After Ye Ming left Hope Home, he followed the intelligence provided by Nai Nier to a bar with a gaudy facade. From the outside, the bar didn't appear large; even if it were full, it could only accommodate twenty to thirty people at most. Its exterior decor wasn't particularly eye-catching either, looking just like any other common establishment on Baier Street.
"Sir! What can I get for you?"
As soon as Ye Ming stepped inside, a bartender wearing white gloves stopped him. To facilitate his movements, Ye Ming had slightly altered his appearance, so his arrival didn't draw anyone's attention.
"Please give me a Lycoris," Ye Ming said with a smile and a nod to the young bartender, appearing very casual and natural.
"Huh?"
However, when the young bartender heard the drink Ye Ming ordered, his hands, which were wiping a glass, stiffened ever so slightly. The movement was subtle, easily missed by most, but for Ye Ming, even that momentary pause was enough.
"Sir! I'm very sorry, we don't have the drink you ordered!" the bartender said to the young man before him with an apologetic tone.
"Are you sure?"
Ye Ming seemed unsurprised by the bartender's reply. Instead, he smiled and countered, "Isn't Lycoris your establishment's signature drink?"
Signature drink? If one were to look at the bar's menu, there was indeed no drink listed as "Lycoris." So why did Ye Ming say that?
"Oh!"
The bartender seemed to have received some form of confirmation. The casual smile on his face gradually receded, a flicker of something unusual crossing his pupils. He extended a hand and gestured, "Sir, please follow me!"
Seeing this, Ye Ming said nothing more and followed the bartender's lead into the interior of the establishment. After the bartender left, a new one took his place. The newcomer watched the backs of the two departing figures with a hint of envy. "Sigh! When will I ever get to serve a guest from Lycoris Town!"
...
"I see you're a new face, sir, and I didn't know your identity beforehand. Please forgive me!"
Upon entering the bar's interior, the bartender led Ye Ming to an elevator that descended underground and offered his apologies.
"It's alright! It's my first time here too, so it's normal that you wouldn't recognize me!" Ye Ming replied with a natural smile and a shake of his head. He had already gathered all the information about this bar before arriving. While it appeared to be a very ordinary bar on the surface, its interior held many secrets.
"Then I hope you have a wonderful time!" the bartender said with a touch of excitement. "I heard from upstairs that a big shot is coming today. Lycoris Town has invited the second-ranked girl group from Gaoqiao Country. When they arrive..." The bartender didn't finish his sentence, but the "man-to-man" smile that played on his lips said it all.
"The second-ranked girl group!" Ye Ming wasn't very familiar with this group. To be precise, he wasn't particularly aware of Gaoqiao Country's rankings for girl groups at all.
"It seems you're not very interested in these matters, sir. Allow me to explain in detail!" The bartender pressed the button for "minus one" on the elevator. As they stepped inside, he meticulously explained the nuances to Ye Ming.
From the bartender, Ye Ming learned that throughout Gaoqiao Country, there was a tiered ranking system for male and female idol groups. Naturally, most men focused their attention on the girl groups. In the girl group rankings, every member was an individual of stunning beauty and captivating charm. Although many of them were the result of technological enhancements, they remained the goddesses of countless otaku's dreams. The second-ranked girl group the bartender mentioned was comprised of ten members, all of whom were at the pinnacle of appearance, dance, and physique. Just one of them walking down the street would garner a 90% or higher回头率. This indicated that the energy behind this bar, capable of inviting all members of the second-ranked girl group, was not to be underestimated. As for the purpose of their invitation, that was for Ye Ming to discover himself.
"Actually, according to the management, they were supposed to invite the first-ranked girl group this time. I don't know what happened at the last minute, and they switched to the second-ranked ones," the bartender said regretfully. "If I could have seen the first-ranked girl group appear in Lycoris Town, the scene... would have been too exciting!" It remained unknown why he used the word "exciting" to describe it.
Ding!
"Sir! We've arrived!" As the elevator doors opened, the bartender gestured and said, "I wish you a pleasant time!" Before Ye Ming could even speak, he was greeted by a woman dressed provocatively, revealing a expanse of fair skin. The woman was alluring and charming, her every glance and smile hinting at profound tenderness. Her slender waist could be easily grasped with two hands, requiring no effort. Upon seeing this woman, the bartender wisely retreated. However, as he left, his gaze lingered on the woman, filled with a certain ardor. In the end, it could only be met with a sigh and a shake of his head as he departed.
"Ooh! A handsome young man has arrived!" The woman approached Ye Ming and naturally looped her arm through his, pressing two snowy peaks against him. She smiled and said, "Will you let me keep you company next?" As she spoke, the woman deliberately increased the pressure in a certain area, causing Ye Ming's burden to suddenly intensify. Seeing this, Ye Ming, about to withdraw his hand, could only allow himself to be "controlled" as he remembered his purpose for being there.
"It's good that Qianyu isn't here!" Ye Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at that moment. If Nangong Qianyu saw this, she would undoubtedly smash the vinegar jar into pieces out of jealousy.
"Of course!" To prevent her from noticing anything unusual, Ye Ming naturally extended his hand and wrapped it around the woman's slender waist, his actions quite intimate. The woman, far from resisting, instead pressed her delicate body even closer to his, almost achieving zero-distance contact. For her, receiving such a young and handsome man was like a windfall. Even if something were to happen between them, she would readily accept it. After all, in her line of work, opportunities to make her own choices were few and far between.
"What's your name, handsome? You can call me Duo'er!" Led by Duo'er, Ye Ming was guided to a spacious sofa. She then proceeded to sit directly on Ye Ming's lap, her posture inviting all sorts of imaginative thoughts.