Celebrating

The other employees reported by 10 am.

"Morning, boss. I thought the restaurant wouldn't be opened till later."

"Nonsense. I said you could sleep in, doesn't mean the restaurant will. Get yourself ready for work quickly."

Old man Shen laughed, which his employees found unusual that he'd be laughing so early in the morning. Everyone quickly reported to their workstations.

Another day at the restaurant ended smoothly. The employees were about to leave when old man Shen called them for a brief announcement.

"You all should know Zhi Luan. The last time I introduced him, he was under probation. I am now pleased to inform you that he has officially started working with us."

John's eyes immediately widened when he heard this,

"Oh, that's good. We should celebrate!"

"Congratulations Zhi Luan. Welcome to the restaurant..."

Yu Lu smiled at him.

Lu Yu patted Zhi Luan's shoulder,

"I know a good place we could have a drink… bills on me."

Everyone got excited to hear that.

Old man Shen didn't want to ruin the mood, but had to remind them,

"Be careful not to get wasted… there's still work to be done tomorrow."

Zhi Luan saw how all three clustered around him, urging him to join them. And given the old man's consent, he saw no reason to refuse.

"Alright, as long as you're paying."

The four of them arrived at a bar quite a distance away from the restaurant. It was almost 11 pm, but the bar still had some customers. They made themselves comfortable in a booth, while Zhi Luan observed the place. It didn't matter what era it was; wine always had the same effect on people.

They placed their orders for a round of drinks. Zhi Luan took a quick taste of the beer before gulping away its contents. He praised how smoothly it flowed down his throat and its delicious after-taste. Back in his day, the wine was stronger, but a lot harsher to the throat.

Another round of beers was brought, until the fourth round. At this point, everyone started feeling tipsy. John's vision started to blur, Lu Yu still held his liquor, while Yu Lu was on the verge of passing out. In contrast, Zhi Luan still maintained a level head.

"Who knew you could hold your liquor like this? Here I thought I could out-drink you… what a joke."

John barely spoke.

"It's nothing. I'm feeling a bit lightheaded myself," said Zhi Luan modestly.

Lu Yu silently watched as the two talked. Zhi Luan noticed his stare but remained oblivious to it until Lu Yu spoke up.

"I've always wondered how you met the old man. Do you mind telling us?"

John and Yu Lu's interest was piqued. They wanted to ask this too, but they were too drunk to remember. They all looked at Zhi Luan to hear what he had to say.

"We met rather strangely. I needed a place to stay when I passed by the restaurant. I got intrigued and walked in. The old man thought I was pranking him at first when I requested a job and placed me on a week's probation when he later saw how good I was…"

Zhi Luan summarized his encounter with old man Shen in a few sentences.

"I see," said John.

"The old man quit leasing the rooms upstairs to outsiders for personal reasons. You must have been very convincing for him to let you stay there."

"The old man can be difficult sometimes. But I assure you, he's a lot more receptive than he seems."

Lu Yu chimed.

Yu Lu couldn't handle the alcohol and left early; Zhi Luan, John, and Lu Yu continued until 1 am. By that time, both John and Lu Yu were wasted. This was Zhi Luan's sixth bottle, but it looked like he was still getting warmed up.

"Damn, how can you still look composed after drinking so much?"

Lu Yu managed to sit up.

"We should get going. I'll wake John up," replied Zhi Luan.

He helped John stagger his way to the roadside where Lu Yu flagged a cab.

"John Lives close to me so I'll take him home. You should join us. I'll ask the driver to take us back to the restaurant…"

"You don't have to do that. I memorized the route back… I'll be fine, don't worry."

Lu Yu nodded, and the cab drove off.

Zhi Luan indeed memorized the route back to the restaurant. He wasn't drunk, but the alcohol made him a little light-headed. He was just a few blocks away from the restaurant, steadily taking each step.

However, in a brief moment of absentmindedness, he bumped into someone,

"My apologies. I wasn't paying attention to the road."

Zhi Luan quickly apologized. While trying to gain his balance, something slipped through the clothes of the other person and fell on the ground. Zhi Luan heard a metallic sound as it fell to the floor and called out,

"It looks like you dropped something,"

Zhi Luan reached out and picked it up, but before he could come back up, the person was nowhere to be found.

Zhi Luan looked around the street for a while but didn't see who he had bumped into. And to think of it, he hadn't seen the person's face properly because they wore a hooded jacket. He found it a bit odd that someone would disappear just like that. Nonetheless, it was a big city crowded with people, and even he could get lost if he wasn't paying attention.

He took a look at the object he picked up. It was a bronze neckpiece with an exquisite floral design. Zhi Luan narrowed his eyes on the object as if he could peer through it. There wasn't much to think about anymore, as the alcohol soon started to affect his vision. He picked up his speed and soon arrived at the restaurant.

After setting down the neckpiece inside the drawer close to his bed, Zhi Luan assumed a meditative position and tried to connect with his energy, as per a habit of his. As expected, it failed. Zhi Luan tried to not get frustrated and went straight to sleep.