As soon as the host Wang Wenze saw the newcor, he imdiately stood up and introduced, "Not late, let introduce, this is my forr roommate Ye Jiumu, and this is...".
Before he could finish, the newcor reached out to greet Pei Yan with a smile and said, "Pei Yan! Yes, yes, you’re quite the talk of the bureau now. I’ve seen your training at the training ground, you’re quite capable!"
"Just average!" Pei Yan quickly held out his hand for a polite shake, and once everyone was seated again, Pei Yan took a closer look at the newcor, who had hair relatively long for a man, casually tied into a ponytail at the back with a rubber band, and a very delicate face that could even be considered quite effeminate.
But there wasn’t that annoying sissy vibe. He took off the leather jacket he was wearing and draped it over the back of a chair, standing carelessly next to Xia Yu. The two, a man and a woman, together embodied one word: bold!
Before Ye Jiumu could settle in, Wang Wenze asked, "Where’s Shangxing?"
"Don’t ntion it, his disguise mark went awry again, nearly causing big trouble today. He’s been sent back to headquarters to reapply it," Ye Jiumu replied unclearly, picking up the tea in front of Xia Yu to drink, only to see Xia Yu tapping the table challengingly with her eyebrows raised.
Ye Jiumu rolled his eyes, placed the teacup in front of Xia Yu and reluctantly imitated the manner of a palace maid, bowing slowly and sarcastically saying, "Your servant greets Miss Xia." Then he plopped back into his seat, taking up the teacup and downing it.
Seeing this, Pei Yan, struggling to hold back his laughter, pointed back and forth between the two of them, "So, you lost to her too?"
"Ah, that’s right!" Ye Jiumu unabashedly nodded, taking a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and gesturing to Pei Yan, "Is it okay to smoke?"
"No problem," Pei Yan waved his hand to indicate it was fine. He used to sneak a smoke in school too, though not regularly, but since joining the bureau, he picked up the habit to relieve the stress from intense training.
Pei Yan curiously asked, "What were you betting on then?"
Ye Jiumu took a cigarette from the pack, tossed one to Pei Yan, picked up a lighter from the dining table, lit it, and took a slow drag, saying, "What else, Director Gu’s affection."
"Director Gu’s affection?" Pei Yan asked in surprise, holding the cigarette in his mouth.
Wang Wenze handed him the lighter and explained, "You’re new, so you wouldn’t know. In the bureau, there’s an internal combat competition every three months, and our boss, Director Gu, always personally attends to observe. Win or lose, as long as you catch his eye, he’ll reward you. It’s not much, sotis a pack of cigarettes, a soda, a long vacation, or occasionally a souvenir from his office. We jokingly refer to this as Director Gu’s affection!"
"So, you both lost to her?"
Xia Yu leaned forward, her hand resting on the table, looking at Pei Yan with a smile, "Oh, are you surprised, young man? There’s another competition in two months, do you want to join the ring then?"
"Xia Yu, have you no sha? You’re second awakened and still bully people!" Ye Jiumu puffed a cloud of smoke in Xia Yu’s face, bluntly revealing.
"I won’t suppress my strength and fight him, I won’t bully him!"
"Hah, last ti you said you’d control your strength, and then you got caught up in the fight!"
"Who are you spitting at?"
"I, I, I’m not spitting at anyone, I’m just speaking the truth..."
Watching the two bicker and Ye Jiumu finally backing down with a smaller voice, Pei Yan couldn’t help but laugh. It felt so familiar, they were no different from the peers around him. Yes, they were of his age, it’s just that he always thought his colleagues in the bureau were much more complex.
Feeling sowhat embarrassed at Pei Yan’s laughter, Ye Jiumu quickly looked at Wang Wenze to change the topic, "Wang Shenpo, I’m starving, who else did you invite? When are we eating?"
"With Shangxing not coming, we only have Explosion left!" Wang Wenze said as he took out his phone, just as the door was pushed open.
To Pei Yan’s surprise, the newcor was nothing like the nickna Explosion suggested, but a gentle and scholarly young woman wearing glasses. Unlike Xia Yu, with her short, neat hair and unkempt attire, she had sleek black hair held back with a bunny ear earmuff, paired with current trendy girls’ outfits, looking cute and playful.
She entered, taking off her coat while apologizing for being late due to just returning from a mission.
Through Wang Wenze’s introduction, Pei Yan learned her na was Liang Qian. Whether Wang Wenze intentionally wanted to flatter or show off his literary skills, he recited a poem related to her na, "Water falls, fish rise, Liang Qian; cold, dreams flower deep in the lake."
Pei Yan vaguely rembered this seed to be a poem by ng Haoran, but he couldn’t recall the title, so he pretended to appreciate it, saying, "Good poem, good na!"
With the last guest seated, the evening banquet officially began. It turned out Pei Yan’s previous concerns were completely unfounded. With Xia Yu and Ye Jiumu, the two food enthusiasts present, the dishes Wang Wenze ordered were quickly consud, and the two weren’t shy about picking up the nu to order more.
During the al, Wang Wenze kept recounting amusing anecdotes from their training, occasionally ntioning Pei Yan’s embarrassing monts since joining the bureau. With laughter and chatter, the young people with little age difference quickly grew closer.
Upon learning that Pei Yan could play the guitar, Ye Jiumu enthusiastically invited him to join his band, which was conveniently short a guitarist, and the slightly tipsy Pei Yan couldn’t refuse, slapping the table in agreent without a second thought.
It was also during the table talk that Pei Yan learned so bureau secrets. For instance, the bureau is divided into two major departnts, the Taoism Departnt and the Magic Departnt, and Wang Wenze’s group belonged to the Taoism Departnt. Tasks from the other two dinsions were shared equally by these two departnts.
Additionally, Ye Jiumu had a brother, Ye Ruozai, another rare dual-awakened talent who also worked in the bureau, described by Wang Wenze as a heavenly figure. Hearing this news, Pei Yan was extrely excited and wanted to inquire more, but found Ye Jiumu uninterested and seemingly reluctant to bring up his brother. anwhile, Xia Yu sitting beside him, unaffected by four or five beers, blushed slightly at the ntion of the na.
This scene, at the ti unnoticed by the naïve Pei Yan, was soon forgotten in his giggly chatter. Many years later, reflecting back on that first night, he couldn’t help but lant how fickle fate is; so things were set the mont they t.
Completely oblivious to the future, Pei Yan was now the epito of youthful naivety, not knowing the taste of worry. Back in his hotown, he wasn’t much of a drinker, but in the liberating environnt of new friends and high spirits, he ended up drinking a lot more than usual, enough to feel a little wobbly when they settled the bill and stepped out of the restaurant.
"And to say you’re from the Northeast! Buddy, I thought you could really hold your liquor, but you’re just as bad!" Xia Yu laughed, patting the staggering Pei Yan, supported by Wang Wenze, teasingly.
Hearing this, Pei Yan pushed Wang Wenze aside. A man can endure anything, but not when a woman says he’s weak. After swaying a bit, he exhaled a long breath of alcohol and stubbornly said, "Who says I’m weak! I can still drink!"
"Alright, enough drinking, let’s head back to the dorm!" Ye Jiumu tightened his leather jacket, advising.
Wang Wenze glanced at his watch and interjected, "No, it’s barely eight. Captain Hu gave us leave until ten, we have nothing to do. Pei Yan’s finally out, shouldn’t we let him enjoy himself?"
Xia Yu shrugged carelessly, "Where to then? We can’t go back and drink more. I’m fine with whatever!"
"Let’s hit an internet cafe near the bureau and play so gas! Just a round or two before heading back, I’ve been wanting to see this guy play with his powers in-ga." Wang Wenze, his face flushed, eagerly suggested.
Hearing this, Ye Jiumu was interested as well, turning to the staggering Pei Yan as he hugged a lamppost, pressing his hot face against it for coolness, and amusedly asked, "So, Pei Yan, are you still good?"
"Let’s go! Forward! Watch as I show you my skills, lead you to victory!" Pei Yan pushed off the lamppost, pointing ahead and striding forward boldly.
"Wrong way, the bureau’s over there!"
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