Chapter 054: Have a Drink with Me

Inside the private room, only Jiang Yao and He Yunque remained.

Jiang Yao felt as if an invisible hand had gently squeezed her heart. She watched He Yunque with an impassive expression, then gave him a slight nod before turning to leave.

“Jiang Yao.”

Behind her, the man called her name, surname and all. Jiang Yao’s steps faltered. “Sir, is there anything else you need?”

He Yunque gazed at her retreating figure, the corners of his mouth lifting ever so slightly. His eyes then drifted to the cocktail she had mixed herself.

“‘Murder on a Rainy Night,’” he said, picking up the glass with two slender fingers. The dark red liquid swirled gently as his tone took on a hint of amusement. “I’ve heard this is your specialty.”

“Sir, I’m busy, I don’t have time for small talk,” Jiang Yao replied coolly.

“You can walk out that door,” He Yunque said, watching her as she moved to leave, “and I can always order another drink—for you to bring to me.”

His tone was calm as he lowered his gaze to the red in his glass and took a sip.

“What exactly do you want?” Jiang Yao spun around, watching him drink. “You can’t hold your liquor, yet you insist on coming to a place like this!”

He Yunque set down his glass and met her eyes, his gaze burning. “You know you can't drink, but still you come here. Do you really not know why?”

Jiang Yao pressed her lips tightly together. She didn’t want to know.

“Have a drink with me.” His voice was quiet, almost gentle, as he tapped the seat beside him with a graceful finger.

“Sorry, I’m a bartender, not a companion,” Jiang Yao refused at once. “Besides, if someone drinks too much and causes trouble, I won’t be able to handle it.”

“I can have a little now.” He Yunque poured himself another glass with deliberate elegance, then glanced at her as if by accident. “Are you planning to stand there all night?”

The implication was clear: he wasn’t planning to let her go this evening.

Here, he was the guest—a wealthy guest. A guest Manager Zhao would never want to offend. As Manager Zhao always said, as long as a customer’s request didn’t cross any fundamental lines, it should be fulfilled if possible.

Unwillingly, Jiang Yao sat down beside He Yunque and took the bottle from his hand. “Pouring drinks is not a task for the guest.”

She deliberately used her words to keep her distance from him.

He Yunque watched her serious expression and didn’t argue, simply smiled softly. “So you’ve moved out.”

Her hand trembled as she poured the wine, but she continued.

“Where did you move to?” he asked again.

Jiang Yao set down the bottle and looked up at him. “Sir, I can’t answer personal questions here.”

He Yunque nodded indifferently, gestured with his glass, and took a sip.

The “Murder on a Rainy Night” she had crafted tasted smooth at first, but the sharp burn that followed was difficult to endure—just like her. She appeared frail and delicate, but no one knew how many hidden edges lay beneath her calm exterior.

Jiang Yao drained her own glass in one swallow. She disliked her own drink. It wasn’t strong enough. Here, she only drank the fiercest vodka.

“The drink’s finished. May I go now?” She set her glass down coldly and rose to leave.

“Ah Yao.”

The man’s large hand instinctively pressed down on her wrist, still resting on the glass. The coolness of his fingers crept along her skin, piercing straight to her heart.

She suddenly realized that the drink was stronger than she’d thought—at least strong enough to make her nose sting.

She tried to withdraw her hand, seeking to escape his grip. Instead, He Yunque seized her slender wrist, his palm burning against her delicate skin.

“Let go!” Jiang Yao struggled fiercely. “Don’t you realize you’re overstepping? Even here. Do you think that because I work here, I’ll do anything? Do you think that just because of my past, I’ve become a woman without boundaries or shame?”

Her chest rose and fell with emotion. Perhaps it was the alcohol that gave her the courage to speak so bluntly.

Her heart was one she had stitched back together herself, over and over. Every look of pity felt like a stomp on it.

She could endure scorn, but never pity.

He Yunque looked into her reddened eyes, saw his own reflection in those bright pupils, and slowly released her hand.

“I never thought that,” he said softly. “I would never think that.”

Jiang Yao turned her head away, sniffing quietly. “Then stop coming to find me.”

With that, she strode from the private room without looking back.

Outside, Manager Zhao saw Jiang Yao emerge with a stormy face and hurried to follow her. “What’s wrong, Ah Yao? You didn’t offend the guest, did you? I keep telling you, you’re too stubborn. You can’t be so rigid in life...”

Jiang Yao suddenly stopped and looked at Manager Zhao. He was caught off guard by her sudden gaze and lost his words. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Manager Zhao, I’m not feeling well. I’d like to take the rest of the night off.”

“Of course, you go rest.” He nodded quickly. Better to let her leave than risk her offending more customers with such an expression.

Jiang Yao changed out of her uniform and left Spring Breeze Ten Miles alone.

A cool night breeze brushed her cheeks as she stood at the street corner, gazing at the bustling crowd, suddenly overcome by a sense of confusion.

“Miss, are you alone?” A man’s voice sounded behind her.

Jiang Yao turned around involuntarily. The speaker was a man of about thirty, flanked by three others who looked a bit younger. They were all dressed like street toughs; two of them had cigarettes dangling from their lips and eyed her with ill intent.

Jiang Yao turned away, ignored them, and moved further away, hoping to catch a cab and leave as soon as possible.

“My brother’s talking to you! Didn’t you hear?” One of the younger men grew irritated, his tone sharp as he reached out to grab her shoulder.

Jiang Yao frowned and glared at him. “Sir, please show some respect.”

“Respect?” The man laughed mockingly and pointed at the Spring Breeze Ten Miles sign. “A woman coming out of a place like that—what are you pretending to be, some kind of saint?”

“Where I come from is none of your business,” Jiang Yao replied coldly. “All you need to know is, the last man who disrespected me just got out of prison.”

“You bitch, don’t be ungrateful!” Enraged, the man raised his hand to slap her.

But before his palm could touch her face, a strong hand seized his wrist in midair...