Chapter 38: The Beautiful Femme Fatale (Special thanks to Yuequan Bay’s Xiao Han for the Silver Sponsorship!)

"What? You know each other?" Milo was also surprised.

"Of course we do," Zhang Ruolin replied. "Ding Han is the best friend Xiaobai and I have in Xicheng."

"I see..." Milo looked a bit awkward. "Then, would you like to... share a table? I'll treat you to all the drinks at this table!"

"Sure!" Zhang Ruolin smiled and nodded. Milo then bustled about to combine our three seats into one table before offering an apology and heading backstage to prepare for his performance.

"Ding Han, how do you know Milo?" Xiaobai asked.

"He's my roommate..."

"No way, what a coincidence."

Beside me, Zhang Ruolin gave me a meaningful look and laughed. "So, he’s the one who slipped you a condom yesterday and told you to sleep with me?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Damn, no wonder his voice sounded so familiar..." Zhang Ruolin sat down, looking annoyed.

"Ahem..." I lowered my voice. "Everyone, lean in a bit. Let's keep our conversation private."

"Alright, boss!"

The two of them flanked me, one on each side.

"So, can't you two tell that Milo is also a player? If he weren't, how would he know how to sing so many songs from our world?"

"We know," Zhang Ruolin said. "But we wouldn't point it out. It's nice to keep a sense of mystery, isn't it? Besides, Milo is genuinely talented at music. His voice and performance are excellent, and he captures emotions perfectly. Honestly, even in our world, he would be a very, very good singer—just one who hasn't had his big break yet."

"Fair enough." I nodded. "Let's establish this first: I can't hold my liquor, so don't try to get me drunk."

"Don't worry, we won't let you get wasted."

Not long after, customers began to file in, and the bar was soon packed. Just then, another familiar figure appeared.

Lu Xiaobei!

She had snuck in and was sitting just one table away from me, all by herself.

*Great, this is going to be lively...*

I was speechless. When I looked up at her again, Lu Xiaobei had already spotted me. Her beautiful eyes burned with anger as she stared straight at me, as if saying, "Well, well, Ding Han! I never thought you were this kind of person!"

At that moment, with Zhang Ruolin and Ling Baiwei squeezed up against me, the scene was impossible to explain.

"Xiaobei..." I greeted her.

"Hmph!" Lu Xiaobei didn't say a word, turning her face away.

"Oh my..." Zhang Ruolin, a cunning old fox, saw through it instantly. "Is that pretty girl your girlfriend?"

"Not at all..." I explained, "When I first came to Xicheng, I had no one to turn to, so I worked at an internet cafe. She's the owner."

"I see..." Ling Baiwei said. "Should we invite her over to join us?"

"Judging by her attitude, that's not going to happen." I felt helpless. Lu Xiaobei was likely angry because she had painfully shelled out two months of my salary, and here I was, wasting that money in a bar, indulging in luxury. It was no wonder she was furious.

...

Soon after, Milo came on stage with two young men—a drummer and a bassist. Milo played the guitar and sang lead. After sitting down, he smilingly introduced a new song he had written called "The Ordinary Road."

"How shameless," I whispered. "Pu Shu would be crying in the restroom!"

Zhang Ruolin and Xiaobai tried hard to suppress their laughter.

As the guitar started, the crowd was drawn into the mood. When Milo began to sing, he completely immersed everyone in the performance. It had to be said, the guy had real musical talent.

After singing three songs in a row, he received a burst of applause.

Milo took a short break and came over to toast us. "Ding Han, Ruolin and Xiaobai often come to support me. You must take good care of these two beauties. Here, this bottle is on me for you three good friends."

"Deal!" the two women nodded in unison.

With no choice, I picked up a bottle of Heineken.

After finishing half the bottle in one go, my head immediately started to spin.

After that, Milo sang one old song after another, filling people's hearts with melancholy. I began to miss our own world, everything about it, and I missed my mother, who was left all alone there. Before I knew it, I had drunk too much.

My face felt numb. Just then, I saw a handsome young man walk over to Lu Xiaobei's table with a beer. They toasted and began chatting and laughing.

By chance, Lu Xiaobei made eye contact with me, huffed, and looked away, continuing her conversation with the young man.

"Damn, no way..." I frowned and leaned toward Zhang Ruolin's ear. "I think I've had too much. Keep an eye on things, will you? Don't let that guy bully Lu Xiaobei."

"What does that mean?" Zhang Ruolin asked. "If you're so worried about her, just go over and pull her over here, then it's done."

"..." I was speechless.

But the alcohol was hitting me harder and harder, and a foggy haze was constantly invading the high ground of my sobriety.

*Thud...*

Before nine o'clock, I blacked out and collapsed onto the table.

...

My head was spinning. The feeling of a hangover is truly miserable, and what’s more shameful is that just three bottles of premium Heineken were enough to get me into this pathetic state.

"Whew..."

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a familiar ceiling.

It seemed to be my room. I was lying in bed, and my jacket and pants had been taken off and hung neatly on a hanger.

Outside, I heard the sound of a man and a woman laughing and talking. One was Milo, and the other... it wasn't Ruolin or Xiaobai—it was Lu Xiaobei!

"Oh my..."

I woke up with a jolt, remembering what happened before I got drunk. Wasn't Lu Xiaobei chatting happily with that handsome guy? How did she end up here, and how did she know Milo?

I got up, put on my clothes, and opened the door to see Milo and Lu Xiaobei sitting face-to-face.

"Aha, the god of alcohol has awakened!" Milo said with a smile.

"Are you ever going to stop being so snarky?"

I gave him a helpless look and glanced at the clock in the living room. It was 11:30.

"Milo, aren't you supposed to be working? Why are you back?"

"You..." Milo sighed. "You passed out after three beers. Lu Xiaobei brought you back... I was worried about her being a girl out alone, so I left work early to check. Since Xiaobei hadn't left yet, I just sang her a few songs."

"Singing in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid the neighbors will complain?"

"A true musician fears no worldly gossip~~~"

I gave him a "you're something else" look, poured myself a glass of hot water, sat next to Milo, and glared at Lu Xiaobei.

Lu Xiaobei glared back at me, looking all huffy.

The atmosphere was a bit tense. Milo grinned. "Stop staring. Xiaobei, let me sing one more song for you. This is my signature piece; I usually never perform it."

"Okay!" Lu Xiaobei nodded with a smile; she had clearly become one of Milo's fans.

And it was understandable. At her age, how could a girl refuse a guy like Milo—someone who was handsome, full of talent, and possessed that indescribable, melancholic, artistic vibe?

Milo played his guitar and sang Jay Chou's "Shanghai 1943."

"The yellowed spring couplets still remain on the wall, where you can faintly see the words 'Peace throughout the year.' In the rice jar at my old home where I haven't returned, Grandpa wrote the word 'Full' in regular script..."

I had to admit, his voice was quite good, and he brought a different flavor to the song than the original.

...

"That was beautiful..." After the song ended, Lu Xiaobei was lost in it, seemingly unable to calm down for a long time.

"Ding Han, why don't you do one?"

Milo pushed the guitar toward me and laughed. "Come on, show our Xiaobei what you've got! Tell her that even if we can't hold our liquor, we've got some skills when it comes to music!"

"Trying to make me look like a fool in public, are you?" I glared.

"It's just for fun among ourselves, don't worry so much."

"Fine, you asked for it!"

I took a "nothing to lose" attitude, picked up the guitar, and started tuning it.

"..."

Lu Xiaobei looked at me in astonishment, seemingly surprised that I could play guitar at all.

So, under Lu Xiaobei's expectant gaze, I began to play a melody and sang a song Milo hadn't performed: Pu Shu's "Birch Forest."

"The quiet village is covered in white snow. Under the gloomy sky, pigeons fly. Two names are carved on the birch tree; they swore to love each other for the rest of their lives..."

Even though my playing kept going off-key, I didn't care in the slightest and sang the whole song in an immersive state.

*Clap, clap, clap...*

Milo applauded dryly. "Nice, you actually sang the whole thing. Remember to check the lyrics next time..."

I chuckled.

"Was that melody right? It sounded weird, not smooth like when Milo sings," Lu Xiaobei commented. "Ding Han, you still have a lot to learn from Milo when it comes to music."

"Heh..." Milo felt secretly pleased and scratched his head, laughing.

But Lu Xiaobei quickly added, "However, Ding Han's timbre is better than yours—cleaner and more resonant."

"..."

This time it was my turn to feel smug, and Milo didn't look as happy.

"Alright!"

I slowly stood up. "Look at the time. I'll walk you back."

"Okay~" Lu Xiaobei also stood up.

In the moonlight, we walked along the road toward the internet cafe. Both of us seemed lost in our own thoughts and didn't speak until I dropped her off at the cafe and turned back.

...

I had drunk too much at the bar, and I couldn't remember anything that happened afterward. So, I picked up my phone and sent a message to Zhang Ruolin: "I've sobered up. Nothing embarrassing happened at the bar, did it?"

"Voice message?"

"Sure!"

A second later, Zhang Ruolin sent a voice call.

"Actually, many embarrassing things happened..." her voice sounded grave.

"How embarrassing?"

"Well, when you got drunk, Xiaobai and I were planning to take you home. But who would have thought your little beauty of a boss would suddenly ignore the handsome guy next to her, rush over, and hoist you onto herself? The way she acted, she clearly saw Xiaobai and me as vixen-like outsiders and herself as the rightful girlfriend. She wouldn't let us touch you at all, and then she took you home all by herself..."

"..." I was speechless.

"And there's more," Zhang Ruolin said. "When I left the bar to see you off, do you know what Lu Xiaobei said to me?"

"What did she say?"

"She actually called me a beautiful bad woman and told me to stay away from you. Your boss is just too cute, hahahahahaha~~~" On the other end of the phone, Zhang Ruolin burst into laughter, completely disregarding her lady-like image.