Chapter Eighty-Nine - The Shameless Japanese Invaders (Part One)

My Rebirth Legend

The deep, rhythmic bass rolled ceaselessly through the surrounding space, as if it meant to bring this dim chamber of laser-bright colors crashing down. The floor beneath my feet trembled faintly as I scanned the dance floor, where men and women moved frantically to the beat. At the bar, a crowd of intoxicated patrons swayed in a haze, and I could not help but frown slightly.

In truth, I had never liked places like this. In my previous life, I would not have come unless it was for business. In this one, I had only been once before, the night I met Zhang Jing. Still, since the three women wanted to come and have some fun, I naturally had no objection. A bar may be depraved and wild, but it is a fine place for city people to vent their frustrations. When pressure becomes too great, who does not want to let loose?

The bar we had entered was called Radar Bar, the largest new bar to open in City C in October. Compared with the one where I had met Zhang Jing before, this place was far more luxurious, the equipment much better, and of course, much more expensive.

“Should we take a booth, or a private room?” I called down at Su Xin, raising my voice so she could hear me over the noise. When Su Xin heard my question, she quickly turned to ask Chu Qi Tong beside her. Soon after, Chu Qi Tong walked straight up to me, took my arm, lifted her delicate face, and said, “We want a booth, not a private room.”

“Oh...” I was still a little dazed. Hadn’t this little girl been angry with me just now, refusing to speak to me? Why did she suddenly seem so familiar with me again? I shook away the thoughts in my head and called for a waiter. The waiter then led the four of us beauties to a booth near the front.

As we made our way through the narrow path between the booths and private rooms, I clearly noticed many eyes fixed on Su Xin and the others beside me. Beautiful women like them were rare enough on their own, much less three arriving at once. It seemed tonight the men in this bar would have a feast for the eyes. As for me, I was naturally serving as the guardian of flowers. As for beauties, I had long since grown numb to looking at them...

“Sir, please sit here.” While I was lost in thought, the waiter had already brought us to our spot. I clearly saw him remove the number 21 card from the booth, then smile and ask me, “Sir, what would you like to order?”

“What would you like to drink?” I asked, lowering my head. The three women exchanged glances, and Zhang Jing was the first to say, “Since it’s so lively tonight, let’s have some red wine to celebrate.”

Since they all agreed, I asked the waiter for two bottles of 1985 red wine, then sat with them in the booth, eating the snacks on the table.

As I listened to the pulsing music and the DJ’s wild shouts, I could clearly see the three women beginning to sway unconsciously with the rhythm. Su Xin had never been to a bar before, so she could only feel the atmosphere and move lightly to it. Zhang Jing, wearing office attire, found it somewhat inconvenient, so she merely shook her head in time with the music. As for Miss Chu Qi Tong, it was obvious at a glance that she was the kind who came alive in a crowd. At this moment, not only was her body moving, her head was swaying nonstop as well; her glossy black hair danced over her shoulders in the music like a midnight sprite, carrying a charm all its own.

The red wine arrived quickly, and I poured each of the three women a glass. Su Xin seemed a little unaccustomed to the environment and leaned faintly against me. I held her slender waist in comfort, feeling thoroughly content. But just as I chuckled to myself and looked up, I found Zhang Jing and Chu Qi Tong both staring at me with resentful eyes. I could only offer an awkward, forced smile.

“Su Xin, come on. For the first time the three of us sisters meet, let’s have a toast!” As though deliberately trying to pull Su Xin away from me, Zhang Jing took hold of Su Xin’s delicate hand and clinked glasses with her. Su Xin was too shy to refuse, so she followed Zhang Jing’s example and took a large gulp of red wine.

“Xin Xin, how is it? The atmosphere here is pretty good, isn’t it? If you come more often in the future, you’ll grow to like it. Only music, only crowds, and endless release, with no one to control you.” Chu Qi Tong seemed to mean something by her words as she tapped Su Xin’s glass again, then easily drained the wine in one go.

Su Xin bit lightly at her tender pink lip, as if remembering something. Her expression darkened. I shot Chu Qi Tong a fierce glare, blaming her for saying such a thing. At that moment, Su Xin must have been thinking of her father forcing her to go on blind dates. A few seconds later, she raised her glass and, copying Chu Qi Tong, drank it all down in one breath.

“All right, all right, if you keep drinking like this, you’ll all fall over! Drink slowly—what’s the rush? Why toast every time?” I could not help but intervene. After just one glass, Su Xin’s face had already begun to flush red, and Zhang Jing and Chu Qi Tong were the same; a soft blush bloomed across their fair cheeks, so lovely they were almost edible.

“Hmph. You only know how to protect your girlfriend. My alcohol tolerance is bad too—why don’t you protect me?” Chu Qi Tong shot me a sidelong glance, her tone clearly dissatisfied. I was startled. If this girl drank too much and started talking nonsense, wouldn’t that be terrible? I hurried to coax her a little more, and only then did Chu Qi Tong smile and set down her glass.

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind: could this girl have deliberately brought Su Xin to the bar just to get both of them drunk so she could speak recklessly? If that was really the case...

Cold sweat had already begun to seep slowly from my skin.

The Purple Sun Divine Art flowed gently within me. Even under the dim lighting of the bar, I could still clearly make out the different expressions on the three women’s faces: the faint envy hidden in Zhang Jing’s gaze, the dissatisfaction and resentment concealed beneath Chu Qi Tong’s smile, and the sorrow and melancholy revealed in Su Xin’s eyes. Suddenly, for the first time, I felt that even being reborn could become exhausting.

Glug, glug...

The sound of wine being poured pulled me back to myself. Su Xin had actually begun pouring red wine for herself. Lifting her glass, she gave Zhang Jing and Chu Qi Tong a bitter smile and said, “Sister Zhang, Tong Tong, since we’ve come here today, let’s vent properly. My drinking is poor, but today I’m going all out too. Cheers, everyone!”

As she spoke, she brought the glass toward her lips, frightening me so much that I quickly reached out and snatched it away.

“Su Xin, what are you doing? We came to the bar to have fun, not to drink ourselves senseless.” I looked with pity at the fragile, heartbreaking girl before me. The woman I loved was right here, yet I had no way to free her from her suffering. I could not help feeling utterly useless. Su Xin, you must be strong. Wait for me—wait until I have power, wait until I can truly pull you into my arms!

“Don’t worry about me. I’m drinking tonight no matter what.” Seeing me take her glass, Su Xin pouted in mild annoyance and pinched me, then reached out as if to snatch it back. How could I let that happen? I quickly lifted the glass higher.

“Oh, well now... what’s this? A beauty wants to drink, and you won’t let her? What kind of boyfriend are you?” Just as I held the glass aloft, a man’s voice suddenly sounded from behind me. I turned my head.

Under the dim lights, I could clearly see four men approaching from not far behind us. Two were around middle age, while the other two, somewhat younger, wore cold, severe expressions. I suddenly felt that the bloated middle-aged man who had spoken to me among the four looked strangely familiar, but I could not recall where I had seen him. I frowned in confusion. “Who are you? What does it have to do with you whether I let her drink or not?”

“Oh? It’s only natural that you don’t recognize me. I didn’t recognize you at first either. But the dress your girlfriend is wearing has left a very deep impression on me.” The fat man narrowed his small eyes, his expression rather smug.

“So it’s you. No wonder you looked familiar. What, couldn’t afford the clothes last time, and now you’ve come to buy something again?” His hint made me remember at once. Wasn’t this the man named Huang Qi, the one who had fought me over this dress at the Chanel boutique last time? We had only met briefly, no wonder he seemed familiar. Judging by his attitude today, he was probably still bitter over losing face that day and had come looking for trouble.

The moment he heard me mention buying things, his face darkened at once. But he quickly recovered, giving a cold, mocking laugh. “Don’t misunderstand, don’t misunderstand. Seeing how generous you were with your money, how could I possibly dare buy anything in front of you?”

As he said this, he gestured toward the middle-aged man behind him and introduced him with a respectful tone: “This is Mr. Teng Tian, a distinguished Japanese businessman who has specially come to City C for investment. Today I invited Mr. Teng Tian here for a drink. It is truly an honor that he does not despise the place despite its humble level. However, since Mr. Teng Tian is a noble foreign guest from Japan, he has not found any girls here to his liking. He is very taken with the beautiful ladies beside you, so he has specially come over hoping to drink and enjoy himself with all of you. I think you wouldn’t refuse Mr. Teng Tian this little bit of face, would you?”