The Dangerous Omega Who is Good at Disguising Always Wants to Hook Me! - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: His Technique is All Style and No Substance

When they arrived at the bar, it wasn’t yet time for business. As soon as Chen Buqian entered, he sprinted to the side of his friend who looked very much like a “virgin Alpha.” He desperately wanted to ask if he truly still was one, leaving the other man full of question marks, thinking Chen had started acting crazy again.

Without Chen Buqian buzzing in his ear, Qi Yan went first to find the bar owner. The owner had just woken up not long ago; as soon as he saw Qi Yan, he said: “The things are in the second drawer under the cabinet in my office. Pick them up when you leave. Go change your clothes in a bit and come help out.”

“Alright, sorry for the trouble, Brother Xu.”

The other man yawned and patted his shoulder: “No need to be so polite. It probably won’t be easy to investigate from here on out. Your half-brother has already hooked up with someone from the Shen family, you know?”

Qi Yan paused: “The Shen family?”

“Yes, that Shen family. I heard the person is head over heels in love with him, and they might get married soon. If he really marries into the Shen family, then you’ll have to be careful. You can’t keep investigating like this.”

Brother Xu reminded him: “I heard from your uncle that you want to enter the Shen family’s private research institute. Be careful lately; don’t run into him, and don’t let him know your identity. Otherwise, with his pettiness, he’ll definitely try to trip you up.”

“Mm, I’ll be careful.” Qi Yan frowned imperceptibly. His originally good mood turned somewhat sour upon hearing this news.

“Don’t overthink it. If it really doesn’t work out, just switch to a different institute or go study abroad. With your strength and grades, it’s not like you have to enter the Shen’s institute,” Brother Xu laughed.

Qi Yan also smiled: “You’re right, I’ll consider it. It looks like opening time is coming up; I’ll go change and then come help.”

“Haha, then I’ll trouble you to stand behind the bar as the poster boy tonight. But whatever you do, don’t mix drinks for people. I’m afraid a customer might storm the bar to beat you up and break my liquor,” Brother Xu teased.

Qi Yan knew exactly where he stood regarding his bartending skills, saying: “Don’t you worry. It’s not like everyone doesn’t know my ‘skills.’ Unless they have a death wish, they won’t ask me to mix a drink.”

The drinks he concocted were something no human could stomach.

Brother Xu sighed: “I just hope no newcomer gets fooled by that innocent face of yours into getting a headache and asking you for a drink.”

Qi Yan was handsome and had a great build. Those deep, affectionate peach-blossom eyes could send a spark with a single glance, leaving people dazed. Thus, there were always those who wouldn’t give up, trying to let him mix a drink. The result was that his bartending posture was cool, handsome, and captivating—fluid and sharp, looking extremely professional and reliable.

But once they took the drink and had one sip, the customer would be completely jolted awake from their daze—

Well, this handsome bartender’s technique is all style and no substance.

Paying for him to mix a drink was actually just to watch the process; it was best not to actually drink the liquid.

As soon as 8:00 PM hit, the bar opened for business, and many customers had already arrived. Chen Buqian originally wanted to sit at the bar in front of Qi Yan as a customer, but he was dragged away by Brother Xu to be an extra hand. Since it had just opened, it wasn’t too busy yet; he was currently looking with red eyes at a waiter surrounded by a group of Omegas.

That was a very handsome female Alpha with a cool wolf-cut hairstyle. Her features were sharp and flamboyant, handsomely bewitching. She carried a bit of a roguish air, smiling as she talked to the Omegas around her, making them flush with shyness. Business had just started, and she was already opening bottle after bottle.

Chen Buqian was extremely envious, saying sourly: “Qi Yan, look at Lang-lang. A perfectly decent bar is about to be turned into a host club by her. Truly shameless… Ah!”

Before he could finish his sentence, a crowd suddenly surged forward, pushing the uniformed Chen Buqian aside without notice, looking at Qi Yan behind the bar with pleasant surprise.

“Qi Yan! You’re still here! I thought you’d resigned and were never coming back.”

“Haven’t seen you in forever, we all thought you quit. Hey, get me a drink.”

Many were regulars, chiming in one after another to talk to him, asking why he hadn’t been around for so long, asking him to pour a drink, and complimenting him on getting even handsomer. Some asked Qi Yan to mix a drink just seeing that handsome posture was exciting enough but no one dared to actually drink what came out.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve been busy with my studies lately, so I didn’t have time to come by. Alright, what would this guest like to drink? Thank you for the compliment, you are also very beautiful and charming. I’m sorry, I can’t mix drinks, or the boss will say I’m ruining his liquor. I see, alright then, let’s quietly mix one. I hope you won’t be too disappointed after drinking it.”

Across the bar, having entered “business mode,” Qi Yan showed no trace of his usual Omega-phobia. He handled everything with ease, answering every customer’s question precisely with a faint smile on his lips. Those affectionate peach-blossom eyes seemed to be throwing sparks everywhere, completely masking his discomfort. On the surface, he was gentle and polite, giving the customers plenty of emotional value.

His bartender vest emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His white sleeves were rolled up, revealing the smooth muscular lines of his forearms. His mixing posture was elegant, his expression focused and serious, as the liquid flowed from the bottle in a graceful arc into the glass.

The result of the drink, naturally, was that regulars didn’t dare touch it, and new guests took one sip before decisively begging for a glass of cold water to dilute that bizarre flavor.

Meanwhile, Chen Buqian, who watched him laugh and talk with numerous pretty Omegas while he himself was pushed aside.

Damn, I miscalculated.

He had overlooked that since Qi Yan hadn’t been here for a long time, everyone’s enthusiasm was much greater than before; there was simply no chance to sit there and be surrounded.

The neglected Chen Buqian gritted his teeth: “Dammit, I shouldn’t have trusted him. Every single one of them is a scumbag Alpha with no ‘Alpha Virtue’!”

He already has an Omega [at home/as a neighbor], yet he’s out here throwing sparks everywhere.

“Old Chen! Don’t just stand there, get over here and help!”

As more and more customers arrived, the unwilling Chen Buqian was soon dragged away, leaving him absolutely no time to talk to the pretty Omegas.

As the “poster boy,” Qi Yan would absolutely not leave the bar. When the bar grew more crowded and the house band began to perform, the whole place cheered, and the people originally surrounding Qi Yan finally moved to a new battleground.

Finally having a moment of peace, Qi Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Chatting across a bar was very easy for him, which was one of the reasons Qi Yan always believed he didn’t have a phobia of Omegas.

After all, what normal Alpha is afraid of Omegas? At most, he kept the Omega population at arm’s length subconsciously due to strange dreams; it certainly wasn’t a phobia.

The bar’s regular bartender, Ye Chengcheng, took advantage of the lull to walk over to his side, smiling: “Brother Qi, you haven’t been here in so long, everyone is so enthusiastic. Is it a bit much to handle?”

“Actually, it’s okay. I’m just afraid they’ll ask me to mix drinks,” Qi Yan said with a look of feigned headache and helplessness. “I mix them, but then no one dares to drink them. When Brother Xu sees it, he’ll be heartbroken that his liquor is being wasted.”

Ye Chengcheng pursed his lips and chuckled, cute dimples appearing on his cheeks: “Because the process of you mixing drinks is very good-looking and reliable, Brother Qi! Everyone just likes watching you do it. It’s handsome and attractive; the money they spend is for visual pleasure.”

“But, why is the taste of the drinks you mix so strange? Clearly, both the order and the amounts are correct.”

Ye Chengcheng, puzzled, wanted to lean in to look at his tools, but just then heard someone calling for him to mix a drink, so he had to return to his station to work.

“It is strange.”

The lights flickered and blurred, brilliant colors spinning. Qi Yan took a bottle of liquor and shook it gently. In his view, the mixing process was similar to an experiment—just follow the measurements. Yet, somehow, he managed to fail every time.

“Hello, could I trouble you to mix a drink?” A cold, clear voice sounded, the tone intentionally slowed down to sound much softer.

“Ah, sorry, I can’t mix Eh? How is it you?” Qi Yan moved the bottle away and saw the person sitting at the bar, quite surprised.

Different from last night, the neighbor was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses. The black frames happened to cover the three beauty marks under his left eye, but he didn’t look dull. That beautiful face was still cold and ascetic. The top two buttons of his white shirt were undone, showing that he wasn’t using a pheromone isolation patch, but was wearing a black pheromone isolation collar.

A person like this, no matter how you looked at it, didn’t seem like the type to frequent bars.

The neighbor also seemed a bit surprised, then smiled softly: “It really is a coincidence. I didn’t expect to run into you here. I was very grateful for your help last night.”

He looked very beautiful when he smiled; his eyes curved, carrying colors of joy, which diluted the aloof and cold aura about him. However, it also gave Qi Yan a particularly awkward feeling, as if he shouldn’t smile like that.

“We’re neighbors, it’s normal to help each other. Besides, you already said it many times last night.” Qi Yan felt his thoughts were too strange and suppressed them without showing it, smiling: “Is this your first time here? The drinks I mix don’t taste good. If you want a proper cocktail, you’d better go to that bartender over there.”

He pointed to Ye Chengcheng, who was currently mixing drinks for guests. His movements were fluid and beautiful, and he was smiling sweetly at the customers he was a very popular Omega bartender in the bar. However, the four people currently sitting in front of Ye Chengcheng seemed a bit “off.”

They wouldn’t be planning to cause trouble, would they?

Qi Yan inconspicuously observed those four. They were burly, with sharp gazes, occasionally looking toward the stage and scanning the surroundings. Every movement was efficient; they looked like trained fighters.

“But you look very professional. I think it should taste very good,” the neighbor’s voice sounded, pulling Qi Yan’s gaze back. He was fiddling with his phone, seemingly sending a message to someone on the other end. After finishing, he looked up at Qi Yan and smiled.

“That’s just an illusion. I only look professional on the outside.” Qi Yan wore his standard customer-facing smile warm, polite, and very courteous hiding that trace of distance and indifference deep down.

The neighbor put away his phone, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly: “Saying that only makes one more curious. Just mix whatever you’re best at. Don’t worry, I’ll finish it all; I won’t waste it.”

I’m best at turning all good liquor into something a normal person can’t stomach, Qi Yan really wanted to say.

He glanced over at Ye Chengcheng’s side. Three of those four guests had already left, leaving only one chatting with Ye Chengcheng, appearing to be having a very happy conversation. The other three were sitting in a nearby booth watching the band perform, even going so far as to take a light stick handed to them by an excited fan and join in the fun.

Qi Yan: “…”

I misjudged. They seem like normal customers, not troublemakers.

“Since you want a drink, I’ll mix one for you. But you don’t have to finish it. If you take a sip and don’t want to drink more, just stop immediately.” There were always so many people who wouldn’t learn until they saw it for themselves; Qi Yan was already used to it.

The neighbor kept staring at him: “It’s fine. I’ll finish it.”

Truly a strange neighbor.

Qi Yan didn’t think much of it and said in a joking tone: “I’m not ‘best’ at anything. You’d better order what you actually want to drink. Maybe you can compare and see exactly how bad my technique is.”

His fingers curled slightly, and the neighbor unconsciously licked his dry lips. Under the brilliant lights, his face had a bit of a melancholic beauty: “A Mojito, is that okay?”

“No problem.” Qi Yan agreed readily; this was a simple one.

On the spot, he mixed a low-alcohol Mojito for the neighbor. The taste should be sweet and sour with the refreshing kick of mint; many Omegas liked this drink.

But Qi Yan felt that after the neighbor tasted his version, he probably wouldn’t dare drink it again.

“Here, try it.” Qi Yan pushed the finished Mojito and a glass of cold water over.

The neighbor was a bit confused, pointing at the cold water: “This is?”

“For rinsing your mouth,” Qi Yan said very cautiously, giving a brief explanation.

Neighbor: “…”

“I think I probably won’t need it.” His eyes curved, and the smile on his face deepened.

That’s not for sure. Qi Yan was experienced; everyone who drank his cocktails for the first time said the same thing.

Qi Yan watched the neighbor reach out to hold the glass. Last night had been an emergency so he hadn’t looked closely; looking now, the man’s fingers were beautiful long, elegant, like meticulously carved pieces of art.

His cold, pale skin tone looked even whiter under the bar’s brilliant lights, delicate and warm like cold jade, with the fingertips and knuckles slightly flushed pink. They were very beautiful and alluring. Looking at his hand, Qi Yan felt a sense of familiarity so strong he became dazed.

Suddenly, a fragment of an unfamiliar memory surfaced in his mind.

He watched the other pick up the glass with an imperceptible expectation. He thought the person would take a sip, but he didn’t see the scene he expected. Instead, the person raised the glass and, without hesitation, splashed the liquid and ice cubes directly onto his face, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

Are you intentionally trying to disgust me?”

A cold voice filled with sarcasm and loathing rang sharply in his brain, violently stirring his mind. His heart throbbed with a wave of stabbing pain, hurting so much he almost couldn’t breathe.

Inexplicably, a nervous, throbbing pain began to appear in his right hand, as if it had been broken before.

Subconsciously, Qi Yan took two steps back.

“What’s wrong?” The neighbor, about to taste the drink with a hard-to-conceal excitement, looked at him curiously.

Qi Yan was pulled back to reality by the noisy surrounding sounds. Everything was normal; the throbbing in his right hand had disappeared. Only he was acting strange.

He composed himself, thinking of the image just now, and spoke to his neighbor in a joking tone: “Oh, nothing. I’m just afraid the drink is so bad that you’ll splash it in my face the next second.”

It was merely a common joke, but the neighbor’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.