Can I Treat You to a Drink?

Beep! Beep! Beep!

At this moment, Huai South Middle Road was completely blocked, and the sound of horns rose and fell.

“It was fine when I came through here half an hour ago. Why is it so congested now?”

As he spoke, the taxi driver impatiently honked twice.

In the back seat, the girl dozing off was woken up by the commotion. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly and she slowly opened her eyes.

Nan Ge had just woken up and was still a little confused.

When she came back to her senses, she reached out and pushed her hair away. “Did something happen up ahead?”

Hearing this, the driver automatically looked up at the rearview mirror. “There’s suddenly a traffic jam, so there must be an accident in front.”

Nan Ge was about to say something when her phone vibrated on her lap. There were a few messages on WeChat.

Yu: [Miss, where are you?]

[You said you were leaving half an hour ago. Why aren’t you here yet? Where on earth are you? Will I see you tonight?]

[Isn’t it about time you changed your lousy Lamborghini? It’s no different from a tractor now.]

[Hey, did you see the photo on my Moments? I just got the latest model. Isn’t it cool? Hehehe. Are you jealous?]

[It’s been two years and you still haven’t gotten a new car. Miss Nan, are you broke or something?]

[…]

[Hey, say something! Where are you? Where are you with your tractor?]

[Say something, will you? Is the signal in the tractor bad?]

Looking at the sarcasm spewing from the screen, Nan Ge was so angry that she woke up. She gritted her teeth and replied.

[I won’t even take a second look at your lousy car even if you give it to me for free! It’s so ugly! You have a such horrible taste!]

[Also, my brother has promised to get me a new car during the new year!]

[Are you serious?]

[That goes without saying.]

[Okay, so where have you reached with your tractor now?]

Nan Ge took a deep breath and typed hard. [My car was sent for maintenance. I took a taxi here, and it’s still stuck on the road.]

Yu sent a string of ellipses and said: [Is the evening rush hour in Huai City so terrible these days? A couple of years ago, it wasn’t so bad.]

Yu was her childhood friend. Neither of them was local to Huai City, and they were from a neighboring city. She was studying at Huai University, and Yu happened to come to a new bar here to celebrate his birthday today.

[It’s not the evening rush hour. I think there was an accident.]

[Fine.]

After a few seconds, she received another message.

[Oh right, it’s raining outside. Did you bring an umbrella? Do you need me to pick you up at the entrance of the bar later?]

Hm? Was it raining?

Nan Ge’s gaze shifted from the phone screen to the window. Only then did she realize that the window was blurry.

In early January, it suddenly rained in Huai City.

However, from the looks of it, the rain was not heavy. It pattered on the car window. Looking out of the car, the raindrops slanted, adding a hazy beauty to the bustling night scenery of Huai City.

She subconsciously touched the umbrella on the seat beside her.

This was what her roommate had asked her to bring before she left. She had not believed it at first when she heard that the weather forecast showed that there would be rain tonight…

The car moved forward at the speed of a tortoise. The driver slowly stepped on the accelerator and complained from time to time.

After a while, Nan Ge heard the driver’s exclamation. “Oh my god. So many cars got into an accident!”

At this moment, the taxi had stopped in front of a red light. Nan Ge and the driver lowered the window at the same time and turned to look at the road beside them.

Indeed, it was human nature to be nosy.

On the blurry rainy night, Nan Ge subconsciously narrowed her eyes in the cold winter wind.

She did not pay much attention to the scene of the accident because the first thing she saw was the figure standing against the light less than a meter away from her.

Under the light, the man was dressed in a suit and leather shoes. He was slightly turned to the side. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. His figure was perfect. He had the standard male model’s figure.

Under the rainy night and the lights, it looked like a long shot in a movie. He took off the silver-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose with one hand and gently wiped them.

After a while, he raised his other hand and gently inserted his slender and fair fingers into his hair, tucking the wet strands of hair behind his head.

He was like an immortal who had accidentally fallen into the world. He was lonely and cold, and he was out of place in this noisy environment.

Nan Ge looked at him automatically, and her breathing stopped for a few seconds until the driver called her.

“Miss?”

“Yeah?”

Nan Ge jerked her head around. The driver urged, “It’s raining heavily. Hurry up and close the window.”

“Oh, okay…” Coincidentally, the green light turned on. Seeing that the driver was about to start driving, Nan Ge blurted out, “Hang on!”

As the driver acknowledged her quizzically, she picked up the umbrella beside her and stretched her hand out of the window. “Hey, you!”

The next second, the man in the rain paused and turned to look at her.

The rain was gradually getting heavier, so Nan Ge could not see the other party’s face clearly. As the driver kept telling her to hurry up, she tried her best to hand the umbrella to him. “Take the umbrella.”

“…” The other party did not move.

She repeated, “The umbrella. You can have it.”

“Take it. The car has to go. Hurry!”

The girl’s eyes were blinded by the rain. Her exquisite makeup was also stained with a few drops of rain. She pursed her red lips and was already a little anxious.

Finally, the man seemed to realize that the light had turned green. He hesitated for a second before taking the umbrella.

——

At the entrance of a convenience store near the scene of the traffic accident, Assistant Yuan bought two umbrellas and rushed into the rain.

They were very unlucky. Probably because of the rain, they were suddenly rear-ended while driving in the middle of Huai South Middle Road.

After the accident, it was not safe to stay in the car. He and President Shen could only get out of the car.

Unexpectedly, the rain got heavier and heavier. After the collision, the umbrella in the Rolls-Royce’s door got stuck and could not be taken out.

It was not a big deal for him to be drenched in the rain, but he was more worried about President Shen.

Before long, the taxi drove away.

Assistant Yuan came back and saw Shen Yanqing holding a small floral umbrella in the rain. He was stunned.

“President Shen, where did you get the umbrella?”

The man raised his chin slightly as if he had thought of something. A smile appeared in his eyes under the glasses.

“A young lady gave it to me.”

——

An hour later, at the OC Bar on Huai North Road, in a booth on the first floor.

The bar owner waited a long time for an important guest before he finally arrived. “Yanqing, you’re finally here!”

Shen Yanqing, 28 years old, was a business giant known by everyone in Huai City. It was said that he had invested in and started a business when he was studying abroad in his early years. After that, he returned to the country and established Huasheng Group. He was known as the business legend of Huai City.

He kept a low profile and never showed his face in front of the media. Usually, he would never attend such an event. However, OC Bar was opening today. As the boss’s friend, he specially came to support it.

“There was some trouble on the road.” The man took off his suit jacket and placed it in the crook of his arm. His gentle face was apologetic. “I was delayed. I’m sorry.”

The bar owner was already thankful that he could come, so he did not take it to heart. He quickly showed him in. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Hurry up and come in. I’ve reserved a good seat for you.”

On the other side, seven or eight young people were sitting together. Nan Ge was wearing the latest black dress by D as she sat steadily in the center seat.

Yu had just finished cutting the cake. The youngsters were arguing about what to play before they chose Dare.

“Woohoo! Nan Ge. It’s Nan Ge!”

In the first round, Nan Ge, who was in the center, was the first to do her dare.

She was a little speechless. “Did you do it on purpose?”

“Hahahaha! How can that be!”

“Miss Nan, come on. Time to do your dare!”

“How about buying the man sitting next door a drink?”

“I stole a glance just now. The man next door is simply the best!”

“It’s no loss for Nan Ge! Let’s go!”

“The best?” Nan Ge did not believe them. She could not believe a single word they said.

However, she had to admit defeat. She could not go back on her word. As she spoke, she put down her wine glass and stood up. “Just you wait!”

She held her wine glass and walked to the next table under the flickering light above her head. “Hi, excuse me. I just lost the game. Can I buy you a drink?”

The light in the bar was dim. Nan Ge could only see a blurry outline as the man leaned lazily on the sofa.

Before long, she heard a gentle voice. However, every word was distant as he turned her down candidly. “I’m sorry. I don’t drink.”