Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Xu Tian.

She was a New Player who had appeared in the last world. No one knew much about her, so even though they realized something was off now, they didn’t have many clues to analyze.

“Keep a close eye on her,” Jian Fan concluded.

Qin Nan and Mu Xin both nodded.

“Still, I think the one who needs to be most on guard against her isn’t us, but the old lady,” Qin Nan said. Xu Tian’s initiative to approach Qi Shuping was bound to be motivated by some ulterior motive.

Whether they would have any contact with Xu Tian next was still unknown, but Qi Shuping and Xu Tian were already linked.

“Is it possible that Xu Tian, like Jian Fan, knows about the old lady and simply wants to get under her protection?” Mu Xin proposed a possibility.

Qin Nan dismissed this idea. “Even if Jian Fan knew the old lady was powerful, he wouldn’t just rush up to her like that. Xu Tian might not have Jian Fan’s brains, but I don’t think it’s that simple.”

Jian Fan lowered his gaze.

He didn’t speak, but his mind was racing, considering what kind of scheme might be behind this. Xu Tian’s proactive approach toward Qi Shuping was definitely for a reason, but what could a Player she had never met before have that was worth scheming for? Therefore, it was highly likely she knew Qi Shuping’s identity. And if she knew her identity and was still plotting something…

Jian Fan had a bad feeling about this.

“Keep a closer watch on them,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan and Mu Xin both agreed with this.

Qi Shuping led Xu Tian and the two men around the bar for a total of five laps. Qin Nan and the other two watched her for five laps, and Qin Weiyi watched her for five laps as well. Just as everyone subconsciously assumed she would continue for a sixth lap, the old lady stopped.

She looked up at the screen in the center of the bar.

In the center, there was a stage with some instruments where a bar singer was performing. Behind the singer was a large screen playing a video that matched the music, and at the very top, there was a very prominent time display.

It was currently 11:47 PM.

“It’s almost midnight,” Qi Shuping seemed to sigh.

Qin Nan and the others didn’t hear what she said, but they all followed her gaze and noticed the time on the screen.

Was there something wrong with the time?

At this moment, even Jian Fan didn’t have a clear understanding of it.

“It’s not midnight yet. For a bar, the nightlife is just getting lively, so it shouldn’t be closing at this time, right?” Qin Nan thought for a moment before speaking.

“Midnight.” Jian Fan chewed on the deeper meaning of those words.

In thirteen minutes, it would be twelve o’clock.

“When the clock strikes twelve, Pandora’s Box will open,” Jian Fan suddenly remarked.

Before Qin Nan could ask what he meant, Qi Shuping’s group not far away began to move. Qi Shuping led Xu Tian and the other two toward the bar counter on the right.

Qi Shuping sat down at the bar, and Xu Tian and the others followed suit.

“Let’s go, we’re heading over too,” Jian Fan said, taking the lead toward the bar.

Qin Nan and Mu Xin exchanged a look and followed in Jian Fan’s footsteps.

Qi Shuping glanced at the liquor cabinet behind the bartender and looked at him with a kind, grandmotherly expression. “Young man, do you have any drinks you can recommend to an old woman like me?”

Even though the person in front of her was an NPC, Qi Shuping treated him like a normal person.

The bartender looked at Qi Shuping and asked, “Grandma, can you handle your liquor?”

Qi Shuping smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know how to drink, but since I’ve come to a bar, I should do as the locals do. Can you recommend a glass for me?”
The bartender smiled. “Then I shall mix a Bloody Mary for you, ma’am. Would that be acceptable?”

“It would,” Qi Shuping replied.

The bartender immediately brought out the ingredients, narrating as he mixed the drink. “In the mid-sixteenth century, Queen Mary I of England was ruthless. She slaughtered many Protestants in her quest to restore Catholicism. This Bloody Mary is primarily a blend of vodka, tomato juice, and lemon juice. The bright red color of the tomato juice looks very much like human blood, just like the bloody disaster Mary created back then.”

Jian Fan and the other two happened to overhear this segment as they walked over.

The three of them sat down near Qi Shuping.

Qi Shuping noticed their arrival and gave them a small smile. Afterward, she appeared to listen intently to the bartender’s story, admiring his impressive mixology skills.

The bartender placed the finished drink in front of Qi Shuping and made a welcoming gesture. “My guest, I wish you a wonderful evening.”

The glass before her was filled with a red liquid. Qi Shuping picked it up and swirled it gently. Under the lights, the flowing liquid looked like blood slowly circulating through a human body.

“A Bloody Mary. It certainly looks the part,” Qi Shuping said.

However, she only swirled the glass, showing no intention of actually drinking it.

The bartender didn’t seem to mind. He turned to look at Xu Tian and the other two. “Do you three need anything?”

The two young men each ordered a different drink, while Xu Tian shook her head.

While the bartender attending to Qi Shuping and the others was busy, another bartender soon arrived to serve Qin Nan’s group.

“What would you three like to drink?” the bartender asked.

Jian Fan spoke up. “Do you have any recommendations?”

The bartender thought for a moment. “Would you like a Manhattan, sir?”

Jian Fan shook his head. “Please give me a Bloody Mary.”

The bartender seemed to freeze for a second. “Are you sure you want a Bloody Mary, sir?”

Jian Fan nodded.

The bartender then looked at Qin Nan and Mu Xin. “And you two? What would you like?”

“Give me a Bloody Mary as well, thanks,” Qin Nan made the same choice immediately. When Qi Shuping ordered it, it had seemed like just a recommendation from the bartender, so Qin Nan hadn’t paid it much mind. But when Jian Fan wanted one too, he realized something was off.

Mu Xin made the same choice.

The bartender gave a somewhat apologetic smile. “Please wait a moment.”

With that, he walked over to the bartender who had originally served Qi Shuping. He whispered in the other man’s ear for a while and pointed toward Jian Fan’s group. The first bartender nodded.

He handed his current mixing task to the messenger and walked over to Qin Nan’s group himself.

“The three of you want Bloody Marys?” the bartender asked.

“Yes,” Qin Nan answered on behalf of the group.

The bartender smiled. “Please wait a moment.” As he spoke, he took out the ingredients one by one and began mixing for the three of them.

“Are you the only one here who knows how to make a Bloody Mary?” Qin Nan asked.

With a smile on his face, the bartender replied, “It is the drink I am best at. Most guests who come here for a Bloody Mary come specifically for me.”

Qin Nan let out a whistle, appearing very interested in the drink. “Not bad, man. Well, I’ll have to give your signature drink a proper taste then.”

Hearing this, the bartender suddenly looked up. He met Qin Nan’s gaze and flashed a somewhat eerie smile. “You must make sure to taste it thoroughly, sir.”

That smile suddenly made Qin Nan’s skin crawl.