In the second-floor private room of the Meise bar, a few wealthy young men were selecting hostesses to accompany them.
The lights flashed, and the music thudded deafeningly. A heavy mixture of cigarette smoke and alcohol filled the air, inducing a slight intoxication.
Qin Kai sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, his gaze sweeping wantonly over the line of women standing before him. He glanced at Mu Tingxiao, who sat in a dim corner, unable to tell whether the man was drunk or simply resting his eyes with them closed.
"Tsk tsk, the quality here isn't much to write home about."
Fang Cheng, sitting beside him, chuckled. "Oh, come on, Grand Young Master Qin, stop being so picky. All the top beauties of Meise are right here. If you keep picking, I'm afraid the only ones left will be men."
Qin Kai smiled mysteriously, picked up a glass of red wine from the coffee table, and chuckled, "I'm not the picky one—didn't you notice our Young Master Xiao has zero interest?"
"This..." Fang Cheng was left speechless; indeed, Young Master Xiao hadn't cast even a single glance at them.
Just then, a girl wearing a black bodycon dress with her long hair draped over her shoulders entered the private room carrying a tray of drinks. Her face was aloof and mysterious, seeming somewhat out of place in the noisy environment.
Yet no one knew that ever since Jiang Beibei had stepped into this private room, her heart had been trembling.
She had an introverted personality and was not good at socializing; if she hadn't come out for a part-time job on the weekend because the pay here was high, she would never have worked as a waitress here.
"Oho, this chick is nice—just the type Young Master Xiao likes." Qin Kai's eyes lit up as he pointed at Jiang Beibei, who was squatting down to place the drinks on the table.
When Fang Cheng heard this, realizing this was an opportunity to curry favor with Young Master Xiao, he looked her up and down. Indeed, this girl was much more appealing.
"Come here, keep our Young Master Xiao company. Make Young Master Xiao happy, and there will be no shortage of perks for you tonight."
Jiang Beibei frowned deeply and glanced at the man sitting on the dim sofa. The lighting was far too dark, making it somewhat difficult to make out his face.
Yet Jiang Beibei knew that the man certainly wouldn't look ugly.
"Excuse me, Young Master Fang, she's a waitress here and doesn't do hostess work," the bar manager quickly stepped forward to say.
Qin Kai didn't say anything, but Fang Cheng believed that anyone working as a waitress here couldn't be all that pure.
"I asked her. Get out." Fang Cheng looked at the bar manager with a gloomy expression, his mood clearly looking foul at the moment.
Jiang Beibei glanced at the manager, knowing that these young men in the private room were likely rich and powerful scions, and not wanting to make things difficult for the manager, she looked at him and nodded.
Manager Tan had no choice but to lead the remaining waitresses out.
"I don't drink alcohol." Jiang Beibei looked at Fang Cheng. Her eyes were so clear that anyone who saw them would inevitably be drawn in.
"What the hell are you pretending to be a pure and unyielding maiden for when you're working as a hostess here?" Fang Cheng simply couldn't stand this type of woman. He filled a glass with wine, leaned back against the sofa, and said, "Drink this up, and you won't have to drink anymore tonight—just keep Young Master Xiao company."
Jiang Beibei looked at the red wine on the coffee table, knowing that the man was deliberately making things difficult for her. She remained silent for a long time before finally picking up the red wine and draining it in one breath.
Yet no one noticed that Mu Tingxiao, who had been sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, was currently experiencing a nightmare. At that instant, his head felt as though it were about to explode.
When he opened his eyes, his gaze was cold and filled with remorse. Sweat covered his forehead, and his mouth tasted bitter and dry.
"I drank it—I finished it."
A familiar voice rang in his ear. He looked at the familiar yet strange figure in the center of the private room, his gaze fixed on that face he had spent every waking moment with, and felt his heart pound violently.
Caring little about where he was, he got up, took two or three strides over to Jiang Beibei, and pulled her tightly into his arms.
"Beibei..."
Jiang Beibei felt as though the bones in her entire body were about to snap. She struggled, pushing hard against the man who was inexplicably holding her.
"Beibei, Beibei, don't leave me, don't die." Recalling the moment of Jiang Beibei's death, Mu Tingxiao felt an unbearable agony. He would not let go; he had long since been unable to live without her.
Hearing the man's pleading voice, for some reason, Jiang Beibei felt a momentary pain in her heart.
"It hurts."Lost in his own hallucinations, Mu Tingxiao heard that soft and familiar voice and, realizing he had hurt the person in his arms, quickly relaxed his grip. Yet his hands remained tightly around her waist, preventing her from going anywhere.
Everyone around them was stunned by this sudden turn of events, and the entire private room instantly fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard.
Qin Kai was the first to snap back to reality. He hurried forward and said, "Master Xiao, so you know this girl?"
For a fleeting moment, Fang Cheng panicked. Seeing the way Mu Tingxiao was holding the woman, he remembered that just moments ago, he had forced that very woman to drink. Having offended the crown prince of the capital circle, he figured he probably wouldn't last much longer in this circle.
Unwilling to let go of the woman in his arms, Mu Tingxiao pulled her over to the sofa and sat down, making Jiang Beibei sit right on his lap.
Jiang Beibei's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't seen clearly before, but now that she was close up, she realized this man wasn't he Senior Mu Tingxiao?
Mu Tingxiao rested his head on Jiang Beibei's shoulder. He needed to figure out where he was and what on earth was going on.
He remembered holding Jiang Beibei's corpse and rushing into the fire to die, and besides, his legs had been paralyzed for more than a decade.
Yet just now, he had instinctively stood up and walked right over to Beibei's side. Could it be... that he had been reborn?
He glanced around: the private room, the drinks, Fang Cheng, Qin Kai, and the girl in his arms.
This was the night at the Meise bar when he first met Beibei in his past life. He glanced down at the uniform the girl was wearing—yes, it was the outfit of a bar waitress.
"Mu Tingxiao, this girl..." Qin Kai was burning with curiosity. He and Mu Tingxiao hung out together almost every single day; how could he possibly not know this girl?
Mu Tingxiao's eyes turned somewhat cold as he said in a flat voice, "Jiang Beibei, my girlfriend.""Ah? When did you..." Qin Kai was so shocked he could have swallowed a whole ox, but what surprised him most was the way Mu Tingxiao was looking at him right now. There was not a shred of warmth in that gaze—it was far too cold.
Meanwhile, Fang Cheng, realizing he had offended Shao Xiao's girlfriend, was shaking so hard his legs were trembling beneath the coffee table.
He could only pray that the girl wouldn't blame him. Wealthy as the Fang family might be, compared to the Mu family and the Qin family, they were simply not worth mentioning.
Listening to the man's low, sexy voice right beside her ear, a voice that made her ears tingle, Jiang Beibei couldn't help shrinking away.
Mu Tingxiao withdrew his gaze from Qin Kai and kissed the girl's blushing earlobe. "Beibei, don't hide from me."
*—Beibei? What is wrong with this senior?* She thought to herself, *We really aren't that close.*
Jiang Beibei mentally complained. She was just taking on a weekend part-time job, so how on earth did she end up entangled with Mu Tingxiao?
Mu Tingxiao was a household name at Q University, known by everyone. His family had both money and power; calling him a second-generation political heir or a wealthy second-generation heir was no exaggeration.
Even so, his academic abilities were among the absolute best in the school. He was polite and approachable, making him the object of adoration for countless senior and junior female students.
Feeling somewhat awkward in his embrace, Jiang Beibei said softly, "Um, Senior—no, wait, Shao Xiao, I..."
"You've been drinking?" Mu Tingxiao caught the scent of alcohol on her breath and used both hands to turn her around so she was facing him directly.
"..."
Jiang Beibei was somewhat speechless. If she drank, it was only because rich people like them had forced her into it.
Yet seeing his tightly furrowed brows and knowing he was angry, she quickly lowered her head and didn't dare speak another word.
Mu Tingxiao cast a cold glance at Qin Kai and Fang Cheng, his icy gaze finally locking onto a guilty-looking Fang Cheng.
Seeing this, Fang Cheng hurriedly stammered, "I'm sorry, Shao Xiao. I—I didn't know she was your girlfriend. I—I thought she was a hostess here at the bar, which is why I asked her to stay and keep you company..."
His voice grew softer and softer until, by the end, he didn't dare say anything at all.
Mu Tingxiao's eyes were simply too cold, as if he were about to kill him.