Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 24.2

Yun Yu replied with a string of laughing-crying emojis.

Strangely, even though they hadn’t exchanged photos, Qi Ning stubbornly believed Yun Yu had to be beautiful so much so that she didn’t even need confirmation.

She blamed this entirely on her dear Jingjing.

How could Chu Yunjing’s beauty mark be so captivating? With the same feature, Yun Yu couldn’t possibly be anything less than stunning!

After waiting at the café for over half an hour, Chen Churan finally arrived—fashionably late, wearing a full face of makeup and with her hair styled. Clearly, she had come prepared.

After gathering, they weren’t in a hurry to head over immediately. Instead, they sat close together, heads nearly touching, and started looking up how to reserve a seat at the bar. It would be such a waste of excitement if they traveled all that way only to find no available spots.

The online information didn’t offer an online reservation feature, but it did list a phone number for bookings.

“Hello, this is Lily Bar~” A sweet voice greeted them as soon as the call connected.

The two exchanged glances, both seeing the same thought reflected in each other’s eyes: What a sweet-sounding girl!

They had been to regular bars before, but this one had something a little special—reserving a booth came with a female hostess to chat with, purely platonically, of course.

Under the spell of that sweet voice… they actually went ahead and booked a booth. After all, they were both women—what was there to fear?

If they were going to seek excitement, they might as well go all in.

The receptionist on the other end provided her employee number and told them to ask for her by that number when they arrived.

On the way to the bar, Qi Ning was quite looking forward to her first experience at a lesbian bar.

“Hey, that person added me,” Chen Churan suddenly said from the passenger seat, fiddling with her phone.

Qi Ning glanced over and felt a sudden relief that it wasn’t her own number they had left. “Then go ahead and add her. We can just message her on WeChat when we get there.”

A short while later, Chen Churan spoke again.

“Don’t we look like we’re about to crash the party, two straight girls going to a lesbian bar?”

Her words were met with dead silence in the car.

Chen Churan wondered if she had said something wrong—why had the atmosphere suddenly turned awkward? Just as she was about to speak, Qi Ning’s voice cut in, laced with disbelief.

“…Aren’t you gay?”

“……”

Now it was Chen Churan’s turn to fall silent.

“Who told you I was gay?”

“……”

The atmosphere in the car descended into another mysterious silence.

After a long pause, Qi Ning sighed helplessly and looked up at the sky.

“…Better hide that little tail of yours.”

Soon, they arrived at their destination. Qi Ning parked the car in the open-air lot outside the bar.

Instead of rushing out, she had Chen Churan message the receptionist they had just added on WeChat.

Within seconds of sending the message, the other party called back.

She said she had something to handle and asked them to wait five minutes, apologizing profusely. Hearing that sweet voice, it wasn’t just the little lesbians—even straight girls would find it hard not to feel their hearts skip a beat.

“Tsk…” Chen Churan leaned back in her seat after hanging up. “I bet she’s a total knockout!”

“Ooooh That sweet voice alone is making me question my sexuality,” she mused.

Qi Ning rested her chin on one hand, propped against the steering wheel, staring thoughtfully at the rainbow flag outside the bar. “Someone who works at a place like this probably isn’t bad-looking, right?”

After a pause, she added half-jokingly, “If she turns out to be pretty, are you gonna make a move?”

Chen Churan pondered for a moment before replying with mock seriousness, “You know what? That might actually be worth considering.”

“…” Qi Ning turned to look at her. “Are you Schrödinger’s straight girl or something!?”

“Hey!”

They sat in the car for a while longer. Five minutes later, right on time, the hostess called them via voice chat, saying she was coming out to meet them now.

The two got out of the car, locked the doors, and walked side by side toward the bar entrance.

Chen Churan was brimming with anticipation for Employee No. 20. Rubbing her hands together, she asked, “So, what’s our backstory gonna be?”

“Huh???”

“For example, a wounded older sister who just ended a relationship and needs comfort, or an innocent little bunny who stumbled into a lesbian bar and discovered a whole new world, or perhaps a passionate wealthy woman seeking excitement?”

“…You’ve watched too many yuri anime.” Qi Ning rolled her eyes. Truly the epitome of a Schrödinger’s straight girl who’s consumed countless yuri stories—she could rattle off character tropes without missing a beat.

Chen Churan figured she was just here to satisfy her curiosity and would most likely never return. But under Qi Ning’s blatantly disdainful gaze, she abandoned any thoughts of roleplaying.

She was still quite interested in the sweet-voiced receptionist from the phone call and planned to chat with her later—maybe about the bar’s salary, benefits, and commission structure.

As they spoke, a familiar, sugary voice cut into their conversation.

“Hello, are you the Miss Chen who called earlier for a reservation? I’m Number 20.” The voice came from the top of the stairs.

“Yes…” Hearing the voice, Chen Churan eagerly looked up, only for her smile to freeze briefly on her face as she dumbly finished her sentence: “…ah…”

Number 20 led them inside, seating them at a booth near the dance floor before excusing herself to place their drink orders.

Chen Churan sat there looking utterly soul-sucked. She never could have imagined that the sweet-voiced cutie from the phone would turn out to be a short-haired, masculine-looking, fully tattooed-sleeved little… butch.

Qi Ning watched her, almost able to hear the sound of a heart breaking through the table, and couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for her.

“Alright, since we’re here, might as well make the best of it.” She couldn’t hide her schadenfreude, mainly because that little butch seemed far more interested in Chen Churan, having even exchanged flirtatious glances with her earlier.

As for why Number 20 favored Chen Churan—from the moment Qi Ning saw her, her mental defenses crumbled just like Chen Churan’s. She instinctively wore an unapproachable expression that could rival Chu Yunjing’s, so of course Number 20 didn’t dare speak to her.

“I’m officially depressed,” Chen Churan slumped into the couch. “Weren’t lesbian bars supposed to be full of beautiful long-haired femmes?!” Scanning the area, within a ten-meter radius, seven out of ten women had short hair, and the remaining three were already taken!

“What’s a femme?” Qi Ning asked, though she vaguely guessed it meant ‘bottom,’ but wasn’t entirely sure.

“It’s like…” Chen Churan paused, her eyes darting around before landing on the person across from her. “Someone like you.”

“…” Qi Ning obviously didn’t buy it. “I think you’re insulting me.”

As they debated Qi Ning’s role in the lesbian taxonomy, Number 20 returned with their cocktails, plopping down right next to Chen Churan—so close their legs touched, radiating warmth.

“These cocktails are on the house~”

Qi Ning noticed Chen Churan subtly inching away and couldn’t help laughing inwardly. Honestly, she really did resemble that innocent little bunny who’d accidentally wandered into a lesbian bar now.

While Number 20 launched her full assault on Chen Churan, she didn’t forget the other paying customer sitting alone and thoughtfully offered, “Should I call a colleague to keep you company?”

“No need! I’m fine sitting here alone,” Qi Ning hurriedly declined. Such VIP treatment was more than she could handle.

The dance floor suddenly erupted with fast-paced music. Number 20 urged them to go dance and soak in the atmosphere, but Qi Ning quickly refused—she didn’t like the feeling of being crowded among too many people.

Chen Churan was also about to decline, but Number 20 half-coaxed, half-dragged her onto the dance floor. Before leaving, she threw Qi Ning a pleading look.

In response, Qi Ning gave her a thumbs-up.

Most people had gathered on the dance floor by then. Qi Ning was seated with her back to it, so she twisted slightly to glance over.

The biggest difference between a lesbian bar and a regular bar was that everyone inside was a woman. Qi Ning figured women would naturally be more reserved than men, so she didn’t feel too awkward.

The atmosphere didn’t seem all that different either—just a bunch of people dancing together.

When Chen Churan returned alone, she happened to see someone approaching Qi Ning with a drink in hand, trying to strike up a conversation. She didn’t rush over immediately, waiting until the person left before rejoining her.

“Hey, was that person just hitting on you?” she asked knowingly. Finally, it was her turn to kick someone while they were down!

Qi Ning had been looking at her phone and instinctively flipped it face-down on the couch at the sound of Chen Churan’s voice.

Her expression darkened. “No, they weren’t.”

“Oh…” Chen Churan was surprised. She took a sip of her drink but choked when Qi Ning added her next words.

“They were trying to hook up.” Qi Ning’s face grew even stormier.

Anyone’s mood would sour upon hearing, “Hey gorgeous, got plans tonight? I’ll cover the room.”

Chen Churan froze for a second before bursting into laughter. “Well, I thought they were pretty good-looking! A top, too! A rare find! Maybe you should just go for it.”

“Get lost!” Qi Ning shot her a glare. “They’re not even half as good-looking as my Jingjing!”

“What about your little butch? Didn’t you want to have a deep chat with them?” The moment she said it, Chen Churan’s laughter died, her face twisting as if she’d swallowed a fly.

“I sent them away. Damn it, that’s not my type.” She paused, then started mocking Qi Ning in turn. “Aren’t straight girls supposed to be into handsome butches? Don’t tell me you didn’t feel anything for that little hottie?”

“I did.” Qi Ning paused, then said seriously, “I felt even straighter.”

What could she do? She had a soft spot for sweet, fragrant, and domineering older sisters.

They sat in the bar for a while longer. Qi Ning found it boring and wanted to leave, but Chen Churan couldn’t bear wasting the expensive table fee and insisted on finishing their drinks first. Qi Ning humored her.

Having neglected her phone for some time, Qi Ning remembered she still needed to reply to Yun Yu’s message, so she opened the app.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the “Nearby” tab and, curious about who might be online, tapped in to take a look.

Most were probably people from the bar, but thankfully, she had her location hidden.

She scrolled through the nearby users, but none caught her eye—until she reached the last few profiles. Her pupils dilated in shock.

There, staring back at her, was an all-too-familiar, strikingly seductive face. A stunning selfie was blatantly displayed as the profile picture.

How could she have forgotten? You Man might also be at this bar tonight! She should’ve picked a different time to come.

“Let’s go back,” Chen Churan said, her novelty wearing off.

“Okay,” Qi Ning immediately agreed.

As she stood up, her skirt accidentally brushed against a wine glass on the edge of the table. Instinctively reaching out to catch it, she managed to steady the glass but ended up spilling wine on her hand.

Qi Ning had no choice but to go wash her hands. On the way to the restroom, she kept her eyes and ears alert, relieved not to spot You Man anywhere.

Come to think of it, the bar was huge—what were the odds of running into her again?

Bowing her head, she focused on washing her hands, eager to finish and return quickly. She didn’t notice the sound of the door opening behind her. Just as she finished and turned to leave, she bumped straight into someone.

The person extended a hand to lean against the sink behind Qi Ning, trapping her in the narrow space.

“Got you, babe!”

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