historical

Hu Lei poured the premium tequila into the shot glasses with finesse. She looked at Shun, who was looking at the liquor apprehensively. She chuckled as she picked the salt shaker. Her smile was a little eerie.

Shun realised that what his family had warned him about was happening. He was under peer pressure, and he was unable to say no because he was afraid. This was the moment when he was supposed to call his Eldest Brother.

He felt a little incredulous, but he quickly shook his head.

He needed to focus on this moment instead of thinking about superfluous things like the past. He broke free from his thoughts and realised something. The future Shun was living a good life. He had a wild best friend who had destroyed a man twice her size.

Moreover, he had a great boyfriend. He was not acknowledging Wang Che as his boyfriend per se, but as far as non-boyfriends go, Wang Che was a total catch. He was appealing to the eyes, and so far, he was considerate and nice to him.

Perhaps, this was the life he would have lived if he dared to resist his family's plans for his life. Wait, didn't this mean that he had succeeded? After all, this was his life, even though he had forgotten about it.

His lips stretched into a smile.

"Focus!" Hu Lei shouted. "Lick your wrist."

Shun licked his wrist even though he thought that everything that was happening was a little surreal. Hu Lei sprinkled salt on his wrist and handed him a lemon wedge.

"Remember, salt, tequila, lime. Well, in our sad case, it is lemon." Hu Lei said. "Has it all sunk in?"

"It is three words. I think I will be fine." Shun retorted.

"There is the sass." Hu Lei picked her shot glass and lifted it. "To forgotten memories."

Shun, who had also lifted his glass, looked at the small woman flatly. Was she really his best friend or a dangerous enemy?

"What?" Hu Lei asked when she noticed the look.

"You do realise how cruel it is to say such words to an amnesiac, right?" Shun asked.

"Fine! You can choose the toast." Hu Lei said with a huffy face.

"Alright." Shun smiled. "To memories."

"How is that any different from what I just said?" Hu Lei asked.

Shun refused to back down. "Yours was about forgetting stuff. Mine is about all the memories. Why do I get the feeling you do not want me to remember?"

"How could that be?" Hu Lei pouted. "We can drink to your stupid toast."

The two people looked at each other before bursting out laughing. There was no reason to laugh, but they could not stop themselves.

"How about, to life?" Hu Lei asked.

"We can do that." Shun agreed.

"To life!" The two of them shouted and clinked their shot glasses.

They licked the salt, downed the shot and bit on the lemon wedge.

"F*cking sh*t? What the f*ck?" Shun shouted more expletives like a sailor before putting the lemon wedge back in his mouth.

"Wow! Someone needs a little mouthwash." Hu Lei said like a scandalised prude.

"Did you just drink the same sh*t I did? That was f*cking nasty!" He said. "Are you sure I like this stuff?"

"Slow down, potty mouth. This is premium stuff. My husband got it for me from a mysterious village or something in Mexico." Hu Lei said proudly. "Anyway, the first shot is always tough. Let's have another. You will feel good shortly."

"You know what you sound like, right?" Shun asked with narrowed eyes. He was thinking about some perverted manga that his friend gave him when he was in his first year of college. It had a creepy boss who said something like that to his secretary.

The memory was locked into his mind because his brothers discovered the manga. It was a very humiliating thing. After that, he realised that his brothers did not have boundaries. So, he started locking his room.

Hu Lei smiled a little softly, almost angelically. "Are you sure you want to continue with your train of thought?"

Shun wondered if the little woman could hear his thoughts. Them, he remembered how Hu Lei had just thrown out Zev without a struggle and felt fear. Immediately, he halted his thought and focused on the fire in his stomach.

It was better not to get on the wrong side of the woman. He licked his wrist and stretched his arm to Hu Lei.

"Salt me." He said.

Hu Lei laughed. "Now, we are talking."

She felt like she was seeing her old drinking buddy again. In truth, she did feel guilty about the role she played in Shun losing his memories. Even though Wang Che told her what happened and reassured her that it was not her fault, she could not shake the heaviness in her heart.

She sprinkled some salt on Shun's wrist before pouring two more shots of the tequila. The two people lifted the glasses and clinked them together. This time, they did not toast but drank the alcohol directly in tandem.

Shun downed the foul drink and bit on the lemon wedge. She felt the burn of the alcohol spread from his stomach to his blood. However, he did not feel the repulsiveness of the liquor as much as he did the first time.

"You are right. The second shot was less disgusting." He nodded in approval.

"I told you so." Hu Lei lifted her pert nose in the air. "Tasting is an art. The first shot cleanses the palate. The second one builds a foundation. You will begin really enjoying it in the third shot."

"That is totally poetic," Shun said.

"I know." The proud Hu Lei did not admit that he had stolen the philosophy from Akira. In any case, she had made it her own. "Just drinking is dull. Why don't we put on some music?"

Shun remembered his plans for the evening. "I have not yet unpacked the new music system. Can you believe that he does not have a music system?"

"He?" Hu Lei looked at him with a teasing grin. "Just a while ago, you were following him around like an adorable puppy. And now, you cannot say his name?"

Shun was embarrassed and picked the liquor bottle to pour more alcohol.

"Are you sure you can handle more?" Hu Lei asked with worry. Shun's tolerance was not as good as hers, so she was afraid he would not be ok.

"We are about to find out," Shun said. "Wrist!"