies.

I’d drunk too quickly and was starting to feel dizzy. I rubbed my temples.

“How did you find that?”

For the first time, his expression turned serious.

Not frighteningly serious, but serious nonetheless.

“Zach Han. It wasn’t hard to search.”

I shrugged.

“You read my Zhihu and you’re still asking whether I’m really an engineer?”

He looked uncomfortable and silently downed another shot.

“How was I supposed to know? Maybe it was just another persona you maintain.”

“Who has time for that?”

Another shot disappeared.

“You’re not busy enough to stop lying all the time!”

I huffed and patted my chest in frustration.

At this point, the friend finally fulfilled his greatest purpose and stepped in as moderator.

“Are we continuing or not? Nobody’s passed out yet.”

Apparently, getting someone drunk was an important part of their game.

I still had questions.

Fueled by alcohol, I became increasingly animated. I raised my hand high in the air like an eager student answering a question.

“That day—you didn’t actually have a meeting, did you?”

His face lit up with appreciation.

“Nice one.”

He finished his drink and smacked his lips.

“Seriously? You lied about that too?”

I looked utterly betrayed.

“You even said your boss would yell at you. I was worried about you!”

“Please.”

He laughed.

“I’m one of the shareholders. Who’s going to yell at me?”

Then he added:

“And technically that wasn’t a lie. It was an exit strategy.”

The DJ suddenly blasted the music even louder.

Han Che wrapped an arm around me and leaned close to my ear.

“So I could have an excuse not to reply to messages or to leave whenever I wanted.”

Then he let go and gave me a look that clearly said:

Congratulations. You’ve unlocked a new life lesson.

I crooked a finger at him.

He leaned in immediately.

Caught off guard, I accidentally breathed alcohol fumes right into his face. My lips brushed the tip of his nose.

“Then…” I asked. “The ED?”

For a split second, something sharp flashed through his eyes.

Then it vanished beneath another smile.

“Why? Planning to verify it yourself?”

I shook my head.

Completely disappointed.

After finishing all the required shots, I flashed the friend an OK sign.

Interrogation complete.

No useful answers obtained.

Even though I’d drunk more than Han Che, he was still trash.

“What I don’t understand,” I muttered, pouting, “is if you really can’t… you know… then why do you chase girls at all?”

Such a waste.

A face like that.

A body like that.

“What?”

He leaned closer and shouted over the music.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and repeated the question into his ear.

I was drunk enough that my words came out unevenly, my breath warming his ear.

I didn’t notice his gaze darken.

I only focused on hearing his reply.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

His lips were right beside my ear.

“People like me are kind of messed up. If we can’t find a sense of conquest there, we look for it somewhere else.”

“Then why string me along? Why not just ignore me from the beginning?”

The wasted effort still annoyed me.

“You told me I was the only person you’d really connected with since moving to M City.”

This time he wasn’t speaking into my ear.

He was speaking against my cheek.

His words left my skin hot and damp.

“I couldn’t just take away your only source of hope.”

The worst part?

I was actually touched.

My lips parted.

I wanted to thank him.

It was true.

He had helped me through those difficult first months in a strange city.

He’d taught me all kinds of practical things about living in M City.

I was only halfway through forming my gratitude when he interrupted.

“Touched?”

I nodded.

He lifted my chin.

Then, very casually, said:

“Then let’s kiss.”

A sharp ringing filled my ears.

I frowned, completely at a loss.

The next moment, my lips had already melted into his practiced, lingering kiss.

Halfway through, someone threw a jacket over our heads, blocking out the shifting lights around us.

And in that instant, both of us reached for each other’s shoulders and necks at the same time.

The kiss deepened.

Growing bolder.

More intense.