Now, when Xiao Qi puts on a stern face, he exudes a rather intimidating aura, no longer the humble bartender from Liuying Lane he once was.
In the past few years, he has experienced many ups and downs. After leaving Liuying Lane, he often had to face all kinds of troubles on his own: drunk customers causing trouble, local thugs smashing up his place, competitors tripping him up, and various official bribes.
In the beginning, Bi Shenghua often came to help, especially dealing with some troublemakers. However, after six months of operation, she stopped coming as often, and Xiao Qi could handle most situations. Not only Xiao Qi, but Mo Yu was no longer the naive young girl who was easily fooled and had to reason with scammers. Because of her singing career, she was familiar with people in the music industry and had also met many important figures in politics and business through the music circle. If she encountered any difficulties, Mo Yu could basically solve them with a phone call.
The bar's current division of labor is as follows: Xiao Qi is in charge of internal affairs, handling the drinks and the people drinking; Mo Yu is in charge of external affairs, handling things that can't be handled in the bar but can only be handled at the dinner table.
What happened next didn't unfold as the protagonist would teach the villain a lesson, the villain would seek backup, and the protagonist would then have someone take care of the villain's older brother. The provocative man suddenly calmed down, looked at Xiao Qi, and then at the anti-gang and anti-crime propaganda sign hanging on the wall. He knew he wouldn't get away with it today and might even end up in jail, so he wanted to find a way to back down.
Xiao Qi noticed this and gave him a way out, offering him two bottles of mediocre wine and waiving the bill for the other guests who had spilled their wine. Everyone was happy, and the man gave a wink, forcing a few "speakers of injustice" Bian Ziyuan to let go, and then followed along, grumbling and laughing.
Xiao Qi asked the waiter to clean up, then went back behind the bar to continue mixing drinks. He poured himself a glass of vodka, pushed it towards Bian Ziyuan, and said calmly, "To calm my nerves."
Bian Ziyuan's face was still flushed, his clothes were askew, and he had completely lost his usual demeanor. He hesitated for a moment, then picked up his wine glass and said thank you.
Mei Ziqing seemed intrigued by the composed bartender and asked with a smile, "Aren't you afraid they'll retaliate?"
"I won't be coming again." Xiao Qi didn't even look up, continuing to mix his drinks.
"Why?"
"New customers don't know the situation, and regular customers don't cause trouble here."
How did you know it was their first time here?
I remember everyone who has been here.
Why don't regular customers cause trouble?
"Who would dare cause trouble if they knew the truth?" Xiao Qi suddenly felt that this woman was talking too much, which didn't match her usual demeanor, and found it very strange. He looked up and said, "Those who dare to cause trouble wouldn't come to a place like this to drink."
Mei Ziqing leaned against the bar, her hand supporting her chin, lost in thought.
Seeing that the customers in the corner of the bar had left, Xiao Qi gestured to Bian Ziyuan with his chin and said, "That's empty now."
Bian Zihe and Tu Shuyuan had lost face in front of Mei Ziqing and were somewhat bored, but they couldn't just leave, as that would seem even more petty. He looked to Mei Ziqing for her opinion, Mei Ziqing smiled gracefully, picked up her wine glass, nodded politely to Xiao Qi, and stood up to walk towards the corner.
The lighting in the corner is dim, allowing you to make small, discreet movements without being noticed; the music isn't as loud as in the middle area, so you can say things you don't want others to hear, yet it's just loud enough for your companions at the table to hear.
But Bian Ziyuan was in no mood at the moment. He sat down somewhat dejectedly, his mind filled with all sorts of random thoughts. He suddenly understood his classmates who liked to read online novels. Some of them wouldn't even dare to go to a bar, yet they could immerse themselves in the world of chivalry and revenge in the two-dimensional universe.
I wish I had superpowers!
He thought of the Space Box and the Dream Guide again; it was a world that could replace novels, more realistic and more enjoyable. He unconsciously touched his shoulder; it still ached slightly from being held down by those kids. He wished he could put on the Space Box right now, enter his own world, and be his own God again.
"What's wrong? Are you still angry about what happened earlier?" Mei Ziqing asked.
Bian Ziyuan neither admitted nor denied it. He looked at Mei Ziqing through the dim light, trying to discern from her face whether she was mocking his cowardice or genuinely caring about him. However, his gaze was drawn to someone behind Mei Ziqing.
It was a darker seat than where they were, probably in the far corner of the bar. Because it was small, there was only a tiny table, barely big enough for two people to squeeze in.
There sat a man, wearing a cloak-like garment, whether jacket or trench coat, it was hard to tell. The light was too dim to see his face clearly, but he seemed very peculiar, especially his hair, which appeared red and, under the flickering light, resembled a dim, dying flame.
Although the weather had cooled down a bit due to the typhoon, no one was wearing such a jacket at this time. Bian Ziyuan couldn't help but think of Qingmu, but Qingmu's aura would make people unconsciously overlook his strange attire, while the person in the corner had a slightly eerie air about him.
He sat there, a glass of wine in front of him, his fingers, holding the glass, had long nails. Bian Ziyuan saw that indistinct, deathly face, his first thought was—a dead man!
This thought startled Bian Ziyuan. He didn't know why he thought that way, but his eyes were fixed on it, his gaze flickering like a magnetic needle being drawn to a magnet, unable to look away.
The man seemed to sense his attention and glanced at him. That one glance sent a chill down Bian Ziyuan, as if he had fallen into an ice cave and was surrounded by an ocean of ice, with icebergs floating there. Inside the dazzling white icebergs were many dark figures, and upon closer inspection, they were people who had frozen to death inside the ice.
It wasn't until Mei Ziqing held up her wine glass and waved it in front of her that Bian Ziyuan daze. The surrounding icebergs had vanished, but the chill remained. He quickly took a swig of strong liquor to warm himself up, then smiled apologetically at Mei Ziqing and said, "I'm sorry, I..."
Mei Ziqing said, "Actually, you don't need to be angry. You're not like them. You're a computer genius, a top software engineer, and a promising future scientist. Why bother arguing with a thug in a bar!"
Bian Ziyuan knew that Mei Ziqing was trying to comfort him, and he also knew the principle that Lion would never fight a mouse, but when the time came, who could swallow their pride? Besides, he wasn't Lion. A real Lion doesn't fight a mouse because it has the ability to kill its opponent with a single slap.
Like a defeated rooster, he said dejectedly, "I only deserve to live in the virtual world."
Mei Ziqing said, "Virtual doesn't necessarily mean false, and dreams aren't necessarily illusory. If you really like that world, why not just make it real?"
Bian Ziyuan didn't quite understand, but his heart skipped a beat.