At the gloomy, bustling bar.
Lin Xiaonine fidgets uncomfortably, tugging on the scraps of cloth clinging to her body. This attire, with every move, exposes either her bottom or her peaks. She wonders who created such a garb, so devilishly provocative.
"Sister Bai, could I... Could I change into something else? This outfit is a bit too reveling."
Lin Xiaonine tries to pull her hair forward, seeking to cover the expanse of bare, snowy skin. But Sister Bai, the woman she's addressing, pushes it back.
"What do you know? In a place like this, this is what you have to wear. Or do you think you can wrap yourself up like an old hag and still get some attention?"
"But..."
"But nothing. Do you think money is easy to come by? This is how other girls are earning theirs. If you’ve decided to join them, stop being shy. I don’t like that. Now hurry, I’ve reserved a good job for you."
Without further ado, Sister Bai drags Lin Xiaonine to the entrance of a large private room on the second floor, winking at her smugly, "There are all rich young masters inside. Serve them well and keep them happy with drinks. Plenty of money to be made. Perform well, understand?”
Without waiting for an answer, she pushes open the door, practically shoving Lin Xiaonine inside.
The previously noisy room instantly falls silent. All eyes in the room lift to settle on her. Lin Xiaonine stands awkwardly at the entrance, taking a moment to scan the occupants before speaking. But her gaze freezes on a male figure on the left, forgetting to react.
"Why are you standing there like a statue? Come and drink." Xu Zisui sizes up Lin Xiaonine with a glance, motioning for her to come closer.
Lin Xiaonine lowers her gaze, concealing a world of emotion in her eyes as she takes a seat beside Xu Zisui.
But why him?
How could it be... him?
Lin Xiaonine accepts the long-stemmed glass Xu Zisui hands her, raising her head only to meet the gaze of Huo Yanting. She grips the glass tighter, her heart hammering in her chest as she hastily averts her eyes, her gaze darting around the room to avoid meeting the eyes of the man seated across her.
The moment he saw Lin Xiaojue, Huo Yanting thought he was mistaken. However, seeing her evasive gaze, he smirked coldly.
"When did you start taking an interest in such a woman?" Huo Yanting sneered, his eyes trailing over Lin Xiaojue. Seeing her dressed in a near-rag clothing, his eyes briefly flared in surprise, before quickly calming down. Frowning, he decided to avert his gaze, no longer looking at her.
Xu Zisui subtly smiled before deliberately drawing Lin Xiaojue closer to him in a joking manner, "What's wrong with this kind of woman? She's quite innocent, and I quite prefer the innocent type. Don't you agree, young lady?"
Having said that, he places his cup near Lin Xiaojue's lips, urging her to drink. Helpless, Lin Xiaojue closes her eyes and drinks up the content of the glass. When she opens them again, she finds the man across her gazing at her even more coldly.
Lowering her head, she gave a bitter smile.
"So you like drinking?"
The other man beside Lin Xiaojue smirked in disdain, pointing at the bottles of varying sizes on the table, "Come on, clear all the liquor here, and I'll buy all these booze at five times the price. Then, I'll buy an additional ten cases of wine. If you can't finish it..."
Huo Yanting paused, looking at the bright red liquid in the glass. He scoffed coldly and continued speaking, "If you can't finish it, I'll tell Sister Bai that you are not fit to work in a place like this."
Seeing Lin Xiaojue's complexion go pale instantly, a wave of satisfaction surged in Huo Yanting's heart. He leaned back comfortably into the couch, "As you know, considering our relation with Sister Bai, don't expect to get a single penny from her!"
Looking at the numerous bottles of liquor piled up on the table, Lin Xiaojue felt her lips trembling.
With so much alcohol, she'd be ending up in the hospital by tomorrow if she drank it all.
But thinking about Huo Yanting's words, she felt even more helpless. She had school in a few days and hadn't gathered enough tuition. She wouldn't have taken up a job in this place except she heard others say that bartending pays fast.
Huo Yanting continued sitting in his earlier position, observing her leisurely, his sharp eyes devoid of warmth.
Xu Zisui let his charming eyes roam over the two people, finding the situation amusing. He couldn't help but laugh out loud and added, "Yes, drink it all. If you don't finish it today, you can forget about earning a penny!"
No matter it's just a game for them, they would play, and he would watch.
"I . . . "
Lin Xiaojie was almost unable to speak. She swallowed hard and wiped the cold sweat from her face, laboriously responding, "I can't drink."
"You can't drink?"
Hu-Peter seemed to find this funny, like hearing a big joke. He stood up with his hands in his pockets and walked to Lin Xiaojie's side. Bending down to her level, he retorted, "You can't drink, yet you're selling alcohol at this bar?" Are you treating us like fools?"
The distance between the two was so close that Lin Xiaojiu could feel his warm breath on her face. He instinctively withdrew, but ended up coming closer to Xu Zisui.
Seeing this, Hu-Peter's eyes turned red, as if there was a fire burning in his heart, making him lose his reason. He slowly raised his hand and splashed the alcohol on Lin Xiaojie's head.
"It's been five years, but you haven't changed a bit. Always playing the victim, flocking to any man as long as he has money. Underneath that innocent facade lurks a heart that knows only to behave disgracefully!"
The red liquid flowed down from her head, mixed into Lin Xiaojie's eyes, and then slowly dripped onto her thin clothes. Lin Xiaojie gasped and quickly stood up to dodge.
"I really can't..."
Lin Xiaojie was extremely frustrated. She wanted to explain, but when she met Hu-Peter's cold eyes, she swallowed her words back.
She knew her explanations would be in vain, he was still holding onto the resentment from the past.
"There's no need to explain." Hu-Peter casually threw away the glass in his hand and returned to the couch, pouring himself another glass of wine. He swirled the liquid in the glass nonchalantly, saying, "Whether you drink or not is your business, but keep in mind; I will stick to what I've said."
She would not get a cent and might even lose her job...
At this moment, Lin Xiaojie wished she could throw the wine in her hand into Hu-Peter's face. As much as she wanted to leave, she couldn't. She lacked funds for the tuition and Mengmeng would not be able to enroll. Meng Meng has reached the age of schooling, and she cannot let her suffer due to her own incapabilities.