Despite the pain, Yang Hongtao carefully examined his lumbar spine. Comparing it with the medical knowledge he had fused in his mind, he realized that his condition was not sudden, nor had he actually twisted his waist or injured his lumbar spine. It was just that his physical condition was usually too poor, and the struggle he had just put up with while dodging the bullets had been too strenuous, leading to severe exhaustion. That's why he was so tired from just twisting his waist.
Although he was somewhat annoyed and resented Zhou Ziwei for not taking care of his body, Zhou Ziwei was already dead, and besides, Zhou Ziwei hadn't invited him to take over this body. So Yang Hongtao could only sigh helplessly and hope that he could take good care of himself and exercise properly in the future to make his body a little stronger. Otherwise, with his current physical condition, he probably wouldn't live for another twenty years, and that would be too long!
Worried that the assassin might recklessly charge forward again, Yang Hongtao didn't dare to stay lying on the ground for too long. He massaged his waist a few times and, feeling slightly better, immediately forced himself to get up. He carefully approached the window, but instead of recklessly peeking out, he found a mirror and scanned the outside world through its reflection.
It wasn't until several minutes later that Yang Hongtao finally confirmed that the assassin had indeed left. He estimated that the assassin had been injured when he fell from the wall, and even if the injury wasn't serious, it was unlikely that he would come back to kill him immediately. Only then did Yang Hongtao breathe a long sigh of relief.
The crisis was temporarily averted, but Yang Hongtao felt no joy whatsoever. He had only been reborn as a human for less than a day and had already experienced such a thrilling scene. It would be impossible for him to have a peaceful life from now on without finding and completely eliminating the assassin and his employer.
After changing his clothes, Yang Hongtao sat on the bed, looking at the shocking bullet holes on the floor. He felt uneasy; staying at home didn't seem safe enough. After hesitating for a moment, he decided it would be better to spend the night outside. Otherwise, if that unfortunate assassin returned while he was sound asleep, he couldn't guarantee he would still be so vigilant.
Even if that unlucky guy was slightly injured and probably wouldn't come back tonight, the possibility of the employer behind the scenes sending a second assassin couldn't be ruled out. Thinking of this, Yang Hongtao took out the travel bag full of banknotes, casually pulled out two bundles and stuffed them into his clothes, then ran downstairs, drove out his newly bought Mercedes-Benz, and sped towards Rainbow Street, the most famous red-light district in Dangyang City.
The reason Yang Hongtao went to Rainbow Street wasn't because he was driven by lust after just escaping death; it was mainly because he didn't want to attract too much attention. Since he was going to continue playing the role of Zhou Ziwei, he couldn't make too many changes all at once.
Zhou Ziwei used to spend nine out of ten nights on Rainbow Street whenever he had money in his pocket. Yang Hongtao, having just dominated a temporary gambling game as Zhou Ziwei, would likely attract attention and suspicion if he didn't come to Rainbow Street tonight.
Since he didn't want to stay at home overnight, he decided to follow Zhou Ziwei's habit and spend some time in Rainbow Street to confuse those who were paying attention to him.
Linglongxin Bar! It was one of the places Zhou Ziwei frequented to pick up girls and have affairs. Yang Hongtao had accompanied Zhou Ziwei here several times while he was trapped in that bullet, so this trip was quite familiar with the place.
This bar isn't strictly speaking a place of entertainment, but it's famous throughout Dangyang City for its abundance of beautiful women. What's most alluring is that these women aren't prostitutes who sell sex for money; most are respectable women, or even high-level white-collar professionals from foreign companies.
These women aren't people you can just get with money. In fact, if a beautiful woman likes you, she might even try to seduce you.
Of course... these are just rumors. Those in the know understand that the elegant white-collar women who frequent this bar are actually hired by the bar's owner to fish for women. Every day, countless fools go up to flirt with those beauties, even spending a fortune to open a bottle of genuine French red wine, just to win a glance from one of them. Little do they know that those beauties earn their living from the commission on those drinks.
For every bottle of wine worth tens of thousands of yuan they ruin, they can get a 3,000 yuan commission from the bar owner. If they're lucky, they can easily earn 10,000 or 20,000 yuan in one night.
However, not everyone in the Linglongxin Bar is a shill. Over time, its reputation has spread, and quite a few resentful women or fashionable ladies seeking excitement come here to hang out. If they don't meet a man they like, they just drink to relieve their boredom. But if they happen to find someone they like, they'll really let loose and have a one-night stand.
So even people who know the bar inside and out often come here to try their luck, but when it comes to picking up girls, they have to be very discreet.
Yang Hongtao parked his car in the open space outside the bar, then listlessly dragged his somewhat sickly body inside. He was clearly too early today; the entire bar was deserted, except for the bartender and a few waitresses huddled together, showing off his bartending skills.
After all, bars only get more lively late at night. Right now, it's just getting dark, which is dinnertime. Who would want to show off in a bar for no reason?
Yang Hongtao glanced at the bartender and saw that he was waving the black cocktail bottle around like a circus acrobat, but there was no rhythm to mixing drinks at all. He couldn't help but purse his lips and didn't go to the bar. Instead, he turned around and went to a corner to choose a seat.
"Oh my... isn't this Young Master Zhou? You've arrived quite early today..."
A sharp-eyed bar girl noticed Yang Hongtao sitting in the corner and quickly wiggled her sexy big buttocks and greeted him with a sweet smile.
"Young Master Zhou, are you sitting here alone, or waiting for a friend? Would you like to order something first?"
Yang Hongtao nodded, feeling hungry again after all that commotion, so he asked, "Do you have anything here that can fill my stomach? Just give me something."
"Something to fill your stomach?"
Yang Hongtao's words really posed a problem for the bar girl. The food in this bar was mostly flashy but impractical. Apart from drinks, it was just some dried fruit, fruit platters, and the like. If she wanted to eat her fill here, she really didn't know what to order.
"Alright... don't worry about it anymore. Just pick a few kinds of fresh dried fruit from your bar and bring them up. I don't want the discounts from other customers' leftovers! Also... I saw a roast chicken shop across the street from your bar. Go and buy me a freshly roasted chicken."
Upon hearing this, the bartender hesitated and said, "But... our bar doesn't allow outside food! This..."
Yang Hongtao snorted and said, "Who said I brought my own food? I'm just asking you to buy it. Even if it's your bar, you can sell it to me. Your boss can decide how much to charge for this chicken, as long as you don't resell it to me for 10,000 or 20,000... Hurry up, hurry up... This is your tip. If you do a good job, I'll give you a reward."
Yang Hongtao knew that Zhou Ziwei always liked to show off. Even when he only had three hundred yuan left in his pocket, he would still dare to give two hundred yuan as a tip. So Yang Hongtao had now learned the kid's spirit to the fullest extent, and even surpassed it. He casually reached into his pocket, pulled out a few bills, about five or six, and stuffed them directly into the bar girl's ample cleavage without counting them.
Of course... after stuffing the money in, he would definitely pinch that bouncy spot hard, accompanied by a lewd expression, perfectly playing the role of a playboy.
"Oh dear... Young Master Zhou, you're so mean... You're always bullying me. If you keep doing this, I won't play with you anymore..."
The bar girl puffed out her ample bosom, rubbing her breasts together to gauge the thickness of the stack of banknotes. She beamed with delight, gave a flirtatious wink, and after a good bit of coquettishness, swayed out of the bar. Bringing outside food into the bar wasn't allowed, but that rule applied to certain people. Regular customers were exempt, so the bar girl didn't need to tell the owner beforehand; she quickly brought out a perfectly cooked, fragrant roast chicken.
In addition, he picked out five or six exquisite dried and fresh fruit platters and placed them in front of Yang Hongtao.
"Young Master Zhou, what kind of wine would you like?"
The bartender had just started her day and already received several hundred dollars in tips, a great start indeed. In high spirits, she couldn't resist enthusiastically introducing the bar: "Why don't you try a cocktail first? We just hired a bartender from overseas at a high salary. His bartending skills have reportedly won major awards in Europe. Look... his bartending posture is so cool!"
Yang Hongtao glanced in the direction the bartender was pointing, shook his head dismissively, and said, "What's the use of just having a cool pose? Bartending is all about timing. Only when the timing is right can the aroma of the liquor come out. It's not a monkey show. No matter how good the presentation is, if the timing isn't right, it's all for nothing."
"Hey... what did you say? Who are you calling a monkey showman!"
Yang Hongtao didn't speak loudly, but the bar wasn't playing music, so there was practically no noise. The bartender, who was showing off his skills, was obviously watching Yang Hongtao, so he heard every word he said.
An ordinary bartender might have simply overheard it and let it go. Working in the service industry, it's basic professional etiquette not to argue with customers. However, this bartender clearly didn't care about professional etiquette. Upon hearing Yang Hongtao implying he was a monkey stunt performer, he immediately flew into a rage, pointing his finger at Yang Hongtao and yelling.
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 26 Sister Yue
Seeing the bartender's arrogance, Yang Hongtao frowned immediately. He regretted saying that earlier. In fact, he did feel that the bartender's movements were somewhat flashy but impractical, even putting the cart before the horse, excessively pursuing fancy movements while completely ignoring the true meaning of bartending. That's why he said that casually, without intending to find fault with anyone.
After all, bartending is a very sophisticated profession. Without long-term accumulation and specialization, it is difficult to truly understand the essence of this discipline. The bartender in this bar is very young, probably only twenty-one or twenty-two years old. It is reasonable for someone his age not to be very skilled.
Seeing the bartender's furious expression, Yang Hongtao realized he had misspoke and wasn't angry anymore. Adhering to the principle of "better safe than sorry," he shrugged and smiled, saying, "I'm really sorry. I was just chatting casually with this lady and didn't mean anything by it."
But to everyone's surprise, Yang Hongtao didn't want to cause trouble, but the bartender had no intention of letting things go. He put down the cocktail bottle, walked over to Yang Hongtao, and said aggressively, "Just chatting for a bit? Humph... Why are you making comments here while I'm mixing drinks over there? I think you're just deliberately looking for trouble!"
Seeing this, the bartender quickly stopped the bartender and kept advising him, "Forget it, forget it... Ah, Young Master Zhou is a regular customer of our bar. He's not targeting you on purpose. He was just saying it casually. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
The bartender, Axi, didn't give the barmaid any face at all. He turned around, glared at her fiercely, and said coldly, "You just took his tip, so of course you have to speak up for him. I don't care if he's a new customer or a regular. Since he insulted me to my face, I'm going to make him apologize to me formally, otherwise this isn't over!"
"But...didn't he already apologize? Why are you making such a fuss?" The bar girl was getting angry too. What was wrong with her taking tips? The base salary for working here wasn't much; she relied entirely on tips to make a living. What was wrong with that? Besides, she said what she did earlier because she felt that making a big fuss would be bad for the bar! She didn't mean to favor Yang Hongtao, but this Ah Xi was like a dog, biting anyone in sight, which was truly despicable.
"Say sorry and that's it?" Axi snorted coldly and said, "If he wants me to drop this matter, he'll at least have to give me three proper bows in public, otherwise... humph!"
This Ah Xi was clearly not a good guy. Besides being a bartender, he was probably a ruthless character who had been involved in the underworld before. As he spoke, a fierce light was already showing in his eyes, as if he was ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
"Enough!"
Just then, a voice that was clearly very serious but sounded alluring to others suddenly rang out behind them. Then Yang Hongtao felt an enticing fragrance waft by, and a woman in her thirties, wearing a black gauze dress, hurried over.
The woman wasn't tall, only about 1.6 meters, and her features weren't particularly refined—at least a notch below Wang Xuewei. However, Yang Hongtao had to admit that this woman knew how to dress. Her makeup wasn't heavy, but it effectively concealed her minor flaws while highlighting all her strengths. Her black tulle dress didn't look like a designer brand, but it perfectly accentuated her figure.
In addition, with her naturally charming temperament, basically nine out of ten men would never want to look away once they saw her, and the remaining unmoved man is probably either the kind of gay man who only likes men, or a preschool child.
Yang Hongtao was certainly not a preschooler and had no interest in men whatsoever, so the moment he saw this woman, his eyes almost flew straight to her.
At the same time, his blood began to heat up uncontrollably, and his breathing seemed to become difficult.
"That's fucking shameful!"
Yang Hongtao did not expect his reaction to be so strong. The woman only glanced at him, and her expression immediately revealed a deep sense of disdain.
Yang Hongtao really wanted to slap himself hard across the face. He didn't want to hurt himself, but just wanted to teach Zhou Ziwei a lesson! Because Yang Hongtao himself wasn't as bad as he appeared. It was just that as soon as he saw that woman, his body started to react reflexively, completely out of his control.
He guessed that this was probably because Zhou Ziwei was too lecherous in his life. Whenever he saw a beautiful woman, he would show such a disgusting lecherous face. Over time, his body may have developed an instinct for it. Even though Zhou Ziwei's soul had disappeared, it still left such a sequela on his body.
However, this was also because Yang Hongtao's soul had occupied this body for too short a time and had not yet fully mastered the various subtle functions of the body. In this moment of carelessness, the body's instincts took over.
Yang Hongtao had never seen this woman before, yet he felt no sense of unfamiliarity with her. This woman was Xin Yue, the big boss of Linglongxin Bar! Known as Sister Yue, she was a woman with legendary influence and connections.
Although she owns 70% of the bar, she rarely appears there herself. This is because Xin Yue isn't a local of Dangyang, and this bar is just one of many insignificant businesses under her name.
This bar is usually managed by the second owner, and Xin Yue is lucky if she comes two or three times a year. The reason Yang Hongtao felt that Xin Yue was familiar was because Zhou Ziwei's remaining memories included her.
Generally speaking, the memories left behind by the hundreds of remnant souls that Yang Hongtao merged with were mostly obsessions related to skills and knowledge, and very little information about the people involved.
For example, the inheritor of Niu-style Tai Chi Chuan began learning this 36-form boxing style at the age of three. From then on, he practiced it at least once every day, rain or shine, regardless of the weather. After decades of persistence, he practiced each move and form of the boxing style at least ten thousand times. Naturally, this left a deep obsession in his memory. When this person dies and his soul ceases to exist, this part of the memory will definitely be preserved until the very end.
Zhou Ziwei, on the other hand, was an anomaly. Apart from womanizing and gambling, he had no other skills. Therefore, the memories left in his remnant soul were mostly of all sorts of beautiful women.
As for Xin Yue, Zhou Ziwei had only met her twice in his lifetime, but even if he had only met such an exquisite mature woman once, he would never forget her for the rest of his life.
"Hey, I sent you here to help, not to cause trouble! Why are you arguing with the bar's customers?"
After Xin Yue walked over, she only glanced at Yang Hongtao haughtily before turning her gaze to A Xi. She then spoke a few words of gentle reproach in a voice so soft it could make one's whole body go weak. Although it was a reproachful tone, her voice still sounded beautiful and captivating.
"Third Aunt, I... I didn't cause any trouble! This guy insulted me first!"
As soon as Axi saw Xin Yue appear, the fierce light in his eyes vanished completely. He quickly lowered his head, looking somewhat like a shy young boy, appearing at a loss in front of Xin Yue.
From Yang Hongtao's perspective, however, it was clear that although Axi had his head down, his thieving eyes were constantly darting around Xin Yue's waist and hips, while his throat was occasionally moving slightly, clearly indicating that he was secretly swallowing saliva.
Seeing this, Yang Hongtao could only admire him. This guy was respectfully calling her Third Aunt, but who knows what he was fantasizing about in his heart! This guy... he really is a beast in human form!
However, no matter how much Yang Hongtao despised this Axi, he wouldn't bother with it. Let alone the fact that the two were just cousins, even if Axi fantasized about his own mother, what business was it of Yang Hongtao's?
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 27: Pure and Elegant Music
Xin Yue clearly doted on her cousin, and upon hearing A Xi's words, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she asked in a deep voice, "Oh... then how exactly did he insult you? If it really wasn't your fault, then your third aunt certainly won't let you suffer!"
Axi immediately pointed angrily at Yang Hongtao and said, "I was mixing drinks at the bar just now, but he said I was putting on a monkey show. What else is this but an insult?"
"Is that so?" Upon hearing Axi's words, Xin Yue's alluring face darkened further. She turned to the bar girl beside her and asked her, presumably because she believed that the bar girl, as a third party, should be able to provide a more objective account of the true situation.
But when the bartender heard Axi call Xin Yue's third cousin, her face turned very ugly. She originally thought that Axi was just an ordinary bartender who had been hired by the bar, but who knew that he would actually be a relative of the bar's big boss!
Thinking back to how she almost got into an argument with Axi, the bar girl knew that if she didn't perform well, she would probably be fired immediately. So she quickly nodded and said, "Yes... Young Master Zhou... he mocked Axi's bartending skills, saying that Axi didn't know how to bartend at all and was just making a fool of himself."
Upon hearing this, Xin Yue's gloomy expression vanished, replaced by a captivating smile. She gazed sweetly at Yang Hongtao and said softly, "Sir, isn't that a bit inappropriate? My nephew, though just an amateur bartender, has won awards in British flair bartending competitions, and you actually said he can't bartend! This…you've definitely hurt his pride. Shouldn't you sincerely apologize to him?"
Yang Hongtao sighed softly, knowing that it was impossible to avoid trouble, so he could only helplessly reply, "Why should I apologize? He just doesn't know how to mix drinks, or saying he's putting on a monkey show is a bit of an exaggeration, but to say he's a clown in a circus would be the most apt description!"
"What the hell are you saying?"
Upon hearing this, Axi flew into a rage again and lunged forward to grab Yang Hongtao's collar, but Xin Yue stopped him.
Xin Yue looked Yang Hongtao up and down with some curiosity, then nodded and said, "Judging from your appearance, you're probably a big shot in Dangyang... Oh, I misspoke, I should say your elders are probably big shots in Dangyang, so you think you can completely ignore a small bartender, right? If that's really what you think, then I suggest you call your elders first and talk to them, at least they need to know who I, Xin Yue, am, otherwise... Hehe... Actually, today isn't a big deal. As long as you sincerely apologize to Axi and make him satisfied, I won't pursue it any further."
Yang Hongtao was not surprised by Xin Yue's assertiveness. With her strength, she certainly had the right to be assertive. However, Yang Hongtao was not one to easily submit to others. He was not even afraid of elusive assassins, so why would he be intimidated by a charming and alluring older woman?
"Sister Yue, right?"
Yang Hongtao remained seated as steady as a mountain, glancing up at Xin Yue's exquisitely beautiful face. Suppressing the natural surge of excitement within him, he coughed lightly and said in a pretentious tone, "I know you, Sister Yue, are a powerful figure with connections everywhere. In this small place like Dangyang, there's probably no one you can't afford to offend! As for someone as insignificant as me, I'm certainly not worth your attention. But... even if you're of high status, you can't speak against your conscience, can you? This Mr. Axi's skill level is even lower than mine. If he really wins a bartending competition abroad, then I imagine all the judges are probably your relatives, right?"
"Oh...so you're a bartending expert too?" This really surprised Xin Yue. She had been having a headache lately because she couldn't find a bartender for Linglongxin Bar, so she had to borrow her cousin to help out for a few days.
After all, bartending originated from foreign countries, and there aren't many people in China who truly understand this art. Many bartenders in bars are only half-baked, and some have even "taught themselves" after just watching a few episodes on TV.
Generally speaking, even ultra-luxury bars in big cities find it difficult to recruit a real bartender, let alone in a small inland place like Dangyang City.
In fact, Xin Yue knew perfectly well that her cousin's skills were only good enough to fool laymen, and that the so-called award that Axi won in England was actually just a commemorative award he received in a talent competition held by his school when he was studying in England.
However, Axi's skills are not bad by domestic standards, and even surpass the performances of many professional bartenders in big bars! It would be a waste of his talents to have him in a bar in a place like Dangyang.
However, Xin Yue could understand a bit of what Yang Hongtao was saying, but she didn't really believe that a rich second-generation from Dangyang could really know how to mix drinks.
"He wouldn't call himself a master, but I imagine he's at least ten times stronger than your cousin, right?"