Chapter 21: Jiang Yin: “I’m Thirty.” Qu Sinan: “Hahahahahaha!”

“So…”

Jiang Yin hugged the beer crate, blinking.

“So what do we do now? Keep drinking?”

Qu Si Nan drank because of heartbreak, but Jiang Yin just liked drinking for the sake of it.

There wasn’t a single extra thought in her head, just the idea that these two crates of beer couldn’t go to waste.

“Drink, of course. Let’s open a Hotel and not leave until we’re drunk tonight!”

She waved her hand grandly and turned to Jiang Yin.

Seeing her raise two fingers, she thought she’d agreed, but before she could get happy, she heard her mumble softly.

“Two rooms.”

Qu Si Nan: “….”

“Two rooms it is!”

***

That’s just how Qu Si Nan was.

Jiang Yin first liked her because she was so laid-back.

Daring to love and hate, loving to play and joke, able to talk about anything, and never pretending.

She had big flaws, too.

When it came to relationships, she couldn’t say she treated Lu Zhizhi, that Heiress, right, so Jiang Yin always called her a scum t.

But she was still incredibly charming.

Tall and short, black and white, two women walked down the street late at night, moving against the sparse traffic and under the bright moon.

The night wind blew, making their long hair flutter.

Carrying the beer crate single-handedly, their left and right hands clinked bottles as they drank together.

The streetlights stretched their shadows, giving them a touch of unrestrained cool.

To Qu Si Nan, Jiang Yin was a friend she’d just met that day.

She didn’t even know the girl’s name, but could still treat her like a long-time friend.

Willing to risk her life to save her, and also share her heartbreak over failed love.

They walked together, finishing two cans of beer along the way.

Reeking of alcohol, they randomly picked a cheap Hotel.

Jiang Yin used the Fake Identity Card Ning Rong had given her—registered age 22, with the name also as Jiang Yin.

“No peeking.”

She smiled, reaching out to cover Qu Si Nan’s eyes, then looked at the young woman at the Hotel front desk.

“Please hurry, sis.”

“Oh… oh, okay.”

The front desk lady deftly operated the machine to register Jiang Yin but couldn’t help sneaking glances.

Two beautiful women, looking like a couple.

Yet the little white-haired beauty wouldn’t let the big beauty see her ID Card.

The big beauty had black hair with icy blue highlights and a lip ring, but instead of seeming rebellious, she stood upright, hands raised, obediently cooperating.

Under the hand covering her eyes, the corners of her lips curled indulgently.

Even though she couldn’t see the eyes, the front desk lady could imagine how deep that doting gaze must be.

‘This is too much of a ship!’

The lady was a bit excited, but if you asked Jiang Yin, she’d say—

‘Old maggot’s eyes look at dogs with passion. Any doting or gentleness is all fake. If you really believe it, congrats.’

‘You’re done for this life.’

After all, being a Bartender, outsiders might think it’s a classy job, but those who really understand know it’s just another skilled trade.

No different in essence from the Lemon Tea Shop Staff who mix lemon tea at the milk tea store—both just blend various liquids with ice and sell them to customers.

If Qu Si Nan wanted to hand-make lemon juice, after years of practice, she’d built up enough strength to carry a crate of beer single-handedly and clink bottles with Jiang Yin.

What?

You’re good at juggling, too?

Then add Performer to your resume.

Nowadays, Bartenders and Coffee Masters are basically part-time chatters and mood-makers, or you could call them amateur emotional counselors.

What they sell is a slightly tipsy feeling.

In reality, the job is to attract customers with personal charm and serve as emotional trash cans when guests get drunk.

Qu Si Nan took it a step further, offering sleeping services—

Did you really think the girls she hooked up with were all naïve little white rabbits?

Of course, some were, but most were willingly deceived, trading a night of massage for body and soul, tasting the love-like mix of alcohol and pleasure.

That’s how she, at twenty-four, managed to stand firm on Bar Street, a place not exactly peaceful.

Yes, Qu Si Nan was actually young, six years younger than Jiang Yin, who was in the midst of a midlife crisis.

When they met, the kid was only twenty-one.

Jiang Yin was shocked for a long time after finding out, since Qu Si Nan seemed like a seasoned veteran who’d been in bars and lounges forever.

—And she really was.

“So.”

Swipe, insert, switch on the lights.

Jiang Yin casually opened a bottle of beer that wasn’t very cold anymore, putting the rest into the room’s small fridge.

“What’s going on between you two, exactly?”

“What else could it be?”

Qu Si Nan casually snatched the beer from Jiang Yin’s hand and took a big gulp from the bottle she’d just drunk from, her tone a little tipsy.

“Just like that. Didn’t you see most of it already?”

She’d downed over a dozen cans before without getting drunk.

After some fresh air, she should’ve sobered up, but she only felt more intoxicated, her gaze growing unfocused.

For her, emotions numbed the brain more than alcohol.

“I mean that Heiress.”

After putting the beers in the fridge, Jiang Yin didn’t mind Qu Si Nan drinking hers.

She opened another bottle for herself, clinked it against hers, then took a big swig and exhaled in satisfaction.

“Ha~ So she really thinks she can marry a man and still be with you?”

“Her, huh…”

Qu Si Nan thought for a moment, searching for the right words.

“Zhizhi is an Heiress with a clear mind but spoiled by her family.”

“She’s very smart—smart enough to see her situation and make choices most beneficial to herself, and also extremely self-centered. So much so that she believes anything she wants is naturally hers.”

“But reality doesn’t bend to her will. Her parents don’t care if she dates girls outside, but they absolutely won’t let her escape her family duties.”

“So that’s just how it is.”

Qu Si Nan took another big swig, crushed the empty bottle flat, tossed it into the beer crate, then opened another can to keep drinking.

She also pulled out a pack of women’s cigarettes from her pocket, opened it one-handed, and clamped a stick between her lips.

Jiang Yin habitually picked up the lighter from the Hotel table and lit it for her.

She took a drag, brushed back her messy side hair, then looked at the white-haired girl with wide eyes, cigarette dangling between her fingers.

“You actually know how to do this?”

“Yes and no.”

Jiang Yin’s answer was ambiguous.

“Sort of quit.”

“Then I won’t give you any.”

Smoke curled around her face.

She smiled, both bold and at ease, with a hint of mischief.

“I might not have enough anyway.”

“Stingy.”

Jiang Yin rolled her eyes, snatched the slightly damp cigarette from her lips, took a puff herself, then put it back for her.

“Childish.”

Qu Si Nan laughed happily.

It wasn’t the kind of service smile practiced down to the angle and number of teeth to show, but a genuine, not-so-beautiful, yet natural smile.

“How old are you? Still acting like a kid.”

“Thirty.”

“If you don’t want to say, forget it. Drink.”

“Fine, whatever. I’m really thirty this year. If I’m lying, I’m a little dog.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha~ You’re the most interesting girl I’ve met this year.”

“Thanks, but you’re pretty average.”