Chapter 166: Equally Lonely People

Yan Xu frequently visited a place named MusicBoutiqueBull. Its owner had once been the resident DJ at DiscoDisco, which used to be Hong Kong's most famous nightclub and an absolute paradise of hedonism.

Much like other bars in Lan Kwai Fong, the interior decoration here was extremely simple, yet every night featured live musical performances. All kinds of musical styles could be encountered here, ranging from classical to modern, folk to opera, and pure light music to explosive rock and roll. It was a gathering place for many music lovers.

Tonight happened to be Saxophone Night. The gentle music gave the entire bar a leisurely atmosphere, which attracted many fans of soft melodies, especially several foreign visitors. This also spared Yan Xu the worry of being recognized. In a bar like this, English was the primary language; even the waitresses spoke fluent English. Even if you spoke to them in Cantonese or Mandarin, they would persistently reply in English.

Ordering half a dozen Heinekens, Yan Xu was in no mood to flirt with the beer waitress. He casually handed her a hundred-dollar corkage fee and sat by himself, pouring and drinking in solitude. Since the five-to-eight happy hour had already passed, the buy-one-get-one-free promotion was no longer available.

In his previous life, Yan Xu was a northerner, and his alcohol tolerance had been forged since childhood. Especially after entering university and starting his career, his business banquets grew increasingly numerous, almost none of which he could decline. This caused his drinking capacity to expand continuously. After arriving in Hong Kong, although this body was extremely robust and possessed a record of nocturnal conquests, when it came to alcohol tolerance, it simply could not compare to his past self.

Although his drinking capacity had been gradually recovering during this period, it still fell somewhat short of his previous peak. Half a dozen small 330ml bottles of beer were already reaching his limit.

Such small bottles of beer were hardly satisfying to drink, and though Yan Xu's tolerance had not fully recovered, his prior drinking habits remained intact. A single bottle was finished in just two gulps, and at moments like this, Yan Xu preferred to drink rapidly. That dizzy sensation allowed him to forget all his troubles and worries, leaving his entire body wrapped in numbness.

"I am on the slope while you parked at the corner. Lan Kwai Fong is like a heartbroken soul with shattered, drunken intestines. I originally thought love could be flamboyant and graceful, but you made me lose my way in dark, chaotic, and wandering thoughts..."

Yan Xu half-leaned against the bar counter. The alcohol had begun to invade his brain, causing him to feel a growing numbness while his body grew slightly warm. Listening to the gentle sound of the saxophone, he could not help but softly hum this song, "Night Stay in Lan Kwai Fong." How harmonious it was with the present scene and mood.

"What song is that? It sounds pretty good." Suddenly, a voice sounded beside Yan Xu—a slightly sensual woman's voice.

"Why are you here?" Yan Xu turned his head, feeling somewhat startled to see the woman speaking to him. Even with a slight disguise, such a beautiful visage was far too familiar to him.

Sitting beside him was none other than Rosamund Kwan. Sporting a short haircut, Rosamund Kwan was dressed in a sharp, professional outfit, resembling an executive office worker. She wore a black suit set, a gray sweater layered over a pink small-rounded-collar shirt, and straight dress pants beneath a women's stand-collar short trench coat.

On her face, she wore a pair of relatively small gold-rimmed plain glasses. While slightly shielding her charming, sparkling large eyes, they also added a touch of scholarly aura and intellectual charm to her professional look.

"Why can't I be here? Is it that surprising? Are you the only one allowed to come here?" Rosamund Kwan looked at Yan Xu with a slight smile, picked up an unopened bottle of beer from in front of him, popped it open, and took a large gulp straight from the bottle.

"I didn't mean that. Weren't you very busy lately?" Yan Xu asked hastily.

Rosamund Kwan's new film, *Armour of God*, had already finished production, and a release date had even been set. She was currently right in the middle of the promotional phase.

Because she had received a nomination for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards, she had become a sought-after figure among film distributors. Combined with her stunning and captivating appearance, she had also become a darling of numerous advertisers.

Ever since she finished filming *Armour of God*, she had seven or eight commercial endorsements lined up alone, not to mention numerous magazine photo shoots and interview requests. She was currently a blazing-hot first-tier actress. Such a heavy workload was undoubtedly envied by many struggling minor starlets in the industry, yet it also required her to give up the vast majority of her free time.

"I'm not a machine; I need rest too." Rosamund Kwan took another sip of beer, which brought the small bottle in her hand down by more than half. Judging by her demeanor, she was quite adept at holding her liquor.

"How did you think of coming here to drink alone without having anyone accompany you? It's very dangerous for a young woman to be here at night," Yan Xu said with genuine concern.

It was already past nine o'clock, and Rosamund Kwan had clearly just arrived. Most people who came here to drink at this hour would stay until midnight or even one or two in the morning. Although Hong Kong's public security was nothing like the movies filled with brawls and gunfights, and it ranked very well internationally with uniformed police patrolling uninterrupted around the clock, it was still worrisome for a woman to wander the streets at night, especially in the dead of night.

"I just finished working, and returning home means being all alone with no one even to talk to. It's desolate and nowhere near as lively as this place." A trace of melancholy flickered across Rosamund Kwan's face as she spoke.

Right now, Rosamund Kwan was living entirely alone in Hong Kong. After their divorce, her parents had successively immigrated to the United States and rarely returned to Hong Kong in recent years.

Although she had once been through a marriage, that marriage felt like a living nightmare to her. At the age of twenty, having just stepped into the entertainment industry and during the filming of her very first picture, she had fallen in love with Wang Guojing, a playboy businessman sixteen years her senior. She had gone so far as to defy her father's suicide threats, resolutely marrying the man and completely withdrawing from the entertainment industry to become a full-time housewife at home.

Yet hailed as Hong Kong's premier beauty and nicknamed the porcelain doll, even though she had devoted herself entirely to this marriage, she still could not successfully bind the heart of this playboy. After only half a month—no, half a year—this playboy grew tired of this beautiful body and a marital life constrained on all sides. His old habits resurfaced, and he began philandering everywhere. Rosamund Kwan belonged to the category of highly independent women; otherwise, she would not have married this playboy in defiance of her parents in the first place. This marriage lasted merely half a year before ending.

Over the past two-plus years, she had not accepted any new relationships, pouring all her energy into acting and climbing step by step from minor roles. While achieving success in her career, her emotional loneliness became increasingly pronounced. However, the wounds from her previous marriage had run far too deep; though they had faded over the past two years, they had not vanished.

"Who says there's no one to talk to? Our great beauty Kwan only needs to give a single command, and I dare say the line of people vying to speak with you would stretch from here to Luohu," Yan Xu joked, seeing the dim look on Rosamund Kwan's face.

"You still haven't told me what that song you were humming earlier is called. I've never heard it before." Rosamund Kwan smiled and gently shook her head.

"Night Stay in Lan Kwai Fong. I wrote it recently," Yan Xu said, not minding adding a bit more luster to his persona.

"Can you sing it for me again?" Rosamund Kwan requested.

"A beauty's request—of course, I won't refuse." Yan Xu smiled, closing his eyes slightly while using the beer bottle in his hand as if it were a microphone. "...On my lips, you block the vows I want to speak. Lan Kwai Fong on a weekend night is crowded and bewildered. By dawn, one can imagine how cold you will be. If affection must break, let love burn brighter tonight. Tears, how blissful, how heartbroken, love at the final countdown is left only with haggardness... Don't feel distressed, have another cup, best to let the heart shatter all at once..."

"Such a sad song. Are you drinking here by yourself because something happened with Xiaoxian, or do you feel you've wronged Ah Min?" During the premiere of Wong Jing's film last time, not just Jackie Chan, but Rosamund Kwan as well had seen that the relationship between Yan Xu and Joey Wong was far from simple.

"They always say a woman's intuition is exceptionally accurate, and it really is..." Yan Xu let out a slight sigh. "On Christmas Eve, Ah Min suddenly came back to see me..."

Although Yan Xu stated it very simply, anyone with even a sliver of intelligence could imagine what had transpired at that moment.

"Hahaha!" Disregarding her image, Rosamund Kwan burst into hearty laughter and looked at Yan Xu, uttering, "Serves you right!"

"I'm worried sick, and you're still gloating over my misfortune," Yan Xu said, watching Rosamund Kwan's reaction.

"You really do deserve it. Who told you to keep a foot in two boats?" Rosamund Kwan slightly restrained her smile.

"I should be asking you: of those two, which one do you actually like?" Rosamund Kwan asked with a curious gaze.

"What do you think?" Yan Xu looked at Rosamund Kwan. Which one did he truly like? He had been pondering this question constantly these past few days.

"Speaking of beauty, both of them are gorgeous—definitely the kind of sirens you foul men adore. Ah Min is pure and lovely, and she lives frugally and knows how to manage a household; any man would cherish and spoil her. Xiaoxian has a top-tier figure, especially that pair of long legs—even I'm envious—and her personality is very independent. Being so young and daring to come from Taiwan to Hong Kong to develop her career proves this point; she looks frail on the outside, but she's actually very strong," Rosamund Kwan evaluated the two women.

"Actually, how they are isn't very important. The important thing is, which one do *you* like?" Rosamund Kwan pressed.

"I've considered this question more than once these past few days. You might call me greedy, but this is the most honest thought in my heart: I like both of them, and I won't give up on either one," Yan Xu looked into Rosamund Kwan's eyes and said firmly.