"I don't drink alcohol," Xu Chacha waved her hand in refusal.
"It's okay, just drink a little." Chen Qian started mixing the liquid, and after a dazzling display, she poured out a glass of light pink liquid and pushed the glass in front of Xu Chacha. "Try it."
Xu Chacha glanced at Chen Qianqian, who had already downed half a glass of beer. Thinking that she couldn't embarrass Chen Qianqian in front of her, she also took a small sip.
Surprisingly, it didn't have the spicy alcohol taste I expected. Instead, it had a light sweetness with a peach aroma and a refreshing taste.
"How about it?"
Xu Chacha replied with a smile, "It's delicious."
"That's fine then."
Holding the cocktail, Xu Chacha looked around and found that this bar was different from the noisy, dancing bars she remembered. It was quiet, and the lighting wasn't too dim or ambiguous.
The music playing in the background was a slow, relaxing tune. There were a few tables and chairs scattered around the room, with small groups of guests chatting. It was a bit odd, though, because it seemed like all the guests were women.
"Tea, you texted me." Chen Qianqian patted her and winked, "Your precious auntie."
Xu Chacha glared at her, then looked down at her message. Wen Mubai asked where she was and if she had time, they could have dinner together and take her measurements for clothes.
Xu Chacha: I'm outside with Qianqian and the others.
Wen Mubai casually asked where she was, telling her not to linger outside at night and to go home early.
Xu Chacha simply sent her location: Not far from home, Miaomiao will take us back later.
Xue Miaomiao won't drink tonight, since she drove here and they're counting on her to take them home later.
Dear Auntie: ?
Xu Chacha: ?
Dear Auntie: Do you know where this is?
Xu Chacha: The bar opened by Sister Xixi.
After a long time, I received a reply from the other end saying "Wait for me".
Xu Chacha: "Huh?"
Chen Qianqian leaned closer. "What's wrong?"
Xu Chacha showed her the screen, "She said she's coming over."
"Damn!" Chen Qianqian exclaimed in shock. "Let me tell you this first: if Wen Mubai tries to kill me later, you have to protect me first!"
Xu Chacha: "It's not that serious."
Wen Mubai doesn't manage her like her parents do, not letting her do anything. It's just visiting a bar owned by an acquaintance, nothing serious will happen.
"Actually, there's something else I haven't told you," Chen Qianqian said, looking down at her fingers. "My sister runs a lesbian bar."
"What did you say?" Xu Chacha leaned closer, but Chen Qianqian's voice was too soft for her to hear clearly.
"Lesbian bar! This is a lesbian bar!"
"..." Xu Chacha remained silent.
She now finally understood why this bar only had female customers, and why there were so many tomboys dressed like lesbians.
...
BC Studio
Their fixed working hours on the rules and regulations seem to be just for show; in reality, working through the night is a common occurrence when they're busy.
So even though it's already 8 p.m., the workstations are still full of people.
"I'm going out for a bit," Wen Mubai said, putting his phone in his bag and turning to Jiang Panpan.
Jiang Panpan was sewing a hat. The hat had been lent to the film crew, but when it was returned, half of the tulle had been torn off. Someone else wanted to borrow it tomorrow, so she had to mend it quickly.
"Where are you going? Are you coming back? If you are, bring me some midnight snacks."
Wen Mubai got up and put on his coat. "Go catch the bad kids. We don't know if we'll come back."
"Huh?" Jiang Panpan looked up in confusion. "I'm finding it harder and harder to understand what you're saying, Lao Wen."
"They're gone."
Once in the car, Wen Mubai turned on the navigation and started the vehicle according to Xu Chacha's location.
It takes half an hour to get to the bar from here, and she could only hope that her dim-witted little devil would stay sober and not go too crazy before she arrived.
Over here, Xu Chacha had unknowingly drunk the entire glass of wine. Because its taste was so similar to sweet peach juice, it was completely guilt-free to drink. So when Chen Qian handed her a second glass, she couldn't resist taking it.
A female singer carrying a guitar appeared on stage at some point.
She was wearing a long white down jacket, and underneath it was a light pink V-neck sweater. Her collarbone chain swayed gently as she plucked the strings of her piano.
The singer was going to sing Jay Chou's "The Promise of Dandelion". The adapted intro melody was softer than the original, and every note seemed to evoke a tremor of breath.
When the first line, "The dandelions by the elementary school fence are a scenic view with a flavor in my memory," was sung, Xu Chacha inexplicably thought of that summer when she and Wen Mubai squatted in the gardenia field in the afternoon.
The sweet scent of gardenias, Wen Mubai's smiling profile—she might not remember exactly what they talked about that day, but scents are truly magical things; they can frame memories and make them impossible to erase from one's mind.
No wonder that even though she is now living a life of plenty, Xu's mother still has a great passion for developing perfumes.
After the singer finished her song, the guests tacitly applauded her. However, Xu Chacha's thoughts became increasingly muddled amidst the applause. She rested her chin on one hand, and the shadow of her long eyelashes fell wearily on her cheek.
The singer performed a few more songs, and at exactly eight o'clock, Chen Qian pushed a five-tiered cake into the venue.
Xu Chacha wasn't interested in or paying attention to what she was saying; her mind was still immersed in the melody of the first song.
When it was time to cut the cake, she saw Chen Qianqian run up and happily pick up the knife.
As the cake cart passed by each customer's table, Chen Qian would share a piece with anyone who needed it.
Chen Qianqian secretly took the strawberry tip from the top and placed it in front of Xu Chacha, saying, "I specially grabbed this for you, eat it quickly."
"Thank you." Xu Chacha smiled at her, her cheeks already flushed.
She lowered her head, picked up her fork, and put the bright red, juicy strawberry into her mouth. The sweet and sour juice and the creamy sweetness connected her with that day in her memory.
The touch of a soft tongue against fingertips, the restlessness and tingling sensation linger in my heart, unforgettable and impossible to shake off.
Xu Chacha didn't eat the rest of the cake, but occasionally took a sip from her wine glass, and spent the rest of the time observing the guests around her.
Chen Qianqian and the others are right. It's nice to come to places like this occasionally. It's lively, but you don't have to try to fit in. It's been a long time since she's observed other people's lives from an outsider's perspective.
What Xu Chacha didn't know was that while she was observing those people, many others were also observing her. No matter where she was, her face and stunning figure always attracted a lot of attention.
Her long, slender legs, casually crossed on the stool legs, were white and thin, with her dangling ankles slightly protruding, giving them a slender, bony appearance. The two people next to her looked like her friends, and only when the three of them were talking did her aloof face reveal a warm and friendly smile.
Perhaps it was her smile that made people think she was someone easy to approach.
And some people actually did it.
"Shall we get to know each other?" The girl with shoulder-length, tousled hair sat down in the empty seat next to Xu Chacha.
Her eyebrows were drawn thicker than those of most girls, and the silver hoop earring on her left ear was connected to a long chain that clipped to her earlobe. Combined with the Martin boots on her feet, she had a somewhat androgynous look.
Chen Qianqian, who was behind, had already put her face down in a daze, and only came to her senses after Xue Miaomiao reminded her and slapped the back of her head.
"Me?" Xu Chacha asked.
"If you and your friends don't mind, you can come to our table with us," the girl invited.
When Wen Mubai arrived, this was the scene he saw.
Dressed provocatively, Xu Chacha appeared slightly drunk, leaning lazily against the bar as she spoke to a girl.
I don't know what they were talking about, but the girl bent over and laughed, and the distance between them shortened, their cheeks almost touching in an ambiguous way.
She frowned, walked over, and slowly approached Xu Chacha from behind.
The prey, unaware that the predator is slowly approaching, remains completely unguarded and lazy.
"You're quite interesting, come over and have a drink with me," the girl invited again.
"No, she'll come and get me soon." Xu Chacha shook her head.
"Who?" the girl pressed. "You have a girlfriend?"
Before Xu Chacha could answer, a hand pressed down on her head with some force.
Then she heard Wen Mubai's clearly displeased voice coming from behind her, "I... I'm the one who came to take her back."
"Ah..." The girl took a step back awkwardly.
Although it was unclear what the relationship between the two was, the aura emanating from Wen Mubai was extremely intimidating. Her cold expression clearly showed little goodwill, and her downcast eyes alone were enough to send chills down her spine.
The height disadvantage made her feel like she was at the bottom of the food chain, but in the end, she was slightly inferior in terms of looks.
Putting everything else aside, this woman in the black coat practically screams "I'm not someone to mess with."
She casually said "Sorry to bother you" and slunk away.
"You're here." Xu Chacha tilted her head back, stretched out her arms to hug Wen Mubai's waist, and snuggled into her arms.
Wen Mubai tucked her hair behind her ear, his nose keenly detecting the smell of alcohol on her. "How much did you drink?"
"Hehe." Xu Chacha wrinkled her nose, her smile a little sly. "You caught me! Punish me now."
Chapter 48 Bobo La
Chen Qianqian, who was standing next to her, slowly backed away, pretending that she didn't exist.
“I’m taking him with me,” Wen Mubai said, looking at her.
"Please, please." Chen Qianqian gave a professional fake smile.
She couldn't help but feel that Wen Mubai's expression looked exactly like, "I'll settle the score with you next time."
Waaah, she really just wanted to take Xu Chacha out to relax.
Seeing that the coat barely covered her thighs, Wen Mubai took off his own coat and draped it over Xu Chacha, then helped her up. "Let's go."
Xu Chacha's body went limp, and she clung to her, saying, "I want a hug."
Chen Qianqian and Xue Miaomiao turned their heads away: We're deaf.
Wen Mubai sighed and simply picked him up horizontally, saying, "Hold onto my neck, don't fall."