Chapter 14
"Who is it?" Tang Chi was still standing close to her, waiting for her to tell him about the handsome guy from earlier.
Seeing her pause, he followed Yu Xia's gaze but saw nothing. "What's wrong?"
Yu Xia looked at a tall, thin figure to her right. The figure was carrying a bag and looking around, seemingly searching for something.
This figure... looks vaguely familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Yu Xia, who recognized the other person thanks to her excellent 5.1 vision.
Isn't that Chi Hee-min? The girl I helped last time, the little girl who looks like she just graduated?
Yu Xia looked around at her.
Then he frowned. Why did he come alone?
It seemed to be their first time here; they looked curious and eager to try everything.
Yu Xia stood up.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Tang Chi was taken aback by Yu Xia's sudden appearance. Then she watched as Yu Xia walked to their right front, to the bar, and started talking to a girl she had never seen before.
Yu Xia put her hand on Chi Ximin's shoulder.
Feeling the weight on her shoulders, Chi Ximin subconsciously turned her head.
He met Yu Xia's gaze.
"Chi Ximin? It really is you!" Yu Xia looked surprised; she thought she had mistaken someone for someone else.
Chi Ximin was also taken aback when she saw her, and then exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Yu Xia!"
Yu Xia looked around and, just like she had seen in the booth earlier, didn't see anyone else. So she asked, "Did you come alone?"
“Mmm,” Chi Ximin nodded, then moved closer to Yu Xia and whispered, “I came here secretly without telling my brother.”
"Your brother doesn't know?" Yu Xia looked somewhat surprised.
Nonsense, would her brother know? With Gu Yubai being such an old fogey, would he let her come? He'd just give her a long lecture about how kids shouldn't go to places like that, that it's not a good place, and so on and so forth. Just thinking about it made Chi Ximin feel itchy all over.
"Sister Yu Xia, please don't tell my brother!" Chi Ximin said reflexively.
"Huh?" Yu Xia didn't know what this had to do with her, and asked curiously, "I don't know your brother, so how can I complain?"
"Oh, right." Chi Ximin then realized that Yu Xia had no idea who her brother was, nor did she know who her brother was, so what was the point of her complaining? It was just that she had subconsciously categorized Yu Xia and her brother as the same kind of people, and subconsciously assumed that the two knew each other.
"I got confused. You scared me just now. The way you looked at me made me think you were going to call my brother to take me back," Chi Ximin said with a grin after realizing what she meant. She moved closer to Yu Xia and asked, "Hey, Sister Yu Xia, do you come here often? Are you familiar with this place?"
Yu Xia coughed before answering, "I don't come here often."
However, she quickly added, "But I'm very familiar with bars." Yu Xia nodded as she spoke, trying to save face. For Yu Xia, a wine enthusiast who had frequented various bars, the fact that she hadn't been to the famous "Year" bar in Beicheng due to insufficient funds was still a somewhat embarrassing shame for her.
"Really?" Chi Ximin looked at her with surprise.
Yu Xia put her arm around her shoulder and led her to her booth: "Come on, let me show you around, consider it your coming-of-age gift." Yu Xia paused, thought for a moment, and added, "Or it can be a gift after the college entrance exam."
After all, leaving Chi Ximin here alone is less appealing than having her come with him; at least she'd be safer with him. Besides, since she's already here, he might as well let her have some fun. Everyone's been through this age, it's not a big deal.
"Hahaha," Chi Ximin laughed happily. It was her first time in a bar and she didn't know many people in Beicheng, except for her brother. But she didn't expect to run into Yu Xia here. She felt like she had suddenly ascended to heaven. She happily followed Yu Xia and said, "Sister Yu Xia, you are so kind. It's so good to meet you." Chi Ximin said sincerely.
Tang Chi watched as Yu Xia went out for a while, then came back with a young girl in his arms.
"Sit here," Yu Xia said, arranging for Chi Ximin to sit next to her.
"Oh, thank you, Sister Yu Xia." Chi Ximin sat down.
"Oh, who is this little girl?" Tang Chi asked Yu Xia.
Yu Xia introduced the two of them.
"This is someone I met on my way back from delivering the painting, when I was helping to chase a thief. Her name is Chi Ximin." As she spoke, Yu Xia pointed to Tang Chi and introduced him to Chi Ximin, "This is my friend, Tang Chi."
Upon hearing Yu Xia's words, Tang Chi immediately struck up a conversation with Chi Ximin: "Hello, hello, I'm Tang Chi. Yu Xia mentioned this when we chatted last time, saying that she was doing good deeds for the people and eliminating harm for them. So she was helping you!"
“It’s me, it’s me,” Chi Ximin smiled. “Hello, Sister Tang Chi.”
Tang Chi couldn't help but chuckle as well, "This child is really endearing."
“No, no, Tang Chi is also very likable. I thought she was very beautiful when I saw her just now. She seems like the kind of person who is easy to get along with and has a great personality,” Chi Ximin said, not forgetting Yu Xia beside her, and winked at her playfully. “And Yu Xia is the same. They are both very beautiful and very nice.”
"Oh my!" Tang Chi was amused by her words and couldn't stop smiling, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "How can you have such a sweet tongue? It's so endearing." Tang Chi gently pinched her cheek.
"No, I was just telling the truth," Chi Ximin said with a sweet smile.
If Gu Yubai were here, he would probably doubt his own eyes. He never expected that someone who always caused him trouble at home would have such a different face outside.
While they were talking, Yu Xia had already mixed a drink. She pushed the drink in front of Chi Ximin: "Here, try this, to kick off your first journey in the bar."
Chi Ximin picked up the glass and took a small sip.
It has a sweet and sour taste with a fresh fruity aroma, and it's very refreshing to drink.
"It tastes good! Sister Yu Xia, what is this?" Chi Ximin asked curiously, holding her wine glass.
“Margaret,” Yu Xia said, “isn’t very strong, suitable for someone who’s drinking for the first time.”
"It's delicious." Chi Ximin took another sip.
"When it's over, send your brother a text and ask him to come pick you up." Although Chi Ximin is an adult, she is still a child in her eyes, and she is really worried about not having an adult come to pick her up in person.
"Huh?" Chi Ximin was a little unhappy. She could just call a car to go back later. Why did she have to call her brother?
But Yu Xia was adamant. She pressed down on Chi Ximin's cup and said, "You have to have your brother come to pick you up. Otherwise, it's too dangerous late at night."
“Okay, okay, I’ll call him when it’s almost over, not now,” Chi Ximin said.
Anyway, the matter is over, and there's nothing more to do. At most, she'll just get a few more comments. Can Gu Yubai turn back time and prevent her from coming here? Well, she's already had her fun, so let him nag her if he wants. With that thought, Chi Ximin suddenly felt relieved.
"Mm." Yu Xia nodded, pushed the cup she had just prepared next to Chi Ximin, and Chi Ximin immediately picked it up and drank it.
Yu Xia's drinks are all low in concentration, refreshing and sweet and sour, so drinking too much won't make you feel unwell.
The three of them continued talking and drinking.
As the clock struck midnight and night fell, the bar gradually filled up with people. Many booths were already full, and those standing squeezed into the gaps between the booths. It was packed with people, much more lively than at the beginning. The music changed from soothing to rock, and the whole bar was immersed in a wave of excitement, joy, noise, and chaos.
Yu Xia and the other two had also drunk quite a bit. Chi Ximin was a novice, and although the alcohol content was low, it was enough to make her a little tipsy. At this moment, her face was flushed, and she was slumped limply on the table.
Yu Xia laughed: "Hey, with your alcohol tolerance, you should never come to a bar alone again. If you're going to come, you should come with someone you trust, otherwise it's too dangerous."
"Oh," Chi Ximin responded blankly, her eyes unfocused.
Seeing that she had drunk enough, Yu Xia nudged her and reminded her, "Send a message to your brother and ask him to come and pick you up."
"Oh," Chi Ximin seemed to be given some kind of instruction after hearing this, and then started to work. She dazedly took out her phone from her bag and sent a message to the person whose contact name was "Demon King Old Antique".
[Brother, can you pick me up? I can't get a taxi, please!]
The following is a shared address.
It's rare to see a drunk person type without making any typos.
Yu Xia made her a glass of lemon water, and Chi Ximin drank some and felt a little better.
She stared at Yu Xia, her eyes clear and bright, showing no signs of drunkenness whatsoever. So she asked, "Sister Yu Xia, how come you don't get drunk?"
“Your sister Yu Xia is an old hand; this little bit of alcohol won’t get her drunk. At most, it’ll just make her a little tipsy,” Tang Chi said. “But even if she’s drunk, it won’t show on her face, and you won’t be able to tell.”
"I see," Chi Ximin stared at Yu Xia, seemingly observing whether Tang Chi's words were appropriate. After a while, she suddenly gave Yu Xia a thumbs up, "Sister Yu Xia, you're amazing."
“Oh right,” Chi Ximin hiccuped, then suddenly remembered something, “Sister Yu Xia, I forgot to tell you about the doll last time. I asked my brother for it, and I can definitely make it up to you.”
"Huh?" Yu Xia didn't expect her to say this suddenly. "No need, I already have one, so I don't need to pay it back."
This is all thanks to her fellow fan.
Yu Xia put down her wine glass, looked at Chi Ximin, and couldn't help but laugh, "Are you really drunk? You seem perfectly sober."
He even thought of that, and his speech is logical and not incoherent.
Chi Ximin touched her hot face and said, "I don't know, I just feel a throbbing sensation in my head."
Tang Chi chuckled, put his arm around her shoulder, and made her face the stage: "Come on, look at the handsome guys, and your head won't feel dizzy anymore."
Chi Ximin stared at the people on the stage for a while, but felt nothing, only boredom.
She looked away and sighed, "Sigh."
Hearing her sigh, Tang Chi turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chi Ximin shook her head, her tone full of regret and disappointment, and said, "He's not as handsome as my brother."
There was a hint of gritted teeth in his words.
But Tang Chi became interested upon hearing this, and with a quick pull on Chi Ximin's shoulder, he nudged her: "Wow! From what you're saying, your brother is quite handsome?"
Chi Ximin nodded.
There's no way around it, this guy is a bit of a dog, but he's undeniably handsome, no doubt about it. Even Chi Ximin, who dislikes her brother intensely, has to admit this objective fact.
"How handsome is he? Show us some pictures!" Tang Chi urged.
Chi Ximin didn't really want to see her brother's face at that moment, so she said, "You'll see when he gets here, but he's not a good person." Chi Ximin added the second half of the sentence angrily.
As they were talking, a refined-looking man in a light-colored shirt walked over to them, bent down, gently clinked his glass against Yu Xia's, and then spoke in a gentlemanly manner: "Beautiful lady, may I have the honor of inviting you for a drink?"
He had a faint smile on his face, spoke in a calm tone, and patiently waited for Yu Xia to speak, without making anyone feel uncomfortable.
Chi Ximin suddenly stopped talking and looked at the two of them with amusement.
Yu Xia raised her glass and clinked it against his. Seeing this, the man assumed she was agreeing, and a knowing smile, as if she were about to appear on his face, was startled when Yu Xia downed her drink. The next second, the glass slammed onto the table with a clatter, and she uttered four cold words without batting an eye: "Sorry, no."
His tone was distant and brooked no refusal; he didn't even glance at the other person.
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