Chapter 29 Night Banquet ③ - Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road; Considering Our Two-Year Friendship...
Lan Shuyin was stunned. Before she could react, the other person shoved the things into her hands and left.
She was so startled that she quickly grabbed it. Just kidding, this wine looks very expensive, and she couldn't afford to pay for it if she broke it!
After hesitating for a moment, she carried the wine box and walked towards the Silent Room.
Not far away, Li Li hid in the shadow of the pillars, staring intently at her back.
"Brother Li, isn't it strictly forbidden to send anything into the Silent Room?" the waiter next to him asked in a low voice. "Did Xiao Lan offend you?"
Li Li remained noncommittal, coldly saying, "I just want to see if she has the ability to get into the Silent Chamber."
"She'll definitely be stopped. The boss is kind-hearted; he'll just give her a scolding at most, he won't fire her..."
"What do you know?" Li Li glared at him. The manager's words were evasive when he mentioned Lan Shuyin, implying that the newcomer had the boss backing her up. But he refused to believe that this plain-looking woman with an ordinary background could be so capable.
Turning from the employee entrance onto another path, two tall bodyguards in suits stood silently at the corner. Their demeanor was composed, their expressions cold, and they exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Upon reaching this point, an invisible boundary is formed – no entry without permission.
On the way here, Lan Shuyin had already decided that she would take the opportunity of delivering wine to ask Boss Wei some questions. The worst outcome would be that her bodyguard would pass the message on.
Thinking this, Lan Shuyin adjusted her expression, walked quickly towards them, and said before they could speak, "The supervisor asked me to personally hand this wine to Boss Wei."
Unexpectedly, the two bodyguards only glanced at her before stepping aside to make way for her.
The prepared explanations were stuck in her throat. The overly smooth passage made Lan Shuyin feel uneasy, but she could only grit her teeth and move forward.
The carpet underfoot absorbed all sound, and the corridor was eerily quiet.
Could it be that Boss Wei changed his mind at the last minute and regretted inviting her to the banquet to listen to secrets? Otherwise, how could he have gotten in so easily?
Lost in thought, she had reached the end of the corridor. The heavy mahogany door was ajar. Lan Shuyin composed herself, reached out and gently knocked three times before pushing the door open and entering.
Wei Ji stood in front of the bookshelf, facing the doorway.
He was very tall, wearing a simple black shirt, yet his broad shoulders and narrow waist accentuated his refined and sharp features. The fabric flattered his straight shoulders, tapering smoothly downwards to disappear into his narrow waist. His long legs were straight, and his figure was tall and slender. Even in the most ordinary standing posture, he exuded an aura of noble elegance.
Hearing the noise, he turned his head. Beneath the silver mask, his gaze seemed to linger for a moment on the wine box in her arms.
Since he already knew that she worked at Neon Night, Lan Shuyin explained generously, "The supervisor asked me to deliver it."
She placed the wine box in a corner of the tea tray, hesitating about how to begin.
"Boss Wei..."
What happened to your hand?
The two spoke almost simultaneously, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze as their voices overlapped.
For some reason, Lan Shuyin felt a little embarrassed, which then turned into a sense of resignation. She raised her aching right hand and said, "You might not believe it, but I wanted to fight a ghost, and I ended up hurting myself."
Mr. Wei's gaze fell on her hand through the mask. He paused for a moment, then sighed, "I believe you."
"So, does Boss Wei believe in ghosts?" Lan Shuyin asked tentatively.
"Yin and Yang are mutually generative; since humans exist, they naturally exist as well," Mr. Wei replied calmly and confidently.
Lan Shuyin nodded. "Mr. Wei is indeed very knowledgeable. Do you know any methods for dealing with ghosts? For example, how to catch them?"
She paused, her tone becoming hesitant. "I know the rules, it's about equal exchange, but I really don't have any decent bargaining chips right now... Could you give me a little hint, considering our two years of friendship?"
As she finished speaking, her voice grew increasingly weak—after all, she had just confronted them a few days ago, saying they had "met less than ten times in two years," and now she was using that to try and build a relationship; she was incredibly shameless.
But in order to get clues, she didn't care about anything else.
Mr. Wei watched her go from being self-righteous to having her ears turn red. Seeing that she was so embarrassed that she couldn't even lift her head, yet she still forced herself to look him in the eye, he suddenly chuckled softly.
The laughter was soft and gentle, yet it inexplicably made Lan Shuyin's heart tighten—for some reason, she thought of Wei Li.
However, Boss Wei immediately suppressed his smile and his tone returned to normal, "As far as I know, unless one is a person with profound Taoist cultivation, it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to touch a spirit, let alone capture one."
He did not mention the events of the previous few days, stating objectively, "In certain places where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converges, ordinary people may be able to coexist with spirits. But under normal circumstances, the naked eye should not be able to see ghosts, and being unable to contact them is the norm."
Seeing the disappointment on her face, he paused and added, "However, theoretically, it's possible to increase the spiritual energy concentration in a certain space, such as by offering rare spiritual plants, raising spirits, or setting up magical artifacts to attract spirits to manifest..."
“I saw it.” Lan Shuyin sighed in frustration. “The problem is, I can’t touch it or hit it.”
“Then you can try setting up a magic array trap to bind it.” Boss Wei turned around, pulled out a thick book from deep inside the bookshelf and handed it to her, “You can take it back and take a look.”
"Thank you, Boss Wei!" Lan Shuyin accepted the gift with both hands and bowed in gratitude.
Emerging from the silent room, she practically ran back to the changing room, clutching her books.
The book Mr. Wei gave her was thick and heavy, with an old-fashioned leather cover bearing the words "The Strange Tale" in bold ink. She locked the book in her locker, intending to study it carefully after work.
As for the matter of listening to the secret at the banquet, she ultimately didn't dare to ask. She felt that bringing it up would only add to the awkwardness.
Boss Wei was not surprised at all by her "seeing ghosts," and she did not find it strange at all; in fact, she thought it was perfectly normal.
After all, Boss Wei was a mysterious, trustworthy, and extremely dangerous top employer. If he was second to none in terms of being well-informed, probably no one in the world would dare to claim to be first.
If ghosts truly exist in this world, then Ni Changye couldn't possibly be unaware of it.
After locking the cabinet door, Lan Shuyin let out a soft sigh of relief, feeling quite relaxed. She straightened her uniform and re-entered the bar area. Passing the manager, Li Li, she even flashed an exceptionally bright and sincere smile, greeting him proactively, "Brother Li Li!"
Her enthusiastic response surprised Li Li for a moment.
He had no idea that Lan Shuyin was filled with gratitude towards him—if he hadn't been assigned the task of delivering the wine, he would probably have been struggling with the problem of how to deal with that ghostly figure for quite some time.
The night was filled with a decadent atmosphere. On the dance floor, men and women swayed passionately to the deafening beat, their silhouettes silhouetted against the changing laser lights.
Lan Shuyin had just stepped away from a table of guests with an empty tray when a slightly shrill female voice, tinged with deliberate surprise, suddenly called out to her—
"Hey! Isn't this our great explorer Lan Shuyin?"
Lan Shuyin paused, looking in the direction of the sound. She saw three women and two men gathered together in a circular booth not far away, all dressed smartly.
At that moment, several pairs of eyes fell on her, their gazes filled with undisguised scrutiny and mockery.
The speaker was a woman in a sexy black leather miniskirt, Annie, her college roommate. Next to Annie, the woman in a white Chanel-style suit, slowly stirring her cocktail, was Li Kailin—the daughter of the shamanic relative who had adopted Lan Shuyin, and she came from the same place as Annie.
What a small world!
Lan Shuyin smiled flawlessly and greeted them, "Oh, it's you guys. Out for some fun?"
She smiled kindly, and people usually don't hit those who are smiling.
But Annie was clearly not one of them. She covered her mouth and let out an exaggerated laugh. "Yeah, I really didn't expect to run into you here. You left all the group chats after graduation, and everyone thought you went to travel the world. There were even rumors that you died out there! And now you're here serving dishes?" She asked her friend next to her, pretending to be serious. "Hey, why didn't we run into her when we came here before?"
Her tone was sarcastic, and her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people at the next few tables to hear clearly.
A boy next to Annie put his arm around her shoulder and said with a grin, "Being an adventure blogger isn't that easy. It's more reliable to serve others, right?"
Lan Shuyin smiled nonchalantly, her eyes even showing a hint of tolerance towards unruly children, and asked with a smile, "Would you like something to drink?"
Her unyielding attitude, unmoved by either soft or hard approaches, quickly bored the others. Annie waved her hand dismissively, "No need."
"Alright then, have fun. Call me anytime if you need anything." Lan Shuyin nodded readily, turned and left, her movements fluid and without the slightest hesitation.
Just as she turned around, Annie's disdainful voice drifted over, "Tch, people from small towns are just hopeless... Karin, don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about you, you're not like her."
Ignoring the insignificant comments behind her, Lan Shuyin walked straight to the next place where she was needed.
Before we knew it, it was late at night again, and the hustle and bustle of the neon-lit night gradually subsided.
Lan Shuyin, carrying the heavy book "The Strange Tales," stepped lightly out of the side door.
A cool night breeze swept over her, and she paused as soon as she stepped down the stairs.
Li Kailin slowly emerged from the shadows of the streetlights, her arms crossed over her chest, clearly having been waiting for some time.
"Lan Shuyin." She crossed her arms, blocking her path, her tone undisguisedly cold, "You sure know how to avoid peace and quiet, haven't you gone back even once since Aunt Six left?"
Lan Shuyin smiled helplessly, "You made it clear that you didn't want to see me anymore. I'm just respecting your wishes and not bothering you."
"Respect?" Li Kailin sneered. "I bet you know it's shameful to work as a waitress in a bar, and you're afraid of what people will say if it gets back, so you don't dare go back, right?"
"Think what you want." Lan Shuyin shrugged. "I earn my money with my own hands, and I have a clear conscience."
"What a fine excuse for having a clear conscience!" Li Kailin stepped forward and lowered her voice, "You think hiding here will keep your background a secret? Your family even told me to keep an eye on you. Seeing you like this will only break their hearts!"
Lan Shuyin frowned slightly, but ultimately just turned and walked past her. "If that's all you wanted to say, then I'll be going now."
The gaze behind her was as cold as a knife, but Lan Shuyin didn't stop for a moment and quickly left.
Just as she turned the corner, someone called her from behind.
A tall man in a suit and tie approached and handed over a simple paper bag.
"Miss Lan, this is what the boss instructed me to give you."
Lan Shuyin took the paper bag with a puzzled look and touched the slightly cool, tubular object inside. She opened it and glanced at it in the dim light of the streetlamp.
It's a medicated ointment.
She was slightly taken aback.
"The boss instructed me," the man said, bowing slightly. "This is a special formula; it's very effective at relieving pain and reducing swelling."
Even as the man's figure disappeared into the night, Lan Shuyin remained standing there, a wave of surprise mixed with a subtle warmth rising in her heart.
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