Pei Jing’s watch was deliberately set fifteen minutes ahead of GMT+8. He regarded a rigorous sense of time as a fundamental prerequisite for social interaction and preferred to be the party that arrived first. Consequently, seeing Jiang Tong already seated at the bar caused Pei Jing a flicker of surprise, followed by a subtle, unpleasant sensation that things were slipping out of his control.
“What is it?” He sat down beside Jiang Tong and ordered an Old Fashioned. Since he hadn't had time to prepare an outline beforehand, Pei Jing had a premonition that this meeting would be highly inefficient, which only served to worsen his mood.
Jiang Tong’s cheeks were flushed. He gave Pei Jing a hazy, wandering smile by way of greeting. Pei Jing glanced at his glass; it was still more than half-full of whiskey. The liquid refracted the dim, amber light, looking like a cup of molten gold.
Either Jiang Tong had a very low tolerance, or he had already drunk a great deal. For Jiang Tong’s sake, Pei Jing hoped it was the former; otherwise, he would have no choice but to leave Jiang Tong behind and depart before the bill arrived.
He certainly wasn't going to dip into his own entertainment budget for Jiang Tong’s sake.
“I didn’t think you’d actually come,” Jiang Tong said, his speech slurred and his face full of foolish joy. “Professor Pei, I’m so... so flattered.”
“Firstly, I have not yet secured a faculty position, so I cannot be called ‘Professor.’ Secondly, you said on the phone that you had something to discuss with me,” Pei Jing said coldly. “As an aside, the price of whiskey has outpaced inflation significantly in recent years. I hope you brought enough money to settle the tab tonight.”
“Right now... I have plenty of money!” Jiang Tong chuckled. “I have lots and lots of money.”
“Good to know.” Pei Jing was already losing patience. “So, what is it?”
The question seemed to stump Jiang Tong. His expression went blank as he stared at the decorative painting on the wall behind the bar, muttering unintelligible syllables as if lost in deep thought.
Pei Jing sat in silence with him, showing a rare bit of grace, though he did steal a glance at his watch.
Five minutes. That was the limit of his endurance for Jiang Tong. If Jiang Tong was still this disoriented after five minutes, Pei Jing would walk straight out the door and find a time when they were both sober to sternly warn Jiang Tong never to waste his time again.
At the three-minute and forty-five-second mark, Jiang Tong finally spoke, his voice slow and heavy.
“Have you seen *Titanic*?”
“Just to confirm: you called me out at ten o’clock on a Saturday night to discuss *Titanic*?”
Pei Jing drained his glass in one gulp. “Fine. I’ve seen it. My mother forced me to watch it with her three times. Half the theater was crying, and the floor was so covered in crumpled tissues there was nowhere to step—not a pleasant memory.”
“My mom loved it too. She was a huge Leonardo fan.” Jiang Tong wore a nostalgic smile, appearing slightly more lucid.
“I watched a lot of movies with her. She especially loved those romances Leonardo starred in. *Titanic*, *Romeo + Juliet*, *The Great Gatsby*. We even had a large frame at home with the original *Titanic* poster.”
“Your mother has decent taste,” Pei Jing said dryly.
Jiang Tong became increasingly earnest. “They’re all the same tropes, filmed over and over. Why are audiences always obsessed with this subject matter? The poor boy and the rich girl, the star-crossed lovers from opposing camps... why must people who have nothing to do with each other always be dragged together?”
“Rose shouldn't have even spoken to Jack,” he said gloomily. “Love robs both parties of their judgment. Anyone with half a brain could see they wouldn't have a happy ending.”
“I’ve had enough.” Pei Jing raised a hand to signal the waiter. “Jiang Tong, you are not acting normally tonight. I don’t know what you’ve encountered, but tomorrow morning you will suffer a severe hangover and regret everything you’ve said tonight.”
“Also, as the price for wasting my time, this drink is going on your tab.”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“What?” Pei Jing didn't react for a moment.
The hazy smile returned to Jiang Tong’s face. He slurred his words, enunciating each one with exaggerated care: “I said, are, you, in, love, with, anyone, throughout, your, li————fe.”
He stretched the 'i' sound out infinitely, then seemed amused by his own ridiculousness and began to giggle to himself.
“No, and never,” Pei Jing scoffed. “The blind worship of love is the beginning of the rot and decay of modern society. Love is the most useless thing in the world.”
“It is a brief cognitive dissonance caused by a surge in hormones. As you said, it causes one to lose basic judgment. In the worst-case scenario, it leaves you with several offspring who haven't undergone rigorous genetic screening. Love is an animalistic impulse. Look at human society’s reverence for Ancient Greek tragedies and comedies—we can send humans into space, yet we keep reenacting the same ridiculous tropes of 'I love you, you love her, he loves me.' Can you believe it? We’ve been repeating this for thousands of years!”
“It’s shameful,” he concluded with finality.
“I’m so jealous...” Jiang Tong murmured. “You look... you look like you’d never let emotion override your reason.”
“The effective control of one’s biological impulses is the hallmark of human evolution,” Pei Jing said coldly. “Of course, rational deduction isn't perfect. For instance, after receiving your text today, I judged based on your usual behavior that you had a significant issue to discuss—likely regarding your further studies or our paper. Therefore, despite the unusual meeting place, I came. It turns out I was entirely mistaken—even if the whiskey at this bar is decent. On a Saturday night, I’d rather be working overtime in the lab than discussing Hollywood industry tropes with you.”
Jiang Tong’s face turned pale; it seemed he had sobered up prematurely. “I’m sorry.”
“Regardless of what’s bothering you, I have only one piece of advice—use your head.” Before leaving, Pei Jing decided to be merciful and offer this lost lamb in the temple of science some life experience.
“Jiang Tong, the ability for logical thinking is the fundamental difference between you and a Kenyan gorilla.”
“If your reason tells you it’s a wrong decision, stop. Do not go any further.”
***
