“Forget it then, you go by yourself! I’ll go find somewhere else to have fun.”

The boy named Bennett gave a bitter smile, not daring to go with him anymore. A long time ago, he had gone with him once, only to end up in a room full of drunks. Ever since then, he refused to go to Liehuo again, and the boy named Old Ben started going to Liehuo alone. In fact, he had always been alone.

The boy called Old Ben was actually named Ben Carter, which was quite a unique name... To be precise, a bit rustic. It seemed his parents hoped he would become a learned person.

He was a very gentle person, always low-key in his dealings with others. He loved spending time in the library, so he hardly had any friends at school, and gradually, no one paid much attention to him. As for his fondness for going to Liehuo to drink, almost no one knew about it except his good friend Logan Bennett.

After saying goodbye to Logan Bennett, Ben Carter went alone to the Liehuo Bar, which offered a few rare spirits in the city—just to his taste. He had searched almost the entire city before finding such a good place. It didn’t take long for him to become a regular at Liehuo, which was also a favorite spot for many drinkers, both big and small.

When Ben Carter walked in, the young male waiter led him to his usual spot in the corner—Table 13. Many people were superstitious about this number and rarely sat there, but he didn’t mind. If no one else sat there, it was perfect for him, and over time, it became his exclusive seat.

The waiter asked him quietly, “Mr. Carter, the usual?”

Although he was young and still had a bit of a student air about him, he was already in his early twenties and had a somewhat unusual status, so calling him “sir” was quite appropriate.

“Mm.” He didn’t want to draw too much attention to himself. That incident always affected his life, consciously or not. Hearing the waiter’s question, he responded softly, sinking into that inexplicable darkness, gradually blending into the silence.

“Please have a seat, your drink will be right out.” The waiter called to the bar, bowed his head in greeting, and then left—he had other guests to attend to.

Soon, a pretty waitress brought over his drink. At first, every time she saw him, the waitresses here would look at him with admiration, because he always ordered one of the rarest spirits here, called Xuelishao. The name means that after drinking it, you feel as if you’re being grilled by fire in a world of ice and snow. It was extremely strong, and most men couldn’t handle it, but his drinking ability was the opposite of his name.

This drink was one of the bar’s signature spirits, but few could handle it. So when Ben Carter first came and finished an entire bottle of Xuelishao without getting drunk, even the bar owner was amazed. Although there was a big age gap between them, age was never a problem for men’s friendships. The owner immediately considered him a kindred spirit in drinking, making him the bar’s first special guest.

From then on, every time he came, the bar owner and his staff had been told to give Ben Carter special treatment, whether the owner was there or not. At first, he felt a bit embarrassed, but after drinking with the bar owner, that Big Man Ray, a couple of times, the owner spoke frankly to him: all year long, he never found drinking truly satisfying, and finally, he’d found a drinking rival who could keep up. After a few times, Ben Carter stopped standing on ceremony with him.

Now, he no longer drank like he did when he first came, gulping it down, but instead ordered a glass each time and savored it slowly. For him, the era of binge drinking was over; now was the time for tasting. Of course, he only ever said this to Mr. Ray. Hearing this, Mr. Ray would pat him on the shoulder and sigh about finding a true soulmate! That fiery, sweet sensation lingering in his mouth was an unparalleled pleasure for him—gulping it down would just be a waste.

Holding a glass of liquor, gently swirling it in his hand, humming a little tune no one could understand, squinting as he observed the various people in the bar under the dim lights—gradually, this became one of his hobbies. In such a dim environment, facing strangers, people’s true natures were more likely to emerge, and all sorts of things usually hidden deep in the heart would be exposed.

It should be said that Mr. Ray’s girlfriend was even better at business than he was. It’s said that when she once visited Liehuo, she found the layout chaotic and immediately set about reforming it. Mr. Ray was clearly henpecked and had no objections, letting his girlfriend completely overhaul the bar.

She divided the bar into three sections: one was a ring of semi-enclosed private booths hidden under the surrounding dim lights, giving those who wanted to drink and talk a more private environment; in the middle was a small dance floor for passionate young people to let off steam; and around the bar, she added a ring of stools for drinkers’ convenience. As for the drinks, the selection was greatly expanded, and more professional bartenders were hired—now there was every kind of drink imaginable.