The Babi Bar on this street is considered one of the best, much larger in scale and significantly more expensive than the average bar. Yet, despite this, people continue to stream in, dressed in all sorts of attire, from eccentric to elegant. Bars are places that don't care much about social status; as long as you have money, even if it's just enough for a bottle of beer, you can linger inside for the whole night.
The men in the bar didn't interest Zhang Ziwen. After observing some women dressed extremely attractively, he found that none could compare to the gentle and charming Tang Shu by his side. Even their perfume couldn't match the intoxicating fragrance emanating from Tang Shu, filling Zhang Ziwen with a sense of pride. Having a stunning beauty accompanying him was always something men took pride in.
The bar was now packed to the brim, with an indescribable mix of scents floating in the air. For urbanites burdened with work stress and fatigue, the bar was a great place to relax. Free, indulgent, vibrant, and enchanting — these were the reasons why most urbanites loved hanging out at bars. Drinks kept coming, the music seemed never to stop, and the bar was perpetually filled with an atmosphere of allure, tempting you to be captivated without realizing it and join the bar culture.
Unbeknownst to Zhang Ziwen, he had already held Tang Shu's warm hand. He didn't notice the gleam of joy in Tang Shu's beautiful eyes. Everything happened so naturally and effortlessly.
In no time, Zhang Ziwen and Tang Shu found Fat Dahai, who was pouring drinks at an open booth. On the glass rectangular table sat a bottle of Chivas, still more than half full, with one-third of it mixed with soda. Dahai was currently playing dice with another friend, Wang Kai, and from the looks of it, Dahai was losing more than winning, evident from the beads of sweat on his forehead and his already shining red face.
As soon as Fat Dahai saw Zhang Ziwen, he stood up and exclaimed, "Hey, kid, why are you just arriving?" Suddenly noticing a beautiful girl standing beside Zhang Ziwen, he hastily stopped the inappropriate words he was about to utter, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Hey, who's this beautiful lady?"
It's true that a beautiful woman can instantly turn a foul-mouthed man into a gentleman, but the term "kid" made Zhang Ziwen a bit embarrassed. Unfortunately, Tang Shu had already heard it, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she glanced at him with a smile.
At that moment, Wang Kai also stood up, teasing Zhang Ziwen, "What's going on? You haven't even introduced this beautiful lady to us. Are you trying to hide her?"
Tang Shu smiled coyly and said, "My name is Tang Shu. Nice to meet you both." Then she waved at them, greeting them graciously.
"Wow, what a beauty! How did she end up with you, kid? It's like a flower stuck in cow dung," Fat Dahai exclaimed exaggeratedly.
"Yeah," Wang Kai chimed in, jokingly adding, "Miss, you better be careful. This kid is not a good guy. It's better to kick him now before he unexpectedly bites you."
"Come on!" Zhang Ziwen was amused and exasperated by his two teasing friends. "You two rascals, stop talking nonsense. How can I introduce you to friends like this? Shame on you."
Zhang Ziwen turned to Tang Shu and said, "These two are not good guys. Don't listen to their nonsense."
Tang Shu smiled without saying a word, her beautiful eyes looking at Zhang Ziwen and his friends, finding them quite amusing. She could tell they often teased and joked with each other.
"Oh, let me introduce you," Zhang Ziwen pointed at Fat Dahai. "This is Fat Dahai. Just look at him, he's so plump. You can call him Fat Hai."
The term "fat" made Fat Dahai roll his eyes at Zhang Ziwen.
"And this is Wang Kai," Zhang Ziwen continued, introducing Wang Kai. "You can call him Kai. He's the kind of guy who's often taken advantage of by women."
This remark made Wang Kai extremely unhappy. Unable to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor with a beautiful woman in front of him, he extended his hand and made an international gesture, using his middle finger.
Tang Shu giggled and greeted, "Fat Brother, Kai Brother, you can call me Little Shu from now on."
"Hey!" The two of them replied in unison, enchanted by Tang Shu's sweet voice, feeling her charm deep in their bones, almost saying something overly sweet like "Little Shu is so obedient."
"Come, have a seat, Little Shu," Fat Dahai found Tang Shu extremely pleasing and quickly invited her to sit down, pushing Zhang Ziwen to the side.
"Yeah, Big Hai's right. The three of us will drink, and let that stinky mosquito stay aside," Kai also firmly supported Fat Dahai's suggestion.
Tang Shu glanced at Zhang Ziwen with her beautiful eyes and said, "Brother Wen, come sit too." With that, she pulled Zhang Ziwen to sit beside her.
Clearly accustomed to the joint teasing from his two friends, Zhang Ziwen shook his head with a wry smile, and after sitting down, he called the waitress to add two more glasses.
In a bar, with a beautiful woman present, the atmosphere was always lively. The three men usually loved bantering and teasing each other, but with a woman present, none of them wanted to lose face in drinking. For men, drinking and showing off their masculinity was an essential part of their identity. Despite the childishness of it, they couldn't help it. They all had the same thought - they wanted to outdrink each other.
A bottle of Chivas mixed with soda was finished within half an hour, and they called for another bottle. Tang Shu, however, insisted on paying for it first, making the three men a bit embarrassed.
"Big Hai, Kai, today is our first meeting. Here, let me toast to you both," Tang Shu said, then turned to Zhang Ziwen and added, "Brother Wen, you too." With that, she clinked glasses with them and downed her drink.
Not daring to slight a beautiful woman's toast, the three men quickly followed suit, downing their drinks. Seeing how pretty and easygoing Tang Shu was, Fat Dahai joked with Zhang Ziwen, "Bro, when did you meet Little Shu? Why didn't you bring her out earlier? Your secrecy is so good. You have to confess, how did you win her over? Otherwise, it's a penalty of three drinks."
"What secrecy? What winning over?" Zhang Ziwen was afraid that Fat Dahai, under the influence of alcohol, would talk nonsense. He quickly said, "I've only known Little Shu for two days. Stop talking nonsense, I have nothing with her. Don't scare her."
"Oh, you're still denying it," Kai smirked and continued, "Look at how nervous you are. You dare to say there's nothing? No, you have to confess, or we won't let it go."
"Yeah, Kai's right. If you don't confess, it won't be over. Let's have a penalty of three drinks," Fat Dahai seized the opportunity and called for three more empty glasses, fully intending to pour three more drinks. Although the alcohol was mixed with soda, it still packed a punch. Even though Zhang Ziwen had a good tolerance for alcohol, he probably couldn't handle it. It seemed that these two friends were determined to get Zhang Ziwen drunk by any means necessary.
"Hey, you two jerks! That's not fair. Can we even drink like this?" Zhang Ziwen protested loudly.
"That's right, we like to play dirty. Guess right and there's a prize. Otherwise, add one more drink," Fat Dahai grinned slyly.
"Big Hai," Tang Shu, who had been smiling as she watched their banter, interrupted, "Actually, Brother Wen was just trying to help—"
"Forget it," Zhang Ziwen cut Tang Shu off, "I'll drink it. You two scoundrels, mark my words." With that, he picked up a glass and downed it in one gulp, his expression slightly furrowed when he put the empty glass down. Downing a full glass in one go wasn't easy.
Unable to talk about saving the beauty in front of his two teasing friends, especially Fat Dahai, who loved to gossip, Zhang Ziwen was afraid he would call He Li as soon as he turned around. He Li was strict about not letting others do the dirty work for her, especially since she had already knocked down two police officers and the case was still unresolved. If she found out, who knows what would happen.
Just as he was about to pick up the second glass, Tang Shu quickly pressed his hand down and said to Fat Dahai and Kai, "Big Hai, Kai, can I help Brother Wen drink?" The hopeful look in her eyes made it hard for the two to refuse.
Kai nodded first. In front of a beauty, this nickname wasn't for nothing. He readily agreed, "If Little Shu wants to help, let her. We don't want to be accused of bullying." Then he gave Zhang Ziwen a teasing look, as if to say, "You still won't admit it? Even a beautiful woman is willing to drink for you. You guy, you're still not confessing?"