Welcome

If Lu Yibai hadn't chosen to come in, this might have been a different story.

He took care of his business in the bar's restroom.

This bar might have been residential at first, then they changed the layout, and the restroom probably wasn't altered much.

After all, what bar restroom has a large bathtub?

The bathtub was filled with empty liquor bottles of all kinds – red wine, white wine, beer, even champagne.

This design was quite unique.

Speaking of which, this was also a "speakeasy bar."

Speakeasy bars originated in America. Back when Prohibition was in effect, some bars went into hiding, disguised as other shops to sell alcohol. Gradually, this became a decorating style.

For example, it might look like a convenience store, but if you push a drink machine, there's actually a passage behind it leading to an underground bar. You can leave through the back door.

Quite interesting.

Come to think of it, Dad originally wanted to open a speakeasy bar, and I actually stumbled upon one.

As expected, fate is truly wonderful.

As soon as Lu Yibai entered the establishment, he first saw four shelves.

Four long-handled black umbrellas were placed horizontally on the four shelves.

At the end of each umbrella handle was a silver ornament.

The end of the first umbrella handle featured a coiled dragon and snake.

The second was a cat's head.

The third was a skull.

The fourth was a lion's head.

This reminded Lu Yibai of a brand called "Pasotti," which only made 30,000 umbrellas a year, with each umbrella costing thousands of yuan, earning it the nickname "Hermes of umbrellas."

The design of this brand's umbrellas featured exquisite carved decorations at the end of the handle.

Besides these four umbrellas on the shelves, there were also many hooks on the wall, displaying many relatively ordinary black umbrellas.

From the outside, it looked more like an umbrella shop, specifically a shop selling umbrellas, with no indication that it was a bar.

Not to mention, the overall style was predominantly black, giving it a very stylish look!

The bar owner touched the dragon and snake on the handle of the first umbrella, and a secret door opened.

Oh? So the snake head is the mechanism?

He tried to pick up the umbrella and was surprised to find... he couldn't lift it.

Was he too weak?

Hmm, it must be fixed in place.

After entering, Lu Yibai didn't bother with pleasantries. He asked for the restroom's location and went to relieve himself first.

On his way to the restroom, he noticed that there weren't many customers in the bar; he seemed to be... the only one.

Honestly, these speakeasy bars are quite interesting. With just a little promotion, business wouldn't be bad at all. At the very least, the "secret mechanism" gimmick alone would be quite attractive initially.

Moreover, apart from the slightly dim overall environment, the bar's decor had a lot of character.

He wondered how it was being run to have fallen into such a state. No wonder it was up for transfer.

Huh, wait a minute...

Transfer?

Lu Yibai wasn't particularly interested in opening a bar himself, but after slowly learning about it from his father, he found it quite interesting.

He was a rather pessimistic person, thinking that chatting with guests who had stories to tell in his own bar seemed rather enjoyable.

I have the wine, you have the stories – what a great way to kill time!

Of course, his interest in opening a bar was limited to that. Unlike his father, for whom it had become an obsession, even a lifelong aspiration.

But now his father was dead.

Should he inherit his father's dying wish?

Yes, human psychology is truly subtle.

And for some reason, he really liked this bar. Most importantly, in this bar, he could feel a rare sense of peace.

"A speakeasy bar like this, if promoted properly, shouldn't be losing money," Lu Yibai thought to himself.

Of course, he needed money first. Whether it was to buy the bar or for promotion, both required funds.

Money – he had it!

First, he had his father's insurance payout.

Secondly, he's now a "second-generation demolisher." His and his dad's old house was inexplicably included in the demolition zone.

He felt uncomfortable spending the insurance payout, but there was also a considerable amount from the demolition compensation, which he could totally use.

The demolition compensation wasn't much, only a few million.

Heh heh, heh heh heh.

In a place like Wucheng, even if you wanted to open a small bar, the investment would only be around a million, maybe two million if the location and decor were good.

After all, Wucheng can't compare to big cities like Shanghai or Kyoto, where every inch of land is precious.

"I'll talk to the owner first," Lu Yibai thought to himself.

The flamboyant, gay-ish owner was currently sitting at the bar.

And behind the bar stood a very beautiful woman.

She must be that "honest person" who said, "Isn't it because autumn has arrived?"

Wow! Even the waitstaff are so pretty. How can business be this bad? Could it be because the owner is hitting on male customers?

"Customer, what would you like to drink? Anything you want!" the waitress said, exceptionally enthusiastic.

Her enthusiasm was a bit like a madam's.

It seems this waitress is also the bartender here?

"I won't drink for now. I want to talk to the owner about the bar transfer first," Lu Yibai said, trying his best to remain calm.

After all, he was young and didn't have much social experience. This was definitely his first time discussing a transfer.

Fortunately, he was quite gloomy and looked listless, especially with his "Gintama-style" dead fish eyes, which made it hard to discern his emotions.

As soon as he heard the word "transfer," the bar owner's expression immediately showed excitement, but he quickly calmed down.

"If only it were that easy to transfer..." he muttered to himself.

"Huh?" Lu Yibai didn't quite understand.

But regardless, his gaze towards Lu Yibai was full of expectation.

"The 73rd time I've expected this..." the waitress continued to polish a glass, murmuring.

Huh? What did she mean?

Even with Lu Yibai's thick skin, he sensed something was wrong.

He glanced at the bar owner. The flamboyant, gay-ish man was also meeting his gaze.

At first, Lu Yibai felt he couldn't see clearly through the eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses.

But in this exchange, he felt he could see more and more clearly.

His eyes were so dark, like black holes.

A darkness that devoured everything!

Lu Yibai felt a wave of dizziness, and... shame.

He had a feeling these eyes saw right through him.

Inside and out!

Damn, and the other guy was probably gay too!

Lu Yibai was quite impressed with himself for having such interesting, tangential thoughts at a time like this.

The dizziness intensified, and he felt like his soul was being snatched away—by a guy who was possibly gay!

What a joke!

Soon, he felt himself falling into a dark abyss.

Faintly, he heard the bar owner exclaim.

"My god! This kid fits the requirements perfectly! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"

"Bang—" It sounded like a glass being placed on a table. The waitress also exclaimed in surprise, "No way? Fits the transfer requirements? That lucky?"

"It's him! I'm taking this one! Yo yo yo!" The bar owner's tone grew more and more excited.

Before completely losing consciousness, Lu Yibai's last thought was:

"Damn! I've walked into a trap!"

Then, he slumped down from his chair.

Normally, when people fall, they instinctively use their hands to protect vital areas like their head and chest.

But Lu Yibai instinctively clutched his rear end.

The room gradually grew quiet. Outside, the old locust tree swayed its branches in the wind, its leaves rustling as if to say:

"Welcome~"

(PS: Please collect and vote for recommendations~)