Chapter 57: All Mouths Could Not Explain
Chapter 57: All Mouths Could Not Explain
Inside the ride-hailing car, Li Zian asked, “What does Kang Xin’s boyfriend do?”
Tang Xier thought for a moment before saying, “He’s a singer. He performs at a bar. I’ve met him twice. He’s very talented and really good at making people laugh.”
Li Zian understood in his heart.
A singer, playing music and good with words — just the type young girls like Kang Xin would fall for. But they had no idea how dirty the entertainment industry could be.
“So that’s how it is. Are we going to the bar where her boyfriend performs?”
“Yes, the bar is called Kazebar. Kang Xin’s boyfriend is named Tian Zhongshan, and his stage name is…” Tang Xier thought again. “Oh right, his stage name is Free Camel.”
Free Camel?
Li Zian felt curious. “Why such a strange name?”
“I don’t know. But aren’t people who sing in bars a bit… different? I know another bar singer whose stage name is Bearded Big Bird. It’s really funny.”
Li Zian couldn’t help but glance at her.
“Don’t you think it’s weird?” Tang Xier clearly didn’t understand why Li Zian suddenly looked at her, and his expression seemed a bit strange.
“Strange.” But in his heart, he felt some emotion. Female university students in their ivory towers might be adults, but compared to their peers in society, they were really too naive and easily fooled.
“By the way, why did you get married so young? I have a friend who’s studying for a master’s degree. She’s already twenty-eight and hasn’t even dated anyone. She’s not worried at all.” Out of the blue, Tang Xier brought the topic to this.
Li Zian didn’t want to talk about it. Fortunately, the car stopped right then. He looked out the window and saw a row of bars along the street. It was already quite late, but the street was still lively. The neon lights of the bars flashed and changed colors, giving a feeling of luxury and decadence.
After getting out of the car, Li Zian and Tang Xier entered the bar street. They didn’t walk far before finding Kazebar. Two girls stood at the door attracting customers, dressed very revealingly. Their ultra-short leather pants squeezed out a bit of excess flesh, which was particularly eye-catching.
Li Zian and Tang Xier entered the bar.
Quite a few people were sitting in the bar. Most of them were young. Some were drinking, some were hugging each other without any shyness — kissing when they felt like it, making moves when the time was right. The air was filled with the scent of hormones and desire, mingling with the hazy lights and loud music. It was like a drug slowly seeping into people’s bodies, then releasing a lot of dirty things.
Li Zian spotted the young man singing on stage. He was about the same age as Li Zian, quite good-looking, with long hair and diamond-studded earrings that glittered under the lights. The young man had bare arms, one full of tattoos, and on his chest coiled a fierce, claw-baring dragon soaring through clouds — it looked very intimidating.
Tang Xier pointed at the young man singing on stage and said, “That person is Tian Zhongshan, Kang Xin’s boyfriend.”
Li Zian had already suspected that person was Tian Zhongshan. To make a girl like Kang Xin fall for him, he had to be good-looking first. Although that young man was far less handsome than him, he was still not bad. Plus, he had a bit of a rogue and decadent vibe, which young girls also liked. Hearing Tang Xier confirm it, the target was locked in.
Li Zian scanned the area below the stage and soon found Kang Xin. She was sitting in a booth in a corner, a cocktail in front of her. Sitting with her were two young men and one young woman. The two young men also wore earrings and had tattoos — they clearly weren’t decent people. The young woman wore the same kind of leather shorts as the greeters outside, probably an employee of the bar. She was chatting and laughing with the two young men, while Kang Xin was quiet and seemed a bit out of place.
“Mr. Li, let’s go further in and see if we can find Kang Xin,” Tang Xier said.
Li Zian said, “I see her.”
“Where?” Tang Xier looked around, but she didn’t have the vantage of a 185 cm height — she only saw many bobbing heads.
Li Zian pointed in Kang Xin’s direction. “Over there. See her?”
Just then, a standing young man who had been shaking his head sat down. Tang Xier finally saw Kang Xin sitting in the corner. She then said, “Let’s go over to her.”
But Li Zian grabbed her hand. “No rush. Let’s find a place to sit.”
Tang Xier turned to look at Li Zian, a faint blush inexplicably appearing on her round, apple-like face.
Was she misunderstanding something?
Li Zian quickly let go of her hand and walked toward two empty seats.
Tang Xier followed Li Zian.
Li Zian sat down. “Tang, what would you like to drink? How about cola?”
Tang Xier shook her head decisively. “I’m trying to lose weight. No ‘fat-happy soda’ for me. Let’s have some alcohol, okay?”
Li Zian looked at her, thinking to himself: You’re not trying to get yourself drunk, are you?
Luckily, Tang Xier only ordered a cocktail with alcohol content similar to beer.
Li Zian paid.
Before going out, he never imagined he would end up in a bar drinking with a chubby, quite cute female university student. But now he was clinking glasses with her.
Life was unpredictable. Even someone like him, a Fangshi, couldn’t account for everything.
For example, right now, a sentence from Tang Xier nearly made him spit out the cocktail he had just sipped.
“So… you’re not trying to hit on me, are you?” Tang Xier stared straight at Li Zian.
Li Zian covered his mouth, forcing down the mouthful of drink he almost sprayed out. He stayed frozen for several seconds before managing to say, “Tang, don’t misunderstand. I have a wife, and my child is already three years old.”
But Tang Xier wasn’t bothered. “So what? There are plenty of uncles with children who hit on female students. Besides, you’re not that much older than me.”
Li Zian: “…”
“Are you trying to hit on me?” Tang Xier asked again.
Li Zian shook his head decisively. “No.”
“Then why did you bring me to a bar to drink?” Tang Xier added, “And using the excuse that we’re looking for Kang Xin — we found her but didn’t go over, instead bringing me here to drink. Back in the library, you smiled at me. I knew then you were interested in me and wanted to hit on me. Isn’t that right?”
Li Zian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
This fat girl’s analysis was as detailed as his own divinations. He wanted to argue but couldn’t find a place to start.
“How about… we go somewhere else to talk?” Tang Xier tilted her head toward the door.
What kind of hint was that?
Li Zian didn’t understand, but he believed it couldn’t be anything good. He shook his head firmly again.
Tang Xier downed her large cocktail in one go, then leaned back in her chair, her eyes half-closed.
Was she hinting that she was drunk now?
If so, her acting was really too amateurish.
Just then, Tian Zhongshan came down from the stage and walked toward the booth where Kang Xin was sitting.
Li Zian’s gaze shifted to Kang Xin.
Tang Xier was still pretending to be drunk — she was a patient girl.
But Li Zian couldn’t be bothered with her. His eyes stayed fixed on that direction.
Tian Zhongshan sat beside Kang Xin, reached out, and put his arm around her shoulders. Kang Xin’s body visibly stiffened, then she removed Tian Zhongshan’s hand.
Li Zian felt a bit relieved. Kang Xin’s reaction at least proved that she and that scumbag man hadn’t developed a substantial relationship yet. If they had, when a man put his arm around a woman’s shoulders, her usual response would be to lean into his embrace.
Don’t ask how he knew.
He might not have eaten meat, but he’d seen what a pig looked like.
After all, he was a man who had studied many plot-driven films.
Tian Zhongshan glanced at Kang Xin, seeming to feel a bit embarrassed, but he didn’t say anything.
A buddy offered him a drink. Tian Zhongshan drank a glass.
Kang Xin said something to Tian Zhongshan, then stood up and left.
The bar’s female employee also said something to Tian Zhongshan and left. Tian Zhongshan absentmindedly glanced at Kang Xin’s retreating back — his eyes looked a bit dark.
Following the direction Kang Xin went, Li Zian spotted a bathroom sign. He only glanced at it before bringing his gaze back to the booth she had left.
As soon as his eyes returned, he saw Tian Zhongshan take out a small paper packet from his pocket.
He quickly pulled out his mobile phone, woke the screen, zoomed in, and started recording video.
Tian Zhongshan opened the small paper packet and poured the white powder inside into the cocktail glass Kang Xin had been drinking from.
The other two young men looked excited, murmuring something to each other. But the music was too loud — Li Zian couldn’t hear a thing. However, he could guess it was nothing decent.
Just then, Tang Xier opened her eyes and muttered, “Oh, my head feels so dizzy.”
Li Zian didn’t look at her, just said, “Then sleep a bit more.”
Tang Xier pouted, suddenly sat up straight, grabbed the glass in front of Li Zian, and downed his cocktail in one gulp.
“My head feels so dizzy,” Tang Xier said again.
“Sleep a bit more,” Li Zian said.
Tang Xier slumped back in disappointment, then closed her eyes.
Then Kang Xin returned and sat next to Tian Zhongshan again.
Tian Zhongshan raised his glass and said something. The other two young men also raised their glasses. Kang Xin hesitated, then raised hers as well. The three men downed their drinks in one go. Kang Xin only took a small sip. Tian Zhongshan looked at Kang Xin, said something, and then Kang Xin finished the entire cocktail in her glass.
In less than a minute, Kang Xin started to react. She shook her head, trying to stay alert, but her efforts were in vain. She slumped weakly against the back of the booth.
Tian Zhongshan said something else. The two young men stood up and left.
Tian Zhongshan helped Kang Xin to her feet and led her toward the door.
“Let’s go,” Li Zian said, stopping the recording.
Tang Xier opened her eyes, looking both excited and nervous. “Where to?”
Li Zian pointed at Tian Zhongshan, who was helping Kang Xin walk out. “Wherever they go, we follow.”
Tang Xier stood up, saw Tian Zhongshan and Kang Xin, paused for a moment, then blurted out, “Kang Xin seems drunk. Where are they going… Ah, I understand. You…”
Before she could finish, Li Zian had already followed them outside. The street was crowded, and he was worried he might lose them.
“You’re so bad,” Tang Xier still said.
Too bad Li Zian didn’t hear.