Garota Mágica Não Será Capturada

In the ambiguous, dim lighting of the bar, people sat together in small groups. The resident singer performed a popular song—familiar to the ear, but the name escaped memory, and it wasn’t particularly pleasant. Fu Lan rested his chin atop interlaced fingers, staring blankly at the glass before him.

An ice sphere perched on the rim, spirals of mist descending from its base into the drink, refracting the bar’s blue-violet lights. As the bartender had said, it was indeed worth seeing.

His colleague, Xiao Liu, sat beside him, tapping the bar in time with the music, picking up his glass with enthusiasm, only to remember Fu Lan before taking a sip. Noticing the large ice sphere still unmelted, he raised his glass in a gesture to Fu Lan, then awkwardly drank a small mouthful himself.

Fu Lan was used to such awkwardness and continued to admire his cocktail.

Earlier that day, he had helped Xiao Liu resolve a database issue. It had troubled Xiao Liu for days, and as the deadline neared, Fu Lan had offered a few hints. Xiao Liu, grateful as if rescued from drowning, insisted on treating him to dinner.

Young newcomers to the workplace often still take their jobs too seriously and are keen on maintaining good relations with colleagues. Normally, Fu Lan would not have accepted such an invitation, much less agreed to this second round at the bar, but lately he felt he needed a drink.

Xiao Liu had chosen a quiet bar near their office; the ambiance was decent. Still, they weren’t close, and most conversation had been exhausted over dinner—Xiao Liu was