An eighteen-year Macallan was already pretty expensive. Sherry cask, too. One bottle cost three to four thousand yuan. And that was if you had your own source. Order one at a bar, and it'd only be pricier.

Generally speaking, alcohol at a bar cost much more than buying it yourself. That was especially true for certain vintages, special casks, or very rare liquors. The price could easily multiply several times over.

While wondering if An Ning had come here just to boost her sales, the maid slowly tore off the seal and twisted the cork free.

Pop—

A crisp, pleasant sound.

To old drunks, the sound of a cork being pulled seemed to carry some special meaning. Kind of like how, in the heat of summer, cola had to be an ice-cold canned Pepsi.

That was what it meant to have soul.

The maid poured two glasses. She handed one to An Ning and kept the other in front of herself.

An Ning raised her hand and lifted her glass toward the maid. But the maid gave her an apologetic, embarrassed smile and pointed at another glass nearby.

“Sorry, I can't right now... I still have to finish mixing another guest's drink. Could you wait a little?”

She lowered herself completely, and her expression was as sincere and faultless as ever. Just like before, she was still so perfect, so effortlessly graceful.

But why... why wouldn't you even call me An Ning?

An Ning thought gloomily. She nodded, then picked up her own glass and threw it back in one go.

Gulp, gulp, gulp. Bitter liquor slid down her throat, and her heart ached.

She drank with tragic resolve.

But the maid seemed not to notice at all. She kept mixing drinks without even glancing sideways.

Even Jiang Xiaobai, sitting nearby, was starting to find it hard to watch.

She thought An Ning had a cold, hard-to-approach aura. But judging from An Ning's expression and the maid's reaction... it really felt like something had happened between them.

Had one of them loved and left? Had they once been in love, only for it to fade? Or was this just one-sided longing that could never be fulfilled?

In an instant, the girl mentally pieced together a grand, heart-wrenching, melodramatic romance full of love and hate.

She held her cup and drank water while secretly observing An Ning.

But the longer she watched, the stranger it felt. Had she seen this older sister somewhere before? Why did she look so familiar?

Then it hit her. Wasn't this the other maid who'd been working as a server in the bar a few days ago?

Oh.

Now this was getting interesting.

As the girl guessed at what kind of relationship the maid inside the bar counter had with the older sister outside it, her headache only got worse.

Outstanding people were like lights in the dark. They naturally attracted moths nearby. And the maid was very outstanding, so the girl saw people sit by the counter almost every day, trying to flirt with her. Tall, short, fat, thin, men, women, young, old—everyone. Looking at it that way, she was more than just a light. She was basically a magnet, drawing in everyone regardless of age or gender.

Of course, that included Jiang Xiaobai herself.

The girl thought silently, set down her cup, and sighed.

So having someone you liked be too outstanding was a kind of torment too.

...

There were more and more customers in the bar, and business grew livelier. But there was still only one bartender the whole time—Jiang Jiu. On top of that, she was also doubling as a server, so naturally she could barely keep up.

She had to mix drinks, deliver them, refill water, and sometimes run to the back storage room when they ran out of base liquor.

The worst part was that she couldn't reveal her identity as The Witch in front of ordinary people. So she had to do everything herself, constantly weaving between the counter and the booths... Luckily, the maid could cast enhancement magic on herself. Otherwise, Lilith, that black-hearted boss, might've worked her to death already.

Even a production team wouldn't dare drive a donkey this hard.

Still, the bar's business hours weren't that long. And the place was small, so it couldn't hold that many customers. Jiang Jiu could just barely keep things under control.

At two in the morning, the bar closed. The customers had mostly left and gone home. The lively bar fell quiet once more. Smiling, the maid saw off Jiang Xiaobai, who had stayed until the very end, then returned inside and casually shut the door.

But An Ning was still sitting at the counter.

She still hadn't left. The bottle in front of her was already nearly half empty.

The physique of an Other was far stronger than a human's. Their livers broke down alcohol faster, so generally speaking, their tolerance was much better than a human's. Half a bottle was only light drinking for An Ning.

But right now, perhaps she wished... it would've been better if she weren't an Other.

That way, she could've gotten herself drunk nice and easily.

A lot of people went crazy after getting drunk. But whether someone was really drunk or not, only they themselves knew. So where did all those drunken confessions come from? Maybe they were just pretending, using drunkenness as an excuse to say things they'd never dare say sober.

How much of it was real drunkenness, and how much had been planned all along?

An Ning didn't know. She only felt like she had drunk too much now... no, she definitely had.

She lifted her head and looked at the maid walking slowly toward the counter. Narrowing her eyes, she swayed as she stood up.

Today, An Ning was wearing a fitted black sweater, gray wide-leg suspender pants, and a pair of simple thin heels. Since the weather was cold, she'd thrown on a camel-colored trench coat before leaving home.

Short hair. Bright red lips. A trace of weariness in her brows and eyes. The fitted black sweater outlined her figure with ruthless clarity, making her look full and soft. Ever since the last Witch's Night, her style had grown more and more severe. Now she no longer looked like an inexperienced girl, but more like a powerful career woman in a high position...

Of course, maybe she looked even more like a resentful wife.

In any case, this resentful woman pushed herself up with a hand on the counter and walked toward the maid.

She stopped the maid from slipping behind the bar, stared into her eyes, and said softly,

“Drink with me.”

It sounded like an order, but it was probably more of a plea.

The maid glanced at her and smiled politely.

“Sorry, miss, the bar is already closed. If you'd like a drink... you can come back tomorrow.”

There was a strong note of formal courtesy in her voice. There wasn't the slightest sign she was targeting An Ning in particular—and that was exactly why it felt targeted.

At least, An Ning felt targeted.

She felt wronged. Then she suddenly remembered what that Lady Witch had said to her that day.

She'd said Jiang Jiu was a scumbag. A bad woman. Back then, An Ning hadn't believed it. But now, she was starting to doubt.

And she was starting to get angry.

So An Ning stepped forward. One step, then another, forcing the maid back against the wall.

A kabedon.

Smack—she planted one hand against the wall, then lowered her head and looked down at the maid from above. And only then did she suddenly realize that Jiang Jiu was actually rather petite. It barely matched the tall back she'd remembered from the day Jiang Jiu came to save her.

And she'd changed her hairstyle too.

She was probably getting used to this body by now. Lately, Jiang Jiu had even had the leisure to braid her hair. Starting with the simplest style, she'd tied it into a long ponytail that hung all the way down her back.

That made her look even younger. She was still a bad woman, but she'd gone from fully mature to suspiciously underage-looking.

Honestly, that kind of change made people... really want to bully her a little.

A straightforward bad woman only made people keep their distance. She looked too intimidating. But someone like the maid felt cute instead. She was petite, her face looked young, and her skin was smooth and soft. A little girl's body, but with the soul of a bad woman inside.

Like a cat.

Like a ragdoll, a Persian, or an Egyptian cat. Always noble, aloof, and untamable. Even in front of their own owners, they never gave an inch. They were spirits favored by everyone.

And yet, in front of humans, they still had almost no room to resist. So no matter how noble or aloof they were, they'd still end up pinned on the bed, ears rubbed, belly petted, tail tugged.

The colder they were, the more they stirred a person's desire to conquer. The worse they were, the more people wanted to bully them, just to hear them meow and beg for mercy.

An Ning's eyes lit up.

Something dormant inside her—an instinct, or maybe just her nature—was awakened. Her eyes turned into vertical pupils.

With one finger, she tilted up the maid's chin and looked at her clear tea-brown eyes, pale cheeks, and long black lashes like raven feathers.

“I said, drink with me.”

An Ning ordered.

Forced to tilt her head up and meet her gaze, the maid slowly let out a breath. But then her eyes suddenly shifted to An Ning's shoulder, looking past her.

“Lilith?”

she said softly.

An Ning froze. She felt a guilty panic, like she'd been caught stealing someone else's girl, and instinctively loosened her hold on the maid. But the maid had already used her smaller frame to slip easily out of An Ning's embrace.

Naturally, Lilith wasn't behind An Ning at all. That call just now had only been a delaying tactic.

It had worked. And An Ning understood that she probably wouldn't be able to catch this little cat again now that it was on guard.

The maid returned to the bar with elegant ease, took out her Enchanted Wand, and directed every glass and bottle in the bar, along with the broom, mop, and trash can, to begin a full cleanup.

Only after freeing up some time did she pick up a towel. As she casually wiped a glass, she said to An Ning,

“The bar's already closed, so why aren't you going home to sleep, miss?”

Her tone was calm. Her expression was composed. It was as if nothing had happened just now.

An Ning gritted her teeth and clenched her fists—not because she was trembling with rage and about to throw hands, but because she felt the maid was just too much of a scumbag.

“Turning your back on me now?” she couldn't help asking. “Can you stop being so polite to me, Jiang Jiu?”

“Hm?” The maid made a perfectly timed look of surprise. “Then what kind of attitude do you want from me, An Ning? Weren't we never really anything to begin with?”

“From the start, I was only the bartender at this bar, and you were my customer. I just happened to save your life in the middle of that... Other than that, we don't seem to have any other relationship, do we?”

“We've barely even spoken a few times, right?”

“...”

An Ning suddenly realized she had no way to refute any of that.

Because it was all true.

She felt a little powerless. Her lips moved, but not a single word came out.

In the end, it was as if she gave up. Lowering her head, she said in a broken voice,

“...At the next Witch's Night, I'll represent the Others and fight for ownership of Witch's Night.”

“It's dangerous. I might die in there. If I can come back...”

“Then I'll come find you for a drink again.”

After saying that, she turned and left the bar.

And so everything returned to silence.

[To be continued]