Chapter 2: A Father’s Fury and a Bartender’s Gambit

(TL Note: From now on female pronouns will be used for the MC)

Xia Zhiquiu rested one hand on the table, tapping it without a discernible rhythm, her gaze scrutinizing the young man seated opposite her.

“Xiao Hao, you and Xia Wei are both in your final year of high school, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be prioritizing your studies right now? After all, you’ll be taking your university entrance exams soon.”

Her words, though polite, conveyed an unmistakable message.

Having worked as a bartender for so long, Xia Zhiquiu had encountered all sorts of people.

The nonchalant, almost dissolute attitude in the eyes of this blond-haired youth before her hardly suggested genuine affection for Xia Wei; he seemed nothing more than an unaccomplished delinquent.

She certainly wouldn’t allow her daughter to be led astray by such a shiftless young man.

Were it not for Xia Wei’s presence, she would have directly told him to stay away from her daughter.

Hearing her father speak this way, Xia Wei grew anxious, for when it came to academics, Bai Hao’s grades were indeed quite poor.

“Dad, Bai Hao and I genuinely like each other, so it absolutely won’t affect our studies.”

Xia Zhiquiu shot her daughter a stern look upon hearing her words. ‘This foolish girl, she’s practically counting money for the person who sold her out, isn’t she?’

“Xia Wei, don’t say another word.”

With that, she turned her piercing gaze back to Bai Hao.

The young man, however, merely offered a faint smile.

“So, Uncle, are you trying to break us up? Wouldn’t such a cruel act be like breaking up a pair of mandarin ducks?”

Xia Zhiquiu paused, a complex mix of emotions stirring within her, yet she persisted.

“You’re both still too young; there’s so much you don’t understand. Moreover, do you even know the difference between ‘like’ and ‘love’? I’m doing this for your own good!”

Bai Hao, hearing her words, simply raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? But I heard Xia Wei say that Uncle isn’t married yet, right? So you must not understand either. What makes you think we don’t?”

Xia Zhiquiu was instantly speechless. She blinked, feeling as though an arrow had pierced her, her spirit taking a critical hit of ten thousand points.

‘Damn it, are all these brats so sharp-tongued these days?’

At this, Xia Zhiquiu cast aside all reservations, adopting the stern authority of an elder.

“In any case, I absolutely will not agree to the two of you!”

“Xia Wei, you’re coming home with me right now. And you are not to have any contact with him ever again, understand?”

Seeing this, Xia Wei anxiously protested.

“Dad, you can’t do this…”

However, Xia Zhiquiu gave the girl no further chance to speak, pulling her hand and rising to leave.

Before departing, Xia Zhiquiu didn’t forget to cast a warning glance at the young man. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somewhat dangerous.

Bai Hao watched the ‘father and daughter’ arguing as they left, only retracting his gaze after a long moment, a fleeting crimson gleam flashing in his eyes.

Yet, this glint vanished as quickly as it appeared, too brief to be easily noticed.

“Interesting, truly interesting…”

He had merely sought a girl to be his girlfriend out of boredom, intending to experience the joys of romance, but even this led him to encounter a persistent Ghost Exorcist. (TL Note: A practitioner who deals with supernatural entities, often spirits or ghosts)

***

Meanwhile, back at their home, by the time Xia Zhiquiu brought Xia Wei back, the girl had stormed into her room, slamming the door shut in a fit of pique.

Witnessing this, Xia Zhiquiu couldn’t help but sigh.

‘A daughter grown up is no longer hers to keep,’ she mused. Now her daughter was actually throwing a tantrum at her for the sake of an outsider.

Pondering this, Xia Zhiquiu felt even more displeased with the blond-haired youth and promptly called her daughter’s homeroom teacher.

As dusk gathered, Xia Zhiquiu estimated the time was right and approached her daughter’s bedroom door, knocking gently.

“Xia Wei, I know you’re still upset about what happened today, but anger aside, you still need to eat.”

“Dad has already prepared dinner and left it on the table. When you get hungry later, just warm it up before you eat. I’m heading off to work now.”

Having said her piece, Xia Zhiquiu then turned and left the house. Half an hour later, she arrived at Starflame Bar, her current place of employment.

Due to her transformation into a woman, she had specifically changed her ID and even switched from her previous bar.

In this new place, no one knew her past; they only knew that a very beautiful female bartender had arrived.

Moreover, Xia Zhiquiu only worked until midnight; after that, she had other matters to attend to.

She had expected today to be like any other, where she could simply work until closing time, save for the occasional flirtatious customer.

The very next moment, however, Xia Zhiquiu spotted a familiar figure entering the bar.

Perhaps it was his youthful innocence that made him seem utterly out of place amidst the bar’s patrons.

‘Bai Hao? Heh, just as I thought, a bad student.’

Xia Zhiquiu was startled at first, then found herself thinking it was only natural.

Watching the young man approach her, she decided against deliberately trying to conceal her identity.

After all, her current appearance was vastly different from her daytime self; even if he harbored suspicions, she could easily brush them aside.

“Big sister, have we met before?”

Yet, no sooner had this thought crossed her mind than the young man stood directly before her, asking flirtatiously.

Although Xia Zhiquiu had no desire to engage with this brat, a customer was a customer, so she replied.

“My dear guest, I believe we haven’t met. Also, we don’t serve alcohol to minors here.”

Hearing this, Bai Hao gazed at the mature and alluring woman before him. Dressed in a black suit jacket, she still couldn’t conceal her impressive figure.

Her slightly wavy long hair cascaded down her back, and even her beautiful, cool eyes exuded a mature allure. Coupled with her red lips, she appeared utterly captivating.

From the moment he stepped into the bar, he had noticed this woman. More precisely, he found her aura incredibly familiar, exactly like the man he had encountered that afternoon.

This greatly astonished him; how could a man suddenly transform into a woman? It made Bai Hao momentarily doubt if he had guessed incorrectly.

Now, however, he was certain: this woman was the father of his nominal girlfriend from that afternoon!

‘Tsk, so it’s a mom after all. How thrilling.’

In an instant, an endless fascination welled up within the young man, for this woman harbored far too many secrets.

With this thought, he pulled out his ID card, shaking it lightly.

“I’m an adult, you know. Big sister can’t kick me out, can she?”

Hearing this, Xia Zhiquiu rolled her eyes internally, but managed to force a smile.

“Of course not. So, what drink would you like?”

“Well, it’s my first time at a bar. Big sister, could you recommend something?”

Bai Hao stared directly at her, speaking with an air of utter innocence.

Xia Zhiquiu, seeing the young man’s face at this moment, was immediately reminded of his attempt to ‘kidnap’ her precious daughter, and her annoyance grew unbearable. She instantly decided to play a trick.

“Then how about a Long Island Iced Tea? It tastes strong, but the alcohol content isn’t actually that high.”

This, of course, was a lie. While the drink had a pleasant taste, its after-effects were potent, making it a notoriously intoxicating cocktail.

But Xia Zhiquiu simply wanted to see if this kid would actually drink it.