Blue Bar.
Lin Chaochao arrived following the location pin. Su Jiani was already waiting at the entrance. When close friends meet, there’s no end to their conversation.
Su Jiani was also from Rongcheng. The two had grown up together since childhood—childhood friends and confidantes. It was only in high school that Su Jiani moved to Jingbei with her parents, who were in the building materials business. Later, she went to university to study photography. Her parents had been strongly opposed at first, but it was all for nothing—fortunately, she’d now made a name for herself in the photography circle.
When it came to Jingbei, she knew it far better than Lin Chaochao did.
“Tonight’s on me—welcome back to the country.” Su Jiani was still that easygoing, carefree type.
“I’ve got another piece of good news for you—I aced the interview at the Huo Group. I start on Monday.” Lin Chaochao shared happily.
“Wow, wow, wow—amazing! My Chaochao is definitely going to make it big. I heard the Huo Group’s young master just came back and is going to take over the whole company. Wonder what kind of person he is.”
“Whatever he’s like, I’ll just do my best. One day, I’m going to become the most outstanding designer at the Huo Group.” Lin Chaochao said it like a vow.
The two good friends sat at the bar counter and ordered two low-alcohol signature cocktails.
Lin Chaochao was 168 cm tall and weighed 105 jin. Tonight she wore a light blue spaghetti-strap dress—slim-fitting and elegant, showing off her captivating curves. The waist was cinched, subtly accentuating her slender figure in a way that was hard not to admire. Her skin was fair as snow, smooth as silk, as if radiating a soft glow. Her slender arms were bare, and her long hair was casually tied up.
Su Jiani, on the other hand, dressed more boldly—ultra-short denim shorts paired with a black camisole and mid-calf boots on her feet.
Best friends meeting up was pure joy. They traded stories of what they’d seen, heard, and found amusing over the past few years.
It had been a long time since she’d drunk domestic liquor, and she hadn’t expected the kick to be this strong. After a few glasses, Lin Chaochao was already feeling dizzy. Su Jiani, by contrast, was as steady as ever. It was getting late, and it wasn’t wise for girls to stay out too long, so they decided to call a car and head home.
“Chaochao, you okay?” Su Jiani asked with concern.
“I’m fine, Su Su. See, I’m standing perfectly steady.” Lin Chaochao said jokingly.
Su Jiani pulled her along to settle the bill, then linked arms with her as they headed for the exit. Just then, they accidentally bumped into a man.
He looked like he’d had a bit too much to drink. Su Jiani quickly apologized, “I’m so sorry—I didn’t see you there.”
The drunk man, catching sight of such beautiful women, felt wicked thoughts creep into his mind. He pointed a fat, pudgy finger at his shoulder. “An apology’s all it takes? You hurt me just now.”
“Sir, we really did have a bit too much to drink and bumped into you by accident. We’re sorry.” Seeing the situation, Lin Chaochao apologized sincerely.
But the man refused to let it go, even blocking their way so they couldn’t pass.
“How about this—I can pay you. Is 500 enough?” Su Jiani had seen plenty of men like this and wanted to settle it quickly with money.
“You’re looking down on me, sis. If you want to settle it, that’s fine—each of you just has to drink three glasses with me.”
Three glasses of wine, no problem—Su Jiani could handle that easily. But looking at her best friend’s condition… that might not be so doable.
Lin Chaochao heard the man’s demand and glanced at Su Jiani, knowing that her friend was worried about her. But it was only three glasses—she should be able to handle it.
So she confirmed with the drunk man again: “After we finish these, we can leave, right?”
“Of course, I keep my word.” The drunk man saw that the two had agreed, and an evil thought crept into his mind: once I get you both drunk, we’ll see how you manage to leave.
When the six glasses arrived, the two were stunned. They were huge beer mugs. Drinking that much would either get them dead drunk or burst their stomachs. They wanted to back out. “You’re being a bit unreasonable, bringing such big glasses.”
“The size of the glass is up to me. But I’m not cheating you—it really is three glasses per person.” The drunk man said shamelessly.
Seeing that the man was being a scoundrel, Su Jiani grabbed Lin Chaochao and headed straight for the door.
The drunk man wasn’t about to let them leave easily. He continued to block their way, and the two sides started arguing, attracting quite a crowd of onlookers. The drunk man heard people around him saying he was petty, had no class, and was up to no good.
Flustered and furious, he grabbed Lin Chaochao’s arm and pulled her inside. Lin Chaochao was terrified, using all her strength but unable to shake off his grip.
Just then, the drunk man was suddenly kicked to the ground by someone, looking utterly pathetic. Humiliated, he scrambled to his feet, wanting to argue: “How dare you kick me! Do you know who I am?”
The man’s gaze was cold, his voice laced with anger, and he said only one word: “Scram.” Then his bodyguard dragged the drunk man out.
Seeing this, Lin Chaochao rubbed her arm and wanted to thank him: “Sir, thank you for earlier.”
The man turned around to look at her. “You’re welcome.”
Lin Chaochao was pleasantly surprised to see who it was, and had already forgotten about the pain in her arm from the drunk man’s grip.
“What a coincidence. Every time I’m in trouble, you show up. You’ve helped me twice now.”
Huo Nanting was out today with his good brother He Zheng for a casual get-together. This bar was He Zheng’s place. He hadn’t expected to walk in and see Lin Chaochao in trouble.
As a good brother, He Zheng had watched the whole scene, his eyes darting back and forth between Lin Chaochao and Huo Nanting, feeling that there must be something going on between the two. He stepped in to smooth things over: “My apologies, ladies. It’s my fault this happened on my turf. How about this—give me a chance to make it up to you. Would you two come upstairs and sit for a while?”
Lin Chaochao was silent for a moment.
“Come on, let’s go up and put some medicinal wine on you.” Huo Nanting said, looking at her.
At the mention of medicinal wine, Lin Chaochao suddenly became aware of the burning pain in her arm—clearly showing just how much force the drunk man had used.
Su Jiani was a sharp one too. Based on everything that had just happened, her intuition told her that her best friend had something special with this man, so she played matchmaker: “Let’s go. I’ve never been to the second floor before.”
Lin Chaochao finally agreed. “Then I’ll trouble you again.”
The four of them made their way to the private room on the second floor. He Zheng instructed his staff to bring the first aid kit and found what they needed. Huo Nanting said, “If you don’t mind, let me apply it for you. After all, you know my technique.”
Lin Chaochao’s face was already a bit flushed from the alcohol, but after hearing Huo Nanting’s words, it turned even redder. She slowly extended her arm, and a large red mark was already visible on her fair skin. Huo Nanting seemed to wipe it with great care, as if afraid of hurting her.
Because they were so close, Huo Nanting caught a hint of orange fragrance from Lin Chaochao. Even the alcohol couldn’t mask it. The scent was pleasant, lifting his mood.
As old friends of the couple, Su Jiani and He Zheng tactfully slipped away, leaving them some private space.
In the enclosed private room, under the warm yellow lighting, neither of them spoke, which inexplicably made Lin Chaochao a bit nervous.
“You’ve helped me twice, so let me treat you to a meal,” Lin Chaochao was the first to break the silence.
Huo Nanting slowly moved his gaze to her face, taking in her smooth skin and lively eyes. Steadying himself, he said, “Sure, treat me to a meal next time we meet.”
When would the next time be? Lin Chaochao wondered.
In another private room, Su Jiani and He Zheng were getting along famously, both being outgoing and sociable types. He Zheng’s personality was indeed the kind that attracted girls—gentle, considerate, humorous, and witty. Su Jiani was equally open and cheerful, without a hint of shyness.
Her arm had already been taken care of, and it was getting late.
Huo Nanting said, “It’s too late, let me take you home.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.
But Lin Chaochao didn’t want to owe him more favors: “Really, there’s no need to trouble yourself. I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t overthink it. I just worry about a woman going home late at night alone, and you’ve only just returned to the country,” Huo Nanting explained.
Lin Chaochao thought it over. What had just happened did leave her with some lingering fear, and the man before her piqued her curiosity, so she nodded in agreement.
Su Jiani said she hadn’t had enough fun yet, so there was no need to worry about someone taking her home.
Lin Chaochao followed Huo Nanting to his car—a black Mercedes. The man gallantly opened the passenger door for her. Lin Chaochao stood there, hesitating whether to take the front seat, when she heard his deep voice: “I’m not a chauffeur.”
Without a second thought, she got in, buckled her seatbelt, gave him her home address, and the car slowly pulled away.
Inside the car, Lin Chaochao couldn’t help stealing glances at him—after all, a man steering with one hand was quite handsome.
The car smelled wonderful, a kind of sandalwood fragrance. Lin Chaochao couldn’t find a topic to talk about, because Huo Nanting gave her the impression of being a man of few words, not easy to read. So the silence in the car was almost suffocating, making Lin Chaochao even more nervous.
Half an hour later, they finally arrived.
Lin Chaochao unbuckled her seatbelt and said, “Thank you. If we ever meet again, I’ll definitely treat you to a meal.”
This time, Huo Nanting didn’t say anything else, only replying, “Okay.”
The man watched as the woman entered the apartment building, mentally noting which light would turn on to reveal her home.
Then he drove off, returning to the Blue Bar, where He Zheng was still waiting for him. Upon seeing him, He Zheng couldn’t resist teasing: “So the thousand-year-old iron tree finally blooms—taken a liking to the young lady?”
Huo Nanting ignored him, knowing exactly what kind of person He Zheng was.
He Zheng continued, “If you want her, go after her. You’re 33 already; it’s time to find someone to loosen you up. But don’t be too forceful—what if you scare her off?”
Hearing this, Huo Nanting wondered—had he really developed feelings for someone he’d only met a few times?
But she had indeed caught his attention.