Then let the witch offer her loyalty

As usual, business at the bar was slow today; there were very few people, only a handful of tables occupied.

That's why she noticed the customer sitting at the bar at a glance.

He was a very handsome young man with delicate features, who looked to be in his early twenties.

Lu Yilan frequents various nightclubs in the Twin Cities, and to be honest, she has seen far too many handsome men.

But the handsome guys in nightclubs are often very similar.

They're either muscular men with buzz cuts and amazing physiques.

They are either trendy men who imitate the fashion of foreign celebrities and have an avant-garde style.

Or the kind of cute puppy who has a shaved head and a side parting, looks quiet and gentle, and calls you "sister" all the time.

Regardless of their type, their appearance can be dressed up, but their inner qualities cannot be faked.

For a woman like Lu Yilan, who has seen countless people, the worldly air that comes with years of experience in nightclubs is impossible to miss.

Therefore, she can now tell at a glance that the handsome young man at the bar rarely comes to bars, because his demeanor is too clean.

Moreover, he must be a very wealthy young man from an extremely well-off family.

This can be seen from the watch on his wrist. It is a rare limited edition watch from a famous foreign brand. The design is very low-key and understated. At first glance, it seems no different from an ordinary mechanical watch. In fact, one watch is worth three supercars parked outside.

Wealthy people generally wouldn't wear this kind of watch because its design is too understated and doesn't serve the purpose of showing off or flaunting wealth.

Those who wear it are often from ultra-high-class families who have so much money that it's just a symbolic number.

There were still many empty seats in the bar, but Lu Yilan didn't sit down at the nearest one. Instead, she went to the bar counter and sat down next to the boy.

There were several empty wine glasses in front of the boy, indicating that he had already drunk quite a bit. He sat there silently with his hand on his forehead, his eyes closed, his tightly pursed lips trembling slightly from time to time, as if he had a heavy burden on his mind.

"A Margarita, extra salt on the rim." After ordering her drink with the bartender, Lu Yilan didn't talk to the boy, but instead took out a cigarette and lit it.

Her slender fingers gently held the cigarette, as if holding a quill pen, and smoke rings slowly escaped from her lips, turning into swirling wisps of smoke under the light.

"Cough...cough cough..." Suddenly, the boy next door started coughing, seemingly choked by the smoke drifting in.

Lu Yilan smiled slightly, stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray, and said, "Sorry, I made you choke."

"It's nothing." The boy shook his head and continued to lie there with his head down.

A short while later, the bartender brought over the drinks: "Hello, beautiful lady, here's your Margaret."

Lu Yilan gestured with her chin toward the boy next to her: "Give him a drink too, put it on my tab."

Seeing the boy's confused look, Lu Yilan smiled back, pointed to the extinguished cigarette in the ashtray, and said, "I apologize to you."

The boy seemed a little flustered, but he didn't refuse, and whispered "thank you."

Lu Yilan had only seen the boy's profile before, and it wasn't until they were talking face to face that she realized he was much more handsome than she had imagined.

His features were exquisite, as if sculpted by an artist. His nose was high but not overly sharp, with smooth lines that were just right. His upper lip had distinct peaks, and his lower lip was full. His lip color was like rose petals that had been touched by moonlight.

The most striking feature was undoubtedly her pair of amber eyes, so clean and without a trace of impurity that one couldn't help but wonder—with such pure eyes, its owner should be sitting at the piano composing elegant music, so why would she come to a bar, a place full of worldly affairs, to drown her sorrows?

After the young man served her wine, Lu Yilan did not presume to strike up a conversation. She simply touched hands with him lightly and then drank her wine, immersing herself in the soothing and gentle music.

Two complete strangers sat side by side, so close yet their hearts seemed to be gazing at each other from a great distance.

The boy had already drunk quite a bit, and after finishing the Margarita in front of him, his eyes were already a little glazed.

"Check, please." His voice was low and hoarse, filled with weariness.

After paying, the boy left the bar and staggered away.

Lu Yilan looked in the direction the boy had left and saw the lonely figure walking down the street at night.

Are you leaving already?

They didn't say hello or offer to leave their contact information.

What a strange person. Lu Yilan thought to herself.

...

The next day, Lu Yilan came to the bar as usual after finishing her work.

Here, she saw the boy with amber eyes again.

He was still sitting in the same spot as yesterday, this time without drinking. He was very sober, glancing around from time to time as if searching for something.

It wasn't until Lu Yilan stepped into the bar that the boy's wandering gaze finally found its focus.

The boy stared at her for a while, somewhat lost in thought, but quickly realized that such direct staring was impolite, so he looked away and gave a shy smile.

"What a coincidence." Lu Yilan greeted him with a smile and naturally sat down next to him.

The bartender behind the counter said jokingly, "He's been sitting here since we opened, waiting for you for hours. He said he accidentally drank too much yesterday and forgot to thank you when he left, so he came here today specifically to say thank you."

Lu Yilan was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, then laughed irritably, "No, have you considered what if I don't come today? Are you going to wait until tomorrow?"

"Uh...I...I didn't think that much about it." The boy scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly.

Lu Yilan took the drink menu from the bartender and said generously, "What would you like to drink? It's on me."

"Oh no, you treated me yesterday, so I'll treat you today." Before Lu Yilan could speak, the young man quickly said to the bartender, "Two Margaritas, and add extra salt to hers."

After saying that, he seemed afraid that Lu Yilan would snatch it from him, so he hurriedly paid the money, looking rather cute with his awkwardness.

Lu Yilan gave a short laugh, not acting coy like a little girl, but instead revealing her mature and sophisticated side, generously giving him the opportunity to show her affection.

"By the way, Lu Yilan." She extended her hand to the boy, "I still don't know your name."

"Oh, my name is Chen Moxin." The boy quickly took Lu Yilan's hand and introduced himself.

"Your name is so beautiful."

"You too."

As the two chatted, the bartender placed the ashtray in front of Lu Yilan as usual.

Lu Yilan waved her hand at him: "No need, I've quit smoking."

"Hmm?" The bartender asked, somewhat puzzled.

This lady is a regular customer, so he remembers some of her habits very clearly.

Putting everything else aside, she was still smoking yesterday.

"You quit smoking? When did you quit?"

Lu Yilan casually rested her chin on her hand, her beautiful eyes smiling as she looked at Chen Moxin: "Five minutes ago."

Five minutes ago, that was the time when Lu Yilan encountered Chen Moxin again at the bar.

The meaning is quite clear—you don't like the smell of smoke, so I'm going to quit smoking for you.

The bartender suddenly realized what was going on and looked at Chen Moxin with a gossipy expression. The latter seemed a little flustered, and her face unconsciously turned red.

After the wine was served, Lu Yilan took the initiative to start a conversation.

"You seemed quite drunk yesterday, was something on your mind?"

"Yeah, I'm heartbroken."

"Oh? What kind of woman has such poor taste that she'd kick a handsome guy like you to the curb?"

"I was the one who broke up with her. She cheated on me... We had already finished decorating our wedding house and bought the diamond ring, when I suddenly discovered she had another man outside the marriage, and being with me was just an order from that man... Sigh..."

"Oh my God..."

This was so terrible that even Lu Yilan was somewhat shocked.

"If I met a boyfriend like that, I would fight him to the death with a knife."

"Sigh, let's not talk about her anymore... By the way, what do you do?"

"Haha, you're already starting to pry into my privacy?"

"No, no, no... It's okay if it's inconvenient to say... I was just asking casually..."

Seeing Chen Moxin's face turn red and she stammer, Lu Yilan was amused by her appearance. She took a sip of wine and said calmly, "I work in the nightlife industry."

"Nightclub..." Chen Moxin muttered these two words.

Lu Yilan waved her hand: "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not that kind of hostess. I'm just part of the atmosphere team, occasionally having drinks and chatting with guests, and then leaving after the event."

"Oh..." Chen Moxin asked with concern, "Doing this job requires drinking every day, won't that be bad for your health?"

Lu Yilan habitually took out a cigarette pack from her bag, but she only glanced at it before throwing it into the trash can, her eyes full of vicissitudes: "There's no other way, I have to support my family."

“My father passed away early, and my mother is getting old. We still don’t own a house. I don’t want my mother to not even have a place to live comfortably in her old age, so I have to work my hardest to earn money to buy a house.”

At this point, she gave a wry smile: "Don't you think it's shameful for a woman like me to work in nightclubs?"

Chen Moxin quickly shook her head, her eyes clear, and said, "No, it's not shameful to not steal, rob, or break the law. Besides, you did it for Mom. I think everyone who fights for their parents is great."

Lu Yilan's lips curled up slightly. She blinked, and her beautiful face slowly moved closer to Chen Moxin, her gaze beginning to carry the unique aggressiveness of a mature woman.

She stared intently at Chen Moxin, whose cheeks were flushing red, as he drew closer and closer...

She stopped just as their noses were about to touch.

She reached out and gently wiped away a white salt crystal from the corner of Chen Moxin's mouth.

"You've got salt on your skin."

That unique, mature female voice was soft and gentle, yet full of magnetism and tension, entering Chen Moxin's ears along with the light music in the bar.

That night, the two talked until very late, reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future.

They chatted until the bar closed late at night before reluctantly saying goodbye, exchanging contact information before leaving.

The next day, after getting up, the two greeted each other on their phones and chatted for a while before deciding to go to a newly opened coffee shop together.

After dinner, Lu Yilan went to work at the nightclub.

When she got off work, she saw a large crowd gathered downstairs watching a brand-new supercar.

That was the centennial edition of Mark Redding, a world-class car company. Its price in China was 4800 million yuan, making the sports cars in the vicinity, which cost several million yuan, pale in comparison.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chen Moxin leaned out of the driver's seat of the Mark Redding supercar and waved happily at her.

The young man came to pick her up from get off work without saying hello.

On the third day, the two went to see a movie together, made a handmade cake, and went to a pet cafe to pet the cats.

In the evening, Lu Yilan went to work as usual, and Chen Moxin gave her a ride.

"Go home and get some rest. You don't need to pick me up; I get off work too late," Lu Yilan said before getting out of the car.

But when she got off work late that night, she still saw Chen Moxin downstairs.

Chen Moxin was holding a thermos containing a warm ginger and pork tripe soup, which she had made herself for her.

For the next two days, Lu Yilan took time off to rest at home. The two only kept in touch on their phones, chatting about the fun they had shared a few days ago.

Later, the conversation extended to her past romantic relationships. Lu Yilan said that she was busy with work day and night and hadn't had a boyfriend for a very long time.

When asked about her criteria for choosing a partner, she said she hopes he is gentle, understanding, and preferably younger than her.

On the sixth day, Chen Moxin drove Lu Yilan out for a picnic, and the two happily played in the bright spring sunshine all day.

On their way back that evening, Chen Moxin said to her earnestly, "Yilan, quit your job at the nightclub. It's too tiring. Don't do it anymore."

Lu Yilan jokingly retorted, "If I quit my job, will you support me?"

Chen Moxin's gaze was clear and without any impurities. Looking into her eyes, he said deeply, "I'll take care of you."

At that moment, the carriage fell silent.

"Stop the car," Lu Yilan suddenly said.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Lu Yilan opened the door and got out.

She walked around to the driver's side and kissed Chen Moxin's cheek through the car window, her eyes and voice filled with lingering sadness: "Thank you for these past few days. I've never been so happy. I really like you too."

"But I've thought about it carefully, and we're not a good match. You're too innocent; a woman like me, a woman of the night, is not worthy of you."

"Let's not contact each other anymore. Forget about me. You deserve a better girl than me."

After saying that, she disappeared alone into the thick of the night.

That evening, Chen Moxin was unilaterally deleted from Lu Yilan's friend list.

Late on the seventh night, Chen Moxin waited for Lu Yilan outside the nightclub as usual, holding the same ginger and pork tripe soup as before.