Bar 023 Not Coming Back

  "Oh dear!" I stood up and smiled slightly.

  "There's nothing to be embarrassed about! Looks like you're not in your usual state!"

  "Some things don't go as planned, it's quite normal."

  "It's normal to be unhappy, but I've never seen a man as sentimental as you."

  "Not having seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. When one day your heart is thoroughly hurt, you'll know what kind of feeling that is." I smiled slightly and got off the car.

  Kunming, known as the "Spring City", is the capital of Yunnan Province and is the political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological, and transportation center of Yunnan Province. The terrain of Kunming is mostly mountainous. The land is generally higher in the north and lower in the south, with many caves and karst landforms, including the Stone Forest Scenic Spot. Kunming is a city that is completely geared towards tourism, I have always liked this place, it's spring all year round, and the scenery is beautiful. It's impossible not to play when you come to Kunming, but for me now, I just don't have the mood to travel, even sleeping and drinking can't lift my spirits.

  I rushed to the bus station, bought a ticket and arrived directly in Hua County, Yunnan Province (Hua County is purely fictional, if there's any similarity, it's just a coincidence). This place borders the border of Yunnan Province with neighboring countries, with a total length of 4060 kilometers. Among them: China-Myanmar segment 1997 kilometers, China-Laos segment 710 kilometers, China-Vietnam segment 1353 kilometers. Yunnan has always been a land transportation hub connecting China to Southeast Asian countries since ancient times. There are more than 20 highways leading out of the country, and 15 ethnic groups living on both sides of the border with the same ethnic groups abroad. It is close to Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, and other countries. This place has always been an important channel for drug traffickers and arms smugglers due to its high mountains and dense forests. Every year, countless drugs pass through here, although our country's border defense soldiers are always on guard. However, there are countless roads, big and small, open and secret, all over the place. Killing someone is as common as killing a chicken. Due to being in the border area, investigations are often impossible to conduct. Hua County is a county located on the border, with its southern part being deep mountains abroad. Originally, it was very backward, but due to many drug traffickers and arms smugglers, they would do some real business to cover up their crimes, drive local economic development, and also launder black money.

  The night was already very quiet, but the bright lights in the sky still illuminated the darkness, and it didn't even feel like nighttime had arrived. After getting out of the car, I quickly hailed a taxi and soon arrived at the "No Return" bar in Hua County. The "No Return" bar is a place that combines drinking and karaoke, and its owner has some shady connections. To be honest, if you don't have some kind of underworld or overworld backing, nobody dares to do this kind of business. Otherwise, if something happens, it will affect several days' worth of business, and after a few times in a month, I estimate that the bar would have to close down within half a year.

  I wandered into the bar, sat down at the counter and ordered a beer. I was drinking alone, one sip at a time, when I saw my bastard instructor sitting next to me with a beautiful girl in his arms.

  The bar was noisy and I couldn't concentrate on anything, my mind kept thinking of that woman, the woman I both loved and hated - Chen Xue.

  That woman walked over, waved her hand in front of me and said, "Hey handsome, drinking alone, are you very sad? Why don't I keep you company for a drink?"

  I looked at the woman, then at the dagger, and suddenly felt a surge of resentment towards this damned instructor. He just smiled at me and continued drinking his wine. I smiled too, but it was a smile filled with sorrow and worry. "Alright, but I don't know what kind of wine you want to drink, it's too expensive for me to afford!"

  "It's okay, looking at you like this, I'll invite you instead. You're really a melancholic man, your eyes are so sorrowful." She waved her hand generously, "Xiao Bei, bring a cup of heartbroken lover, hurry up!"

  "Alright, just a minute! Beautiful sister!" The bartender responded cheerfully and then I saw the stainless steel cup in his hand flying quickly, shaking back and forth, and soon he poured me a well-mixed cocktail.

  "Are you bullying me? That hurts."

  "How could this be? I was just treating you to a drink, and it's because I think you're a good person that I invited you to have a drink and relax!"

  "I don't even know your name yet, I'm Zhang Hao."

  "They all call me Mei Jie, you can just call me Xiao Mei."

  "It's really beautiful!" I said, taking a light sip of the cocktail, feeling the taste, sweet and bitter, strong and gentle, it was indeed very suitable for my current mood.

  "Thank you."

  "You're welcome, just drink slowly, I like watching a melancholic man like you drinking this melancholic wine."

  I glanced at Xiaomei and said, "Then just take your time!"

  The music behind me suddenly stopped, and through the mirror in front of me, I saw the young boys and girls who were frantically twisting their bodies stop, surrounded by all kinds of curses.

  Then a muscular man with tattoos all over his body and a menacing scowl on his face walked onto the central stage, grabbed the microphone and bellowed, "Everyone below, listen up! Those who are not involved, get out of here! Otherwise, be careful or I'll smash your brains to pieces!" As he spoke, he pulled out a black baseball bat and with one swing, smashed the electronic piano in front of him into smithereens, sending shattered fragments crashing to the ground.

  Xiao Mei pulled me and said, "Let's go, these people are not easy to mess with, let's hurry up and leave this place!"

  I looked up at Xiaomei, glanced at the people fleeing in terror outside, and ignored her, taking a sip of wine on my own. "You're the first woman to invite me for a drink, I'll finish this cup, otherwise it would be too wasteful."

  "Then hurry up and drink it all in one gulp! What's with the slow sipping?"

  "You don't understand, good things only happen once, so you have to cherish them well. Once they're gone, they can never be found again!"

  Xiao Mei was furious, she turned her head to look at the bayonet again, and this bastard instructor just smiled and continued drinking his beer. Xiao Mei was so angry that she couldn't take it anymore, "Do whatever you want, I'm not leaving either. If I lose a single hair, you'll be the one who's sorry."

  I didn't say a word, just smiled, I don't know what expression I can make now except smiling, it seems like everything has become so meaningless.

  Sometimes you don't cause trouble, but things just can't help looking for you. So my consistent principle is that I don't fight without reason, I won't take the initiative to hit someone, but I'm not afraid of hitting back either.

  These rascals in today's society are simply not worth mentioning.

  "Hey! Kid, didn't you hear me? Want to die, speak up, I'll fulfill your wish. Damn it, there are still many idiots who don't know better these days!"

  Several young hooligans following behind the strong man immediately echoed in agreement.

  "These days, young people are getting more and more arrogant, truly lacking in refinement."

  "Boss, you must take good care of this kid..."

  "We beat this kid up so badly today that even his mother wouldn't recognize him!"