510. The Party Will Eventually End
The next day happened to be the weekend, and Ning Chu woke up early, making her way to the entrance of a quaint bar just outside of school.
Normally, bars wouldn’t open up this early in the morning, but this one had its door half ajar, with soothing music wafting from inside.
“Qian Qian~”
She pushed the door open. Behind the bar, Qian Qian was leaning over, one hand on a bottle of alcohol, her eyes slightly glazed with inebriation.
“What are you doing drinking in broad daylight?”
Seeing Qian Qian in this state, Ning Chu frowned and snatched the bottle away, placing it on a distant table.
“Ugh, I’m so annoyed.”
Qian Qian’s white cat ears drooped as she buried her face in her arms in despair.
“What’s bothering you?”
“It’s Shao Qing’s mother… She thinks I’m too old and says I’m just after Shao Qing’s money.”
Ning Chu had never heard of this drama before, but she noticed that Zhang Shao Qing did look a bit gloomy during gym class yesterday.
She thought he was just worried about his internship; little did she know his mother was causing trouble again.
“Did she really say that to you?”
“Not directly… but isn’t it obvious? She’s implying I’m just after Shao Qing’s cash!” Qian Qian, already tipsy, banged the table and angrily exclaimed, “Of course, I want his money! What’s wrong with that?!”
“Might as well, money is a definite plus! Who doesn’t like some cash? But I’ve been with Shao Qing for three years, okay? I hardly ever use his money!”
Ning Chu glanced around the small bar and cautiously asked, “So, what about this place…”
The bar had opened two years ago, and Qian Qian had quit her job at school to manage the place.
It had caused her to fail her end-of-term English exam and even forced her to retake it.
“Forget it! I’ve been running this place for ages and haven’t made a dime. I’m still paying for the utilities and rent; all my savings went into this!”
“And he’s the boss; I’m just a paid worker!”
She rested her chin on her hands, watching Qian Qian vent.
Fortunately, the entrance door swung open again.
“Morning!”
“Ning Chu! Morning!”
A hilariously energetic Husky dashed in first, followed by a cool-looking Succubus in a conservative long dress, and a Magical Girl with red twin tails.
They had planned a weekend outing to shop and watch a movie, while also discussing Xixi’s future boyfriend. Their usual gathering spot used to be the coffee shop across from the school, but after Qian Qian’s bar opened, it switched to here.
Here, they could snag free drinks, and if they visited in the afternoon or evening, they could even mooch some barbecue.
Ning Chu strongly suspected this bar was operating at a loss primarily due to their freeloading antics.
As more people arrived, Qian Qian dropped her drunken housewife act, although she still looked a bit dazed.
“Did Qian Qian drink a bit too much?”
“Get me a couple of bottles too! I’m not feeling great either!” Yan Xinya shouted.
But the others just rolled their eyes at her and resumed discussing Xixi’s affairs.
“What’s the name of the boy Xixi likes?” Qian Qian put aside her woes to ask, curious.
“I don’t have a photo of him…”
She switched her question, “How old is he?”
“Ten…” Xixi almost blurted out, her face turning beet red as she bit her tongue, “I think he’s already twenty, a bit older than me.”
Qian Qian wasn’t a Succubus, but still, they didn’t know each other that well, so when asking about age, it was usually about their actual age.
“Didn’t Xinya see him?” Ning Chu turned to the Wolf Girl beside her. “Said she met him while playing ball.”
“I want to drink too!”
She directed her question at Lily: “What’s got Xinya all worked up?”
Lily silently grabbed a drink from the fridge, took a sip, and then replied, “Her boyfriend wants to break up.”
“Huh? Haven’t they been dating for half a year? Why suddenly break up?”
Half a year ago, who knew what messed-up logic that guy had to go all out on Yan Xinya? The Wolf Girl, usually so resistant to pressure, ended up giving in thanks to all the teasing.
There hadn’t been any public disputes until now; occasionally, she would see them strolling happily around campus.
Yan Xinya slumped over the table, taking up the conversation, “I just accidentally hit him once.”
“This…”
“He wanted to touch my chest! I panicked and slammed him down!” the Wolf Girl said defiantly, “I didn’t mean to! I even apologized!”
“…”
Though she often acted carefree, she was sensitive at heart. After a past experience with harassment, she became particularly averse to physical contact with guys.
To be honest, one punch from her could floor an average person. Though Ning Chu usually treated her like a Husky, she was, after all, a big gray wolf.
“How are you ever going to find a boyfriend like this? You’ve been dating for half a year, and you’re only now holding hands. Even elementary kids have more action than you two!” Ning Chu teased.
Xixi nodded vigorously in agreement. “Right, right!”
“Maybe I just don’t like him that much?” Yan Xinya moaned, tail sweeping the ground as she puffed her cheeks in discontent. “I just couldn’t take it anymore, and with you guys egging me on, I agreed.”
Ning Chu instantly distanced herself from the situation: “I only said you should think it over more; it was Xixi urging you on!”
“I was following Lily’s lead!”
Lily looked around, her gaze landing on Qian Qian.
“Not my fault! I didn’t even know this was happening.” Qian Qian shot her a glance.
The bar fell into a moment of silence, and the girls simultaneously let out long sighs.
With internships looming, a mountain of worries came knocking at their door.
“Lily, what’s wrong with you?” Ning Chu noticed Lily was also joining them in the sighing contest.
Lily, the ice-princess disguise finally cracking, lowered her gaze, fiddling with her nails, her tone heavy with sorrow. “Next semester, we can’t hang out like this…”
“Why not? I’ll definitely stick around at school! Why rush into an internship?” Yan Xinya adopted a slacker posture.
Xixi nodded rapidly, “Exactly! I don’t want to work; Lily, take me to grad school! Let’s fly together!”
“I… might have to go to Shanghai with Wen Yang.”
Suddenly, Ning Chu felt a pang of guilt as if she was betraying her friends. She shrank her neck, muttering, “We’ll all have to go our separate ways eventually…”
“…”
She forced a smile and reassured them, “Let’s set a time to meet up every year. Like, we can spend a few days at Lily’s place, chill in the hot springs or something!”
Unknowingly, by being in this school, she had made a whole bunch of good friends.
Three years had flown by, and if it weren’t for Lily’s mention, Ning Chu would have thought they still had plenty of time to goof around. Now, it struck her that only this final month was left.
Next semester, with internships, these few friends would gradually step into society, and it would be harder to gather the crew like this again.
“Want to sip on something?”
Noticing the girls were silent, Qian Qian turned around and grabbed two bottles of liquor from behind the bar.
…
“Didn’t get stuck under the blankets, right? I’m not late, am I?”
As Zhang Shao Qing casually strolled through the bar door, he peeked inside and saw four girls slumped over the bar, lost in a daze. Even Ning Chu, who usually detested drinking, looked tipsy.
He froze in place, scratching his head in confusion, “What are you all drinking in broad daylight?”
