Lin Shuangshuang received Wen Bai's message just as she was about to leave work.
Her design drafts had recently been submitted, and the review results were expected within the next few days. She had suddenly found herself with much more free time, no longer needing to work overtime day and night.
She went home first to tidy herself up, then met up with two girls from the design department who had helped her a lot. Together, they headed to the address Wen Bai had provided.
The destination was a bar. Wen Bai had mentioned he worked there and invited her to visit if she was free.
If it was Wen Bai, she definitely had to show her support.
Her colleagues were still on their way and would be coming directly from the company later.
Standing at the entrance, she reconfirmed the address and went inside.
The interior was a chaotic mess of lights, flashing on and off.
However, she still managed to find the person she was looking for in the crowd.
Wen Bai was taking bottles of alcohol out and placing them on the table. Ji Tianle was squatting beside him, watching Wen Bai as if he were a rare animal.
Seeing that Wen Bai didn't react, he spoke, "Hey, don't pretend you don't know me."
Before coming, Wen Bai had observed his surroundings. Yu Yang hadn't appeared at all, which was good.
Ji Tianle's friends had been mixed in and were already drunk.
Wen Bai dawdled, glancing at the time on his phone lying on the table.
As he was wondering why she hadn't arrived yet, his shoulder was tapped.
"I'm here to support your business! Aren't I a good friend?" Lin Shuangshuang gave Wen Bai a big smile upon seeing him, completely failing to notice Ji Tianle beside him. She winked at Wen Bai with an expression of praise.
As she recalled, people working in bars received commissions for the drinks their customers ordered.
"Could you please arrange a table for me?"
Seeing Ji Tianle looking dazed and spaced out, still not speaking, Wen Bai said, "Alright."
Ji Tianle felt annoyed by their enthusiastic interaction. Was he invisible?
He straightened up.
Fortunately, he had made an effort to groom himself for meeting friends today. He cleared his throat and, feigning a gentle tone, said, "Miss Lin."
Only then did Lin Shuangshuang notice Ji Tianle. "Mr. Ji, I'm so sorry, the light is too dim. I didn't recognize you at first. Are you also here to hang out with friends?"
Ji Tianle hadn't forgotten what Lin Shuangshuang had said: she was here to support Wen Bai's business.
Ji Tianle casually put his arm around Wen Bai's shoulder, adopting a friendly demeanor. "Wen... Xiao Bai is here. I brought friends to boost his performance for him~"
To emphasize how close they were, Ji Tianle used a nickname.
As he uttered the words "Xiao Bai," Ji Tianle felt a moment of self-indulgence, but for the sake of pursuing the woman he liked, what was this?
Hearing the nickname "Xiao Bai," Wen Bai's expressionless face twitched. He unceremoniously removed Ji Tianle's hand from his shoulder.
Ji Tianle stumbled but didn't pay it much mind, thinking this tactic had been incredibly effective. Look, his goddess's gaze toward him had softened considerably.
However, since when were they so close?
Lin Shuangshuang was confused. She hadn't forgotten how antagonistic they had been before.
Ji Tianle seized the opportunity. "It's a coincidence. Miss Lin, are you alone? Shall we join forces? That way, Xiao Bai won't have to open individual tabs."
Lin Shuangshuang didn't know much about these things. When she heard that it might be more convenient for Wen Bai if they stayed together, she agreed to stay.
Half of Ji Tianle's group of friends had already passed out, and the other half were still dazed and disoriented.
In the booth right next to Ji Tianle's, Lin Shuangshuang's colleagues arrived. The girls ordered a lot of snacks and fruit wine. Wen Bai and another server brought the items to their table one by one.
Lin Shuangshuang secretly slipped something into Wen Bai's hand, winking playfully at him.
Wen Bai looked down. It was a delicate box of pastries.
"This is that special cake from that place I told you about last time, the one that's really hard to get."
He quietly accepted it.
Later, in the staff break room, Wen Bai opened the exquisite box. Inside was a cake shaped like a giant strawberry, with a vibrant red hue and a rich cream scent.
Wen Bai picked it up, examined it carefully, then took a bite, "Ah," taking off about a third of the cake from the tip.
Then he widened his eyes and blinked.
He was somewhat amazed.
When Wen Bai came back out, he found Lin Shuangshuang much more pleasing to his eyes.
He said deeply to the system, "Since there are restrictions from the laws, it's best not to waste time dealing with the female lead. Let her disappear. Doing otherwise is a futile and time-consuming effort."
System 001: "..."
The host's small indulgences were so easily manipulated.
Wen Bai made this decision and turned his gaze to the second male lead, Ji Tianle, watching Ji Tianle circle around Lin Shuangshuang like a small dog hopping and jumping, trying to attract its owner's attention.
Wen Bai shook his head, unable to bear it.
Even if a master liked small dogs, they wouldn't want to marry one.
This person was truly not suitable.
While Wen Bai was lost in his thoughts,
A nearby server asked him for help. A booth had ordered a lot of drinks, and they were short-handed. He asked Wen Bai to help carry some.
Wen Bai naturally agreed, as he was currently in the role of a worker.
The guests at that table were also having a good time, but the atmosphere was slightly strange.
Wen Bai carried the drinks over, not noticing that he had already been locked onto by a gaze.
As Wen Bai finished placing the drinks and was about to leave, some patron's hand grabbed his wrist.
"You're new here, aren't you, kid? Haven't seen you before." The patron's breath reeked of alcohol, spraying onto Wen Bai's face. Wen Bai subtly shifted backward, creating some distance.
A nearby server placed the opened drinks on the table. "Brother Fang, your order is complete. We have other tables to serve, so we won't disturb you. Have fun."
Saying this, he tried to pull Wen Bai away, whispering, "Hurry up and go."
Wen Bai wanted to leave, but the person holding him didn't seem to have the same intention.
"Little Lin, if you have business to attend to, go ahead and do it. This handsome young man can stay and have a drink with us. It's Brother Fang's birthday today, so I'm in a good mood."
Seeing the other person's forceful attitude, Little Lin was helpless and had to go find someone.
Actually, their bar was quite humane. When encountering difficult customers, security would step in to ensure the staff's safety. However, for some individuals with special status, security couldn't resolve the issue.
Wen Bai had always been perceived as someone who swallowed his grievances. It was precisely because he had asked Wen Bai to help with the drinks that this situation occurred. Little Lin hurried towards the back to find the boss.
Ji Tianzong was changing his clothes and sulking.
That little thing, he had said he was coming to work, but then he had slipped away the moment he turned around.
Seeing Little Lin rush in in a panic, Ji Tianzong said irritably, "What's with the rush?"
Little Lin panted, "Boss, Wen Bai, Wen Bai... a customer... is harassing him..."
Ji Tianzong said with an ambiguous tone, "Oh?"
"Boss, aren't you... aren't you going to go now?"
"What's the hurry."
Give Wen Bai a small lesson, then appear, that way the little thing will know how important he is.