Liu Yanbo and Ji Ruyan didn’t speak anymore and smoked in silence. Although they sat together, it felt as if they were both in different worlds.
The drinking competition finally ended. The winner smiled drunkenly and the audience applauded in congratulations.
In a bustling bar full of colorful lights and tasty drinks, it was easy for people to run away from the problems they felt they were unable to be free from themselves.
But in the end, they would always have to sober up.
Ji Ruyan rubbed her eyebrow with the corner of her finger and laughed. She said: ”Fortunately, I’m not a white swan.”
Liu Yanbo was a lonely person and lonely people tended to be more aware of reality.
“But you definitely aren’t a toad either.” Liu Yanbo puffed another cloud of smoke and smiled. “Sorry, I think I went a little off-topic. Anyways, Boss Ji, why are you interested in me?"
"Many days ago, I met up with a brother from Beijing. He asked me if he could 'borrow' 20 of my people." Ji Ruyan sighed. "Never have my people ever lost so badly. When they came back, they told me that they were beaten without even a chance to strike once!"
The world really was small.
Ji Ruyan didn’t say the name of the brother from the capital but besides Liu Fei, who else could it be?
No one knew the strength of those 20 or so thugs brought by Liu Fei better than Ji Ruyan. They were some of her strongest men.
But half of those men were still lying in hospital beds and they all believed that their opponents were extremely merciful.
Ji Ruyan was the queen of Haishi city’s underworld but there were others who sought her place. She needed to consolidate her position and enhance her power so that there was no way anyone would dare to take it away.
When Ji Ruyan saw that some of her strongest men were defeated, she needed to find out who Bai Bin and his team were. But she couldn’t find even a little bit of information about them. Even her connections in the police weren’t able to help and instead tried persuading her not to get involved.
Although Bai Bin’s rank wasn’t particularly high, he was part of a very important military unit. Any information about them was strictly classified. If anyone leaked information, they would face tremendous consequences.
Although she couldn’t investigate the team that beat her men, Liu Fei informed her about a person associated with them, a person called Liu Yanbo.
After Liu Yanbo finished drinking the last bit of wine left in his bottle, he asked with a lukewarm smile: “So you’re looking to recruit talents?”
Ji Ruyan nodded. She poured some wine in her glass, then passed her bottle to Liu Yanbo and said: "But that’s not important anymore. At first, I was 90% sure that you would agree, but now I don't even have 10% of certainty, so I plan to give up."
He was a toad that didn’t desire a swan. Ji Ruyan couldn't think of any other way to make him one of her people.
Ji Ruyan raised her wine glass and smiled. "We’ll just be two people that happened to meet. But now, let’s drink together."
If it were anyone else, Liu Yanbo would naturally agree. But Ji Ruyan wasn’t just anyone, she was Lin Xue’s boss.
Liu Yanbo slightly narrowed his eyes, looking into Ji Ruyan's eyes, he cautiously asked, "Boss Ji, I really hope you don't try finding other methods to make me reconsider. I have to ask, have you ever had any thoughts about involving my little sister in this?"
"Aren’t you thinking too much?" Ji Ruyan met Liu Yanbo's gaze and her eyes became as cold as ice.
Liu Yanbo gave a friendly smile and didn’t speak.
According to rumors, Ji Ruyan was a hard-hearted and unscrupulous person, who would do anything to achieve her goals.
Liu Yanbo didn't know whether these rumors were true or not. And exactly because he was unsure of its truthfulness, it was better to be safe than sorry. He couldn’t afford the risk.
But maybe it would have been better if Liu Yanbo didn’t say anything.
Ji Ruyan was a little angry. After she made a decision, he dared to express such distrust to her. In this whole city, this bold taxi driver was the first one to do so.
The two stared at each other in silence and no one gave in.
Liu Yanbo's eyes were solemn and calm. There was a faint smile in the corners of his mouth as if he was indifferent about all this.
Ji Ruyan's eyes became even more aggressive and there was even a hint of threat in her gaze. She looked very domineering.
Anyone could see that the atmosphere between the two was not normal.
The two security guards in charge of guarding Ji Ruyan glared at Liu Yanbo. One of them made a gesture with his hand and the two security guards standing close to the stairs immediately ran over.
The four security guards clenched their fists and slowly walked towards Liu Yanbo.
“Bang!~” Suddenly, there was a sound of someone knocking over a table. The sound came from the bar’s entrance, accompanied by sounds of foul language.
"You f*******..." A man who was watching the stage was suddenly pushed from the back, and he cursed when he turned around.
“Ah!” Before he could finish speaking, the angry man was kicked over by a bald man in a white vest. The man groaned in pain as he fell backward and knocked down a table. The wine glasses and bottles all fell to the floor and shattered in the impact.
A young man wearing a white shirt led a dozen bald men in white vests. The bald men crudely pushed the crowd away from their path and walked towards the round table.
The young man in white held a small flower basket in his hands. Inside the basket were white paper flowers.
“Snake beauty! Today is such a big day, isn’t it? But you forgot to send me an invitation.” The young man in white pushed away a security guard who was blocking his way, he then walked to the round table and put the flower basket on the table. "Nevertheless, your Long brother came uninvited. You should be very welcome!"
The security guards in Tianshui Bar quickly gathered together to block the bald heads. The two sides pushed and shoved, each side not letting the other advance.
"Xue Long, what are you doing here?" A middle-aged man jumped up, pointing at the young man in white.
“I’m here to give my congratulations with flowers, can’t you see?” Xue Long slapped the middle-aged man's hand down and sarcastically said: “Uncle if your eyes have a problem, it’s better to stay quiet, so as to not be embarrassed.”
"You..." The middle-aged man clenched his fists.
"Uncle, don't do anything impulsive." Ji Ruyan got up and coldly said, "Xue Long, do you really have to cause a scene?"
Xue Long waved his hands and said, “Oh, I wouldn’t dare. I just came as a representative to talk to you.”
Xue Long noticed Liu Yanbo and looked very surprised. "Yo! I heard that you never let anyone sit at this table, especially men. Why the sudden change?" After looking at Liu Yanbo’s face a bit more, Xue Long said again: "But this kid is too ordinary-looking, don’t you think? He’s not even half as handsome as your Long brother. Even if you are short of men, can’t you find something better than this?"
“Whichever man I sit with has nothing to do with you.” Ji Ruyan grabbed the flower basket and threw it to the ground and then fiercely said: “If you have something to say, say it then get lost!”
Ji Ruyan's compromise made Xue Long very satisfied. With a prideful smile on his face, he walked towards Liu Yanbo and arrogantly said: "You heard that, boy? Hurry up and get off of my seat."
Liu Yanbo got up slowly, all eyes in the bar gathered on him at once. A trace of anticipation lingered in Ji Ruyan's heart.
But what Liu Yanbo usually brought to others wasn’t hope.
Liu Yanbo gave way and smiled. "Okay. I was feeling like going to the bathroom anyways."
The colorful lights in the bar trembled and in Ji Ruyan’s fierce eyes was a flash of disappointment.
Ah… It sucks to not have friends!
you made your own bed
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