Fed up with third-wheeling and more than a little uncomfortable by his brother and boyfriend's sudden preoccupation with each other, Yuliang ditched them in favour of joining Jeremy at the front.
Catching sight of his professor gossipping with a stranger about him had been a surprise. An unpleasant one, but Yuliang didn't take it too personally. At least he had the comfort of knowing that his professor had no romantic interest in him.
A man, double his age, finding interest in him hadn't been a possibility Yuliang had entertained, but now that it had been addressed and debunked, Yuliang didn't see how he could be bothered by it anymore.
Yuliang hopped onto the barstool beside his professor, offering the surprised man a scowl, he flagged down Jeremy.
"Been a while since I've seen you," Jeremy said in greeting, sliding him a glass of his favourite without prompting.
Yuliang offered him a twitch of his lips and raised his glass to him, "Cheers, brother," he said, before knocking it back and relishing in the bittersweet burn. "Yeah, been a busy month. How's business?"
"Better now that you're here again," Jeremy said with a wink, refilling his emptied glass.
Yuliang grinned, "Aw, missed you too, bastard. Here's to a peaceful evening with zero property damage," Yuliange toasted before tossing back his second drink.
Jeremy toasted back with an empty glass and a laugh before moving on to serve another customer.
Yuliang grabbed the closest available bottle and poured himself another glass.
He was going to get so smashed tonight.