Sensing that something was amiss, Ruan Qingan picked up the wine glass on the table and took a big gulp of wine, accompanied by the crisp sound of the glass being placed on the table.

She chuckled lightly and said, "It's nothing, just a joke. After all, it's Hang Ge's business what he wants to do, right?"

For a moment, no one dared to respond. Zhou Zihang was already quite embarrassed because of the apology, but he didn't expect Ruan Qing'an to do this again, so his expression became even more unpleasant.

If it weren't for his underlings holding him back, Zhou Zihang would probably have lost his temper on the spot, and the whole scene would have been very ugly...

Although both leaders looked rather grim, their underlings were quite supportive, keeping the atmosphere lively with some drinking and others chatting, which kept the party going.

After being persuaded by his underlings to drink a few glasses of wine, Ruan Qing'an was also a little tipsy, his face flushed. He casually said, "Alright, alright, I was the one who spoiled the fun earlier. Here's something funny for you guys."

"Brother Hang, you should check this out. This bar recently hired a really good bartender. His skills are excellent, and his flair bartending is second to none. It's practically a performance."

Another underling chimed in, "Yeah, I've heard about it too, Brother Hang. That bartender is amazing. Not only can he mix drinks, but he's also said to be able to tell fortunes. He's a well-known oddball in this bar."

"I heard he's pretty accurate. He always mixes strong liquor, and his descriptions are almost spot on. Apparently, he makes a lot of drunk guys very happy and generous with their money, so he makes a fortune in commissions!"

That's true. You see plenty of skilled bartenders in bars, but bartenders who can also mysteriously spout esoteric theories are quite rare...

Zhou Zihang was initially reluctant to pay attention to Ruan Qingan, but after hearing his underlings say so, he was suddenly intrigued.

He downed a mouthful of wine and said directly, "Alright, then invite that bartender over. I want to see how accurate his calculations are."

Upon hearing this, the younger brother immediately got excited and ran out to invite that amazing, mystical bartender.

After seeing the person run away, Ruan Qing'an drank his wine while glancing sideways at Zhou Zihang.

"Heh, Brother Hang, I didn't expect you to actually be interested in this. What, could it be—"

She paused, a mocking smile playing on her lips, her voice laced with sarcasm: "Brother Hang, are you planning to find that mystical bartender to divine your and Chen Siyue's fate?"

Ruan Qing'an had just finished speaking when—a loud 'smack'!

The sound of a wine glass shattering rang out. Ignoring his underlings' attempts to pull him back, Zhou Zihang smashed the wine glass in his hand on the ground and stood up abruptly: "Ruan Qing'an, are you fucking trying to spoil the fun?!"

"I've already come here to apologize to you today, but you're still harping on my relationship with Chen Siyue. What right do you have to interfere in my affairs and what right do you have to talk to me like that!"

"Why should I care about you?"

Ruan Qing'an's face finally darkened. She stood up and looked angrily at Zhou Zihang, her eyes filled with intense resentment.

Looking at Zhou Zihang's face, Ruan Qing'an almost summoned all her emotions, putting herself in the original owner's shoes: "Zhou Zihang, you've come to apologize to me, but—"

"You know perfectly well why you came to apologize to me! Zhou Zihang, if you had any remorse, why did you come to apologize to me before?"

"Don't talk to me like apologizing to me is a favor. If you hadn't had so much trouble this week, and your people hadn't kept telling you things, would you have thought of apologizing to me?!"

The only sound in the private room was Ruan Qing'an's voice, as she tried her best to suppress her anger: "We've known each other for more than six years, Zhou Zihang. After all these years, we should at least be friends, right?"

"Because of Chen Siyue's inexplicable injury, before she even said anything, you've already suspected me and even smashed my window. Don't you think you've gone too far, Zhou Zihang?"

"Yes, I, Ruan Qing'an, like you, Zhou Zihang, but what gives you the right to falsely accuse me!"

The atmosphere in the private room fell silent as Ruan Qing'an spoke with conviction. The others exchanged glances, all of them agreeing with him.

After noticing the stares of others, Zhou Zihang's face turned ugly. He felt as if he had been stripped naked and was standing awkwardly in the crowd.

Nguyen Thanh An has always been like this.

She said she "liked him," but she didn't give him any face at all!

A surge of anger welled up inside him, almost burning away all his reason. Before Zhou Zihang could react, his fist had already landed on Ruan Qing'an's face.

Caught off guard, she swayed and involuntarily took a half step back. Ruan Qing'an raised her hand to cover her face, her skin already turning crimson.

In an instant, after their initial shock, all the henchmen in the private room reacted. Those who needed to protect their boss did so, while others rushed to break up the fight, and the room suddenly descended into chaos.

"Sister Ruan, Sister Ruan, are you alright?!"

"...I'm fine."

This punch seemed to have completely woken Ruan Qing'an up. She picked up a still-cold bottle of beer from the table and pressed the bottle against her face.

Despite everything, the wounds on Nguyen Thanh An's face were still a bright red, looking particularly horrifying against her fair complexion.

Ruan Qing'an looked at Zhou Zihang with leaden gray eyes that were completely devoid of any affection, as if she had already given up hope: "Zhou Zihang, just consider this as me liking a dog for the past three years."

"Ruan Qing'an, what the hell did you say—"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zihang was enraged again, but before he could rush forward, his henchmen quickly pulled him back, fearing that he would impulsively step forward and beat someone again.

At this moment, Ruan Qing'an didn't even look at him, turned around and left. Her henchman, who had been following her, also had no intention of staying. He glared fiercely at Zhou Zihang and quickly followed her away.

Just as Ruan Qing'an left the private room, the underling who had invited the metaphysical bartender walked over.

Behind him followed a tall, handsome man wearing a waiter's vest, who was holding a tarot deck and a book of I Ching divination, a rather "East-meets-West" combination.

It wasn't until after she left the bar that x09 finally spoke in her mind.

“You are injured, host. This is unnecessary.”

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an touched his face and sighed softly, "The plan is still rather rudimentary, from provoking him to all my reactions..."

"I think that in x09's mind, I am not qualified enough, so I have to pay a relatively high price to make my persona get away from the restriction of 'liking Zhou Zihang'."

But x09 chuckled softly and said gently, "The way you handled this incident is still quite immature compared to other official hosts, but... it's already pretty good."

"But why did you deliberately bring the cannon fodder who would only appear later in the original text to Zhou Zihang's front?"