In this world, Chi Liu loved his family first, regardless of whether they were related to him by blood, and his work second, even if he often had to work night shifts.

He couldn’t be more satisfied with his peaceful and happy life.

Few customers were in the bar on a perfectly ordinary, quiet afternoon. Fine rays of sunlight sprinkled through the spotless glass windows, casting the shadows of plants on the floor.

Several adorable little girls sat in a row on the bar stools, comfortably holding juice or warm milk.

The young female teacher sat beside them, looking in one direction.

In her line of sight, a tall young man stood behind a girl, his well-defined hands gently gathering the girl’s black hair, carefully braiding it, and tying it up with a cute hair tie.

He was wearing the vest and shirt that bartenders most often wore. The black vest accentuated his slender waist, as if it could be encircled with a single grasp. A black apron was tied around it, and a pair of long legs was beneath it.

His black hair was neatly combed back, revealing a fair and smooth forehead. Beneath his beautiful brow bones, his long, thick eyelashes were slightly lowered, and his clear amber eyes looked gently at the girl.

“Uncle,” the girl said in a childish, coquettish voice, “I’m playing Elsa, and I want to wear a crown~”

Chi Liu’s eyes curved as he hummed in agreement, picked up the small crown beside him, and gently placed it on the girl’s hair.

  Next, the second and third little girls needed to have their hair braided and styled.

 Time flowed quietly, but Chi Liu did it patiently and meticulously, always with a gentle smile on his lips, braiding each girl’s hair beautifully and uniquely.

  When they were all done, the girls politely thanked him, and the girl wearing the crown affectionately hugged the young man: “Uncle, remember to come see our play tonight~”

 Chi Liu smiled and said “okay” in a doting voice, before thoughtfully sending the teacher and the girls to the car parked outside – his niece and these little girls were all young actors at the children’s school. Ever since he once braided his niece’s hair, they would always come to him before their performances.

He was happy to do these things for them.

After seeing them off, Chi Liu returned to the bar, carefully washing the fresh fruit, wiping the wine glasses, and placing tongs in the refrigerated section.

Turning around, he bumped into several heads poking out from the kitchen – they were the bar’s employees.

 Chi Liu: “?”

Employee 1: “The boss is so good-looking and so gentle, no wonder so many people are chasing after him~ Your future baby will be super happy~”

Chi Liu was stunned, his face turning completely red in an instant. He blinked and continued to work, saying, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Employee 1 excitedly said, “The boss is shy again!” and was then dragged into the kitchen by Employees 2 and 3. The peak of their business was at night, so they had to prepare a large number of ingredients in advance.

Before long, the wind chimes rang, and the bar welcomed its first afternoon customer.

Chi Liu skillfully crafted a flawless “death in the afternoon^[1]t/n: Death in the Afternoon is a classic cocktail made with absinthe and Champagne, famously invented by Ernest Hemingway. The drink shares its name with Hemingway’s 1932 book about Spanish … Continue reading” using absinthe and champagne. He grasped the base of the champagne flute, ready to set it on a tray for the customer.

 Until this moment, Chi Liu thought it was just another ordinary afternoon.

The sunlight streaming through the bar’s glass windows was bright, and the road was bustling with pedestrians and vehicles; everything felt peaceful and serene.

In the next moment, the bar floor shook violently, causing the bar and wine cabinet to tremble. The neatly arranged wine bottles clashed against one another, producing a buzzing sound. The large chandelier overhead flickered unexpectedly, emitting an ominous “crackling” sound.

Chi Liu’s pupils shrank, and he immediately pushed away the customer who was also beneath the chandelier. Then, with a “bang,” the chandelier fell, aimed directly at his head – but just before it actually fell, time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Amidst the crackling sounds, Chi Liu watched in disbelief as his hand slowly disappeared, like a line being erased by a rubber.

A moment later, with a loud crash, the chandelier completely fell to the ground, and Chi Liu’s figure was no longer in this space.

Before his eyes went black and his consciousness completely disappeared, Chi Liu finally released the “death in the afternoon” that he hadn’t had time to put down.

…

Time seemed to have passed only a minute, or perhaps a hundred years.

Chi Liu felt like he had fallen out of nowhere, and something cold had entered his mouth. He subconsciously wanted to spit it out, but the jelly-like thing had already melted in his mouth and slid down his throat.

After what felt like an eternity, Chi Liu slightly parted his rosy lips and weakly opened his dazed eyes in a bed – an unusual sweetness filled the air. He wondered if he was dead. Had he been crushed to death by a chandelier?

So the scene of his disappearance just now was a hallucination before death?

The hallucination seemed to be continuing. He now seemed to see the crystal chandelier on the ceiling covered with long, light blue, transparent tentacles. The excessively long, sticky tentacles were densely intertwined and drooped to the ground in a manner that was both sanity-draining and visually striking, flowing with a light blue mucus. One of the tentacles seemed to have just left his side.

The owner of those tentacles was clinging to the center of the chandelier, its round, light blue, transparent body floating, with many eyes all rolling around curiously, staring at him…

The most central eye seemed to be closed.

 The moment it made eye contact with him, the creature seemed frightened and stiffened; even its eyes were trembling slightly.

Chi Liu blinked slowly, thinking—its overall appearance was like a poisonous box jellyfish, but it was a little timid.

He blinked again, and the “box jellyfish” had disappeared entirely.

Now, Chi Liu finally confirmed that this was indeed a hallucination before death…

It’s just, why is it so hot when he’s dying…

 His body was as soft as a puddle of water, but his throat was parched. The heat seemed to thicken his blood, flowing through his body with a strong sense of presence, but he couldn’t find an exit…

 At this moment, the death in the afternoon finally belatedly followed its owner into this space, the mouth of the glass facing down. The cold, milky white liquid poured over its owner’s head, the empty flute champagne glass falling with a “thud” beside the owner’s face, which was soaked in wine and flushed an abnormal crimson…

Messy black hair stuck to his forehead, and spicy wine accumulated in his eye sockets, flowing down his cheeks and into his mouth along his soaked lips. Chi Liu unconsciously swallowed, his tongue full of the bitter fragrance of absinthe and the rich fruity aroma of champagne. Even his nasal cavity was filled with the smell of alcohol…

Even though the wine was cold, he appeared to be even hotter and more uncomfortable…

…

At this time, two male voices were talking outside the door, not far away.

 A young man said, “You’ve already knocked him out, right? Well done, Xiang Xiang. Leave the rest to me.”

The other was a teenager, speaking slowly and awkwardly: “Okay.”

The young man rustled as he fiddled with something like a body bag, muttering, “I really don’t understand these NPC starlets nowadays, they’re so bold as to sneak into President Chu’s room and climb into his bed. For President Chu’s good, I’m knocking him out and taking him away. President Chu just returned from a business trip and overtime, and he swallowed a large batch of players he hates the most, so he’s in a bad mood. He’s not socialized enough, so if he accidentally kills this NPC, he’ll get into a murder case.”

“Little Xiang, you’re new here, so you don’t understand. There are so many rules here that it’s troublesome. It’s not easy being a secretary.”

Little Xiang swallowed, his face still wooden, but a large puddle of light blue saliva flowed from his mouth: “Players, delicious.”

Secretary Wen twitched his lips: “Delicious and President Chu hating players and hating overtime aren’t contradictory.”

He had already opened the body bag and laid it out as he spoke. He was about to take out the room card to open the door, but his movements suddenly stopped.

A handsome man in a suit, with an unusually handsome face, emerged from the elevator at this time, walking towards them with a strong sense of foreboding. His pupils were cold, and he wore a smile that was devoid of emotion, the curve as perfect as a mannequin from the uncanny valley.

The man stood smiling by the door. The moment he swiped the room card, his movements paused, and his dark pupils suddenly narrowed, the edges faintly tinged with a blurred scarlet.

Secretary Wen’s scalp tingled, and he quickly explained, “Um, an NPC starlet is climbing into bed inside, boss. I’ll take care of it right away.”

The man tilted his head to look at Secretary Wen, his strange smile unchanged, and his magnetic voice filled with distortion: “What is climbing into bed?”

In order not to make his boss angry, Secretary Wen dutifully and euphemistically explained (distorted): “Um, it’s just that this NPC is fascinated, obsessed, and haunted by you, losing himself and making crazy moves to get close to you, trying to get even a moment of your attention and pity—”

He silently added the phrase ‘—to mate with you’ in his mind, then put his hand on the handrail: “Boss, I’ll get him out of here now—”

The man: “He’s my fervent believer?”

Secretary Wen’s face was blank for a moment: “…?”

The man’s scarlet eyes now seemed to have turned into blood, flowing heavily into the darkness of the room through the crack in the door. His distorted voice sounded low and cold again: “Very fragrant.”

Secretary Wen was stunned, and his hair stood on end: “Um, boss, we generally don’t eat NPCs—”

 Before he could finish speaking, the man had already elegantly stepped into the room and slammed the door shut.

 Secretary Wen: “…”

At this time, Xiang Xiang tugged at Secretary Wen’s sleeve, lowering his head and saying awkwardly, “I’m sorry, I think I made a mistake. I have too many hands, and I always mix up their effects. The tentacle I fed to the good-looking NPC in the room doesn’t seem to be a sedative…”

Secretary Wen: “…Then what is it?”

Xiang Xiang’s wooden and innocent little face lowered even further, and he said guiltily in a small voice, “A strong aphrodisiac.”

Although it doesn’t matter if the person who took the drug doesn’t do anything, they will just be uncomfortable for one night, and the drug will automatically wear off the next day.

Secretary Wen, who was about to break down: “…”

Xiang Xiang lowered his head even further, his voice barely above a whisper: “I’m really sorry, please don’t kick me out…”

Secretary Wen sighed heavily.

…

Inside the room.

In the thick, sticky darkness, Chi Liu raised his soft, weak hand and struggled to loosen his tie. He unbuttoned his vest, revealing a messy white shirt underneath. The hem of the shirt was tucked into his black trousers, outlining his slender and undulating waist and abdomen, and the seams of his clothes revealed fair, glowing skin…

 His lips were slightly parted, and his flushed, moist face unconsciously rubbed against the bed sheets. His soft fingers trembled as he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and his slender, white neck strained against his messy clothes, revealing delicate collarbones and a hint of pink. His beautifully protruding Adam’s apple trembled in the darkness like a fledgling bird…

Suddenly, he heard an unmistakable and discordant footstep beside his ear…