Chapter 71: Bringing a Cat to the Bar

Although his legs were indeed numb from squatting too long, A Jin really felt surprised.

It wasn't surprising that Wei Leng said he wanted to go to "Ye Lou"—many people go there, nothing worth being surprised about—but he was surprised that the other party seemed to want to bring a cat in.

Can a cat even get into a bar? Or is it the magnificent "Ye Lou"?

These past few days, A Jin almost every night comes here to look, squatting across the street, watching people on the street go in, watching the invited bands go in, then squatting outside in a daze until someone comes out, hearing people talk about which band or singer as they come out. All of this makes A Jin envy immensely.

He always wonders, when will he also become a topic these people talk about?

But now they can't even get into a small bar, let alone the famous "Ye Lou".

Just across the street, yet it feels like a heavenly moat.

But A Jin never expected that just a moment ago it was still a heavenly moat, and the next moment he was told he could follow along and go in.

Anyway, regardless of the other party's purpose, having a chance to experience "Ye Lou" is worthwhile.

A Jin followed Wei Leng and Zheng Tan across the street, then entered through a side door nearby. This surprised A Jin.

The person guarding that side door, upon seeing Wei Leng, called out "Leng Ge," then looked curiously at A Jin—a stranger, looking quite young and down-on-his-luck; it was hard to imagine why Wei Leng would bring such a person in. Still, no matter what they thought, they wouldn't ask outright; just do their duty and ask fewer questions.

As for Zheng Tan, the doorman simply assumed he was a pet brought by Wei Leng, paying no attention at all. Given Wei Leng's relationship with his boss, this was hardly worth noting.

"Leng Ge."

As Zheng Tan followed Wei Leng around the corner, a person came from the hallway, looking much like those white-collar elites, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, which made him look somewhat refined. The person had a badge pinned to his chest; Zheng Tan couldn't decipher the pattern's meaning, but it was clear this person held a managerial position.

Zheng Tan was also curious why everyone called Wei Leng "Leng Ge" instead of "Wei Ge".

Zheng Tan didn't know that once, when someone called Wei Leng "Wei Ge," that person's regional accent made it sound like "Wei Ge" (meaning "great brother"), for which Ye Hao teased him for a long time. After that, Wei Leng decided not to let anyone call him "Wei Ge" anymore, and instead be called "Leng Ge".

"Long Qi? You're on duty this time?" Wei Leng said.

"Yeah, Hao Ge had something come up and took Baizi away, saying if you, Leng Ge, came over, I'd entertain you."

Speaking, the man named Long Qi gave a glance at A Jin standing behind Wei Leng, his eyes doubtful, but he didn't say more, leading the two persons and one cat upstairs.

The third floor is a top-secret VIP area, accessible only to those specially permitted.

There are many private rooms here; Wei Leng is clearly not a first-time visitor, and there is a private suite reserved for him and his companions, so Long Qi didn't ask many questions and directly led them there.

A Jin appeared somewhat restrained; after wandering around for so long, he still had some insight. The two people before him, whatever their status, were definitely not someone a small fry like him could provoke, and strangest of all, besides these two there was a mysterious cat. However you looked at it, it felt off.

"Have a seat, don't be restrained." Wei Leng patted the leather sofa beside him, saying to A Jin, not minding that A Jin's clothes were already a bit dirty.

Long Qi wouldn't say anything either; he was just accompanying the guest. Still, Long Qi wondered how Wei Leng could bring someone like this over—by his judgment, this young man certainly wasn't from the underworld, nor of Wei Leng's background. Although Wei Leng had just explained he'd run into him by chance and brought him along, based on Long Qi's knowledge of Wei Leng, Wei Leng surely intends to pump him for information; it's just unclear what this youngster knows that could interest Wei Leng so much.

While Wei Leng chatted with A Jin, Zheng Tan paid them no mind, strolling around the private room; his impression of the room was fairly good.

After walking around, Zheng Tan jumped onto the solid wood coffee table in front of the sofa, where a plate held some snacks; Zheng Tan had already eaten, sniffed it, and had no appetite. Bored, he continued to survey the room's layout, discovering it could also be used as a KTV; he felt regretful—if he were still his former self, he'd surely sing a song, but now he's just a cat.

Although Long Qi hadn't spoken, he kept an eye on A Jin's side, while also not failing to observe the black cat.

What does it mean that Wei Leng brought a black cat over?

From Zheng Tan pacing around the room to jumping onto the wooden table, Long Qi remained distractedly attentive, until Wei Leng signaled him to serve drinks.

"A Jin, you're still young; Long Qi, have them prepare some lower-alcohol drinks."

As Wei Leng said that, his fingers moved twice there; Long Qi glanced at him, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.

Zheng Tan noticed these subtle movements of the two, realizing Wei Leng wasn't so kind-heartedly bringing people in; the supposed "lower alcohol" claim, how genuine it was, Zheng Tan doubted greatly.

Although A Jin is still young, after all he's been out there roughing it for a long time, he still has some vigilance; since Wei Leng hadn't gotten much out of him, he prepared to change tactics.

"Leng Ge, still the usual?" Long Qi asked as he turned at the door.

"The usual." Wei Leng replied without lifting his head.

Having gotten the information he wanted, Long Qi simply opened the door and left.

Zheng Tan looked at the closed door, feeling annoyed. He hadn't even chosen yet, and the person just left?

A Jin still spoke little, sitting stiffly there, clearly out of place.

Wei Leng also didn't continue questioning; he walked to a wall, pressed a button on it, and that wall section slid aside, revealing a window. At the same time, impassioned, stirring music came from below.

Hearing the music, A Jin's eyes lit up; he rose from the sofa and went to the window to look out.

Zheng Tan also curiously jumped to the window; through it he could see the scene below—likely a section of the first floor, a place for public leisure. There were some wine tables, with people coming and going weaving through.

In the center stood a round platform, on which a band was performing.

"Is this the legendary Ye Lou 'East Palace'?" A Jin said, somewhat excited.

A Jin had heard that Ye Lou has four districts, divided into East, West, South, and North Palaces; the North Palace is the most ordinary. It's also the lowest-consumption area here. The resident singers there are much weaker compared to the other three districts, while the West and South Palaces are of higher grade, with different main styles. As for the East Palace, it's the most superior of the four districts of Ye Lou. This is where famous bands and singers often come to perform. This is the part of Ye Lou that people most yearn for. However, the East Palace isn't accessible to just anyone, and its consumption is beyond what ordinary people can afford.

Seeing A Jin's expression, Wei Leng smiled. "Yeah, how does it feel?"

"Great!" A Jin looked at the band performing center stage below, envious but certainly not jealous—the skill gap is obvious, he can only look up, with a hint of idol-watching feeling.

Wei Leng opened the window, letting those inside hear the performance below more clearly.

The live version always more easily stimulates nerves, affecting emotions and evoking resonance, especially for someone like A Jin.

Zheng Tan could tell from A Jin's gaze that this guy's vigilance had probably dropped a lot.

Shaking his head, Zheng Tan didn't understand this place, nor could he appreciate the bands' performances; he used to go to bars just for fun, to let off steam, and didn't care who was singing, which band was playing, or whether there was a famous DJ. Hearing A Jin say that, the area downstairs seems pretty high-end?

Just then, Long Qi pushed in a small cart.

Zheng Tan wondered, isn't it just to fetch some drinks? Why bring a cart in?

When Long Qi took out a bottle of alcohol from a box on the cart, Zheng Tan felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Red Star Erguotou?!

Damn it, coming to this kind of place, Wei Leng actually wants to drink Erguotou?!

And it's the kind with ordinary external packaging!

The good thing is, Long Qi just handed the Erguotou to Wei Leng, poured a cocktail for A Jin, then placed two bottles of red wine on the wooden coffee table, with the remaining bottles of red wine stored in the room's wine cabinet.

After a drink down his throat, plus Wei Leng's probing, A Jin began to open up.

Zheng Tan finally understood why he'd only seen A Jin alone—because the other four were in the hospital: three lying in beds, one attending to them, and they had practically poured all their money into medical bills.

In this unfamiliar city they had no friends, no relatives, no backing; as outsiders, starting a conflict in a bar would surely get them beaten. Some things aren't avoidable just by wanting to avoid them; taking a step back doesn't necessarily open up vast skies and seas.

During the day A Jin stayed at the hospital for most of the day; in the evening he went out for a walk, also thinking hard, trying to find a way to solve the current difficulty, after all life must go on; as the team leader, he has to shoulder the burden.

Meanwhile, Wei Leng also got the information he wanted about that Fang San ye. Wei Leng felt he seemed to have learned something major.

The chairman of the venerable Shaoguang Group actually went out to busk?! And even with a cat!

If this got out, the Fang family would probably think about silencing him.

Wei Leng listened while opening a bottle of red wine and filling A Jin's glass; he himself picked up a small two-liang bottle of Red Star erguotou and started drinking.

While Wei Leng was pumping for information on one side, Long Qi on the other had nothing to do, opened a bottle of wine, poured himself a cup, sat nearby lowering his head to drink his own, while also thinking about how to deal with what the boss had said recently. As he was drinking, he noticed a wine cup pushed toward him.

Looking up, Long Qi saw the black cat crouched on the solid wood tea table.

Zheng Tan couldn't stand it any longer; if he didn't take the initiative, he'd surely be ignored completely. So he pushed an empty wine cup toward Long Qi.

The man and the cat stared at each other for half a minute before Long Qi finally looked away, glancing toward Wei Leng's side; Wei Leng merely swept his gaze over and then paid no more attention, seeming not to want to get involved. Long Qi looked at the cat again, its paw tapping the wine cup as if urging him.

Long Qi chuckled, pulled the stopper, and added a little wine to the cup that had been pushed over.

Zheng Tan looked at the tiny amount of wine poured into the cup, a bit dissatisfied, but at least there was some wine—after he finished it, he'd have that guy pour more! (To be continued...)