Today was Zhang Hupan's first day at work. Despite possessing the Half-Immortal Physique, Zhang Hupan inexplicably felt a trace of nervousness. As an expert at the middle Nascent Soul Stage, Zhang Hupan could sense exactly what his face and appearance looked like at any given moment, yet he did not feel completely reassured about his appearance until he had looked in the mirror. Of course, our protagonist, Zhang Hupan, was fully capable of using his spiritual power to alter his appearance and make himself look more perfect and handsome. However, Zhang Hupan disdained doing so. He believed that his natural appearance was what his parents, whom he had never met, had left him. Perhaps he hoped to preserve, in this way, the only wealth his closest relatives had given him. Even though his appearance was extremely ordinary and he was not handsome at all, Zhang Hupan did not want to change it in the slightest. Zhang Hupan's unusual act of looking in the mirror naturally caused a huge commotion among Hu Zhiming and the others. If more than a month had not already passed without Zhang Hupan showing the slightest interest in Zhao Liya, who was close by and universally acknowledged as possessing both beauty and wealth, they would certainly have thought that Zhang Hupan's heart had been stirred and that he had gone to meet someone. Everyone stared at Zhang Hupan's strange behavior with extreme curiosity. They even threatened to remove him from his position as their leader, but still could not find out what had made the usually carefree Zhang Hupan dress so carefully and seriously. The mysterious smile Zhang Hupan gave before leaving made Hu Zhiming and the others grind their teeth in frustration. They almost felt like killing him.
Actually, Zhang Hupan himself did not know why, at his current level, he would become nervous over such a trivial matter. Could it be that I'm really nervous because I'm about to enter a life completely different from campus life? Just as Zhang Hupan was feeling puzzled by his behavior today, the image of Liu Xizhen suddenly appeared in his mind. Her lazy, delicate beauty, rich charm, and alluring figure left Zhang Hupan at a loss.
Zhang Hupan hurriedly dismissed Liu Xizhen from his mind. Although her image vanished, his Dao Heart still rippled faintly, and deep inside, he kept asking himself, "Could my unusual behavior today be because of a woman?" However, Zhang Hupan immediately rejected his own ridiculous thought. After all, as a lofty half-immortal, how could he possibly fall for an ordinary woman? He had probably thought of Liu Xizhen naturally because he was going to the bar. Zhang Hupan was satisfied with this explanation.
To avoid unnecessary attention and trouble, Zhang Hupan rode his bicycle to work. It took him about half an hour to get from the school to the bar. When he arrived, it was only five-thirty. It was still too early for people to come drinking, but the bar had already opened. When Zhang Hupan pushed open the door, the first thing that caught his eye was Liu Xizhen's back. Today, she was wearing a pale-red embroidered qipao. The tight-fitting qipao exaggeratedly outlined her alluring, full figure. The slit extending up to her thighs invited endless fantasies. At least, the two male servers standing in front of Liu Xizhen were clearly affected. Every now and then, they glanced sidelong at the thigh tightly wrapped in the qipao. Although they appeared to be listening to Liu Xizhen's instructions, Zhang Hupan would stake his life that neither young man had taken in a word she said.
In fact, Zhang Hupan was also drawn to the alluring figure outlined by Liu Xizhen's qipao, and his Dao Heart was clearly showing signs of disturbance. When Zhang Hupan entered, a trace of curiosity flashed through the eyes of the people in the bar. After all, few customers came to drink this early. Liu Xizhen's subsequent actions soon answered their questions.
Hearing the door open behind her, Liu Xizhen inexplicably felt a little delighted. She had not carefully dressed up in a long time, yet for some reason, she had deliberately put on a sexy qipao today. Was she trying to show others that she was still young and still had a beautiful figure? It was not until the sound of the door opening rang out that a thought struck her. Could it be because of him? But she immediately rejected the absurd idea. She was already over thirty and had a daughter, while he was only a first-year university student. Not to mention that his appearance was so ordinary—how could she possibly have such thoughts?
After steadying her emotions, Liu Xizhen turned around gracefully and said with a smile, "Hupan, you're half an hour early. I'm not going to pay you for this half hour, you know!"
Her lazy, charming, reproachful voice and the alluring fragrance that rushed into his nose made Zhang Hupan's heartbeat unconsciously quicken. He stood there, foolishly staring at Liu Xizhen, not knowing how to speak. Only after a long while did he realize he was being rude. He hurriedly covered it up by saying, "Sister Xizhen, you look so beautiful today. You made me stare in a daze!"
A top-tier beauty like Liu Xizhen, a single woman of distinction, had countless men surrounding her every day and flattering her in hopes of winning her favor. Yet Liu Xizhen had never encouraged them in the slightest and even found them genuinely repulsive. If she had not needed to run the bar and had no choice but to deal with them politely, she would have driven them out without the slightest courtesy. However, Zhang Hupan's foolish, vulgar compliment made Liu Xizhen feel as refreshed as drinking ice water on a sweltering summer day. She shot Zhang Hupan an exasperated sidelong glance. That reproachful gaze and her utterly captivating expression instantly made every man present lose his soul. Liu Xizhen was not annoyed by Zhang Hupan's lovestruck appearance. Instead, she felt a trace of delight. On one hand, although Zhang Hupan looked intoxicated by her beauty, he did not reveal the naked lust that other men did. On the other hand, she felt proud that she could still attract so much of Zhang Hupan's attention.
"What are you staring at? Come on, I'll introduce you to your coworkers!" she chided. She did not forget to shoot Zhang Hupan another coquettish glance before taking his hand and leading him before the others.
When Liu Xizhen took Zhang Hupan's hand, his first time holding a beauty's hand made him completely forget to guard his Dao Heart. His heart began pounding uncontrollably. Her hand felt soft and boneless, her skin smooth and tender, and the unique warmth of a woman flowed from that jade hand. Zhang Hupan felt as if he had been electrocuted. He was restless and uncomfortable, yet unable to pull away.
In fact, Liu Xizhen was no different at that moment. The young man who could bring laughter to her daughter had unconsciously become like family and a close friend to her, rather than merely an employee. Thus, she had naturally taken Zhang Hupan's hand. But the moment she did, the solidity of his palm brought her back to reality. She seemed to have been too intimate. Yet she could not just grab his hand and immediately fling it away. The manly warmth in her palm—especially the hormones of a man who had been celibate for a century—left her flustered. A blush unconsciously spread across her face. Fortunately, the bar's lighting was dim, so no one noticed. But to an expert at the Nascent Soul Stage, what difference was there between night and day? Zhang Hupan sensed everything about Liu Xizhen, including the restlessness in her heart, without missing a thing. A shy woman would always make a man's heart race, and Zhang Hupan was completely captivated at that moment.
"This is our new arrival, Zhang Hupan. He's currently studying at Zhejiang ** University. Don't bully him just because he's young!" As she introduced him, Liu Xizhen naturally withdrew her hand, and Zhang Hupan could not help feeling a little disappointed.
The entire hand-holding process had lasted only an instant, but to the two of them, it felt as though a century had passed. It was as if time had stopped moving at that moment.
"This is Shangguan Yun, our bartender! Wang Zheng, Li Da, Guo Xiaolan, Zhou Min..." Liu Xizhen introduced Zhang Hupan to everyone working in the bar. Finally, she handed Zhang Hupan over to Zhu Yan, leaving Zhu Yan responsible for showing him around and teaching him about his duties. (To be continued)
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