Forces of Temptation

Hearing the slight sound waves coming from under the door of the underground bar, Nan Zhou approached two steps full of curiosity, but stopped at the door again, looking left and right.

The luthier folded his arms and asked him, "What are you looking for?"

Nan Zhou replied solemnly: "I'm looking for a topographic map of the safe exit."

...It can be said to be very cautious.

The luthier suppressed a smile and his shoulders trembled slightly: "Okay. I'll accompany you to find it."

Nanzhou gave him a little peripheral vision.

In his vague memory, it seems that such a person also existed.

No matter what he does, he is always easy to stare at himself and laugh.

At first, Nan Zhou thought that he had done something wrong.

Later, Nan Zhou thought it was because of his love to laugh.

Later, when Nan Zhou found out that the smile he looked at himself was different from that of others, he couldn't figure out why.

But when Nan Zhou took a closer look, he found that although the luthier in front of him was also smiling, the difference between that smile and the one he was facing other people seemed not that great.

Seemingly warm and cheerful, but secretly with indescribable alienation and vigilance.

Among them, the proportion is just right.

...So, it shouldn't be him.

Not the shadowy person who would be extra special to himself.

Since the beginning of contact with the outside world, Nan Zhou's perception of human emotions has always been keen and dull.

Keen, because of his natural animal intuition.

The dullness was because he couldn't understand why their emotions had such complicated and strange changes.

Before Nan Zhou could figure it out, he was held by the luthier's arm, stepped down a few concrete steps, and pushed open the half-hidden door of the bar.

The sound of music with a strong smell of alcohol, mixed with the air-conditioning of only a dozen degrees, was as real as it was, and swept Nan Zhou into a worldly dream of luxury and gold.

At this time, a very dynamic heavy metal music was playing in the speakers.

An NPC playing disc with headphones wears a skull mask and raises one hand high.

With just one commanding arm and a suggestive and provocative rhythm, he easily set the rhythm of the audience.

With his movements, he revealed the intricate butterfly tattoos on his arms.

Noticing the butterfly tattoo, Nan Zhou seemed to think of something for a moment, turned over his wrist, and looked at his own wrist.

—It was empty there.

As if everything is as it should be.

The teammates quickly blended into the alluring atmosphere and the frenzied beat, and dispersed one after another, dancing separately.

Carnival is the best narcotic.

After one injection, the dopamine secreted by sensual stimulation can make people temporarily forget the objective pain.

The luthier is obviously more familiar with this place.

He walked in front, leading Nan Zhou to the bar counter booth familiarly, and said to the beautiful bartender lady: "Hello. I want a glass of 'Zombie', please give my friend a glass..."

As he spoke, he looked at Nan Zhou: "... cider. Thank you."

The bartender's winking eyes were like silk, she leaned forward, and the long silver spoon slightly pressed her red lips into a seductive depression: "Sir, if the cost of wine is your heart, I am willing to share with you." Do this business."

The luthier responded with a gentle smile.

He readily accepts such flirting and has no taboo.

After she turned around, Nan Zhou was curious: "Why does she want your heart?"

The luthier thought for a while and replied: "Probably because, this is one of the three lines she can say to guests under the system settings?"

Nan Zhou: "But she wants your heart..."

Nan Zhou: "Ah."

Nan Zhou: "I understand, this is a metaphor."

The pianist was taken aback and laughed out loud.

He has a nice smile and rubs his head with a smile: "Student Nan, what is in your head, can you tell me?"

This feeling is very strange to Nanzhou, and it is also a bit novel.

Nan Zhou obediently rua'd his head, and at the same time replied seriously: "It's the brain. It's divided into four parts..."

Next, he explained the structure of the brain in detail for the luthier.

And the luthier is obviously also a lover of painting and anatomy, so he didn't interrupt him, but let him talk a little bit.

Nan Zhou liked the way others listened to him quietly.

It made him feel like he wasn't alone.

Probably because of talking too much to the luthier, Nan Zhou felt that the symptoms of thirst in his lips and throat were getting worse.

He began to look forward to the glass of cider that hadn't arrived.

……

In Jiang Fang's dream, he was also listening carefully to Nan Zhou's words.

In other words, he was tasting wine while watching Nan Zhou's lips open and close.

Probably because of the lighting, in contrast to his radiant white skin, Nan Zhou's lips were too red, making one wonder if he had painted something on secretly.

Jiang Fang's heart trembled when he realized that he actually wanted to reach out and touch Nan Zhou's lips.

A sense of ridiculousness mixed with disbelief came to his mind.

He thought it was probably because he hadn't drank for too long.

"Zombie"'s drinking power also came up a little too fast.

...people and NPCs?

Do not make jokes.

One ends up either leaving or dying here.

The other is destined to stay here forever.

Since there is no result, why talk about the beginning?

Jiang Fang's rationality clearly told him that just thinking about the possibility of this matter was stupid enough.

What's more, the mother's crazy and obsessive figure will still appear in Jiang Fang's dream after many years, vividly in his mind.

He is crazy to try the "love" that is as painful as cancer.

So, Jiang Fang interrupted Nanzhou at the right time to distract himself: "You were watching that DJ when you came in. Why?"

Nan Zhou: "I'm looking at his hand."...the tattoo on it.

Jiang Fang turned his head as he said, and looked at the thin forearm that DJ was waving vigorously.

Jiang Fang quickly identified the species: "It's a blue butterfly."

He asked Nan Zhou: "Do you want it too?"

……

At the same time, Nan Zhou pursed his lips slightly.

He just felt that this thing was familiar and a little curious.

"I don't recommend it, it hurts, and you need to prick it out with a small needle with ink." The luthier raised his glass to him, "Free advice, practice it yourself."

Nan Zhou asked: "Do you have any tattoos anywhere?"

The luthier took the initiative to skip this question and avoided talking about it.

He said, "I can draw you one if you want."

Soon, the luthier found a black marker pen from the warehouse, took his left hand, and drew on his wrist.

The skin on the wrists is very sensitive.

Under the friction of the wet pen tip, there is a strange cold feeling.

Nan Zhou quietly watched his drooping silver scorpion braid, his heart was beating very powerfully.

The feeling between familiarity and strangeness made his heart beat faster and he wanted to sneak a peek.

Nan Zhou felt that the luthier must have found out.

Because he suddenly asked, "Do you know Liang Zhu?"

Nan Zhou: "Yes. I've seen it. They fell in love, and finally they turned into butterflies."

The luthier lowered his head and let go of Nan Zhou's hand: "But there are not many Liang Zhu in this world."

Nan Zhou looked at the black shadow on his left wrist, with a slightly confused expression: "This is not a butterfly."

The luthier smiled and said, "Yes. It's just a chrysalis."

Nan Zhou looked up at him, more and more puzzled.

The luthier leaned on the side of the bar with one elbow, looked at Nan Zhou, and said with a smile: "When they fall in love, they will become butterflies. But many people, their love is as blind as moths. Just pounce on it without hesitation, and regard the companion who happened to meet on the lamppost as a partner, it is so stupid that it is pitiful."

Nan Zhou: "Yes."

He felt that the luthier seemed to want to teach him something.

Nan Zhou asked: "So, is this also some kind of metaphor?"

The luthier nodded slightly.

Nan Zhou: "This way I understand. What you mean is, don't fall in love."

Luthier: "I mean, keep your head clear, and don't talk about a relationship that won't have results from the beginning."

"So, this is a wish." He gently held Nan Zhou's left wrist and said with a smile, "Nan Zhou, it will turn into a butterfly when it meets someone you really like."

Nan Zhou humbly asked, "Then when can I become a butterfly?"

Luthier: "Wait until the person who should appear appears."

Nan Zhou: "It's like you came to "Eternal Day" and I went to pick up my apples?"

Musician: "..."

Nan Zhou was quite surprised by the words he blurted out.

He seemed to have recovered some memory, but it quickly disappeared like sand.

He was actually a little angry.

Nanzhou is very sensitive to emotion perception.

He could understand that the luthier wanted to push him out on purpose, so that he could not be friends with him anymore.

He just doesn't understand how exactly this process happens.

So, he said indifferently, "This is also a metaphor."

The luthier smiled, and changed the topic freely: "Is it too noisy here? Let's sit in a quieter place."

Because he was lured into talking by the luthier, Nan Zhou never had time to take a sip of his own cider.

And when he was led by the luthier to a more remote deck, he was surrounded by other teammates who had already played high.

When the atmosphere became warmer, Nanzhou felt that the friendliness of these people towards him had inexplicably increased a lot.

... For Nan Zhou, this is also a very inexplicable emotional change that is worth studying.

Obviously, I was so afraid of myself before, why can I talk to myself so happily now?

"Nan Zhou." The drunk man with earrings put his shoulders on Nan Zhou's shoulders full of question marks: "Can you swear?"

Nanzhou asked: "Why should I swear?"

"Vent out your emotions." The earring man waved his hand, "Did you never say that?"

Nan Zhou: "No."

He never vents his emotions, he only thinks about how to solve the problem.

...Oh, except for the sentence that deliberately choked the luthier just now.

The man with ear studs was full of enthusiasm: "Don't you think it's so fucking? We, and you, are all people in the game now. Maybe, we and you will stay here and be teammates for the rest of our lives!"

As he spoke, he slapped Nanzhou on the shoulder vigorously: "We will be teammates for the rest of our lives!"

Nanzhou: "Oh."

The man with ear studs is full of pride: "I will teach you to swear!"

Nan Zhou: "Why?"

Earring Man: "Friend, don't ask why!"

Nanzhou: "We are not..."

Before he could correct the name of the man with the earrings, the man with the earrings clenched his fists and cursed into the air: "Fuck it!"

Nan Zhou: "Yes."

The man with the earrings: "...What does 'um' mean?"

Nan Zhou: "It means agreeing."

Earring man: "..."

The other teammates burst out laughing.

After this little episode was over, they lively organized and played board games again.

And Nan Zhou was also inspired by the words of the man with earrings.

After a brief moment of anger, he wanted to figure out why the luthier would reject him.

He still wants to solve this problem properly.

The luthier sat on the periphery of the deck far away from them, sipping a newly ordered glass of eau-de-vie, watching the lively interactions from a distance.

Nan Zhou moved to his side, opened the door and asked, "...why?"

The luthier smiled and asked, "Why does Nan have so many questions?"

Nan Zhou: "Because I don't understand you."

His understanding of this person is infinitely close to blank.

He is more like the chrysalis painted on his wrist, spitting out black and soft silk threads, slowly wrapping himself in circles, preventing himself from being exposed to any light and warmth.

The luthier seemed to want him to stop asking, and tried to change the subject: "Don't think about it, your lips are dry and cracked. Drink some wine, it's not high."

Nan Zhou looked at him stubbornly.

The luthier had nothing to do with him, and spread his hands with a smile: "Okay, okay, let's play a game. ——You can drink as much as you want to know about me."

Nan Zhou looked at him for a moment, and sure enough, he obediently picked up the wine glass filled with amber liquid and drank it down in one gulp.

The pianist smiled slightly.

He thought his plan had come true.

Unexpectedly, Nan Zhou snatched the water of life in his hand, brought it to his lips, and drank it in one gulp as quickly.

The white liquor slipped from the corner of his mouth and dripped on the collar of his shirt, leaving a slightly charming water mark.

In fact, when the glass of cider was drunk, a wave of heat evaporated from Nan Zhou's lower abdomen.

After drinking the luthier's wine, Nan Zhou wanted to get the wine bottle that the man with the earrings had placed on the obsidian table in the booth.

However, before his fingertips could touch the wine bottle, his body leaned forward uncontrollably.

Extreme dizziness hit his heart.

The tingling and itchy heat surged along the blood vessels, quickly filling every capillary, making his face flush quickly.

His lips stained with a little transparent wine parted, and he was a little flustered:

What's going on here?

The author has something to say:

Brother Fang: Thank you for the invitation, there will never be love in this life

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