Nightlife Shouldn't Be Too Much

[From childhood, I have been alone, Taking care of, Generations of stars.]

-- "Loneliness"

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The oil lamp of life eventually burns out, while the night sky is boundless.

When I was little, I always heard stories like this: after people die, they turn into stars in the sky.

Yeah, a really cliché saying.

With the development of the times, in this era of information explosion, even precocious kids don't believe such stories anymore.

"Don't listen, don't listen, a turtle reciting scriptures."

Turning into stars in the sky! It's utterly ridiculous.

Lu Yibai, with his "Gintama-style" dead fish eyes, looked at the dots of stars in the sky and couldn't help but recall that saying.

The reason he thought of this was because his father had passed away just a week ago.

He had been very busy during this time, handling his father's funeral arrangements.

If the saying about "turning into stars" were true, then there should be one more star in the sky now.

Lu Yibai had a good relationship with his father. Although he grew up in a divorced family, he didn't feel he lacked love.

His father was, in a way, a Beijing drifter in his youth, a folk singer. Folk music was quite popular in their era. Of course, folk music had become popular again in recent years.

Many Beijing drifters made it big in that era, but his father didn't.

He often performed at bars. It was hard work, but the income was decent.

Later, he switched to other, more stable occupations.

When faced with a choice between his dreams and his son, he didn't hesitate.

But perhaps because of this experience, his father always wanted to open his own bar.

To be precise, he wanted to open a "quiet bar."

A "quiet bar" is different from a rowdier bar; it's a place where people can drink and chat. Perhaps there would be a live performance, or he might even perform himself. After all, he used to be a folk singer, which would make it a "live bar."

Of course, his father wasn't interested in the kind of bars that young people liked. He couldn't understand why those well-dressed or even revealing men and women would occasionally go to a "wellness disco."

It was as simple and pure as a chef wanting to open his own restaurant.

A few months ago, his father had started planning to open a bar and had even found a design company.

The day before the car accident, his father had enthusiastically taken him to the design company to look at the blueprints.

Yeah, the style was great.

While looking at the design blueprints, he was like an emperor showing his son the empire's map.

"Look! What is this?"

"A picturesque landscape."

"Wrong! It's 'My and your picturesque landscape'!"

Of course, such dialogue, filled with a strong sense of historical drama and a touch of chuunibyo, wouldn't actually come from the father and son. But as his father looked at the blueprints and then at Lu Yibai, he was filled with ambition.

This is my son's bar.

It's a shame...

Could it really be like that classic line from "The Stick":

--This is fate?

Lu Yibai shook his head, trying to pull himself out of his sadness.

He widened his "Gintama-style" dead fish eyes as much as possible to appear more alert, then got on a shared bicycle.

He wanted to find a bar and get drunk.

Lu Yibai was someone who didn't appear particularly energetic. His personality could be described with a popular modern term: a "Zen man."

He was quite a casual person.

Since he wanted to ride his bike around and clear his head, he thought he might as well see if he could pass by any bars. If he did, he'd go in and have a few drinks.

Whatever happens, happens!

In October, Wucheng's weather was quite pleasant. He first rode around the well-known International Trade City for a while, then started riding aimlessly.

He didn't look at street signs. Whenever he reached an intersection, he'd just pick a direction and go.

Turning east and west, he inexplicably found himself on a small road.

He hadn't been to this area much.

"Huh, I've ridden this far already?"

A man needs stamina, you can't just ride for a little while, right?

Lu Yibai got off his bike and started walking, pushing the shared bicycle forward.

The reason he hadn't ridden past quickly was that although the alley was pitch black, it didn't feel eerie or terrifying. On the contrary, he felt a sense of peace.

A peace for no reason.

In front of a shop, there was an old locust tree. Sitting on a small stool under the tree was a middle-aged man in a three-piece suit.

He was a very refined man.

Not only was he in a three-piece suit, but his mustache was also meticulously trimmed, and his leather shoes were spotless.

Oh, right, he was also wearing round, black-rimmed glasses.

Strangely, it was hard to get a clear look at his eyes beneath the frames.

Staring so intently at a stranger was impolite, even for a man looking at another man.

But Lu Yibai couldn't help but notice him.

What else could he do? The guy was dressed like that but sitting on a small stool.

And what he said had successfully caught Lu Yibai's attention.

The uncle picked up a fallen leaf from the ground and said in a deep, melancholic tone:

"Do leaves fall because the wind chases them, or because the tree doesn't hold on?"

So cheesy!

Huh, it actually rhymes...

Lu Yibai complained fiercely in his mind.

He was dressed so respectably, looking like a man of culture. He thought the guy would say something sophisticated and pretentious.

So tacky!

A slightly impatient female voice came from inside the shop. Her voice sounded quite pleasant: "Isn't it because autumn has arrived?"

Wow! Here's an honest person!

"What do you know!" the middle-aged man sitting on the small stool under the old locust tree shouted back into the house.

The woman inside chose to ignore him.

Then, he saw Lu Yibai standing nearby, listening to their conversation with interest. "Young man, what do you think?"

Lu Yibai felt like a good student called on by the teacher in class. He looked at the uncle and said earnestly, "Leaves fall because of abscisic acid."

As soon as he finished speaking, a few more leaves fell from the big locust tree.

The scene became extremely awkward.

"What... what acid?" the uncle asked after a long pause.

Lu Yibai naturally wasn't going to explain.

To his surprise, he saw a small blackboard nailed to the old locust tree, with "Shop for Transfer" written on it.

"What kind of shop is this?" Lu Yibai asked curiously.

"A bar."

What a coincidence.

Speaking of which, after riding his bike for so long and having a cup of cola before leaving, he was also feeling a bit of an urge to pee.

"Is it still open?" Lu Yibai asked.

This middle-aged man, who spoke such cheesy lines, was likely the bar's manager.

"Yes, yes, it's open," the middle-aged man immediately stood up from the small stool, tidying his suit jacket.

Then, he bent down, hugged the small stool, and walked into the bar with a happy, mincing gait.

So flamboyant...

Suddenly, he didn't feel like going in. What if it was dangerous?

"Shhh—"

The guy was even whistling happily, which made Lu Yibai's urge to pee even stronger.

Go in, or not go in?

It's urgent, waiting for advice online.

(ps: The new book has started! Please spread the word, and ask for recommendation votes and collections~)