Blood Neon-Chapter 25

Chapter 25
Bar
After passing through a chaotic, dilapidated corridor that resembled a tunnel through time, Lin Ying stepped into the noisy interior of the bar.
The underground space was surprisingly spacious. With a ceiling height of nearly four meters, it didn’t feel overly cramped.
Not far from the entrance stood a long bar counter. A few patrons were scattered across a row of chairs, either drinking or chatting, while two employees in bartender uniforms idled behind the counter.
To be honest, this was technically Lin Ying’s first time ever entering a bar—across both her lifetimes—so it still felt rather novel to her.
Due to the subtle influence of the education she’d received growing up, well-behaved kids generally kept a respectful distance from places like this. Back in university, some of her classmates had never even set foot in an internet café, and even when they talked about it, they looked like they were describing something terrifying.
As for Lin Ying—who didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, and liked being alone—she had always simply disliked any crowded public place. Going to a bar for a drink was out of the question; she would rather carry a crate of canned Coke home and chill it herself to drink alone.
So, in every sense, this was a first for her. Her eyes carried a trace of curiosity, like a young girl sneaking into a place she wasn’t supposed to be, wearing an expression of nervous excitement.
Of course, she did genuinely hope others would see right away that she was a newbie—because that was exactly the act she intended to put on: an innocent, clueless rebellious girl.
Although she wasn’t fully immersed in her acting mode, Lin Ying still engaged a bit of brainpower, starting to mimic the kind of attitude a girl might have on her first bar visit.
She didn’t waste too much time standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Quietly, the girl walked up to the row of chairs at the bar counter and picked a spot where no one else was seated.
There wasn’t any of that typical novel trope of “a few unfriendly gazes lifting up around her.” The few customers present had drinks in front of them and were absorbed in their own conversations. Only one bartender came over.
“Welcome, miss. Would you like something to drink? Alcohol or juice?”
As long as they could roughly make out someone’s gender and age, people in this world didn’t bother much with unnecessary questions. At least, the bartender in front of her wasn’t interested in whether she was underage, an adult, or even human. A guest was a guest.
“Could I get a Sugar Rush?” the girl asked with a blank face.
“Hm? Sorry, what was that?”
“Oh, nothing. Just a joke. Do you have any recommendations?”
Lin Ying gave a slight wave and a smile, signaling that it wasn’t worth caring about—she was just trying to throw in a silly reference.
“For alcoholic drinks, we’ve got a special Mid-Autumn themed cocktail today that’s worth trying. But if you’d prefer a non-alcoholic option, we have apple juice, orange juice, or just regular soda.”
The bartender pointed to the menu hanging above the bar, with prices ranging from ten yuan to the triple digits.
“…I’ll have an apple juice then. Light on the ice.”
Lin Ying had originally thought about trying the Mid-Autumn themed special, but after glancing over the menu and quietly checking how much money she had on her, she chose the ten-yuan apple juice instead.
The prices here actually weren’t too high. It felt like a place tailored for customers looking to relax and unwind—a multi-functional bar aimed at the general public rather than some upscale pub.
So today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, huh. She had kind of figured it was around this time from the decorations in the shopfronts she’d seen on the streets. No wonder the bar wasn’t crowded. Normal people were probably at home with their families, watching the holiday gala on TV.
…Well, as for a certain someone, their family was already scattered in three different corners.
Lin Ying found herself thinking for no particular reason.
.
“Alright, here’s your apple juice, light ice.”
After accepting the money she handed over, the bartender slid a glass filled with a fizzy green liquid across the counter.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Also, we offer one free refill for non-alcoholic drinks. Just bring your glass back to the bar when you’re done.”
“Got it, thank you,” the girl replied politely before taking her drink and heading toward a nearby open table.
Once she had walked away, the other bartender, who had been silently observing all along, leaned over.
“Hey, did you hit your head or something just now? A girl that pretty, and you still charged her? If it were me, I’d have paid out of pocket to buy her a drink.”
“What’s the point of all that? I’m just here to pour drinks,” the first bartender replied dismissively.
“She looked like it was her first time here, totally clueless. If you’d just shown a little kindness, who knows? Maybe you’d have scored.”
“Eh, she’s just an underage student. What would I hit on her for?”
“You don’t get it, do you? Girls that age are the most fun to mess around with.”
“Get outta here, I’m not some scumbag…”
...
Lin Ying held the cold glass in both hands and picked a spot at an open table not too far from the bar, somewhere with few people around.
Although the music inside the bar was still a bit loud, after a while it became surprisingly bearable. Once she moved away from the main speaker responsible for blasting the heavy beats, it actually felt okay.
She took a sip of the apple soda through the straw. It was chilled and quite refreshing… though the flavor quality felt a bit lacking—well, no, the taste was basically on par with Mirinda.
Just goes to show this place was still a high-markup venue. Lin Ying glanced back toward the bar as the thought passed through her mind.
Originally, the term “bar” referred to the long wooden beam used for tying horses outside taverns. It's said that after one tavern owner decided to move the beam indoors, over time, the word “bar” evolved to mean a counter where drinks were served. As the concept developed further, the field eventually split into high-end pubs focused solely on alcohol, and more multi-functional bars.
Judging by this bar, aside from the traditional counter and the surrounding scattered tables and booth seating, one corner of the space featured a stage for dancing, while the opposite side had several private karaoke rooms. Definitely a comprehensive entertainment venue.
The seats at the bar counter were typically occupied by groups or solo patrons. The solo types were usually either fast drinkers needing constant refills, or people who came alone looking to socialize. The phrase “Let me buy you a drink” often served as the equivalent of a handshake here. Even complete strangers could become fast friends after a few rounds, launching into lively conversation.
But of course, behind the mask of normal socializing, there were always a few with bad intentions, wolves in human skin.
Every newcomer eventually learned a few basic rules: never drink from a glass handed to you by someone else, for instance. In some cases, even the bartender might be part of a criminal setup. Turn your head for just a moment, and your drink could be tampered with… Tips like these were, in a way, part of the danger this kind of venue inherently carried.
But that was exactly what Lin Ying was aiming for.
She was playing the role of a rebellious girl who had sneaked out of her house to come to a bar for the first time.
A clueless, naive little newcomer—unaware of the rules, unaware of the risks, and with no one to keep her company.
Wearing colored contact lenses, not in school uniform, a nervous yet excited bad kid—no matter how you looked at her, she seemed irresistibly sweet and tempting.
—The best hunters often appeared in the form of prey.
.
What interrupted Lin Ying’s wandering thoughts was a voice that sounded oddly familiar.
“Hey, little sister. Sorry to bother you.”
Lin Ying, who had been blankly staring off while sipping her drink through a straw, looked up.
“What is it?”
Without her noticing, a boy and a girl had already approached and were now standing in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could also see a few others in the distance watching this way.
“Not much, just saw you were here alone,” the boy said.
He didn’t look very old—“boy” was probably more fitting than “man.” Judging by his still-raspy voice, he’d probably only recently finished puberty. It had that scratchy ducky tone, and matched with his sleazy demeanor, just hearing him speak made you want to punch him.
“It’s boring being alone, right? Why not come hang out with us? We look about the same age, and it’s a holiday today—more people means more fun.”
The girl beside him, wearing clumsy makeup, was more talkative, and her words helped Lin Ying understand their intent.
Just a bunch of delinquent teens trying to rope her into their group.
Although calling them delinquents might carry some bias, given the way they dressed and talked, Lin Ying couldn’t really be blamed for being a little judgmental. The vibe they gave off was just too strong.
That said… if Zhang Qiming had taken a day off today, didn’t that mean students didn’t have the day off? Could it be that they’d adjusted the holiday schedule and canceled the day off for Mid-Autumn Festival? That was miserable. Or maybe he was just a big idiot who took a day off during a holiday anyway.
After offering a moment of silence either for the victims of schedule shifts or the idiot in question, Lin Ying began thinking about how to respond.
She didn’t particularly like this group, but they probably weren’t approaching her with any truly malicious intent—most likely just hitting on her. It didn’t seem like a situation that called for a hunt just yet.
A polite rejection would probably suffice… but if they got pushy afterward, then maybe she'd reconsider her approach.
Just as Lin Ying looked up and was deciding what path to take, the boy with the ducky voice suddenly spoke.
“Wait a second, aren’t you Zhang Qiming’s little sister?”
The boy leading the group asked.
Lin Ying didn’t react immediately. After a pause, she belatedly responded with a question of her own.
“You… know my brother?”
Well now, what a coincidence. Who would’ve thought she’d run into people who knew her just while drinking apple juice?
In any case, better to play along for now and see how things developed.
“Of course we know him. Obviously,”
The boy looked delighted as he leaned in a little closer.
“You don’t recognize us? We literally saw each other just yesterday.”
Staring at the slightly sleazy expression on his face, Lin Ying could practically smell a familiar stench in the air.
Of course, even without using such advanced metaphysical methods of identification, Lin Ying already knew what the next line in the script should be.
“Ah! It’s you guys!”
The girl suddenly covered her mouth, eyes wide with a frightened expression, as if she had just let something slip.
The boy gave a lewd little smile, while the girl beside him showed a faintly amused expression.
“Don’t be scared. I’m a friend of your brother’s.”
“Fr… friend?” The girl looked puzzled, wearing an obviously doubtful expression.
“Yeah, of course! They’re like brothers,” the girl beside him jumped in to confirm with a nod.
“Before, you know, there were just a few small misunderstandings between us. And as the saying goes, ‘no fight, no friendship.’ That’s how it is between bros—the better the relationship, the more they fight. The more they fight, the stronger the bond.” Duck-voice started rambling shamelessly.
“Oh, I see.”
The girl looked like she actually believed him.
“Exactly, exactly. I’m telling you, our relationship’s actually pretty good,” the girl chimed in to back him up.
“Right? Yesterday, we were even planning to go out for dinner and hang out together. Too bad you guys suddenly left.”
The boy continued.
“And look, running into you today—this must be fate, right? We just happened to come out to have some fun, and you’re here too. So why not join us? You can take your brother’s place for today.”
“Yeah, we were going to invite him to sing with us—just over there.”
“Come on, just fill in for him.”
The two of them bounced off each other’s words smoothly, like a practiced routine.
Lin Ying couldn’t help but snark inwardly: You two clearly just made this up on the spot. Coming up with something like this as an excuse… What, are you trying to trick a three-year-old?
Still, she couldn’t blame them. After all, if their brains were really all that sharp, they wouldn’t be doing this in the first place… At the very least, they’d be the type playing the role of the gangster strategist.
Well, may as well play along just right, then.
“But I have to go home soon…”
The girl showed a conflicted expression, clearly someone who wasn’t very good at turning people down.
They’re interested. That was the immediate reaction from the boy and girl.
“No worries, no worries. We’re just gonna hang out for a bit. If it gets too late, we’ll find someone to walk you home.”
“Yeah, totally.”
“But…” The girl continued to hesitate.
Duck-voice boy paused to think for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
“Does your brother know you came here today?”
“!”
The girl’s expression changed, as if she'd just been caught red-handed.
Too easy, the boy thought, silently praising his own brilliance. Guess I really do have a knack for this. Seeing through people’s minds, grabbing onto their weaknesses—man, he was smooth.
“Ahem, look, we’re friends after all,” he said as his eyes shifted around, scheming. “Letting you come to a place like this all by yourself—I gotta say, I’m a little worried on your brother’s behalf. I think I’ll need to have a serious chat with him about this tomorrow.”
“Um… could you not tell my brother?”
After a moment of silence, the girl made a pitiful, timid-sounding request.
“Aha, so you did sneak out,”
The boy put on a look of sudden realization.
Heh. He’d seen girls like this before—a bunch, in fact. Immature teenage girls who acted like good kids at home, but then snuck out to mixed crowds like this to indulge in the thrill of rebellion. It was no different from how boys used to sneak into internet cafés. Of course they'd be terrified of their families finding out.
He’d only tossed that out there as a guess, but to his surprise, he’d hit the mark perfectly. Looked like even the heavens were on his side tonight.
“Lying’s not a good habit, little sis,” the girl beside him chimed in.
“Coming to a place like this alone—what if something happened to you?”
“Yeah, see, all of us are here in a group.”
“But no worries, just stick with us and you’ll be fine. Nothing to be afraid of.”
“We’re just gonna sing a little, have a few drinks, play around.”
“If you’re tired or want to leave, you can go anytime—it’s totally up to you.”
“Your brother turned us down last time, so now it’s your turn to make up for him.”
“It’s just how things work…”
Faced with the duo’s back-and-forth persuasion, the girl clearly started to waver.
“Well… if it’s only for a little while, just a bit, I guess it’s not impossible…”
Seemingly unable to say no, she agreed to the invitation.
“Nice, nice, no need to be scared. It’s a public place, we’re just hanging out.”
“Yeah, you’ll see—it’ll be fun.”
The boy laughed with a low chuckle and motioned for the girl to get up.
“Hey, don’t bother bringing that drink. Once we’re in the private room, drinks are all on us. Help yourself.”
Upon hearing this, the girl obediently put down her glass, which made him even more pleased.
Yes, it was true—they had just come here to sing tonight. But what he didn’t say was that it was Brother Liu footing the bill today. Their group had arrived earlier and were already drinking and singing in one of the rooms. The students had only just finished eating together before showing up.
So, technically speaking, he didn’t really get a say in anything here.
Which meant that once they brought the girl into the room and plopped her down in the middle of the group—
Heh, whether she stayed or left after that... it wouldn’t be up to her anymore.