At 6:30 the next evening, He Mu arrived at the 366 Bar according to the location Tavan had sent him.
Tavan greeted him at the entrance. Following her inside, he saw two rows of young men and women seated near the door—about thirty or forty in total. The boys were all impeccably groomed, with delicate features, handsome and slender. Their white shirts were tucked into well-fitted black trousers, none wearing belts. Black bow ties adorned their collars, and they placed one hand over their chests as they bowed in greeting. The girls were tall, young, and beautiful, all dressed in matching green skirts with large bow fronts. They wore headbands with flashing "366" lights, shimmering face powder catching the light, their hands pressed together as they said, "Sawasdee ka."
Inside the main hall, two large rows of plants lined the space—monstera, fishtail palm, money trees. Colorful murals covered the walls, interspersed with Western movie character portraits: Superman, Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain Marvel, alongside Avatars and Fast & Furious leads. Snow White and cartoon animals from Zootopia dotted the corners, alongside Thai mythological figures. The overall effect was vibrant, and upon closer inspection, though the colors seemed chaotic, they were actually well-coordinated. Despite the crowd, everything appeared carefully designed.
A large stage stood at the back, instruments set up, with a central screen displaying a colorful screensaver. Surrounding speakers played soft music. To the left of the stage was another row of greenery, with stairs leading down to the restrooms.
At the center of the hall were hundreds of low tables, each with four long benches and a shelf holding a bottle of water, a bottle of cola, and a bottle opener hanging from a string. To the right was the bar, shelves lined with all kinds of spirits and slender glass and metal accessories that swayed with the air currents. Three or four staff members busily took orders, poured drinks, and coordinated with the kitchen. To the left, three steps led up to a row of square tables—higher than those in the main hall—each with individual chairs. At the back right, a railing separated a section with more greenery leading outside, where a row of long tables with cushioned seating lined the interior.
Tavan's sister sat at a low table near the stage, looking at the menu. When she saw He Mu enter, she couldn't help but laugh, and soon all three were laughing together. It felt like their bond had grown closer.
The sister handed him the menu to order, but He Mu waved his hand and said he'd eat whatever they chose. He then handed the sister four boxes of face masks he had brought from China. Delighted, she high-fived him and set the masks on the shelf.
"How's the pigeon? Did you check on it yesterday?" she asked.
"It flew away!"
"Did you see it go?" Tavan asked.
"I saw the rice was gone, and there was quite a bit of pigeon droppings left."
"Rice? Where did the rice come from?" He Mu briefly explained what had happened.
Tavan's eyes sparkled, her smile radiant. She clapped her hands lightly, saying, "Good! Good! Good!"
Her sister gave a thumbs-up, pressed her palms together, murmured something, then took out a box of masks to read the instructions using her phone translator.
He Mu handed Tavan a small, pretty gift bag. She hesitated, glanced at her sister, then at He Mu, and pulled out a beautifully wrapped square box tied with a ribbon. Removing the pink wrapping paper revealed a wooden box with gray-black grain patterns, smoothly polished. A delicate brass-toned latch glinted softly under the lights.
She gently lifted the lid. The clear, melodious notes of "Auld Lang Syne" began to play. Tavan listened quietly, then wound the mechanism and let it play again, her hands cupped lightly around the box.
He Mu noticed her waist-length hair was braided into about a dozen small plaits, coiled atop her head, revealing her slender, fair neck. The little bee hairpin he had given her was clipped into place, and her bangs were also braided into thin strands, arranged neatly toward the crown. Her black hair roots gleamed, her pale scalp occasionally visible. Her eyebrows were lightly shaped into slightly thick willow-leaf curves, a touch of blush on her cheeks. Her lips were red and full, her head nodding slightly with the music's rhythm.
Tavan noticed He Mu staring at her blankly. She flicked her eyes at him, but he didn't notice. A flush rose to her cheeks, and she tapped his foot with hers. He Mu startled, saw her smiling a tight-lipped smile, and was momentarily lost, his embarrassment forgotten. He watched her carefully put away the music box, then set out plates, bowls, knives, and forks for her sister, and then for him.
The food arrived: a plate of boiled freshwater prawns, a dish of blood cockles, fried chicken wings, grilled mackerel, a small dish of chicken feet, half a bowl of peanuts, stir-fried morning glory, six bottles of Leo beer, and a bucket of ice.
The server was a handsome young man with a meticulously trimmed mustache on his upper lip, its ends slightly upturned—very Tesla-like. He filled each glass with four or five ice cubes, poured beer, letting the foam rise. He placed a straw in each glass. The foam swelled to the brim and then subsided back into the pale amber liquid. The sister handed the young man 100 baht, and he pressed his palms together in thanks.
Tavan moved the beer in front of He Mu to her own spot and said something to the server. A moment later, he returned with a large beer mug filled with a blue ice-slush drink. A cut lime half was wedged on the rim, and the drink was filled with fresh pear, strawberry, apple pieces, raisins, chopped dates, and colorful, chewy tapioca pearls. She picked up the lime with three fingers, slowly squeezed a few drops into the mug, then dropped the whole piece in. After scooping a small portion into a tiny glass, she raised it and said, "Cheers!"
He Mu set aside his straw and downed most of his beer in one go. Tavan finished hers in one gulp, her lips faintly blue-tinged. She exhaled, her tongue also slightly blue, a thin mist rising. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her eyelashes fluttering—clearly savoring the moment. Her sister's glass was already empty, and she pointed at He Mu's half-full glass with a laugh. He Mu finished it in one go, and both sisters applauded for him.
By now, the bar was filling up. Many Chinese women, mostly in their forties and fifties, sat among the crowd. Their makeup was heavy, their clothes flashy, their perfume overwhelming. The young server who had poured their drinks was now seated on a couch, a woman's arm wrapped around his waist. They shared a drink, each taking turns from the same glass. She would occasionally lean in to kiss him, her tongue playfully touching his mustache, her hand resting on his leg. He fed her small bites of food, and she would playfully bite down on half, while he took the other half.
He Mu watched in amazement. The Chinese men were much more reserved, occasionally and seemingly accidentally touching the women's hands, arms, or legs, but mostly drinking and eating politely.
As He Mu glanced around, he heard Tavan giggle softly. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was looking at him. He quickly averted his wandering gaze and raised his glass to clink with both sisters.
"Do you like it here?" she asked him.
"It's very interesting," he replied.
"What's interesting?"
He glanced around the room. "So many Chinese people."
"Why so many Chinese?"
"Here! There's no place like this in China!" He Mu laughed.
"Hmph. I think we shouldn't come here often," she said seriously.
He raised his little finger, crooked into a question mark. "Promise?"
She hooked her little finger with his. "Alright! But let's enjoy ourselves tonight, okay?"
He Mu raised his glass, clinked with theirs, and they all drank up.
After finishing the six bottles of beer, Tavan had consumed most of her blue concoction; the remaining ice had mostly melted into blue liquid. He Mu suggested ordering another mug. She placed one hand over her chest, the other covering the mug, rolled her eyes back, stuck out her blue tongue, and made a gagging face—clearly, she'd had enough. Her sister ordered four more beers. The dishes were cleared and replaced with roasted cashews, fried duck feet, fried squid, a plate of watermelon, a dish of spiced sunflower seeds, three small dishes of chili powder, a plate of sugar, and a bucket of ice.
A young girl approached. Her skin was dark, but her eyes were lively and bright, with a ready smile revealing white teeth. Around eleven or twelve, she wore a brightly colored dress, her hair in two pigtails tied with blue ribbons. She carried a basket of flowers wrapped in colored paper—red roses, baby's breath, lilies, and strings of fragrant jasmine.
She said "Sawasdee ka" and offered to sell them flowers. He Mu wanted to buy a bouquet of roses for Tavan—500 baht for three or five stems. Tavan reached out and stopped the girl from handing them over. She said something to her, gave her 20 baht, and sent her away. In the end, the flowers were not bought.
The music suddenly stopped. Tsang! Tsang! Ring~ The trembling sound of a guitar string was plucked a few times, its sigh-like echo lingering. He Mu looked up at the stage. A man with a long beard had strummed an electric guitar. A group of musicians took the stage: a lead singer, a drummer, keyboardist, saxophonist, bassist, and guitarist. The lead singer was a plump, older woman with fair, bare legs. She started with a couple of English songs, then three or five Chinese songs. After a few unintelligible words, she suddenly began shouting, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" wildly, and the audience joined in.
The bar went dark. The music stopped. For about twenty seconds, there was absolute silence. Then suddenly, colorful spotlights swept across the ceiling and walls, and the crowd erupted into frenzy. The drumbeat started slow, once every five seconds, then four, then three, faster and faster until it was multiple beats per second. The beer in their glasses rippled. It felt as if the drums would shatter their hearts, and the floor seemed to shake.
He Mu's heartbeat quickened with the drumbeats. Just then, a sharp electronic sound pierced through, like a solitary rainbow streaking across the sky. His ears filled with music, screams, whistles, and cheers. Almost everyone stood up and started swaying. Tavan raised two small fists in front of her forehead, lowered her head slightly, and began to rock gently. He Mu's face flushed, his ears burned, and he started moving his hips, shaking his body to the beat, like a snake trying to escape—no, not one snake, but ten, a hundred, a thousand!
People writhed wildly, as if trying to snap their bodies in two. Heads thrashed as if trying to shake off a hated enemy. Hips pulsed and undulated, as if pounding air itself. They shouted and screamed as if their throats weren't made of flesh...
He Mu noticed that all the young men and women had taken the stage, dancing wildly. Their unconventional moves, in all kinds of pairings, only fueled the madness. The lead singer had changed to a man with a hoarse voice, shouting at the top of his lungs with the rhythm—a beast-like roar, sometimes low like a brown bear, sometimes high like a wolf's howl, sometimes soaring like an eagle's cry.
Tavan grabbed He Mu's hand and ran to the front of the stage. She suddenly dropped to the floor, raised her hips, and began shaking them in wide arcs. Encouraged, a dozen other girls joined her, following her lead, showcasing their uniquely beautiful figures with their slender, supple waists.
In his entire life, He Mu had never seen so many beautiful, sexy silhouettes moving before his eyes. For a moment, he was utterly bewildered, as if in a dream. Rounded shapes shimmered in the dim light, shifting and changing—now large, now small, now bright, now dim, now round, now flat. He Mu saw many men's eyes fixed on Tavan. Some were taking photos, others recording.
Suddenly, He Mu rushed over, pulled Tavan up, and turned to leave. She burst out laughing, then jumped onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She bit his neck. Ignoring the pain, he stumbled back to their table with her on his back. He felt her lips at his ear, whispering, "Salty."
Just like this:
The spotlights are like auroras
The drumbeats like death warrants
The crowd turns to specters
Foreshadowing the depths of hell
This place people love so much
Is a tomato
Smashed to a pulp
The three played rock-paper-scissors for a while. Tavan grew sleepy, her eyelids heavy. As they left the bar and parted ways, He Mu sat in the back seat of a taxi, the window down, night air rushing in.
Streetlights glided past the window one by one. Some bright, some dim, some flickering before steadying. Warm yellow light brushed across his face in segments.
He remembered the way Tavan had looked back at him while dancing at the bar.
Just that one glance. Like something soft had been gently placed inside his chest—not uncomfortable. Like when he was a child and caught a firefly, holding it carefully in his palm, afraid of crushing it, wanting to keep watching it a little longer.
A Thai song played on the radio. The driver tapped the steering wheel softly to the rhythm. He couldn't understand the words, but the melody was gentle, like someone humming softly in his ear.
He leaned back against the seat, closed his eyes—but all he could see was her.
The way she danced. The way her lips had grazed his ear when she bit it. And that word—"salty"—her warm breath against his ear.
He reached up and touched his ear. It still seemed to hold a trace of warmth.
The wind outside softened, carrying her scent.
Suddenly, he wondered what it would be like if she were sitting next to him now, her hair blowing in the wind, brushing against his face.
Back at the apartment, there was a WeChat message from her:
"Are you home?"
"Just got back. About to sleep."
"Did I dance well?"
"Not good!"
"I danced for you. Why didn't you like it?"
"..."
That night, his thoughts were filled with the clear, simple melody of the music box, and the image of her pouting as she listened.
(To be continued, next chapter: Going to the Temple?)