As soon as the host Wang Wenze saw the newcomer, he immediately stood up and introduced, "Not late, let me introduce, this is my former roommate Ye Jiumu, and this is...".
Before he could finish, the newcomer 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 newcomer, 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 mention 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, sometimes 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 shame? 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 time 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 somewhat 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 newcomer was nothing like the nickname 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 name was Liang Qian. Whether Wang Wenze intentionally wanted to flatter or show off his literary skills, he recited a poem related to her name, "Water falls, fish rise, Liang Qian; cold, dreams flower deep in the lake."
Pei Yan vaguely remembered this seemed to be a poem by Meng Haoran, but he couldn't recall the title, so he pretended to appreciate it, saying, "Good poem, good name!"
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 consumed, and the two weren't shy about picking up the menu to order more.
During the meal, Wang Wenze kept recounting amusing anecdotes from their training, occasionally mentioning Pei Yan's embarrassing moments 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 agreement without a second thought.
It was also during the table talk that Pei Yan learned some bureau secrets. For instance, the bureau is divided into two major departments, the Taoism Department and the Magic Department, and Wang Wenze's group belonged to the Taoism Department. Tasks from the other two dimensions were shared equally by these two departments.
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 extremely excited and wanted to inquire more, but found Ye Jiumu uninterested and seemingly reluctant to bring up his brother. Meanwhile, Xia Yu sitting beside him, unaffected by four or five beers, blushed slightly at the mention of the name.
This scene, at the time 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 lament how fickle fate is; some things were set the moment they met.
Completely oblivious to the future, Pei Yan was now the epitome of youthful naivety, not knowing the taste of worry. Back in his hometown, he wasn't much of a drinker, but in the liberating environment 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 some games! Just a round or two before heading back, I've been wanting to see this guy play with his powers in-game." 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!"