Sub-Personality

Two steps away from Fu Liangxia, Little A lounged against the wall. Honestly, his looks were wasted on a casual name like "Little A"—he drew eyes just standing there. She'd already noticed the female customers nearby stealing glances. When Xu Cai called, he lowered his gaze and looked over. Seeing her, he raised an eyebrow, voice lazy. "It's you."

Only a few people were left in the booth, and in the corner, a couple was tangled up in a kiss. Xu Cai was dead drunk, one hand draped over the male host's shoulder, leaning against Fu Liangxia while waving at Little A. "What are you standing there for? Waiting for me to invite you over?"

Fu Liangxia watched him too, dressed in her Saintland uniform, with dark eyes and pink lips, her gaze bright. She looked very obedient, utterly out of place here.

"How could I dare?" Little A strode over with his long legs and said, "Thanks for supporting my business, sis, always calling me over to watch you get sloshed."

His tone was casual, but the words were far too cocky for a male host—none of the ingratiating vibe the others had. More like he was the customer here.

"Get out of here! You're always trying to get a rise out of me! I didn't call you here for me today—I called you for my friend." Xu Cai spat at him.

Hearing that, the man gave her a faint, odd look. Fu Liangxia figured she really didn't want to know what that glance meant.

She watched as Little A came in and sat down beside her, vaguely sensing the body heat radiating from him and a faint fragrance. It was pleasant—a mix of sweet and sour fruit notes with a touch of woodiness, much gentler than the impression he gave off. She wouldn't have guessed he liked this kind of scent; it was hard for her to imagine. She glanced at him, then looked away, fixing her gaze on the glass in front of her, where her eyes and his finely defined chin were reflected.

"Xiaxia, what's your curfew tonight?" Xu Cai asked. "You look like such a model student—if you get home at two in the morning, is Fu Liedong going to kill me on Monday?"

Fu Liangxia smiled. "No." Quite the opposite—he wouldn't care at all what time she got home. And if she'd seen correctly earlier, Fu Liedong was with Su Xingshu, probably getting home later than her.

"You must be a good student. What are you majoring in?" the male host Xu Cai was leaning on struck up conversation.

"Economics and financial mathematics," Fu Liangxia said.

"Into finance?" the platinum-blond man glanced at her.

Fu Liangxia was honest: "Not bad. Mainly, I like money."

That one line instantly cracked up all three people there, even the always-stoic Little A, who tugged at the corner of his mouth with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

The male host beside Xu Cai laughed. "Well said—who doesn't like money? But you're the lucky ones, sitting in a classroom learning how to study money, while we can only think about how to make it."

It came out a bit out of place, but since the one paying was already too drunk to notice, he didn't think much of it. Fu Liangxia had clawed her way up from the bottom in her past life, so she understood the unspoken hardship behind his words. But with Xu Cai, who fell squarely into the "lucky" category, sitting right there, she kept her mouth shut.

It was Little A who shot him a look. "Is that about luck? Give you the chance, and you still wouldn't get it."

Xu Cai backed him up. "Exactly. Xiaxia's amazing—she got first on the entrance exam! Two points higher than Bai Xin!"

Little A's expression froze for a moment at that name, then he curled his lips slightly, looking at Fu Liangxia with a strange expression. Probably because he was wearing a mask and the lighting was dim, no one could see him clearly. Only Xu Cai caught the flicker of excitement in the man's eyes at that instant. But given his icy demeanor, she figured she must've imagined it. Excitement on Little A's face? How could that be?

They hadn't actually been "hanging out" that long. Xu Cai's friends had all gone off to find their own nightlife, and she was barely coherent, lasting only a little while before calling her driver to take her home. Unfortunately, Xu Cai lived in the Queens District, which wasn't on Fu Liangxia's way. But she was gracious enough to offer to drop her off anyway.

Fu Liangxia didn't want to trouble her. Thinking Fu Liedong was around, she could head back with him, so she declined. Xu Cai was probably genuinely exhausted and didn't push it. She just flopped into the car and sped off.

The night was cool as water. Fu Liangxia leaned against the bar entrance, texting Fu Liedong to ask if he was heading back, but got no reply for a long while.

Then, with a roar, a pitch-black motorcycle came out of the back alley of the bar. The rider, in a leather jacket, swept past her like a gust of wind—as cocky as they come. Fu Liangxia glanced up briefly, then looked away, quietly envious. She felt like riding one of those would be the flashiest thing ever.

But before long, the bike slowed and doubled back. A vaguely familiar voice said, "You heading home? Which district?" Under the helmet, a pair of eyes were sharp as a blade, and the platinum-blond hair peeking out gleamed faintly.

Fu Liangxia hesitated. "Ward District."

"Perfect," he said. "Want a ride?"

Fu Liangxia was a bit taken aback—she'd just been envying his flashy ride, and now the chance had landed in her lap. Little A planted one foot on the ground and shrugged. "I'm headed to the Lower City anyway. Past your place."

Fu Liangxia checked her phone. Fu Liedong still hadn't replied. She nodded promptly. "Thanks, sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble. Consider it free perks for a customer." He winked.

Fu Liangxia walked over to him, smiling at his words, and said, "Then the perks should go to Xu Cai—she's the one who paid."

"She's too loud." There was no complaint in his tone, just a simple joke, and it was hard to take offense. The real reason was that Xu Cai didn't need a ride—she had her own driver. But saying that might make Fu Liangxia feel like a backup option.

Fu Liangxia thought: true to his profession, aloof as he seemed, his social intelligence was impeccable.

She was wearing a skirt, so getting on the motorcycle wasn't easy. She'd been about to carefully sit sideways when a motorcycle jacket was tossed out to her. Fu Liangxia caught it and met his eyes in the rearview mirror. "Put it on. Side-sitting isn't traffic-safe, and I don't have many points left to lose." He meant side-sitting was dangerous, but his tone was humorous, so it didn't feel heavy at all.

Fu Liangxia thanked him and put it on. A wave of warmth enveloped her instantly, carrying a faint scent of tobacco.

"Might smell a bit. Just deal with it," he said.

"Fu Liangxia." She'd just settled into the back seat when she heard someone call her name and turned to look. It was Fu Langshu. He was in the back seat of a car, rolling down the window to ask, "Want a ride?"

In the night breeze, Fu Liangxia smoothed her windswept hair, puzzled why he'd ask when he could see she was already on someone else's bike. But since he was her employer, she declined politely: "No thanks. My place is a bit far, and Little A's going that way anyway."

Fu Langshu froze for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the man in front before his brow furrowed slightly. Little A? Isn't that... How could it be on the way? But since Fu Liangxia had said so, he didn't insist.

The Porsche drove off slowly. The man in front glanced at her once she'd steadied herself, started the engine, and said, "You're pretty popular."

"Mainly thanks to everyone's kindness and goodwill," she said.

The man's chuckle came through the wind. "Things haven't been peaceful lately. Even if this is the Upper City, this bar street's crowded and full of prying eyes. Bad people are bound to be around."

"You're really nice." He didn't seem pleased by the compliment, saying flatly, "More like you're too trusting. I said I'd give you a ride, and you just got on. What if I were a bad guy?"

"I don't think you are," she replied.

"Really? Do bad guys go around with 'I'm a bad guy' written on their faces?" he said. "Don't be fooled by this face." There was a hint of self-loathing about his own appearance in his tone.

Fu Liangxia didn't understand where his gloom came from, but she answered his earlier question: "If I had to put it another way, it's less about thinking you're handsome and more about a sense of familiarity."

"Skreech—" The bike swerved into an S-curve on the road. His brows knitted, as if something had struck a nerve. He fell silent, but his speed kept climbing. Fu Liangxia felt like the wind was about to blow her head off. Why was he suddenly angry? She didn't get it, but sensibly chose to keep her mouth shut.

The man weaved through the night on the motorcycle. As they passed over the river bridge, night lights hung across the entire span, stunningly beautiful. He slowed down a bit.

"Pretty, isn't it?" His voice drifted forward, a little distant. Fu Liangxia nodded, looking at the shimmering river, countless lights lined above like a long, flowing galaxy.

"The really beautiful things seem to be the ones that don't cost anything," she heard him say. When he spoke, the man was as profound as an artist. The feeling was oddly familiar, but the spark flashed and vanished before she could grasp it.

"So for painters, if the paintings they make can't surpass that beauty, what's the point of picking up a brush?" His voice was soft, as if murmuring to himself, yet also seeking an answer.

Fu Liangxia thought for a moment, sensing he'd gone down a rabbit hole—and pretty deep at that.

"Can we stop?" she asked.

"Hm?" He didn't ask why, as if going with the flow was perfectly normal. He pulled over at the bridge. In the early hours, the Queens District was eerily silent. Looking across the bridge, there was only the motorcycle, the galaxy, and the two of them.

Fu Liangxia stood at the bridge railing and turned back to look at him. The surrounding lights made her eyes shine even brighter, as if she'd fallen into a sea of stars. She smiled at him. "Probably because every second is a different scene, and the meaning of a painter's existence is to seal that second's beauty in a frame. Whether you surpass it or not doesn't matter—as long as it moves people, that's enough."

The man looked at her, her reflection in his eyes. He froze for a few seconds, then tugged at the corner of his mouth, relaxing back against the railing as he tilted his head up. "You're right. All that matters is capturing this moment." He turned his face to look at the girl shining among the stars. The question that had plagued him for over a year seemed to find an answer in that instant. His brow smoothed, and he felt the bottleneck that had troubled him for so long begin to loosen.

[Bai Xin (sub-personality) Affinity Points +5, current Affinity Points 33.]