Chapter Seven: Something's Off with This Woman
The sudden chill that enveloped Yang Haoran startled him, sobering him up considerably. Guan Hai seemed to be animatedly saying something to him, but Yang Haoran ignored him, his gaze fixed on the air conditioner.
The air conditioner was on, so what was with this chill?
Yang Haoran turned his head again towards the bar's entrance. The door had opened at some point, and a man was walking towards their table.
Yang Haoran paid no mind to the man. His eyes remained on the open door, a quiet doubt stirring within him.
“Such a coincidence, it's because the door opened again? ” Yang Haoran wasn't quite sure. After all, he'd drunk a fair bit and was feeling a little tipsy.
The man who entered the bar surveyed the place, then, seeing Guan Hai beckon, immediately headed towards his table. Guan Hai whispered a few words into his ear, and the man hoisted the Liu-surname man onto his shoulder and left the bar.
“Ladies, I’ll take care of Brother Liu and have him settled in a hotel next door for the night. Now that he’s gone, you can all let loose and have fun! As for this table’s bill, hehe, he’s already paid in advance, so don’t you worry about the cost. ” Guan Hai chuckled, smiling as he addressed the women seated there.
Guan Hai’s words were, naturally, not well-intentioned. The meaning was clear: someone else was paying, so they should spend freely and not hold back. None of the women present were fools; they naturally understood Guan Hai’s underlying message.
“Oh, how could we? We invited Brother Guan to drink with us, not to pay our bills! ”
Among the several girls, two women wore fawning smiles. Though their mouths uttered words of polite refusal, their faces were beaming with delight. The Liu-surname man they disliked was gone, and he’d even settled the bill. From Guan Hai’s tone, the Liu-surname man seemed to have left a good sum, so why wouldn’t they be happy?
“Don’t be modest,” Guan Hai said. “When you’re here with me, it’s like being at home. Naturally, I want you to feel the warmth of home, right? Besides, didn’t I bring two friends along? How could we possibly drink your liquor for free? You’re students; you don’t have much spare cash, so every bit saved is a bit earned. If you truly feel embarrassed, just come back and patronize my business next time. For tonight, just have fun, drink up, and don’t worry about a thing. ”
After Guan Hai’s spiel, the girls simultaneously burst into cheerful sounds, raising their glasses one after another to express their gratitude. The girls seated on either side of Guan Hai incessantly rubbed against him, constantly using their bodies to entice him.
Yang Haoran watched it all, his lips twitching slightly. If the Liu-surname man were still here and saw this scene, he’d probably spit out a mouthful of old blood. These people were partying entirely with his money, yet no one had a good word to say about him; instead, they were effusively thanking Guan Hai, seemingly having forgotten the Liu-surname man completely. It would be strange if he weren’t furious.
All the beauties’ attention was fixed on Guan Hai. At this moment, Yang Haoran was probably no different from the Liu-surname man who had previously occupied this seat – both were superfluous presences. This left him unable to stand, unable to sit; it was truly awkward.
Surrounded by a 'flower garden,' Guan Hai's mind was already wandering, but he noticed Yang Haoran's awkward expression. This made him sigh inwardly, feeling a sense of disappointment, like trying to hammer iron into steel.
“Such a perfect opportunity, what are you doing sitting there like an idiot? Aren’t you going to make a move? Are you waiting for a beauty to come to you? There’s truly a reason you’re still single! Bring out your usual quick wit that you use to bicker with me, and I guarantee you’ll have some meat tonight! ” Guan Hai pulled Yang Haoran closer, his mouth next to the latter’s ear.
Yang Haoran was usually articulate and skilled at tricking people, with one scheme after another. Yet, whenever he encountered such social situations, he became at a loss for words, unsure what to say.
In his opinion, perhaps he simply lacked courage, lacked confidence.
For the remainder of the time, Guan Hai played host, thoughtfully pulling Yang Haoran along to introduce him to each girl individually, praising him incessantly and repeatedly emphasizing that he was still single.
With Guan Hai’s earnest introductions, after a round of toasts, Yang Haoran could at least say he’d met these beauties. Whether these beauties would actually remember him, however, was another matter.
These beauties were all students from a certain university in Lecheng. Yang Haoran didn’t ask what majors they were studying, but their alcohol tolerance was truly impressive. One couldn’t develop such a capacity without frequently soaking in a wine vat.
After three rounds of drinks, everyone at the table, except Yang Haoran, was completely hyped up. This included the woman who gave Yang Haoran that chilling sensation.
This woman was named Wang Qing. She was beautiful, had an excellent figure, and appeared quite refined, constantly exuding an air of scholarly elegance, truly looking like a cultivated and highly sophisticated beauty.
However, this was merely a facade. Once the alcohol went to her head, Wang Qing, this great beauty, revealed her true nature: a cigarette dangling from her lips, she uttered all sorts of suggestive remarks, repeatedly hinting at Guan Hai across from her, completely ignoring the displeased glances from the two beauties seated on either side of Guan Hai.
Guan Hai, who proclaimed himself a 'Love Saint,' how could he not feel the burning passion in Wang Qing’s eyes? The two exchanged frequent glances, suggesting a night of 'bloody storm' was inevitable.
Yang Haoran frowned, watching. At this moment, he wasn’t jealous of Guan Hai; rather, it was because he was sitting beside Wang Qing that the chilling sensation persisted, making him feel as though he had fallen into an ice cellar, extremely uncomfortable.
Earlier, he had twice assumed it was cold air from outside blowing into the bar, making him feel a chill. But now, he had been observing for a long time: the bar door hadn't opened again, and no cold wind was blowing in, yet the chilling sensation remained.
What exactly was going on? Yang Haoran couldn't say for sure, his heart filled with doubt.
“Could the air conditioner be broken? ” Yang Haoran thought to himself, then immediately stood up, ready to go check the unit.
“You all keep drinking; I’m just going to the restroom,” Yang Haoran said, excusing himself out of politeness. However, apart from Guan Hai, no one paid him any attention.
Yang Haoran wasn't angered, nor did he take it to heart. He left his seat and went to inspect the air conditioner.
A moment later, Yang Haoran returned to his seat, and the chill returned, making him shiver involuntarily.
After his inspection, he could confirm that there was nothing wrong with the bar's air conditioner. Furthermore, once he moved away from their table, other parts of the bar were quite warm thanks to the AC. This couldn’t help but fill him with an inexplicable sense of unease.
In the realm of exorcism and demon-slaying, Yang Haoran possessed no true skill, yet to make his charade convincing, he had done his homework thoroughly. He researched various materials through every possible means; whether useful or not, true or false, he absorbed it all without discrimination. It was precisely because of this that he knew far more about the supernatural than ordinary people, and also held it in far greater awe.
While in the eyes of an ordinary person, Yang Haoran’s thoughts at this moment might seem neurotic, he was, after all, in this line of work, and naturally far more sensitive than most.
“When something is out of the ordinary, there must be a demon. This woman probably has some sort of problem. ” Yang Haoran’s gaze fell on Wang Qing, his brows slightly furrowed, as he thought this to himself.
After numerous checks and verifications, he could now almost certainly confirm that this chilling aura originated from the female university student named Wang Qing.
A sense of caution arose in Yang Haoran regarding this beautiful woman. He had originally been sitting close to her, but now, he subtly created some distance between them.
Watching Guan Hai and the woman exchange flirtatious glances, Yang Haoran knew that the two would definitely "go at it" tonight. He felt a little worried for Guan Hai, but he didn’t know how to warn him.
After some thought, an idea sparked in Yang Haoran’s mind. He formulated his words, then, in front of the girls, pulled out his phone, his expression instantly becoming tense as he abruptly stood up from his seat.
His movement was rather forceful; as he rose, his body bumped the table, causing the wine glasses to clatter and spill a fair amount of liquor.
The sudden turn of events startled everyone at the table, their gazes falling collectively on Yang Haoran. Seeing him with his phone, his face anxious, they knew without asking that something major must have happened.
Guan Hai’s expression shifted. He apologized to the girls clinging tightly to him on either side, then gently pushed them away, quickly standing up. He asked with a concerned look, “Brother Yang, what’s happened? ”
Yang Haoran put away his phone with a distressed expression and said to Guan Hai, “I’m afraid I’ll have to spoil your fun tonight. I have an urgent matter that requires your help. ”
“What’s so urgent? Do we need to call for some backup? ” Guan Hai asked.
Yang Haoran shook his head. “No need. You just need to come with me. ”
Upon hearing this, Guan Hai agreed without a second thought, nodding immediately. “Alright, I’ll go with you! ”
After speaking, Guan Hai looked at the beauties, particularly Wang Qing, and smiled apologetically. “You all keep drinking. I’ll come back to find you once I’ve handled this. We absolutely have to get wasted tonight! ”
As soon as they heard Guan Hai would return after handling the matter, the look of disappointment vanished from the beauties’ faces, replaced by immediate smiles and cheerful expressions. Wang Qing, in particular, deliberately stuck out her tongue and licked her lips at Guan Hai, making an extremely provocative gesture. She said with a laugh, “Then we’ll be waiting for you right here! If you don’t come back, I’ll just go to your house and find you. ”
Wang Qing’s words instantly irritated the other beauties at the table, but Wang Qing ignored them, resting her chin on one hand, her gaze burning intensely as she watched Guan Hai.
For such a ‘cabbage delivered to his doorstep,’ Guan Hai truly couldn’t find a reason to refuse. He was just about to chuckle and agree when Yang Haoran spoke up, preempting him.
“I don’t think you’ll have to wait,” Yang Haoran said with a wry smile, apologizing to the women. “He probably won’t be back tonight, because we have to go back to my hometown. ”
Upon hearing this, the beauties’ faces once again showed disappointment. Guan Hai, however, changed his expression and quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Uncle and Auntie? ”
Yang Haoran’s lips twitched. He silently cursed Guan Hai for his poisonous mouth, but this wasn't the time to bicker. He neither admitted nor denied anything, quickly saying, “No time to explain! Let’s just hurry back first. ”
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