Chen Yang rubbed his nose, feigning embarrassment, and said with a wry smile:
"Sister Qian, please don't tempt me to commit a crime..."
Ning Qiaoqian grinned from ear to ear. Seeing Chen Yang's helpless expression made her genuinely happy. Ever since Chen Yang started working at the bar, Ning Qiaoqian had discovered she had another source of amusement.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance!" Ning Qiaoqian said. "So many people want me to take care of them, but I don't care!"
Chen Yang bowed and scraped repeatedly, saying:
"Miss Ning, I am deeply grateful for your kindness..."
Seeing Chen Yang's pretentious antics, Ning Qiaoqian couldn't help but chuckle again. Her alluring appearance made Chen Yang's heart flutter once more. Ning Qiaoqian lightly tapped Chen Yang's chest with her small fist and laughed:
"Go change your clothes!"
Chen Yang ran away as if granted a pardon. Every minute Chen Yang spent with Ning Qiaoqian, he could feel the intense allure emanating from this stunning woman, yet she remained untouchable, leaving him feeling restless and frustrated.
After changing his clothes, Chen Yang stepped outside and saw Su He emerging from the dressing room next door. Su He paused for a moment upon seeing Chen Yang, then blushed and greeted him softly,
"Hello, Chen Yang!"
Chen Yang smiled warmly and replied,
"Hello, Su He!"
After exchanging greetings, they passed each other, busy with their own tasks. This prompted Ning Qiaoqian, who was secretly observing from a distance, to roll her eyes at Chen Yang. Chen Yang pretended not to notice Ning Qiaoqian's gaze and continued with his preparations.
Night fell.
The bar became increasingly crowded. Xue Chen and his "Wanderers" band were on time, arriving at the bar around 7:30.
A high-pitched rendition of "I'll Love You Till I Die" kicked off the evening's performance, successfully igniting the bar's atmosphere. Everyone belted out the song hysterically along with lead singer Xue Chen, reveling to the rhythm of the music, the air thick with the smell of tobacco and alcohol.
After the song ended, Xue Chen took a break to drink water, his gaze frequently drifting towards the bar entrance. When he saw a bald man enter the bar with four or five henchmen, he visibly relaxed, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
It was Saturday, and the bar was unusually busy, keeping Chen Yang and Su He extremely occupied. Occasionally, when they met, they would nod or smile at each other; Chen Yang could sense Su He's growing apprehension.
Having just finished serving a round of drinks, Chen Yang placed the tray on the bar counter, stealing a moment to admire Ning Qiaoqian's bartending skills. Ning Qiaoqian's bartending skills weren't particularly special, but her strength lay in her skillful use of body language. She seamlessly showcased her figure while mixing drinks, making her entire routine alluring and captivating.
Chen Yang was inwardly admiring her when he suddenly heard a commotion in the room, followed by a faint scream from Su He. Chen Yang quickly turned around and saw Su He apologizing softly to a bald male customer.
The bald man appeared to be in his early thirties, with a fierce face and a menacing scar near his eye. The group of about five or six people at the table were all dressed in strange clothes, covered in tattoos, and clearly not benevolent individuals.
Chen Yang hurried over and saw that Su He's front was soaked with drink. A look of panic crossed her face as she bowed to the bald man and said,
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't hold the glass properly. I'll get you a new one right away!"
With that, Su He picked up the tray and turned to leave. Unexpectedly, the bald man grabbed Su He's hand, his lecherous gaze lingering on her pure and beautiful face. He grinned and said,
"Don't be in such a hurry, little sister!"
Su He's face flushed crimson. She tried to pull her hand away, but the bald man held on tightly. She couldn't break free, and her voice held a hint of fear:
"Let go of me!"
The bald man's rough hand gripped Su He's wrist tightly, while his other hand pulled a tissue from a box. He groped Su He's chest while grinning and saying,
"Little sister's clothes are wet! Here! Brother will wipe them for you!"
(Note: The last line appears to be an unrelated advertisement and has been omitted from the translation.) _m
Seeing the bald man's groping hand reach out, Su He instantly turned pale and screamed loudly, struggling with all her might. Her face turned deathly white, and her eyes filled with tears of grievance. Her pitiful appearance made the eyes of the thugs nearby gleam.
A wicked expression appeared on the bald man's face. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him, blocking his groping hand. Immediately afterward, he felt a slight ache in his elbow, and the hand gripping Su He inexplicably released its hold.
Chen Yang subtly pulled Su He behind him, then said calmly, "Sir, if our waitress has offended you in any way, I apologize on her behalf. All the bills for today are on me. This is Brother Qiang's place, please give us some face!"
The bald man's face instantly turned extremely ugly, his fierce triangular eyes fixed on Chen Yang's face. Chen Yang stood there calmly, his gaze fixed directly on the bald man, showing no intention of backing down.
With Chen Yang protecting her behind her, Su He felt slightly more at ease, but her face still held a look of fear, like a wounded little bird, gently rubbing her wrist, which the bald man had gripped so tightly it was red.
For a full five seconds, the bald man spat crudely, pointed his finger at Chen Yang's nose, and cursed:
"Who the hell do you think you are? You little punk think you can represent Zhou Weiqiang? Get the hell out of here!"
At this moment, a thug with dyed blond hair chimed in:
"Kid, don't think you're so great just because you work in Zhou Weiqiang's place. Do you know who's standing in front of you? Ever heard of Deng Qingge from Dongkui? Don't make trouble for yourself!"
Chen Yang had never heard of Qingge, but he had heard of Dongkui in his previous life. It was a small to medium-sized underground force in Rongcheng. However, in his previous life, Chen Yang didn't even care much about the underground godfathers of Southeast Province, so he had even less interest in such a small force.
Having chosen to step forward, Chen Yang had no reason to back down, especially since it was for Su He's sake. He ignored the blond-haired man and looked only at the bald Deng Qing, saying:
"Brother Qing, right? Since we're all in the same business, let's make money peacefully and meet again in the future. Please, Brother Qing and your brothers, give Brother Qiang some face!"
Seeing Chen Yang's rudeness, Deng Qing flew into a rage, abruptly standing up and, fueled by alcohol, cursing under his breath, throwing a vicious punch at Chen Yang's face.
Chen Yang frowned, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. He simply didn't want to cause trouble easily, but he wasn't afraid of it.
Chen Yang deftly sidestepped Deng Qing's vicious punch, then grabbed Deng Qing's wrist, using the momentum to gently pull him, causing Deng Qing to lose his balance and stumble towards Chen Yang.
Chen Yang twisted his body, his left hand slamming down on the back of Deng Qing's neck, his right hand twisting Deng Qing's hand behind his back, a clean and swift grappling move subduing Deng Qing, rendering him immobile.
Deng Qing struggled desperately to break free, but Chen Yang twisted his joints and easily slammed him onto the table.
"Chen Yang! Stop!" Just as Deng Qing's men roared and stood up, Zhou Weiqiang's calm voice rang out. The place was too noisy; he had gone to the dressing room to call the record company, but unexpectedly, trouble had arisen at the bar. After the buck-toothed man reported it to him, he rushed out and witnessed Chen Yang subduing Deng Qing.
Seeing Zhou Weiqiang emerge, Chen Yang gently pushed Deng Qing onto the sofa, then turned and bowed slightly to Zhou Weiqiang, saying,
"Hello, Brother Qiang!"
Zhou Weiqiang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Deng Qing and his group. His brow furrowed slightly as he said,
"Oh, it's Brother Qing! What brings you to my little bar today, looking for some fun?"
While his words were polite, Zhou Weiqiang's tone was somewhat somber. Deng Qing and the boss behind Zhou Weiqiang belonged to two different factions, usually keeping to themselves. Deng Qing bringing his men to cause trouble at the bar was tantamount to bullying him. Deng Qing snorted coldly, arguing forcefully:
"Brother Qiang, you're putting on airs! I came here to spend money, what? You're turning away customers who come to your door?"
Zhou Weiqiang calmly replied:
"Since you're here to spend money, it's best to make money amicably. Why make things difficult for my employee? I think the same principle applies even to your Master Kui!"
Zhou Weiqiang's tone was relatively restrained, entirely out of respect for Dong Kui. He didn't want to escalate the situation and cause misunderstandings between the two powerful figures. Before Deng Qing could speak, his blond-haired henchman couldn't help but interject:
"Brother Qiang, today our Brother Qing got beaten up by your employees in your territory..."
"Get out of the way!" Zhou Weiqiang glared, his dark face, covered in a thick beard, exuding an imposing aura. "Don't you know the rules! Do you have the right to speak to your boss?"
Zhou Weiqiang was relatively polite to Deng Qing, but he showed no mercy to small fry like the blond-haired man, finding it a good opportunity to vent his anger.
The blond-haired man, huddled in fear after Zhou Weiqiang's outburst, dared not utter another sound. He was nowhere near Zhou Weiqiang's level; he had only spoken up to show off in front of his boss. Seeing Zhou Weiqiang scolding his underling like a son, Deng Qing couldn't help but glare at him with displeasure, saying in a muffled voice:
"Brother Qiang, you're quite the big shot!"
Zhou Weiqiang glanced at Deng Qing and said calmly:
"We're in business, so naturally we don't want to cause trouble. But if anyone comes knocking, I, Zhou Weiqiang, won't take it lying down. I'm making this clear, Brother Qing, you'd better watch yourself."
Zhou Weiqiang's assertiveness made Deng Qing lose face. His face flushed red and then paled, and he quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. After a long while, he finally spoke:
"Since Brother Qiang has spoken, I, Deng Qing..." "We can't just let this go like this. But..."
At this point, Deng Qing looked at Chen Yang, his eyes filled with hatred, and said,
"This kid messed with me today. If I don't make amends, I, Deng Qing, will have no face to show in this underworld anymore. So, I hope Brother Qiang can hand this guy over to me. Also, this whole thing was caused by that little wench. Making her pour me tea and apologize isn't too much to ask, is it?"
After Deng Qing finished speaking, his fiery gaze fell on Su He beside Chen Yang. Seeing his smug, shameless face, Chen Yang couldn't help but want to go up and slap him a couple more times.
Just then, a bartending practice bottle flew over and hit Deng Qing's bald head accurately with a dull thud!