Chapter 5: Bar Brawl

  Her gaze was fixed on Ruoxi and Ji Dong beside her, while her feet were still moving quickly. In her mind, there was only one thought: I must escape from here as soon as possible. Suddenly, Da Tiao's nerves woke up with a start, unable to imagine that after all the evasions, he still bumped into that person, who was now dramatically playing a game of cat and mouse!

  Hiding in the crowd with a twisted expression, finally feeling safe, he took off his mask and saw the strange gaze beside him, ignoring it, anyway, he had seen it all before.

  "Hey, hey, look at that person, why are they still holding onto their mask? Didn't they have to hand it in?"

  "Right! If I had known earlier, I would have kept it for myself!"

  I thought about the chaos of running away earlier, it seemed like someone was going to stop me, but I knocked them over, and it turned out they were trying to retrieve the mask. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry. Turning around to gaze at the distant crowd, I wanted to go back and put down this incriminating evidence, but hesitated and didn't dare, finally giving up. So I tightly hugged the mask in my arms and continued walking quickly forward.

  ??***

  It was late at night, the living room lights were on, and my parents were lying on the sofa. The TV was playing a foreign movie. My father's eyes were slightly closed, while my mother had already fallen asleep. Hearing the sound of the door opening, my father suddenly became energetic and shook awake my mother beside him. I stood at the doorway, staring at their faces without moving, holding a white mask in my hand. They quickly came over to welcome me in.

  "Baby, you must be tired? Go wash up and sleep!" Mom said as she came to pull my hand, helping me tidy up my hair that was blown messy by the wind.

  "It's a bit cool in the evening, don't catch a cold, this kid seems to have become stupid?" Dad said with some concern.

  I was led into the house in a daze by them, without saying a word, and went straight to my room, closed the door, and lay down.

  I pulled the quilt over my head, but my mind was still in a mess. Although I had been blowing cold wind all the way, it didn't blow me awake. On the contrary, it was like a sticky and thick paste that couldn't be clarified.

  I just ran away like this, will Zhang Jieyu be suspicious?

  That devil of a man actually has such a gentle side!

  He's really too hard to understand, if he wants to be with Ji Dong, why does he still want to force me to be his girlfriend and threaten me that if I don't agree, he'll bother Ruo Xi?

  He's still very rude to me! Extremely rude!

  But he can also have such a gentle voice...

  His dim eyes made me heartache too...

  His warm gaze is also very captivating...

  His slightly sweaty palm, wrapped around my waist, close proximity to his masculine scent...

  Thinking and thinking, my heart started racing again, oh no, I won't really be cursed or anything! Taking a deep breath, I hypnotized myself: calm down, calm down! What big waves haven't I seen before? And what am I still fantasizing about with a boy who likes to tease me?! His actions were just towards a stranger, if he knew it was me...

  It's true, if he knew it was me, he would definitely show his devilish nature and mock me before I could even react. How could he reveal this side of him that has nothing to do with me? My breathing finally calmed down, and I lifted my head from the pillow, looking out the window. The bright golden star still hung in the sky. Gazing at the distant light, I gradually felt at ease, and my mind became drowsy. Before long, I fell asleep.

  ??***

  In the tea-scented and sound-filled shop, Orchid Heart was still not around. If Creek was alone in charge of the store. I slept until the sun was high and came over to visit. It was a very leisurely weekend, so she sat with me behind the counter chatting.

  "Xiao Mi, thank you so much for last night, I had a great time!" Ruoxi said, holding my hand, "You're indeed a good sister!"

  "Ruo Xi......" I looked at her with some reluctance, since we were good sisters, I should tell her the truth, "Actually last night, the one who danced with you wasn't Yu Wu, it was Ji Dong!"

  "Do you remember our first meeting here? The special mark on your arm, how could I not recognize it?" She was all smiles, not disappointed at all. "At the beginning, I just wanted to see what tricks he would play, and even intentionally stepped on him a few times, but didn't expect that he's actually quite good, completely different from back then, not fierce at all, and very gentle!"

  "Hmm... you're such a flirt, changing so quickly!" I teased her. If it were Ji Dong, I'd actually feel more at ease, and it's good that my sisters can be together!

  "Let you deal with that mysterious man, he's all yours!" She smiled slyly, "Last night a big group of leftover women were waiting for him, but he didn't show up, probably because he looked down on them. You're the only beauty who can 'stay by his side' now! Make sure to grasp this opportunity well, having a handsome guy stay by your side is a feast for the eyes!"

  "What's wrong with you, flower idiot?! Who wants to hold onto him?! Besides, our contract has already ended. Just thinking about not having to see that annoying face again makes me ecstatic!" I raised my head in a triumphant pose, "I told you before we didn't have anything going on with him, and now your brain is finally clear for once. Shouldn't we be celebrating?"

  "Are you kidding me? You're not afraid of schizophrenia?! Good students have been pretending for three years, aren't you tired of it? That teacher has got a hold on your heart that deeply?! Still keeping that promise, I don't know whether to call you stupid or pretending to be dumb! With a teacher and without one, you're completely different, you don't find it tiring, I'm getting tired for you! Zhang Ze Yu really helped you out, helping you get rid of your dual personality earlier! You two are indeed a complementary pair~ It's time to congratulate you, finally someone is willing to take you in!" Ruoxi started teasing me, when we sit together, our mouths basically don't stop moving, she's always been very talkative, and under her guidance, I've also learned the true transmission.

  What she said is also right, maybe the real me has been hidden for too long and it's almost moldy. Zhang Ze Yu, that devilish guy, actually triggered another side of me, in a certain way, I should thank him, but my mouth still stubbornly says: "Little girl, don't talk nonsense! Now ruining my image is a small matter, ruining my reputation is a big deal! Besides, who wants to be paired with him? Don't say such disgusting things! And the teachers are all so concerned about me, I really don't want to disappoint them!"

  I've always believed that people are born good. Zhang Ze Yu might just be less fortunate than me, not meeting the right person at the right time, so he had to mix with society and cultivate this despicable personality of his today. The him from last night was probably the most real him. His face was slightly flushed.

  He was so absorbed in his own imagination that he didn't notice my slight change, and quickly moved him out of his mind. The two of us started to chat with each other again, and time slipped away unnoticed, and before we knew it, it was already evening.

  "Alright, alright, you've said we need to celebrate, let's go, stop being stingy!" I laughed and didn't bother arguing with her. She locked the empty shop door and said she thought of a perfect place.

  When I stood in front of a familiar pub, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine. The place where the creek mouth was supposed to be was actually here - a place that group of people from the abandoned house often frequented!

  "Apparently, they often come here!" Yifeng excitedly said. I should have guessed her motive earlier, just as I was about to run away, she grabbed me with a triumphant smile on her face: "Hehe, it's too late for regrets now!" And then dragged me in with a bitter expression.

  Dazzling lights, rocking music, twisting bodies, the bar was filled with beautifully dressed people, holding glasses and shaking their heads to the music. Even in the dark sofas, there were people crowded together, it seemed like every night here was a drunken paradise. The scene was basically the same as last time, I plucked up my courage and followed Ruoxi to sit down at the bar on two empty chairs.

  "A Bloody Mary!"

  "What's that? The name sounds terrifying! Don't get drunk, I won't be able to carry you." I whispered in her ear, but received a cold stare.

  "Good student, I'm nothing like you, it's about time for me to learn how to drink too, everyone on this earth drinks!"

  "Miss, what can I get for you?" The bartender handed a bright red wine glass to Ruoxi and asked me again.

  "Juice is fine!" I smiled awkwardly, as it seemed that no one else but me would order juice at a bar.

  "Please wait."

  Weiwei took a small sip and let out a satisfied sigh of praise, I don't know when she learned to make this behind my back.

  The noisy bar, but at this moment it's calm and peaceful by my ear. The things I was worried about didn't happen after all. Even if they often come here, they won't be coming every day, right? I can finally relax a bit. On the side, Ruoxi looks a bit disappointed, her glass is already empty, but she still hasn't waited for the person to arrive, and her face is gloomy.

  "Rice, let's go, come with me to the restroom." She suddenly stood up shaking and I quickly supported her, the two of us slowly making our way through the crowd.

  As soon as she saw the toilet, Ruo Xi rushed over and plopped herself down, squatting on the edge and letting out a loud "whoosh" as she vomited. The murky liquid splashed into the water, followed by a thud as she sat down on the floor, panting and saying: "Ah, I feel so much better after throwing up..."

  "You can't even drink properly, what else can you do?!" He pulled her up from the ground, "Now you know your lesson, always acting without thinking!"

  "Just now someone was staring at us from the dark, I thought it was Ji Dong and them..." She sighed, "Who knew, still wanted to leave a good impression!"

  Please! Is a good impression left like this? I looked at her helplessly. Then accompanied her out the door.

  She was so focused on looking at her that she didn't notice what was in front of her, and before she knew it, she had bumped into a hard body. She let out a pained cry as she stumbled backward, but the person in front of her caught her in his arms. Ruoxi's face was flushed pink like she was wearing makeup, and her eyes were slightly dazed from the wine. Her beautiful eyes stared at the stranger's face, sizing him up. The man had a lecherous gaze, with his shirt buttons undone, three shiny earrings on his left ear, and a smile that made one want to vomit.

  "Are you blind? If I wasn't in a good mood..." He rubbed his chin, gave me a fierce stare and then turned to Yuexi in his arms, "Little beauty, go sit over there."

  Insignificant me was completely ignored. Yu Xi started struggling, shouting: "Do you know who we are? Zhang Ze Yu's woman dares to move?" A small hand pointed at my nose.

  Everyone in the small town has heard of this person, just like everyone in China knows **. When I first heard this sentence from Xiao Rong, I couldn't help but laugh, thinking he was a bit too cold-blooded, and being described by Xiao Rong made him seem like a triad leader. I didn't expect this phrase to actually work, looking back at the scenes I've seen, the big bosses are always all talk and no action, only then did I understand.

  The lecherous man was taken aback for a moment, but still didn't let go of my hand, sizing me up from head to toe, probably thinking how an ordinary girl like me could possibly be with someone as high-ranking as Si Yu. However, a hint of worry appeared in his eyes. Ruoxi took advantage of her drunken state to start rambling nonsense, and I, still sober, could only play along with her, after all, two young girls usually only had the fate of being at others' mercy.

  "Think about it carefully, my friend is now the girlfriend of a powerful person, you dare to move your hands, and you will be in trouble!" Ruoxi patted the man's shoulder with great force, her voice extremely loud and righteous, even I was scared. A few people standing not far away all stared at us.

  "Whatever, ignorance is bliss. Zuo Yu still cares about me, I'll go talk to him, you don't have to be so tense either. You little girl, look at how scared you've got big brother!" I regained my composure, pretending to be relaxed, with a slight smile on the corner of my mouth, while also calmly looking back at him. The outcome was hanging in the balance, and my forehead started sweating, the smile on the corner of my mouth feeling somewhat stiff.

  He paused for a few seconds, then quickly let go of Ruo Xi and bowed his head repeatedly to apologize: "I didn't know you were Yu Ge's person, I'm blind! Sister, please speak up for me, if Yu Ge finds out, I'm dead... I'll hit myself! I'll hit myself!" As he spoke, he roughly grabbed my hand and slapped himself hard in the face.

  "Big brother, I won't hold it against you. Making things convenient for others is making things convenient for oneself, right? Don't worry, I won't speak ill of you." Just after slapping him, he quickly withdrew his hand, still smiling, with a calm expression, but thinking to himself: Your face doesn't hurt, my hand does!

  "It's quite late now, if there's nothing else, we'll leave first, Ze Yu reminded us!" I burst into a smile that I thought was happy. Then, under the gaze of a group of people and the admiring eyes of the perverted man, I supported the staggering Ruo Xi and walked through the crowded crowd.

  Finally breathed the long-awaited fresh air, Ruoxi was blown by the cold wind and suddenly woke up, let go of my hand, excitedly said: "How is it, how is it, I performed well, didn't I?" Under my dazed gaze, she continued to say: "Just in that pervert's arms, I woke up again, disgusting me so much that I wanted to vomit, how about it, my acting skills are still passable, haha!"

  "Ha ha, you're really something. Your mind is quite sharp!" We walked and chatted, "It's been a long time since I've done something so daring, my heart almost jumped out just now!" I wiped the sweat beads from my forehead and panted heavily.

  "Come on! Remember how formidable you were back then? How did you become so wishy-washy now?! This is the perfect opportunity to return, don't hesitate anymore!"

  "In the past, I was too showy and didn't understand things, making many enemies! Now it's time to mature!" After venting, my mood is great, "I also want to be low-key, just being ordinary and simple is fine."

  "They say children who suffer become mature early, but I think you're even more mature than me, your way of thinking is like an old lady's!"

  "I'm also just a pure troublemaker, how can I deal with such a genuine and cheap rascal!"

  ??Just as Xi Creek was enthusiastically encouraging me to transform, laughing and talking to her, a hand suddenly rose up and blocked my way, almost colliding with my chest. I thought I had encountered another pervert again. A burst of anger stared at the owner of the arm, but the scolding words that should have been spoken were swallowed back...

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