Chapter 14 Bar Rot Wein
"Does this count as an autumn outing? I heard Changle Mountain was a famous scenic spot before I came to the mountain city, but I never had the chance to go." Fang Xinai was very interested. She clapped her hands and asked, "When are we going?"
"Going on the weekend? Before that, let's solve your overeating problem first." Yang Guisi glanced at the class schedule she posted on the wall and reminded her, "The next three days are full of classes, right?"
"Ah——" Fang Xinai couldn't help but let out a howl when he was suddenly pulled back to reality from the supernatural problem.
As they were talking, Ren Qing returned from the comic convention. As soon as she opened the door to her dorm, Fang Xinai hurried over to greet her. She'd been grumpy the past few days, constantly arguing with Ren Qing. Now she felt sorry for it and hoped to salvage their friendship.
However, Ren Qing held the cartoon bag in silence until Fang Xinai took her arm and wrapped it around the edge of the seat. Then he finally couldn't help but shake her hand off: "Don't be so hot and cold every day. When you're in a good mood, you tease me a few words, and when you're in a bad mood, you shake me off. I'm not your pet. I'm very busy and I'm also very upset recently. I have nightmares every day and I don't have the mood to deal with you!"
Fang Xinai stood there awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed. She wanted to explain that she might be possessed by a ghost, but after all, it was just Yang Guisi's words, and she was still unsure whether it was true. If she actually said it out loud, it would seem like a ridiculous excuse.
"Since you are annoying me, I won't bother you anymore." She was already very concerned about her reputation, so she simply gave up and returned to her seat without saying anything.
In the evening, Chang Xile was sitting in a chair with a facial mask on when her phone automatically pushed a message.
"The Oni Si you follow just posted a new update."
Chang Xile had just started following Yang Guisi last night. Curious, she clicked on the link, thinking Yang Guisi was going to do another livestream. However, the person at the table behind her didn't move, which didn't seem to be the case.
Ghost: [Not broadcast today]
She explained it concisely with just four words: ice-cold, and the comment section exploded.
"Why isn't it playing? I was planning on listening to this before going to sleep!"
"Hahahaha, Gui Si will be so pissed off seeing this. This is a supernatural horror channel, how can you use it to help you sleep?"
"Is it because my roommate doesn't allow me to broadcast it? Yesterday, Gui Si said she moved back to the school dormitory, so it might not be convenient."
"Ah? Then I won't be able to see Onii-sama for such a long time. I can't accept it!"
To be honest, Chang Xile also wanted to watch her live broadcast. The benefits of being a friend in her current life came into play at this moment, and she immediately poked Yang Guisi's small window.
（＾v＾） ：[Oniji-sama——isn’t it going to be broadcast today?]
Wang Gui: [? What's that name?]
(＾ｖ＾): [I see everyone calls you that, I've been waiting for the aloof Onii-sama to come out and join the microphone]
Wang Gui: [Thanks to this smiling fan for his attention. The host won’t be broadcasting today~~~~~]
Chang Xile couldn't help laughing, but she held it back because she was applying a facial mask.
(＾ｖ＾): [Are you afraid we might mind?]
Wang Gui: [That's one of the reasons, but there's always a place to broadcast it. I'm researching Fang Xinai's case tonight. Did you hear her? She's started unpacking snacks again.]
(＾ｖ＾): [Is that the starving ghost back again? Can you see it? Can you give her another talisman?]
Although she didn't really want to believe it, Chang Xile got goosebumps when she imagined that there might be a ghost wandering around in their dormitory.
Wang Gui: [Oh~ Our materialistic Xile is quite curious about these feudal superstitions. Are you scared?]
Yang Guisi seemed to be at ease and not panicked at all.
To break down feudal superstitions, one must study their principles, identify their flaws, and then eliminate them at the source. This is the true meaning of approaching science!
Wang Gui: […Ghosts don't dare come because I'm so strong. Fang Xinai is probably just used to eating late-night snacks. I can't put talismans on her anymore. You know, if people are sick, it's not recommended to rely too much on antibiotics. Why?]
(＾ｖ＾): [Can bacteria develop drug resistance?]
King Ghost: [It's the same with ghosts. If you can't kill them, they will only become stronger.]
...Now that you mention it, Comrade Gui is quite inspiring.
Yang Guisi then sent a few pictures, which were overviews of the two place names.
One was a newly opened bar on the back street of the school, called Rot Wein. For a while, Fang Xinai was fascinated by the resident singers there and would order a few drinks from time to time.
One is an unnamed haunted house two subway stops from the school. It's been open for two years and has become quite popular online. It's said that more than one person found the NPC playing the ghost a bit strange.
Wang Gui: [Fang Xinai mainly went to these two places after military training. Given that tomorrow is a full day with classes, time is tight. Which one do you think is more likely to be problematic?]
With her many years of experience in observing legal and news production, Chang Hee-lok boldly speculates:
[Is it possible that someone at the bar had drugs slipped into her drink, causing this unusual physiological reaction?]
Wang Gui: [Nonsense, I've never heard of a medicine with this effect.]
Chang Xile continued reasoning firmly: "Suppose someone has medicine. They can't just produce one pill, nor can they just use it on one person. Why don't we go and ask if there are any customers who have similar problems?"
Well, I have to go there anyway.
The next day, after class, the three of them stood at the classroom door. Ren Qing stopped for a moment as he passed them, and they looked at each other. Fang Xinai was about to speak when Ren Qing left without even looking back.
Usually, Ren Qing always walked with Fang Xinai.
Yang Guisi had never dealt with this kind of interpersonal relationship problem before. She just felt the atmosphere was awkward and turned around to ask, "Do you want to invite her to come along?"
Otherwise it always feels like forming a small group.
Fang Xinai said affirmatively: "She doesn't drink, so she definitely won't go."
By the time the three of them arrived at the bar called Rot Wein, it was completely dark.
The lights were dim as we entered, and only the shadows of people could be seen, sitting in their respective seats. They talked quietly and listened to the band singing on the stage.
There were a lot of customers tonight, and it took the three of them a while to find a seat at the bar. Fang Xinai ordered a mojito with ease and tried to offer some advice to the other two newbies. Chang Xile stared at the menu, feeling overwhelmed by the choice, while Yang Guisi refused to drink.
She said naturally, "My master said that drinking is harmful to the body. Besides, I can't do anything when I'm drunk."
"Okay." Fang Xin'ai held his face and turned his attention to the resident singer who was singing a soft song with his eyes closed.
"Look, that's the man with red hair. Doesn't he look super cool?" After the song ended, Fang Xinai made a trumpet shape with his palm and said "wooo" to the man.
Chang Xile looked at Yang Guisi, who seemed to be lost in thought, and asked her, "What are you thinking about?"
"This store is very clean." Yang Guisi leaned slightly closer to Chang Xile, and his breath made her ears itch slightly while he spoke.
"Clean?" Chang Xile looked around. Due to the dim light, she couldn't really tell the store's sanitary conditions. She asked in confusion, "It's a new store, so maintaining hygiene is also basic, right?"
"It's not this clean." Yang Guisi slowly turned his head and scanned everyone present. "I've been to some bars before. They were smoky and foul, and they're the perfect breeding ground for bad people."
"There's no eerie atmosphere in every corner here. Perhaps it's because it's a new shop," Yang Guisi speculated. After all, whether it's a ghost, a demon, or a villain, it takes time to establish itself in an unfamiliar place and wreak havoc. They also need an environment that's more compatible with them to thrive.
Chang Xile was about to ask if they were going to return empty-handed when Yang Guisi suddenly stood up. She said, "Wait," and without further explanation, she headed for the stairs to the second floor.
Before Chang Xile could react, he found another person sitting next to him.
"Hey, don't you want anything to drink?"
For a split second, Chang Xile felt goose bumps on the back of her neck, almost as if a breath of air was brushing against her ear. She whipped her head around, only to find the person sitting quite a distance away from her, maintaining the proper social distance.
Even in the dim light, Chang Xile could tell that the man in the Hawaiian-style shirt had deep features, blond hair and blue eyes, and was a foreign young man.
He smiled and handed over a menu designed by the store: "You can try some drinks you want."
Chang Xile flipped through the menu, which was filled with romantic-sounding names and a picture next to each drink. However, she couldn't tell what the characteristics of each drink were.
"I can't drink much." The singing started again from the other side, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd. Chang Xile had no choice but to move closer to him and ask, "Can I order a drink?"
As she was speaking, she caught a glimpse of a rather beautiful-looking drink, a fiery red that looked like orange juice. Pointing at the picture, she asked, "Tequila Sunrise, how about this?"
"You may not be used to it." The man said honestly. He clapped his hands and a bartender came over and nodded to him.
Then he said a string of words that Chang Xile couldn't understand. The bartender nodded, and the man turned back and smiled at her, saying, "Have a nice evening." Then he left.
Chang Xile was still wondering what language the man had just spoken when the bartender had already placed a beautiful drink in front of her.
"How much?" Chang Xile was still confused, but he remembered the principle of payment before delivery.
"Our boss said he'd like to treat you to a drink," the bartender said with a smile.
The owner of this store is actually a foreigner. Thinking of this, she took out her phone to check and found that the name of the store "Rot Wein" is also German, meaning red wine.
"Yes, our boss's girlfriend likes to drink red wine, so she named it this way." The bartender asked again, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"I want to ask, if I want to improve my eating habits, what can I eat to stimulate my appetite?" Chang Xile was still thinking about her previous guess and tried to ask a question in a related direction. She lowered her head and took a sip of the wine, then frowned the next second. It was indeed a bit hard for her to drink.
"As far as I know, drinking in moderation can promote the pancreas to secrete digestive juices and increase appetite." Despite such a tricky question, the bartender answered her calmly, and it sounded reasonable.
However, Fang Xinai was not an alcoholic. She only came to the bar occasionally for a drink. The theory that drinking stimulated appetite could not fully explain her binge eating behavior during this period.
Chang Xile blinked, her eyes a little blurry, and she said with some effort: "Okay, then it's okay, thank you."
The bartender didn't leave in a hurry. He handed Chang Xile a business card with a smile and said, "Our boss likes making friends. If you're interested in investing in something, you might want to ask his advice."
Chang Xile took the business card, nodded, and then shook his head.
Are you kidding? What can a poor student like her invest? Is it her lottery luck for the next 30 years?
The bartender handed over his business card and left. Before leaving, he opened his mouth to say something. However, because the singing had reached its most passionate part at that moment, Chang Xile only saw his lips moving and didn't hear what he said clearly.
Our boss loves making friends. But making friends with him is like gambling.
[And the so-called winners can be counted on one hand.]
Chang Xile lowered his head and carefully looked at the business card in his hand. It was designed very simply, with the name "Steve" written in cursive on it, followed by a phone number and an email address.
"Xile, can you let me taste your wine?" Fang Xinai was already a little drunk. She leaned her head on Chang Xile's shoulder and was very interested in her glass of brightly colored wine.
Chang Xile allowed her to taste the drink, and since he couldn't resist her kind invitation, he also tried her drink.
When Yang Guisi came back, he saw two drunks leaning against each other.
"Hmm, that's weird. I can usually drink a lot of wine without getting drunk! But I see you're crooked!" Fang Xinai hugged the drowsy Chang Xile in her arms and looked at Yang Guisi in confusion. The next second, she let go of Chang Xile and shouted to the handsome red-haired singer, "Handsome! I like you so much - woo! One more song!"
"...Because your head is tilted." Yang Guisi hurriedly caught Chang Xile who fell into her arms. Chang Xile did not make any noise and even smiled at her, looking very well-behaved.
However, she was unable to take the overly excited Fang Xinai back with her. In the end, she had no choice but to summon Ren Qing, who struggled to drag the two of them back to the dormitory.
Ren Qing didn't expect that the three of them came to the bar together. His expression was very subtle when he helped Fang Xinai over.
Before leaving, Fang Xinai was still blowing a kiss to the handsome red-haired man. Yang Guisi supported Chang Xile and looked back at the store.
This bar was so clean that there wasn't even a hint of filth to hide in. Either there really weren't any ghosts, or its skills were far superior to Yang Guisi's, so she couldn't see it.
But yesterday, the ghost in Fang Xinai's body could be driven away for a while by her weak talisman, which was enough to prove that the ghost was not so powerful as to hide its whereabouts invisibly.
In short, there was nothing here that could solve Fang Xinai's problem, so the trip was in vain.
At that time, Yang Guisi had not yet realized that although she could judge whether there were ghosts in a place, she could never tell whether there was a ghost in a person's heart.
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