Yu Qingyu's warm, bright eyes met with Ye Chaodan's dark and cold gaze. He's been staring at Yu Qingyu, as if trying to see right through him.
Yu Qingyu scratched his cheek, giving him a small, slightly strained, tight-lipped smile, unsure how to react. Being looked at like that felt somewhat unsettling, although not entirely unpleasant. There was neither animosity nor friendliness in Ye Chaodan's gaze, but rather… some form of curiosity? Yu Qingyu didn't know how to describe it. It was a bit as if Ye Chaodan had been trying to read his mind.
Seeing Yu Qingyu's smile, Ye Chaodan just turned his sight away without any visible reaction, acting like absolutely nothing had happened.
Yu Qingyu pursed his lips, slightly disappointed. 'Well, whatever,' he thought to himself, shrugging his shoulders. He wanted to talk to Ye Chaodan, but there was no rush. The party has just started, he'd have more than enough time to do it later. After a few drinks, the atmosphere should become more relaxed.
"So, have you guys ordered anything yet?" he turned to the rest of the team instead.
"Yeah, we got this mixed grill set for now, and…"
Soon, everyone started eating and drinking, and chatting about what they'd been up to since graduating high school, as well as gossiping about other classmates that were not present.
Only Ye Chaodan sat quietly, sipping his beer, answering only when asked a question directly. However, he did not look absent-minded or bored. Quite the opposite, he's been paying his full attention to the people around him, observing them with narrowed, sharp eyes, as if trying to pick up on every tiny detail, and not wanting to miss a single word they say.
Yu Qingyu, on the other hand, was the center of all attention. As the previous owner of the body, Fu Zhiren, was the most liked person in the group, and was good friends with everyone there, Yu Qingyu' focus ended up split between everyone. Even if he wanted to chat with Ye Chaodan to test him, he was constantly engaged in other conversations. And he had to carry along with it, lest he would risk acting out of character!
Not that he minded the situation all that much. Actually, after a few beers, he started forgetting his original purpose of the evening, and began enjoying himself instead. To make matters worse, he couldn't really hold his liquor well, and was slowly getting drunk.
The system didn't even try to intervene. If the Host was having fun, then it assumed there was no point in spoiling it.
As time went by, Ye Chaodan also gradually relaxed. He only had two beers, so he still felt perfectly sober, but the harmonious atmosphere at the table seemed to wash away most of his earlier alertness.
"Hey, Jiang Lu," he suddenly spoke, a scheming smirk appearing on his face. "You're working at the same place with Su Yongkan, the enemy captain, right?"
Jiang Lu, who was currently bragging about some of his probably non-existent achievements, paused, his expression immediately turning sour. "Yeah. Why?" he asked, the tone of his voice even more unpleasant than usual.
"I've been thinking… To defeat the enemy, you should know them well, right?" Ye Chaodan's smile grew wider, the emotion almost reaching his cold eyes. "So, how about finding someone to go spy on the enemy team?"
Jiang Lu's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped to the floor. What an idea! How come he hadn't thought of it before?
A grin similar to Ye Chaodan's parted his lips. "Wow, I'm impressed! I never expected such a bold move from you…" He paused for a moment, realizing that although the idea was wonderful, the implementation of it was… a tad difficult.
After all, Jiang Lu wasn't particularly liked by his coworkers. If he were to ask, they might end up reporting it to Su Yongkan instead…
But, every problem has a solution, and soon, a grin returned to his face. "Oi, Fu Zhiren! You're friends with Qin Yuan from my department, right? You go ask him, so that there's no risk of any gossip in my office!"
"Fu Zhiren?"
[Host, they are calling for you.]
"Huh?" Yu Qingyu lifted his eyes from his cup and blinked a few times. His mind was already so hazy from the alcohol, that he didn't even react to the name of the character he was currently impersonating, until the system voice brought him back to reality a bit.
"Can you do it or not?" Jiang Lu asked, all excited. He was in such a great mood that his usual impatience was nowhere to be found.
"Mn, yeah, sure…" Yu Qingyu didn't know exactly what they were talking about, but he just automatically agreed, out of habit.
"Great!" Jiang Lu clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Hey, waiter! Another round, please!"
From behind his heavy eyelids, Yu Qingyu observed the scene with a blithe smile on his face. Overall, the evening went really well. The team got along, they were all drinking happily together, and even Jiang Lu didn't ruin the mood… Ye Chaodan, although still not being his usual self, didn't say anything odd… Although Yu Qingyu still couldn't completely confirm his identity, at least Ye Chaodan was thinking of different ways in which they could increase their chances of victory… So everything should be fine, right?
Sighing, Yu Qingyu closed his eyes and laid his head on his arm on the table. "I wish every world would be like this one…" he muttered softly under his breath.
Drunk and with his eyes closed, he was unable to see Ye Chaodan, who was sitting right in front of him, suddenly froze in place, as if struck by lighting. His eyes widened, looking as if they were about to fall out from their sockets. His head snapped back, right to Yu Qingyu.
Slowly, his eyes narrowed, turning into slits, and a vicious smile twisted his lips. "Heh," a cold, dry chuckle escaped his mouth, that went completely unnoticed by the rest of his drunken company.
'Now I've got you.'