Nightfall Bar

Nightfall Bar was a money pit frequented by the Capital's wealthy.

The attendant at the entrance had a keen eye. Seeing an expensive sports car pull up, he hurried over attentively, took the keys the handsome Blue Hair handed him, and parked the car.

Another attendant led the two of them to a booth in a quiet, less crowded area.

Lu Xingchen wore an exquisitely tailored black-and-gray satin shirt. The fabric was fine and soft, and its hem hung naturally, just covering the slender waist that peeked in and out of view.

He wore black suit shorts with a classic, simple, stylish cut that set off his long, slender calves, paired with comfortable black skate shoes with white soles, giving him a youthful air.

Cheng Zitao leaned over excitedly and felt the fabric of Lu Xingchen's clothes, marveling, "These are all custom-made, aren't they? Best Actor Huo really knows what he's doing."

Lu Xingchen curled his lips in a roguish smile, turned, and pinched Cheng Zitao's face, deliberately smudging his lipstick with his fingers.

"Like them? Be with me, and I'll buy them for you."

Cheng Zitao fluttered his eyes, complete with extra-long false lashes, leaned his face against Lu Xingchen's shoulder, and smiled bashfully.

"As much as I'd love to be with you, Young Master Lu, I'm already taken. Ask me out again once I'm single."

Amused by his exaggerated acting, Lu Xingchen laughed and could no longer keep up the act. "Huo Chuyun might be rich, but I'm not exactly short of money either," he protested.

"I watched that variety show you and Huo Chuyun were on. You said you were a hacker. Is that how you make your money?" Cheng Zitao asked in puzzlement.

"Yeah." Lu Xingchen nodded and held up five fingers. "I take overseas jobs. Each one pays this much."

Cheng Zitao deliberately guessed high. "F-fifty thousand? Fifty thousand US dollars would be three hundred and fifty thousand yuan per job. You make way more than I do in my line of work."

Lu Xingchen raised his glass and swirled the clear blue-violet liquid. "Who the hell would bother doing a job for fifty thousand dollars?" he said casually. "Five hundred thousand dollars is the minimum."

Cheng Zitao was so startled that he spat out his drink, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Three and a half million yuan per job, and that's the minimum!"

Cheng Zitao stopped drinking altogether, leaned over, and clasped Lu Xingchen's arm with an eager look. "I'll break up with him right now. Young Master Lu, don't let anyone else beat you to it."

Lu Xingchen only smiled and teased, "Sure, pretty thing. I haven't tried your type before. But I already have a husband, so you'll have to beat him in a fight first."

"Then forget it." Cheng Zitao immediately let go, his survival instincts kicking in.

"I've suddenly realized money isn't all that great. With those fists of Huo Chuyun's the size of casseroles, this frail little body of mine wouldn't dare take him on."

Lu Xingchen laughed until his stomach hurt. Then his gaze shifted, and he noticed a group sitting in a dim corner of the bar.

Lu Yichen sat among them, looking as though he was enjoying himself. Beside him was a fawning figure gazing at him with eyes full of love.

Lu Xingchen patted Cheng Zitao and motioned for him to look across. "Peach, why does that guy look so familiar? Isn't he that slightly disgusting-looking ex-boyfriend of yours?"

Cheng Zitao nodded with a complicated expression. "That was another big reason I broke up with him. He really likes Lu Yichen. He even eagerly followed him onto a show."

Lu Xingchen shot to his feet and clapped his hands. "Peach, I remember now! I knew your ex looked familiar. Wasn't he on Run Faster too? Jiang Haoran?"

Cheng Zitao tilted his head, covered his eyes with one hand, and made an okay sign with the other. "Perfect. So you never even noticed him?"

Without the slightest guilt, Lu Xingchen sipped his drink and said casually, "I usually filter out people who are ordinarily ugly. If they're spectacularly ugly, I might remember them."

Suddenly, a sleazy-looking man whose legs were as short as his torso walked over from Lu Yichen's side, carrying a glass.

The man plopped down beside Cheng Zitao, making the sofa shake. He draped a fat, stubby arm over the backrest and leered at Cheng Zitao, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"Pretty thing, I've had my eye on you for a while. How much for a night?"

Cheng Zitao turned his head away from the man's foul breath, pushed his shoulder away with one finger, and curled his lips in a roguish smile.

"Heh. I'm afraid you couldn't afford me even if you sold everything you owned."

The man pulled a thick wad of cash from his pocket and slammed it onto the table, speaking disdainfully.

"I've got plenty of money. Is this enough? Huh? If it's not, I've got more!"

Cheng Zitao's expression turned icy, and he spat out a single cold word. "Scram!"

The man sneered, picked up a lock of Cheng Zitao's pink hair, and ran his bulbous nose along it, twitching as he sniffed its fragrance.

"Fuck! Don't make me do this the hard way, you fucking slut. You're all dolled up because your cunt's itching and you need a man to put you in your place, aren't you?"

Crash! Crash! Two violent sounds of shattering glass rang out, jarring in the quiet, sparsely occupied area and drawing looks from everyone nearby.

An angry female voice rang out at the same time as Lu Xingchen's disdainful one.

"Harass another girl, and I'll smash your genitals!"

"Run your fucking mouth again, and I'll cripple you! See how you like never having kids!"

The two looked at each other in surprise.

Lu Xingchen stared at Song Anran, a little stunned, but this was not the best time to say hello.

Lu Xingchen kicked the sleazy man away, pulled Cheng Zitao behind him, and pointed a broken bottle at the man's genitals as he cursed.

"Are you leaving or not? If you don't, don't blame me for getting rough!"

The drunken man fell to the floor and staggered a few steps before managing to get up. He still tried to grab Cheng Zitao, shouting arrogantly.

"Do you know who I am? I'm from the Capital's Wang family! Just try laying a hand on me-"

Before he could finish, a loud crash rang out, accompanied by several screams from nearby.

Song Anran picked up a fresh bottle and cracked the skull of the man who had no fear of death. She gave him a disgusted kick as he lay on the floor with blood covering his head, saying disdainfully,

"I don't give a damn whether you're from the Capital's Wang family or its Liu family!"

Lu Xingchen and Cheng Zitao raised their eyebrows. After hitting the man, Song Anran showed no sign of panic, taking out her phone and making a call.

A moment later, several bodyguards threw the man out of Nightfall Bar without caring whether he lived or died.

As if nothing had happened, Song Anran took Cheng Zitao's arm with concern. "Miss, are you all right?"

Caught between laughter and tears, Cheng Zitao deliberately lowered his voice and explained, "Thank you for helping, miss, but I'm a man."

Song Anran's eyes widened in disbelief. She gave Lu Xingchen a questioning look, and when he nodded, her face filled with astonishment.

But a second later, she perked up and said frankly,

"Sorry. I saw your long pink hair and how pretty you were, so I jumped to conclusions. But it doesn't matter that you're a man. Let's consider this our introduction as friends."