Chapter 23

Leng Xiang had been on the Weibo headlines too much lately. First as the female lead in Jiang Sisi’s new film, then dragged into that so-called mistress scandal—she had thoroughly made herself known to the vast Weibo netizens.

Before heading out, she thought for a moment and put on a mask.

Leng Xiang walked alone down South Road Street, which boasted B City’s most bustling commercial district. Even at ten o’clock at night, it remained brightly lit.

Deeper into South Road Street, bars and restaurants started to multiply.

There was more than just Black Pool Bar here—the further in one went, the more all sorts of dubious characters appeared.

She wandered aimlessly, walking slowly, her mind completely blank. The night breeze blew past her; it was early autumn, carrying a chill.

She wrapped her clothes tighter around herself and looked at the bar in front of her.

A massive sign read “South Wind” in huge letters, neon lights flashing. Two stylishly dressed young men stood at the entrance, cigarettes in hand, puffing away.

White smoke occasionally billowed out from inside the door, shrouding the entrance in a misty haze, as if someone were performing a ritual within.

Leng Xiang: “…”

It didn’t look like a proper bar at all.

Just as Leng Xiang turned to leave and find another bar, she accidentally bumped into a man without paying attention.

The man had been heading into the bar and staggered back two steps from the sudden collision.

It wasn’t a big deal originally. Leng Xiang apologized and tried to leave, but the man grabbed her wrist.

“Hey! You think you can just bump into someone and walk away? No way! Pay up!” the man yelled.

She had only wanted to let loose a bit outside, but ended up tangled with a thug.

“Let go,” Leng Xiang frowned, shaking off his hand. “I’ve already apologized. Excuse me.”

Seeing Leng Xiang try to leave, the man wasn’t having it. He moved to block her, and in the scuffle, her mask fell off. He caught sight of her face.

The man, who had been planning to extort some money, froze for a moment, then broke into a sleazy grin. “Oh ho, what a little beauty. How about you keep me company instead? I’ll let it slide, and even give you some cash.”

Disgusting.

Leng Xiang turned to walk away, but before the man could say more, someone kicked him squarely in the back. He flew forward face-first into the ground, eating dirt.

The man cried out in pain and cursed, “Which little punk dared to kick me? Do you know who I am?!”

Leng Xiang watched as the man was suddenly kicked down. She looked up at the newcomer.

It was A Ze, the bodyguard from Black Pool Bar.

The man scrambled to his feet and, upon seeing who had kicked him, didn’t dare make a peep. He fawned, “Hey, isn’t this Brother Ze? Long time no see. What brings you around here tonight?”

A Ze ignored him completely and looked to Leng Xiang with his eyes, inquiring.

Leng Xiang shook her head. She had run into Qin Wen that morning and this hoodlum that evening—everything was going wrong, her mood was foul, and she didn’t want to deal with it.

A Ze glanced at the terrified man beside them and said, “Scram!”

The man bolted like a frightened rabbit.

A Ze looked at the South Wind bar sign, then at Leng Xiang. “Don’t go.”

Leng Xiang didn’t catch his meaning.

Her impression of A Ze was strong because she remembered the last time at Black Pool Bar, when Yu Shan had been all coquettish and clingy with him, yet A Ze hadn’t said a single word to her.

It was rare to see someone so tight-lipped.

Leng Xiang asked, “Why not?”

A Ze pointed at South Wind Bar. “Gay bar.”

Leng Xiang didn’t react at first. “…Huh?”

“Gay,” A Ze said, pursing his lips hesitantly. “You don’t… accept it?”

Leng Xiang: “…”

She had always thought the name “South Wind” felt off. So that was it.

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Leng Xiang paused, then added, “Thanks for what just happened.”

A Ze nodded, then asked, “Going to Black Pool?”

Leng Xiang glanced down the street, bars of all sizes dotting every corner.

Some people yelled curses into their phones at the street corners, others laughed and embraced, some sobbed their hearts out from breakups, some reconciled, some hooked up.

Everyone in the world was much the same.

The Black Pool VIP Gold Card was still in her bag.

Leng Xiang said, “Yeah.”

·

After ten-thirty, Black Pool Bar opened its public dance floor, Red Pool.

As soon as A Ze entered Black Pool Bar, he switched into work mode and went off to handle business.

Leng Xiang showed her Black Pool Gold Card, received a Black Fox Mask as usual, put it on, and entered Black Pool.

Everything in Black Pool was as it always was. In Red Pool, men and women twisted their bodies freely to the dance, releasing their hormones.

The music inside Black Pool shifted from passionate and wild to elegant and serene, one track after another.

On this weekend night, Jiang Sisi wore her Silver Mask and mixed drinks behind the bar.

Ever since Leng Xiang’s incident at Black Pool last time, she had taken to dropping by the bar often in the evenings.

Occasionally, guests who weren’t dancing would chat with the Black Pool boss for the first time at the bar, drink in hand.

Jiang Sisi would respond casually with a smile, her hands never stopping as she mixed.

She had studied at university in the UK, free from constraints thousands of miles away, and had lived quite freely, picking up all sorts of skills—including bartending.

She finished one drink and slid it to the customer, then grabbed another glass. She glanced up at the scene in Red Pool, and her peripheral vision caught Leng Xiang entering from the door.

Even with masks on and no one recognizing anyone, Jiang Sisi had run Black Pool for years—her eye for people was top-notch. She could tell who was who just from their figures.

Especially since Leng Xiang had shared a bed with her.

Jiang Sisi raised her brows in surprise, her mixing hands pausing.

The bartender, who had been studying his boss’s technique, noticed her stop and looked up. He saw Jiang Sisi staring at a woman.

Following her gaze, the woman wore a Black Fox Mask, T-shirt and pants with a jacket over top. Her figure was excellent—better than most women there—but dressed like that, she clearly wasn’t there to dance.

So, probably there to drink.

Jiang Sisi’s gaze hadn’t left Leng Xiang. The bartender didn’t recognize her and asked curiously, “Who’s that?”

Jiang Sisi said, “Leng Xiang.”

“That little beauty,” the bartender remembered her. “I thought she’d never come back.”

He touched his nose sheepishly. “She got drunk off that vodka I made her last time—seventy percent proof. That mess was partly my fault; I feel kinda bad seeing her again.”

Last time at Black Pool Bar, Leng Xiang had gotten wasted on that 70% vodka, been led away by some shady stranger, and nearly assaulted. Though they had arrived in time to stop it, it would leave a psychological scar.

Jiang Sisi had thought Leng Xiang would never set foot in Black Pool again.

Especially after that night…

Jiang Sisi said, “I didn’t expect her to come back either.”