Qin Sitong was a Dijing native, after all, so she had heard some rumors about Sheng Yang and his friends.

They were members of the four great families, so their every move was always under scrutiny.

No matter what they did, someone was always there to post gossip about it right away.

"They’re all from Dijing, and you are too, so you’ve probably heard their names somewhere before.

Don’t worry about it if you can’t remember. We’re here to have fun, so don’t overthink things."

Yun Zijin didn’t think it was right to tell Qin Sitong the truth about Sheng Yang and the others’ identities, so she just brushed it off with a vague excuse.

Fortunately, Qin Sitong wasn’t the type to press the issue. Since Yun Zijin said so, she didn’t ask any more questions.

"Come on, everyone! A toast to my bar’s grand opening!"

Seeing that Yun Zijin had arrived, Sheng Yang stood up, raised his glass, and got everyone to toast together.

"Cheers!"

Su Mengyao was the first to respond, though the drink in her hand was just a low-alcohol fruit wine.

Yun Zijin also picked up the fruit wine in front of her and raised it for the toast.

Qin Sitong didn’t know what was going on, but she followed Yun Zijin’s lead and raised her glass of juice.

"Congratulations on the opening! Cheers!"

Li Yue Xuan and the others, wanting to show Sheng Yang respect, all raised their glasses in response and downed their drinks in one go.

"We’re all friends here. Pour your own drinks, grab your own food. If you want something that’s not here, just ask a server and order it yourself.

If you want to sing, just pick your own songs. I’m not going to play host for every little thing."

After the toast, Sheng Yang sat back down, grabbed some snacks from the table, and started eating.

"Siting, do you want to sing? Let’s go pick some songs!"

Su Mengyao, worried that Qin Sitong might feel awkward, proactively went over to talk to her.

They were the only three girls there, and since Qin Sitong was a new friend Yun Zijin had brought along, Su Mengyao felt it was her duty as the oldest of the three to look after the two younger ones, Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong.

However, she wasn’t worried about Yun Zijin, so she focused all her attention on Qin Sitong.

"You guys go ahead and pick first. I... I’ll just watch for now."

Qin Sitong was a bit reserved. She felt like this was someone else’s party, and it would be rude for her to rush to pick a song.

"You’re not feeling shy, are you? Don’t worry about the details. The guys are all busy playing games and drinking. We can just do our own thing."

Right after the group toast, Sheng Yang and the other guys had started a card game.

The boys had ordered a case of champagne and were now in high spirits, showing no intention of singing at all.

"That’s right, we’ll do our own thing. Don’t worry about them."

’It wouldn’t matter even if we got drunk. We could just call Lu Yunque and the others and have them arrange for someone to come pick us up.’

’Worst case, Yun Zijin’s bodyguard is here. Nothing bad will happen.’

"Then let’s pick one together."

Seeing that Sheng Yang and his friends really weren’t going to sing, Qin Sitong finally relaxed and started picking songs with Yun Zijin and Su Mengyao.

The three girls got together and quickly queued up a bunch of songs they all liked.

Inside the private room, the boys and girls seemed to be in two different worlds, clearly divided yet strangely harmonious.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!! KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!"

Just as everyone was absorbed in their fun, an anxious knock came from outside the door.

They could faintly hear someone talking outside, but the door was so well soundproofed that it was impossible to make out what was being said.

Yun Zijin gave Zero One a look, and Zero One immediately got up to open the door.

"Boss! Boss, there’s trouble!"

The moment Zero One opened the door, the voice of the person who had been knocking flooded in. Sheng Yang immediately put down his cards and hurried over.

"What’s wrong? Someone’s causing trouble? Didn’t you tell them this is my turf?"

Although Sheng Yang didn’t hold a position at the Sheng Group, Sheng Hao was his biological older brother. Anyone who knew of the Sheng Group would be wary and show him some deference upon hearing his name.

It wasn’t out of respect for Sheng Yang himself, but for the Sheng Group and his brother, Sheng Hao.

"I did, but... but they said... they said they were here specifically to trash your place."

Those words made it clear they were here to provoke him.

Sheng Yang’s eyes blazed with fury. It was the bar’s very first day of business. If these people successfully caused a scene, he’d probably have to shut the place down.

He didn’t care if he lost money—at worst, he could just go home and work for his brother. But Sister Yun had invested three million. If that money went down the drain, he’d be too ashamed to ever face her again.

"Who’s the one leading them?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Sheng Yang asked the server who had come to warn them as he walked.

"He didn’t say, but he has a head of dyed-blond hair, shifty eyes, and looks like a total hoodlum."

Hearing the server’s description, a particular person came to Yun Zijin’s mind.

But she hadn’t seen the person yet, so she couldn’t jump to any conclusions.

"Let’s go take a look first. To dare cause trouble here, they’re either morons or they came prepared."

The fact that Sheng Yang had opened a bar was no secret in their circle. It was entirely possible that someone had gotten word and come specifically to wreck the place.

The group quickly went down to the first floor. The space was divided into two opposing factions, separated by a gap wide enough for two people to walk through. The leaders of each side were glaring at each other, the atmosphere was taut with tension, and a fight could break out at any moment.

"Zijin, this... They’re not going to fight, are they?"

’Brawls in bars were a real thing. If someone brought a weapon like a knife or a club, there could be bloodshed, or someone could even get killed!’

Qin Sitong’s legs felt a little weak. She never expected to run into something like this on her first visit to a bar.

"It’s okay. Stick close to me. Even if a fight breaks out, you won’t get hurt."

’Since I’m the one who brought her here,’ Yun Zijin thought, ’I’m responsible for her. I won’t let her get dragged into this.’

"I know! I’ll stick right by you!"

Qin Sitong knew her own limits. Yun Zijin had a bodyguard with her; staying by her side was the safest place to be.

"Meng Yao, you shouldn’t get too close either. We’d better stay out of things like this."

If she had a choice, Qin Sitong thought, it would be much safer for them to just stay in the private room on the second floor.

But since both Yun Zijin and Su Mengyao had come down, Qin Sitong didn’t dare stay in the room by herself and could only follow them.

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. This is just a small scene. Sheng Yang and the guys will sort it out in no time."

After all, Su Mengyao was part of their circle and had seen all sorts of situations. Trashing a place was an old trick that people had been pulling for ages.

Given the Sheng Family’s status in Dijing, even if those people were here to cause trouble, they wouldn’t dare go too far.

If they really didn’t know their place, President Xiaosheng would teach them a lesson in minutes.

Qin Sitong didn’t understand all these intricacies, but Su Mengyao spoke with such confidence that she believed her.

She felt much more at ease, but she still stuck close to Yun Zijin’s side.

Only within the protective circle of the bodyguard could she truly feel safe.