Chapter 239: Chen Yixi III
The next day was the weekend. Chen lay there, thinking. For a kid, Dasha made a lot of great points. The playground wasn’t the same as the adult world, sure. However, the principle of bravery was still there. Chivalry existed.
"Maybe I should go," he said to himself. "One last try."
He decided to go to a bar for once. Chen didn’t want to be the last of his kind. Old school love was hard to come by and he was sure that the ladies would enjoy it. That was just how women were, they enjoyed the company of strong men with a strong mind and sense of duty.
The atmosphere in the bar was loud and chaotic. Chen felt out of place among the younger crowd, but he pushed through his discomfort. He spotted a woman sitting alone at the bar and mustered up the courage to approach her.
"Mind if I join you?" Chen asked, trying to sound confident.
The woman looked him up and down. "Buy me a drink?"
Chen smiled and did just that. They made small talk, but over the minutes, it became clear she wasn’t interested. Every time he tried to steer the conversation towards something he liked, she would deflect with a joke or a dismissive comment. As the night wore on, her disdain became more evident.
"So, what’s an old guy guy like you doing in a place like this?" she asked, flipping her hair away from him.
Chen forced a smile. "Just looking for some company, I guess. It gets lonely sometimes."
The woman laughed, a harsh sound that echoed in his ears. "Lonely? You’re telling me. Maybe you should stick to bingo nights, old man."
Chen felt his face flush. His lips attempted to form words but failed. Laughing, the woman excused herself and waved at a group that had entered the bar. Chen watched her go. He tilted his drink in silence, the noise of his existence fading.