Behind the bar, two small rooms were partitioned off, serving as men's and women's changing rooms respectively, and also functioning as small storage rooms.
Chen Yang took off his blue t-shirt and jeans as soon as he entered, and relying on his memory, he found his locker. Just as he was about to take out his work clothes, Ning Qiaoqian's voice came from the doorway:
"Little Yang, is anyone else in here?"
Chen Yang hesitated for a moment, then replied:
"No! I'm the only one here!"
As soon as Chen Yang finished speaking, the changing room door was pushed open, and Ning Qiaoqian slipped in, quickly locking the door behind her, before looking up at Chen Yang.
Chen Yang didn't try to hide anything, but asked with a strange expression:
"Sister Qian! Don't be so eager, right?"
Ning Qiaoqian, seeing Chen Yang's almost naked appearance, seemed to blush slightly, but her words were still teasing:
"It's alright, much better than I imagined! I thought you were just skin and bones!" The body left behind by her ex-boyfriend looked pretty good; although the muscles weren't very firm, at least it wasn't skin and bones, just a bit all show and no substance.
After saying that, Ning Qiaoqian's fiery gaze landed on Chen Yang without any restraint, she pressed herself against him, a mischievous smile on her face.
If he had been teased like this by a stunningly beautiful woman in his past life, Chen Yang would have taken her without hesitation. But now, in this new role, it was a bit awkward. While enduring the throbbing sensation of Ning Qiaoqian's delicate hands caressing his skin, Chen Yang had to pretend to stammer and ask:
"Sister Qian, there's a ton of stuff waiting for you at the bar. Aren't you afraid of Brother Qiang…"
Ning Qiaoqian brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said nonchalantly:
"To hell with him! I have things to do!"
"Little Yang, the thing you asked me to ask about, I've found out for you…" Ning Qiaoqian smiled seductively, pressing herself tightly against Chen Yang, her arms around his neck. Her red lips drew near his ear, and she gently breathed on it, her voice languid and sweet. "Want to hear it?"
Chen Yang couldn't recall… Ren didn't know what Ning Qiaoqian wanted him to find out, but he enjoyed the feeling of her soft body against his, so he pretended to be nervous and said:
"Of course I want to know! Sister Qian, please tell me!"
"Su He has really had a tough time. I only heard before that her family was struggling, and she had always worked to earn her tuition and help support her family. I only found out this time that her parents have passed away, and she has an eighty-year-old grandmother. Her younger brother is about to take the college entrance exam, and he'll need a lot of money for university in the fall, so her financial situation is even worse!" Ning Qiaoqian paused, straightened up slightly, and became more serious, continuing, "But don't worry, I've already lent her your six thousand yuan in my personal name, and I've told her there's no rush to pay it back; she can pay me back after she graduates and earns money!"
Hearing Ning Qiaoqian's words, Chen Yang couldn't help but be moved. Previously, he had harbored a slight resentment towards this commoner school beauty who had caused him so much trouble, but now that resentment had vanished completely, replaced by deep admiration for her. A few words had sketched an image of a self-reliant girl in Chen Yang's mind.
Thinking of this, Chen Yang felt that his ex had really made the right decision. He sincerely said to Ning Qiaoqian:
"Thank you, Sister Qian!"
Ning Qiaoqian's hands gently caressed Chen Yang's body, tracing a path down his broad chest, and she asked with seductive eyes:
"Little Yangzi, how are you going to thank me?"
Stimulated by Ning Qiaoqian's sudden move, Chen Yang suddenly felt an uncontrollable surge of lust. He couldn't help but reach out and embrace Ning Qiaoqian's slender waist, pressing the two tightly together. Although Ning Qiaoqian had been teasing Chen Yang, when he actually made a move, her face flushed, and a fleeting look of panic crossed her eyes.
Then, Ning Qiaoqian subtly pushed Chen Yang away, teasingly saying,
"Not bad for a guy! Looks like Su He's in for a treat..."
Chen Yang was enjoying this intoxicating feeling, but Zhou Weiqiang was still waiting for him to get to work, and besides, staying in the dressing room with Ning Qiaoqian for too long wouldn't be good, so he could only feign embarrassment, a wry smile on his face, and said,
"Sister Qian, Brother Qiang is still waiting for me to get to work..."
Ning Qiaoqian's eyes flickered, she hooked her arm around Chen Yang's neck, then rubbed the back of his head a few times, saying,
"Alright! I'll let you go! I'm leaving now!"
With that, Ning Qiaoqian straightened up, glanced at Chen Yang again with a teasing smile, and turned to leave the dressing room. Watching Ning Qiaoqian's slender figure disappear, Chen Yang smiled knowingly. Chen Yang's eyesight was incredibly sharp; he could easily see that Ning Qiaoqian was nothing but a virgin, yet she was putting on a mature woman's act to seduce him. How amusing!
Chen Yang shook his head, changed into his work black shirt and vest, left the changing room, and began his preparations methodically. Experiencing working for someone for the first time, Chen Yang was a little uncomfortable, relying entirely on his habitually high efficiency to complete his tasks. However, his boss, Zhou Weiqiang, secretly nodded in approval, noting that after a few days of rest, Chen Yang was much more efficient and seemed full of energy.
As darkness fell, the bar filled with more and more customers. Amidst the deafening disco music, all sorts of men and women writhed wildly. Under the psychedelic glow of the crystal chandeliers, sections of soft, boneless arms and fair waists exuded a wild allure. The scent of tobacco and the color of red wine permeated the entire bar. Scandalously dressed girls writhed their youthful bodies while laughing and joking with the men who approached them. Chen Yang's emotions were gradually stirred. To be fair, compared to the high-end clubs he frequented in his previous life, the Flame Bar was worlds apart in terms of both the quality of the girls and the bar's facilities. Yet, it still stirred up a few memories of his decadent, hedonistic lifestyle from his past life. He swayed slightly to the music while working diligently and nervously.
Beside the bar, the owner, Zhou Weiqiang, sat on the sofa, his brow furrowed, his face grim. Two henchmen stood trembling beside him. Zhou Weiqiang took a deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out, and asked,
"When exactly will Xue Chen and the others arrive?"
A young man in a sleeveless t-shirt, with slightly protruding teeth, quickly stepped forward and replied,
"I just contacted them ten minutes ago. He said he just finished recording a program at the TV station and is on his way here!"
Another young man in a floral shirt chimed in,
"Brother Qiang, will Xue Chen stand us up? I heard that Lao Luo from Impression Jiangnan treated them to dinner at the Shangri-La a few days ago..."
Zhou Weiqiang interrupted the man in the floral shirt, saying decisively,
"Stand me up? They wouldn't dare! They're probably really late!"
"But we've already put up our posters. Tonight, many guests are here specifically for Xue Chen's 'Wanderers' band. They're late, and these guys are starting to cause trouble..."
Some of the guests in the venue began to stir, clamoring for the "Wanderers" to perform on stage. Many banged on the small tables in front of them, and their words became increasingly offensive. "Are the 'vagrants' even coming?! I came all this way, and this is what they show us?"
"Damn it! Give me my money back if they don't come!"
...
Seeing this, Zhou Weiqiang frowned and said coldly:
"Bucktooth, call Xue Chen again! Urge them!"
Bucktooth quickly stood up, walked to the side, took out his phone, and dialed Xue Chen. A moment later, Bucktooth walked up to Zhou Weiqiang and said:
"Brother Qiang, Xue Chen said there's a huge traffic jam on the road. They had the driver take a detour, and it will probably take another half hour to get there!"
"Damn it!" Zhou Weiqiang couldn't help but curse. After taking a few deep drags on his cigarette, he made up his mind and said to the guy in the floral shirt:
"Ahua, call the handsome Liu Ge next to me!"
At this moment, the patrons were in a frenzy. Zhou Weiqiang knew that if no one else went on stage to perform, the situation would soon spiral out of control. Ahua hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage and said,
"Brother Qiang, borrowing people from your peers is shameful..."
Zhou Weiqiang knew this all too well, especially someone like him who valued his reputation above all else. But the situation was what it was, and Zhou Weiqiang couldn't care less. He waved his hand and said,
"Losing face is better than ruining your reputation!"
Chen Yang busily carried his tray through the crowd, occasionally glancing at the daringly dressed beauties around him. He thought to himself that his ex had at least done one good thing—choosing to work in a bar. If he had signed his contract to work in a library or a small noodle stall, he would have been bored to death. Returning to the bar, Chen Yang put down his tray, leaned against the counter, and leaned close to Ning Qiaoqian, pointing to Zhou Weiqiang, whose face was dark, and asked:
"What's wrong?"
Ning Qiaoqian pouted and said:
"It's Xue Chen and his gang who're late again! Old Zhou started promoting today's performance a week ago, but they backed out at the last minute!"
After a pause, Ning Qiaoqian added gleefully:
"I heard there's a huge traffic jam on the road, and it'll take another half hour to get there. Old Zhou seems to be going all out to appease the customers; all drinks are 50% off tonight, and Ahua is also trying to borrow performers from the 'Peerless Elegance' restaurant next door. Old Zhou has really lost face this time!"
Chen Yang glanced thoughtfully at Zhou Weiqiang, his eyes darting around, and suddenly said to Ning Qiaoqian:
"Sister Qian, could you please tell Brother Qiang that I can fill in for him for half an hour?"