Chapter 0572: Nightingale

Tan Kaixuan greeted the waitstaff and the bar manager with the ease of a regular; clearly, he was a frequent patron here, practically a VIP-level customer.

What could you do? In his early twenties, young and wealthy, not bad-looking, with exceptional conversation and demeanor—a man like that was hot property in places like bars and nightclubs.

At the very least, Zhao Fusheng noticed several beauties casting sidelong glances at Tan Kaixuan after they walked in.

"Come on, have a drink with me today," Tan Kaixuan said, pulling Zhao Fusheng along and chuckling softly.

He knew Zhao Fusheng was a man of extraordinary self-discipline, rarely visiting such places; if not for his own bad mood today, he probably wouldn't have come either.

In truth, Zhao Fusheng hadn't planned to come at all; he just wanted to find a place to drink and chat with Tan Kaixuan.

It had to be said, some people were naturally suited to certain scenes—it was an innate talent that others simply couldn't match. Just as Zhao Fusheng always disliked the clamor of bars, Tan Kaixuan thrived here like a fish in water.

"Go for it, there are plenty of beauties today," Tan Kaixuan said to Zhao Fusheng with a grin.

Zhao Fusheng gave a wry smile and shook his head helplessly; he wasn't here for fun.

Or rather, he had passed the age for seeking pleasure.

If he were twenty years younger, maybe he'd be interested in such things, but his mental age was nearly fifty; when it came to picking up girls in bars, he mostly just smiled without comment, feeling no anticipation or excitement.

"What's the matter, no one catches your eye?" Tan Kaixuan pressed on when Zhao Fusheng didn't respond.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand and leaned in to whisper, "I'm not interested. You'd better deal with your own issues."

With that, he patted Tan Kaixuan on the shoulder and followed the waiter to the booth they'd reserved, leaving Tan Kaixuan standing there, looking especially forlorn.

"Sir, what would you like to drink?" the waiter asked, leading Zhao Fusheng to the booth Tan Kaixuan had booked, a full smile on his face.

Tan Kaixuan had been coming here often lately; the bar staff knew he was generous, young, and wealthy, so they naturally showed great respect to his guests.

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly. "Just a glass of water for me."

"Water?"

The waiter was taken aback; it was the first time he'd heard of someone coming to a bar and ordering nothing but water, not even a soft drink.

"Yes, just a glass of water," Zhao Fusheng said calmly.

Since he was at the bar, he'd just drink water.

When Tan Kaixuan walked over, his shock was completely uncontrollable; he stared at Zhao Fusheng with his mouth agape and gave him a thumbs-up. "Bro, I'm in awe. You're something else!"

The waiter had just told him that Zhao Fusheng had ordered only a glass of water. Hearing this, Tan Kaixuan was both surprised and not surprised, because over the past year or so, Zhao Fusheng was indeed capable of such things—after all, a man who insisted on reading and studying every day, no matter how busy or tired, had that kind of self-control.

"It's nothing. I just don't like drinking," Zhao Fusheng said flatly.

Then he scanned the room, taking in the decor, and said to Tan Kaixuan, "Looks like a big crowd tonight."

"Yeah, mostly new students who've just started school; they all like to come here to have fun," Tan Kaixuan explained.

"I see." Zhao Fusheng nodded and didn't ask further.

Though he didn't understand the ins and outs of clientele here, he knew marketing. The place was close to the university, in a good location, and the decor was trendy—naturally it would attract a lot of young people. And where there were young people, a nightclub's business would thrive.

Sure enough, before long, Zhao Fusheng saw groups of young people streaming in, both men and women, though mostly women. The bar's hall, spanning several hundred square meters, quickly filled to capacity, with people on both floors.

Multicolored neon lights flashed, accompanied by pounding music, making it impossible not to sway.

"How about it, want to go down and have some fun?" Tan Kaixuan asked Zhao Fusheng after ordering a few bottles and taking a few sips.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head, signaling for him to go ahead.

Tan Kaixuan didn't insist and went down on his own, soon dancing cheek-to-cheek with a few beauties on the dance floor.

"This guy..." Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly. Tan Kaixuan's flirting skills were probably maxed out; he was like a walking hormone, attracting beauties wherever he went.

In that regard, whether in this life or the previous one, Zhao Fusheng was full of admiration.

But admiration was one thing; he could never be as freewheeling as Tan Kaixuan.

Maybe everyone just had different values.

Sitting there watching the crowd writhing on the dance floor, Zhao Fusheng's mind was utterly calm, without a single stray thought. It was a feeling of being sober while everyone else was drunk—indescribable, yet undeniably real.

Soon, after dancing for a long time, Tan Kaixuan returned, drenched in sweat, and dragged Zhao Fusheng to the restroom.

When they came out, a girl suddenly blocked their way.

Frowning, Zhao Fusheng was about to speak when he noticed the girl's eyes were fixed on Tan Kaixuan.

Taking a closer look, Zhao Fusheng realized she was one of the girls Tan Kaixuan had been dancing with. She wore heavy smoky-eye makeup, was quite pretty, and would be considered an outstanding beauty anywhere, though she was a bit heavy on the makeup, giving off a slightly worldly air.

The girl exchanged a few words with Tan Kaixuan and pointed in a direction. Zhao Fusheng looked over and saw a table with five or six girls—some plump, some slender, all dolled up, a dazzling sight.

"Old Zhao, some friends over there invited me for a drink. Want to come sit for a bit?" Tan Kaixuan walked over, slinging an arm around Zhao Fusheng's shoulder.

Zhao Fusheng frowned, then smiled. "You go ahead. I'll pass."

"Don't be like that. If I go alone, they'll eat me alive." Tan Kaixuan wouldn't hear of it, tugging at Zhao Fusheng and refusing to let him leave.

"Hey, handsome, come have a drink with us," the smoky-eye girl said, glancing at Zhao Fusheng and walking over with a smile.

Clearly, she wasn't interested in Zhao Fusheng; she was just inviting him out of courtesy to Tan Kaixuan.

Tan Kaixuan chimed in, "Yeah, you'd just be bored sitting alone. Come on, keep me company."

With a sigh, Zhao Fusheng had no choice but to follow them toward the flock of chattering girls.