Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 143 - 142: Let’s Play a Game

Chapter 143: Chapter 142: Let’s Play a Game

Night.

The moonlight was cool like water.

Just past eleven o’clock, next door had already started moaning and whimpering.

It was like a little wild cat.

Sun Wen lay on his own bed, restless, turning over, grabbing the pillow to cover his head, and closing his eyes trying to force himself to sleep.

The poor sound insulation of the shabby hotel was unbearable; he had to find a stable place to live soon.

Luckily, the cat’s cries lasted only a brief moment, maybe not even five minutes, before they stopped, and he chuckled inwardly, seizing the opportunity to try to fall asleep quickly.

Otherwise, after midnight it would get noisy.

His mind just began to succumb to sleepiness when the other side, seemingly influenced by the earlier sounds, started whimpering early too.

"Damn!"

Sun Wen sat up, ruffled his hair, clenched his fist as if he wanted to knock on the wall, but then he stopped right before the action.

Isn’t the hotel for this very purpose?

People were just going about their normal activities; it was he who, to save a few bucks, chose to stay in this cheap place, which seemed more unreasonable.

Sitting gloomily back on the bed and listening for a while, Sun Wen took the clothes from the bedhead, put them on, equipped with wallet and cell phone, and left his room.

Past eleven at night, the streets were nearly deserted, with only a few cars passing swiftly by on the road, their lights flashing fading into the distance.

Wandering aimlessly down the road, with the cool summer breeze blowing, Sun Wen looked up at the starry sky, then down at his shadow, a sense of loneliness stirring inside him.

Luo City was neither particularly large nor small, and counting his university years, he had been here for six years.

Yet now he didn’t even have a place to live.

A fleeting thought of going home rose from the depths of his heart, only to be instantly suppressed—what would going home accomplish?

Would he simply return, tail between his legs, to take over the family’s plot of land, having been the first in the village to attend a key university?

For what then had he studied so hard?

Staying here, at least there’s a chance, but what could be done at home?

Farming from dawn till dusk, returning only when it was too dark to see to eat and sleep; leisurely idling through door-to-door gossip and card games during the offseason, taking the occasional odd job in the city...

When of age, finding a wife through matchmaking, having a child, and then hoping that the child would escape the grips of that remote valley...

Sun Wen twisted his mouth mockingly at these thoughts. Rather than living a life with an endpoint in sight, he’d rather starve in Luo City.

Putting down roots here was not easy; he had to strive hard.

The convenience store ahead was still open; he walked in, glanced at the shelves, "A pack of Nanjing and a lighter."

"Hello, that’s fourteen yuan."

"Here."

Sun Wen handed over the money, left the store, unwrapped the cigarettes, and lit one up, inhaling deeply.

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t smoked in a long time, but this drag made him feel dizzy, and he swayed in place, closing his eyes to steady himself before standing firm and slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.

To establish a career and a family, or to start a family and a career, which should come first?

He gazed somewhat absentmindedly at the dispersing smoke.

Though his current salary wasn’t bad, for an outsider like himself looking to set down roots in Luo City, it was far from enough, with the housing prices alone enough to drive one to despair.

So a change was imperative.

He hoped she could wait until then... Sigh.

After finishing the cigarette, Sun Wen tossed the butt to the ground and stamped it out, looking around before heading to the right.

He remembered there was a bar around there, might as well have a couple of drinks there before heading back to sleep.

After walking for more than twenty minutes, he didn’t find the bar but instead came upon a teahouse; he hesitated before entering, knowing that drinking was the same anywhere.

A teahouse, also known as a leisure bar, primarily features soft music; it lacks the commotion and passion of typical bars, with warm lighting and soothing music, making it look more like a café.

Finding a spot at the edge, Sun Wen looked around at the decor and atmosphere of the bar and felt satisfied. He now preferred the quiet to the noise.

His fingers traced twice over the menu before he looked up and called out, "Bring me something with a high proof."

"How high?" asked the bartender, shaking a glass with a smile, "The highest?"

"Just a bit below the highest."

The bartender gave an ok sign and, after selecting from an array of bottles, began to work.

It was now past midnight. The number of patrons in the bar wasn’t many, but not too few either, scattered in twos and threes in every corner whispering to each other. Only three people sat at the bar.

Sun Wen had no interest in greeting anyone, and neither did anyone else seem inclined to make new friends. Each sat on one side, silently engrossed in their own thoughts.

The bartender, whose job included chatting with bored customers, tried to strike up a conversation but, seeing Sun Wen wasn’t very talkative, didn’t persist and went back to wiping down tools with a soft cloth.

The strong liquor burned down his throat, scorching all the way to Sun Wen’s stomach. He pursed his lips, pausing for a moment before finally exhaling deeply.

Not bad.

"Handsome, drinking alone?"

As the voice sounded, a faint fragrance wafted into Sun Wen’s nose. He turned to see a woman with long red hair just taking a seat beside him.

She wore a long red dress paired with red high heels, her makeup meticulous. Flamboyant red lipstick complemented her hair, making her resemble a blazing fire, full of allure.

"Alone," Sun Wen appraised her briefly before nodding in response. He didn’t say much, just lifted his glass for another sip.

Does she look like she’s out to chat someone up?

"Join me?"

True to form, the woman leaned in his direction, her eyes flickering as she watched him.

"It’s just a drink. Does it make a difference whether it’s together or alone?" Sun Wen shook his head.

"Drinking alone is sulking."

"And two people?"

"Two people can lift the spirits." She smiled, nudging her glass toward Sun Wen for a gentle clink, "Right?"

"I’m just drinking to sleep well, not sulking." Sun Wen chuckled and declined.

"Your brows are almost twisted into knots..." The woman started to say and, seeing Sun Wen frown, changed her plea, "Can’t you lift my spirits?"

Rejected twice, she still didn’t seem angry, just smiling in a shallow way.

Sun Wen looked at her for a moment, then raised his glass in a gesture, "Just this one."

Bars, whether noisy or quiet, were all places for fun and pleasure.

He took a sip, set down the glass, and sighed.

In the hotel, here, even in Luo City, he always felt like an outsider.

"How shall we lift it?" he asked.

As long as it wasn’t dragging him into a one-night stand, any way was fine. He’d finish his drink and go back to sleep.

"Lift what, just idle chat." The woman held her glass gently swaying, her eyes roaming over him. "With your build, are you a fitness coach?"

"No," Sun Wen shrugged, "I just work out occasionally and this is the result."

"So what do you do?"

"I’m in the arts."

"Oh?" she expressed surprise, "I wouldn’t have guessed."

"Many people say that," Sun Wen continued to shrug, "but I really am an artist."

She noticed Sun Wen’s gesture and winked at him, "Seems like you’re not too keen on talking."

"It’s fine, I’ll entertain you for a while."

"That won’t help." She took a sip from her swaying glass, her lips glistening with the red wine, looking even redder. "How about we play a game instead?"

Sun Wen pondered for a moment, "Okay."

He was somewhat intrigued now. With nothing else to do, he might as well see what the woman was up to.