Chapter 10: Inexplicable Anxiety
1365 Words
“It’s okay—I’ll just not tell her. I’ll say I’m going to a classmate’s place, and you wait for me outside. That’s settled!”
Before Ling Chen could refuse, Tang Shiyun had already skipped back to her house.
Ling Chen patted the over 1,000 yuan he’d just received as salary in his pocket, thinking he’d have to spend a lot that night.
But as long as Tang Shiyun was happy, he didn’t mind the money.
Getting into college was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement—she definitely deserved a good celebration.
At 7:30 p.m., night had just fallen.
Tang Shiyun showed up downstairs right on time.
Looking at Tang Shiyun, who was running over, Ling Chen’s eyes lit up.
The little girl had rarely gone out to play, so she’d even dressed up specially. She wore a white-and-blue checkered dress, her hair tied back, and a bright, flower-like smile on her pretty face. She also had a delicate lettered bracelet on her wrist—every inch of her exuded youthful vitality.
“Brother Ling!”
“Tell me—where do you want to go?”
“How would I know? Brother Ling, you always have such a busy nightlife—you decide!”
Ling Chen scratched his head. His nightlife mostly consisted of eating grilled skewers and drinking beer—there was nothing else to it.
“How about KTV?”
“No way—that’s so unoriginal.”
“Then…”
“Brother Ling, can we go to a bar?” Tang Shiyun suggested. “I’ve heard my classmates talk about how fun bars are, but I’ve never been to one.”
“That place is too messy—I’m worried about safety.”
“You’ll be with me, so what’s there to worry about? Please, Brother Ling—just go with me!” Tang Shiyun shook his arm, acting coquettishly.
Ling Chen’s heart softened. Damn—it was impossible for him to resist this.
“Fine, fine! We’ll go—happy now?”
Tang Shiyun made a “yeah” gesture and said happily, “I knew Brother Ling was the best!”
Ling Chen had initially wanted to take Tang Shiyun to a bar on Wuli Street, but he quickly changed his mind when he remembered Jiang Hao had once upset her.
Although Tang Shiyun knew he was friends with Jiang Hao, she didn’t like Jiang Hao—or any gangsters, for that matter. Too many gangsters on Wuli Street knew him, and they’d inevitably greet him if they went there. He didn’t want Tang Shiyun to be around that kind of people.
So the best option was to find a bar where no one knew him.
After thinking for a moment, he took Tang Shiyun to the street, hailed a taxi, and said to the driver, “Take us to a bar—any except those on Wuli Street.”
“No problem.”
More than ten minutes later, Ling Chen and Tang Shiyun arrived at a bar called “Green Pine.”
Green Pine Bar was quite large, with two floors covering over 200 square meters. It had exquisite decor and seemed to be one of the more upscale bars in the old town.
By now, the lights were coming on, and the bar was packed with people outside.
“Brother Ling, hurry up!” Tang Shiyun pulled Ling Chen’s hand and ran quickly to the bar to line up.
Just then, they saw a poster pasted on the bar’s outer wall. It featured a glamorous woman with a guitar in her arms, and next to her was written: “Lu Yao’s Special Performance.”
“Oh my god—it’s Lu Yao!” Tang Shiyun’s face lit up with excitement.
“Who’s Lu Yao? A famous celebrity?”
“Celebrities wouldn’t come to a bar for a special performance! She’s an indie singer—she used to sing at bars, and then she released an album. She’s pretty well-known in our city, and I love her songs! Brother Ling, we’re so lucky today!”
“You’re the lucky one—I don’t care about her.”
They waited in line outside the bar for more than ten minutes before it was their turn. To Ling Chen’s dismay, the tickets cost 180 yuan each—for two tickets, a third of his pocket money was gone instantly.
Inside the bar, it was already packed. Even though Lu Yao was an indie singer, she had a lot of fans there. To fit more people, the organizers had even removed all the tables and chairs—everyone had to stand to watch.
Unable to resist Tang Shiyun’s enthusiasm, Ling Chen pushed through the crowd and took her to the front of the stage, giving her a chance to be close to Lu Yao.
Before long, the lights in the bar suddenly went dark. After more than ten seconds, a soft beam of light shone down from the ceiling, landing on a woman in her twenties standing in the center of the stage.
The woman had dark golden curly hair, a charming face, and bright red lips. She wore a purple waist-cinched low-cut dress that only reached the tops of her thighs, revealing a patch of fair skin and highlighting her slender figure.
When the main star, Lu Yao, appeared, the entire audience erupted in cheers.
“Goddess!”
“Goddess!”
…
Ling Chen clicked his tongue. He’d never been interested in people like this. Moreover, her outfit didn’t look like she was there to sing—it looked more like she was putting on a show.
He’d rather spend the money on a street food stall to satisfy his appetite than listen to songs here.
With nothing better to do, he let his eyes wander. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the glass windows on the second floor.
The second floor of the bar was all private rooms, and the windows were covered with tinted film—people inside the rooms could see out, but people outside couldn’t see clearly inside.
Ling Chen stared at the tinted glass, his brows furrowing slightly. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Having walked the line between life and death for so many years, he had a keen instinct for danger—almost like a sixth sense.
Inside a private room on the second floor.
A man in his thirties stood by the window, watching the performance below. His eyes were narrowed, and his face was cold—like a beast lying in the shadows, exuding a fierce, icy aura.
The man had an ordinary appearance. He held a glass of red wine in his hand, swirling it gently.
After taking a sip of wine, a striking tattoo appeared on his neck—it was a green snake, its tongue flicking out, adding a menacing edge to his already cold demeanor.
“Snake King, are you sure you want to work with that guy?”
A voice spoke up. It came from a young man sitting on the sofa, around 27 or 28 years old. Despite his young age, he was very fat—he was 1.8 meters tall and probably weighed nearly 200 pounds. Even as he spoke, he didn’t stop eating the snacks the bar had provided.
The man called “Snake King” turned around slowly, his face expressionless. “I’m going to him because he’s useful. As for ‘working with him’—he’s not qualified for that.”
The fat man spat out a date pit. “What you do is your business, but I’ll warn you—be careful if you’re dealing with someone unprofessional. Don’t let them trick you.”
“I don’t need you to tell me what to do. Just focus on your own job.”
“I already finished my job,” the fat man said, pulling a stack of documents from his bag and throwing them on the table. “Here’s the information you wanted—all the target’s recent schedules are in there. I spent a lot of money on this information, so you’d better reimburse me.”
- Writer
