After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 60.1

According to Sun Jiabao, this was their family’s ancestral home. Her cousin was an architect and quite well-off. She had converted the place into a late night bistro and frequently made the drinks free for the entire house for various reasons. On days when it wasn’t free, anyone who went up to sing well could also get their tab covered.

The place felt like a mix of a pub, a barbecue stall, and a KTV the vibe was purely about leisure. In two years, the area would be demolished, so she didn’t plan on keeping the bistro open past then.

Shen Xiaojiang remained quiet, listening and drinking steadily.

After the conversation revolved around Sun Jiabao for a bit, the cousin returned to the stage to continue playing the guitar. It was a familiar song, and both Sun Jiabao and the cousin’s girlfriend hummed along softly.

This was a bistro not as rowdy as a club, but the environment was better and the atmosphere more relaxed.

“Hi, I’m Vicky,” the girl beside her suddenly spoke. Her voice was quite pleasant.

Shen Xiaojiang responded politely, “Hello, I’m Shen Xiaojiang.”

After the introductions, they fell into silence.

“I work at a clothing company. You?” Vicky asked, trying to find a topic.

Shen Xiaojiang hadn’t originally intended to come out drinking, but since she was here, she decided to make the best of it. “I’m a student,” she replied.

“Are you in the ‘circle’?” Vicky’s question was direct, but unlike Chen Yi’s seductive delivery, it felt a bit stiff.

Seeing Shen Xiaojiang’s hesitation, Vicky didn’t press further. She raised her glass toward her. Shen Xiaojiang politely met it, the two pieces of glass clinking with a crisp sound that felt strangely jarring to her ears.

After that, they both fell silent and continued drinking.

Suddenly, Sun Jiabao leaned in. “Ginger, I just heard a lady at the next table say that someone like you is the ultimate Ji Quan Tian Cai (lesbian circle’s ‘top-tier choice’).”

“A genius? (Tian Cai sounds like ‘genius’)” Shen Xiaojiang was confused.

Sun Jiabao nudged her and whispered in her ear, “No, Tian as in ‘angel’ and Cai as in ‘vegetable/dish.’ It’s slang.”

“Oh. What does that mean?”

Sun Jiabao gave a wicked grin. “It means you’re gorgeous and they want to hit on you.”

“Oh.” Shen Xiaojiang remained unmoved. She finished one glass and picked up another.

She was purely here to drown her sorrows, not to go fishing for a date. If she could, she would rather drink alone in misery. Everyone here combined didn’t amount to a tenth of Chen Yi.

Perhaps because she was getting drunk, she was thinking of her again. Shen Xiaojiang gave her thigh a hard pinch.

She warned herself twice in her mind: Don’t think about that coward. Don’t think about that coward.

At that moment, the cousin finished another song and came over, hooking her arm around her girlfriend’s neck. The two shared a deep, soulful kiss.

Shen Xiaojiang held her glass to her lips, staring blankly at the public display of affection. The alcohol tasted bitter, the ice felt exceptionally cold.

“Jiabao, don’t you love to sing? Why don’t you go up and show us what you’ve got?” the cousin laughed.

Sun Jiabao waved her hands frantically. “No, no, no.”

“How about you, Jiabao’s classmate?” The cousin looked at Shen Xiaojiang.

Before Shen Xiaojiang could respond, the cousin added, “Wait, have I seen you somewhere before? You look familiar.”

The cousin thought for a long moment and then said excitedly, “Were you the gold medalist of the Nancheng Computer Science Competition last year? I think that person was also named Xiaojiang.”

Sun Jiabao patted Shen Xiaojiang’s shoulder with pride. “Yes, yes! That’s her! She is Shen Xiaojiang, and Shen Xiaojiang is her!”

Suddenly, Shen Xiaojiang became the center of attention.

“Holy crap! Did you save a planet in your past life or something? Not only is your beauty off the charts, but your IQ is superhuman too!” The cousin set down her glass and pulled Shen Xiaojiang from her seat. “Come on, go sing a song with me. Increase your exposure.”

“What ‘exposure’?” Shen Xiaojiang was baffled.

The cousin winked. “There are plenty of beautiful ladies in this venue. Go out there and show yourself off wait for them to come and ‘fish’ for you.”

“I’m not… I don’t want to…”

The cousin teased, “What? Are you that much of a coward?”

Coward?

She wasn’t a coward. The coward was someone else entirely.

Something in Shen Xiaojiang’s brain snapped. Fueled by a sudden surge of heat, she said righteously, “Who are you calling a coward?”

“So, are you singing or not?”

“I’m singing!”

The women at the surrounding tables, for some reason, all started cheering: “Sing! Sing! Sing!”

Amidst the cheers, Shen Xiaojiang walked onto the simple stage made of treated wood.

“Got a go-to song?” the cousin asked.

The alcohol the cousin had recommended had a strong kick, Shen Xiaojiang felt a bit lightheaded. “No.”

“Alright then, just follow my lead,” the cousin adjusted her guitar. “There’s a song that’s been trending on social media lately, Camellias and White Roses. Do you know it?”

Shen Xiaojiang thought for a moment. “I know the chorus well enough.”

“Perfect. That’s the one.”

The music started, and the audience fell silent. Dozens of eyes were fixed on Shen Xiaojiang, as if admiring a work of art. Perhaps due to the alcohol, the nervousness she had felt earlier began to dissipate.

After a few lines, people in the audience started humming along. As more people joined the chorus, Shen Xiaojiang completely let go. She closed her eyes and poured herself into the song.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a woman standing at the very back of the crowd. She was wearing a black qipao, her flaxen hair fluttering gently in the breeze.

This person was more beautiful, more sophisticated, and more alluring than anyone else present.

And also colder and more heartless.

Drinking too fast makes one drunk easily. Shen Xiaojiang felt she was drunk hallucinating, even.

Once the song ended, her stomach did a violent somersault. She dropped the microphone and bolted for the restroom, leaving the thunderous applause behind.

She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she cursed softly, “You idiot.”

She hung her head and watched the white porcelain sink. The water rushed down, creating white splashes, flowing toward the dark drain regardless of how fiercely it surged.

Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes reddened. She reached a finger toward the drain. It was as if she were trying to dig something out or perhaps as if she wanted her finger to be swallowed by that unknown abyss.

“Ginger! Ginger!” Sun Jiabao rushed in, breathless. “Oh my god, you scared me.”

Shen Xiaojiang stared fixedly at the drain, remaining silent.

Sun Jiabao fanned her with her hand while asking, “What are you digging for? Did something fall down? Want me to help you get it?”

Shen Xiaojiang shook her head numbly. “Nothing.”

My soul fell in. Can it ever be dug back out?

“Oh, no! Not a single tissue left?” Sun Jiabao rummaged through the dispenser. “Wait here, I’ll go get some for you.”

“Mhm.” Shen Xiaojiang’s expression was weary.

Perhaps because she had drunk too fast or consumed too much ice, the discomfort in her stomach was getting worse.

Shortly after Sun Jiabao left, a clean tissue was held out in front of Shen Xiaojiang’s downward cast eyes. The tissue had a faint printed pattern and a subtle, woody, cold fragrance.

That pattern, that cold scent… they were all so familiar. Even the act of being handed a tissue felt like deja vu.

It felt as if she were back in the KTV that day, when Chen Yi handed her a tissue and told her that the alcohol in the KTV was no good.

The difference was that back then, her heart was beginning to bloom. This time, her heart had been sunk to the bottom of a lake.

“When did you start buying this kind of tissue?” Shen Xiaojiang took the tissue, assuming it was Sun Jiabao.

But the person didn’t say a word.

The hand Shen Xiaojiang was using to wipe her face paused. A thousand thoughts surged through her mind like a flood.

She looked up sharply, her gaze falling into those extremely pale amber eyes.

Who had come?