On the day of Jiang Yan and Lin Cheng's engagement, she received a call from Qin Zhenzhen.
"Let's go out and have some fun," Qin Zhenzhen said in her usual tone.
Jiang Yan complained, "I've been telling you we should go drinking together!"
So the two met at their usual bar, which was actually owned by Qin Zhenzhen as part of her private business.
Back when they had just started university, Jiang Yan's classmates would often go out, and she wanted to join Qin Zhenzhen too.
However, that night, something unpleasant occurred.
The atmosphere in the bar was lively, but the shifting lights and noisy sounds also amplified some people's dark thoughts.
As Jiang Yan was bouncing around, pulling Qin Zhenzhen to play, she nearly fell victim to a middle-aged man's advances.
Qin Zhenzhen was far more perceptive than Jiang Yan in certain matters. As soon as she noticed that nauseating gaze, she discreetly led Jiang Yan to a safer area.
But the man, likely drunk, followed them with lecherous intent.
Qin Zhenzhen had already guided Jiang Yan through the crowd to the bar counter, with the bartender and liquor cabinet behind them.
Jiang Yan sensed something was off. She stood in front of Qin Zhenzhen with furrowed brows, opened her phone, pointed it at the man, and said coldly, "What are you looking at? Want to end up at the police station?"
Clouded by alcohol, the man didn't hear Jiang Yan clearly and lurched towards them...
Jiang Yan was intelligent, but having been well-protected by her family and new to university life, this was her first encounter with such a situation. She reacted by immediately making a phone call.
Qin Zhenzhen put an arm around Jiang Yan's shoulders while gesturing to the bartender, saying calmly, "A bottle of brandy, please."
"...A whole bottle?" The bartender hesitated, double-checking before handing the bottle to Qin Zhenzhen. Before he could ask if she wanted it opened, Qin Zhenzhen had already hefted the bottle.
Just as the man's hand was about to touch Jiang Yan, Qin Zhenzhen suddenly smashed the bottle against the counter!
The bottle shattered violently against the hard edge of the counter, instantly breaking into pieces with liquor spraying everywhere!
Due to the clever angle, no glass shards fell on anyone. The bottle's base fell to the floor, while Qin Zhenzhen still gripped the neck, with some fragments rolling around on the counter...
The strong scent of alcohol permeated the air, and the liquid on the counter bubbled from the impact, quickly spreading across the surface before dissipating.
Jiang Yan turned back in shock. Qin Zhenzhen had covered her face with her hand. The bartender stood dumbfounded, looking as if he wanted to immediately find the manager. The man, startled by the bottle's impact, seemed to sober up a bit and sheepishly withdrew his outstretched hand.
While bar fights weren't uncommon, the aggressive act of smashing a bottle on the counter drew everyone's attention.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qin Zhenzhen calmly kept one arm around Jiang Yan while holding the broken bottle neck in her other hand, aiming it at the man. She said, "Try to reach out again, I dare you."
The amber-colored bottle neck, now broken into an irregular sharp edge, flashed a cold light under the dazzling bar lights, piercing straight into the eyes.
The man involuntarily shrank back, now mostly sobered up.
He was just a man of low character who, after being dumped by his girlfriend due to his poor lifestyle choices and excessive drinking, found himself failing in both love and career. So he came to drink away his sorrows every day.
The bar was full of beautiful women, some surrounded by admirers, others engaged in lively conversation. Only he felt as small as a mouse, unable to even leave a tip.
So he began seeking thrills by groping others. His victims would either flee in panic or merely scold him, but no one ever made a big scene.
When Qin Zhenzhen led Jiang Yan away, he thought they were afraid of him, which is why he followed. He never expected to encounter such fierce resistance! When the broken bottle was pointed at him, he nearly collapsed from fear.
...
The person Jiang Yan called arrived quickly, taking over the situation. They compensated the bar for the damages and handed the man over to the police.
However, since the man hadn't caused any substantial harm, he could only be charged with indecent behavior. Even if a settlement couldn't be reached, he would only face a few days of administrative detention.
This incident left Jiang Yan with some psychological trauma, and she never mentioned going to a bar again. That is, until one day when Qin Zhenzhen told her she had opened a quiet bar for her.
Of course, such incidents would never happen in a bar owned by Qin Zhenzhen.
Soft jazz music played in the bar as Jiang Yan spotted Qin Zhenzhen behind the counter. She was rhythmically shaking a cocktail shaker, her slender white fingers dancing in the light.
As Jiang Yan approached, Qin Zhenzhen had just finished mixing a colorful cocktail, which she pushed towards Jiang Yan.
This area seemed to be Qin Zhenzhen's exclusive domain, with no one else disturbing them. Jiang Yan rested her face on the counter, sipping the sweet, low-alcohol cocktail while watching Qin Zhenzhen skillfully mix her own drink.
With the drinks ready, Qin Zhenzhen clinked her glass against Jiang Yan's, producing a brief, crisp sound. Jiang Yan leaned on the outside of the counter, while Qin Zhenzhen stood inside.
"Babe, do you have memories from before?" Jiang Yan asked, referring to memories from the mission world.
Qin Zhenzhen paused, tugging at the corner of her mouth before replying, "Yes, I do."
It's just that sometimes, she wished she didn't have those memories. In the mission world, it seemed she had been born into too privileged a background. As a result, she was incredibly fragile there, even needing Jiang Yan's help, utterly useless.
