"Where the hell have you been?”

Hengci meets the furious glare of his manager as he returns to the bar.

“Bathroom break," he says and begins to clear up the mess accumulated in his absence.

He grabs a napkin to wipe the counter, hopeful that all further interrogations will cease.

It doesn't.

"For an hour?” his manager continues. “I fired Wu Shen tonight. Maybe you should be the next."

Hengci doesn’t respond because this suddenly sounds appealing to him. 

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

With a sigh, he lifts his gaze, but truly, all that appears in his mind is Laoshi's sad eyes and soft smile.

It soon clears, however, bringing clearly into focus, the stout, and cropped-haired tyrant that he’d never really been annoyed by until now.

"How could you leave your station unmanned for an hour?”

“I thought Wu Shen had returned," he explains calmly. "I told Yin Qi to get him to take over."

His manager's tone rises. "You should have waited, to ensure that he did. Do you know how many customers came, complained, and left?"

“There are supposed to be two bartenders working the counter," Hengci says. "In case of incidents like this."

“Exactly! So why didn't you wait? If you had, then he would have told you that he got fired and you would have stayed put. But instead, you took off?"

Hengci considers that an apology might resolve this, but he is truly not in the mood to be contrite towards anyone.

“I wouldn't have 'stayed put'," a nerve twitches in his jaw. "I had an urgent, personal matter to see to.”

His manager frowns. “You just said it was a bathroom break.”

Hengci takes in a deep breath, and then releases it, slowly. He is truly nearing the end of his patience because if there is one thing he cannot stand, it is having to explain himself. This is because more times than not, people will always solely hear and believe what they want to regardless of what you say, so it is pointless.

But still, he gives things a chance and tries again.

“I’ve manned this counter alone over the last few months because Wu Shen has consistently not shown up. And I’ve never complained.”

“So you’re rebelling now?” his manager asks.

Hengci foregoes speaking any further, especially since a patron arrives then and calls out to him.

His manager waits, and after he is done, sticks out a pointed finger to him. “Don’t let this happen again. I’m looking for a replacement for Wu Shen so you better behave until then."

Hengci's gaze lowers to the finger, his skin prickling with annoyance.

“I want a raise,” he says, and his manager stops.

“What?"

“I've been doing the work of two, and last time this happened, you conveniently took almost three weeks to find a replacement.”

The man sputters, his gaze on Hengci, incredulous.

When Hengci however refuses to withdraw his declaration, the man begins to swell like a pufferfish. And then he explodes. 

“Why don't you just quit right now? This is the plan between you and Wu Shen isn't it? You want to twist my arm so that I’ll have no choice but to submit?”

Hengci runs his gaze across the room... and realizes, that he no longer wants to be here.

'Why are you working in a bar at twenty-five?' Laoshi's words come back to him.

He suddenly has no clue, but what he does know is that it has always felt sort of okay in the meantime. Till he figured things out.

Till he figured himself out.

But this 'meantime' has now been almost two years. He doesn’t want to return to school just yet, but at the same time, he no longer wants to be here.

“Alright,” he says and tosses the napkin aside. Then he pulls the bowtie off his collar and sets it on the counter.

His manager's eyes widen. "Y-Hengci.”

He doesn’t respond. His waistcoat comes off next, and then he grabs his phone.

“Goodbye,” he says, and starts to walk away.

“You’re joking," his manager calls after him.

Hengci too wonders if he is, and cannot understand what has suddenly come over him.

“I'm not going to pay you,” comes the panicked yell. “You’re required to give me a notice."

“Hengci," Yi Qin runs up to him with a tray in hand. Hengci sees the shock on his face, and it is only at this point that he feels sort of apologetic to the twenty-one-year-old that had somewhat stuck to him like a little brother.”

“What happened?” he asks, but Hengci continues on his way.

Yi Qin however grabs his arm and Hengci is forced to stop.

“Y-you’re really leaving?” his voice is small.

Hengci sighs. "Mn."

“Why? Did you get another job?”

Hengci shakes his head.

“Then why?”

He looks around at the dimly lit bar once again, and meets the gazes of a few who have become quite familiar, and others who are just strangers.

Laoshi's friends though are no longer in their booth, and neither is Laoshi.

And with this, he realizes that this place has somewhat kept him calm.

But not anymore.

Not after tonight.

He sincerely wonders then if he truly has been waiting. Earlier, he'd meant it as a light jest, but now, he cannot believe how unaware he has been that it was anything but.

“It’s time to leave,” he tells Yi Qin with a shrug.”

He is however stopped again when he tries to move.

“What will you do? You’re going back to school?”

“No, I’ll figure things out.”

Yi Qin's lips part to speak again, but instead, they quiver and snap shut. Hengci also doesn't miss the glint of moisture gathering in his eyes.

“Take care,” he says tightly, and starts to turn away, but Suyin hurries up to him.

“Hengci, the manager wants to see you. He says to come to his office so that you both can have a proper discussion.”

Hengci looks back to see the glare the furious manager sends over, and then he storms away in the direction of his office.

“He'll give you a raise,” Suyin smiles. “Ask for whatever you want okay? You deserve it.”

Perhaps the previous night, this would have been appealing to him, but currently, he is not even tempted in the least.

But still, he is worried, because what is he going to do after this?

He doesn't want to think about it, at least not until he exits the bar.

“Tell him it’s not about the money,” he says, and continues on his way, to the shock of the two people behind.

Soon, he steps out into the bright lights of the lobby and stops in the middle.

People go past him in every direction, and it seems as though he is the fulcrum, stuck in one place, and simply watching it all unfold.

Funny enough, he has felt like this for a very long time, but this is the first time that it has bothered him so immensely.

At this moment, his eyes connect with the receptionist that had booked him the room earlier. 

Hengci recalls that she has come to the bar for drinks several times, and in one instance, shyly left her phone number, scribbled and placed under her empty glass.

He'd tossed it away.

Now, he slightly regrets this because he needs a favor.

He walks over to her and doesn't miss her frame straightening, head shooting down, and her hand nervously tucking her hair behind an ear.

“Hello,” he greets calmly, and her cheeks flush, much to the amusement of the colleagues beside her.

Hengci cannot help but wonder if this is also what his face does when he looks at or thinks of Laoshi.

Like tonight.

Tonight.

He sighs, as something heavy settles in his heart.

“Can I get the room number of a guest that’s lodged here?”

She stares at him, disappointed, and then confused.

“I’m… I c-can’t do that.”

Just as he’d expected.

“Alright, thank you,” he says.

Her gaze softens. “I’m sorry."

"No need," he manages a smile and goes on his way.

He exits the hotel, and then he pulls his phone out of his pocket to call Yi Qin.

His tone is immensely dejected. “Hengci please come back. Laoban is going to make us all lose our minds before the night is over. He cannot believe that you just quit.”

“He'll get over it,” he says and moves on to why he’s calling.

“You know that woman that always spends the night talking to me whenever she comes to the bar, right?”

“Of course. She’s the only one you give your attention to.”

“Yeah. When next she returns, can you please give her my phone number? Tell her I quit and that…”

He hesitates, his nerves finally thrumming.

“And what?” Yi Qin asks.

He collects himself, and presses on.

“And that I’ll be in Beijing. Just in case she truly has any of the work she recommended to me.”

“Beijing? You’re moving to Beijing?!!!??”

Hengci's response is quiet but definite.

"Yes."