"Yeah, I'm from the class of '25. Astronomy major. It was hard to find a job after graduation, so I bounced around for a few years before ending up as a bartender. What about you?" Fina asked.
"Computer Science. I originally wanted to go into civil engineering, but thankfully, my high school teacher talked me out of it," Zhou Chen replied, sounding somewhat relieved.
He thought about his former classmates who were probably still up at this hour, slaving away on some construction site, and felt a sincere wave of gratitude for his old teacher.
"You're really lucky, then. I wish someone had been there to talk some sense into me," Fina said with a wistful sigh.
As they chatted, she took out half a lime and squeezed its juice. She then placed mint leaves and sugar in a glass and muddled them, releasing the mint's aroma. Next, she grabbed a bottle of rum from the liquor cabinet, uncorked it, and poured a measure into a jigger. Finally, she filled the glass with crushed ice and topped it with soda water.
The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water. In less than two minutes, a Mojito sat before Zhou Chen.
"Thanks."
Zhou Chen lifted the glass and took a sniff. The refreshing scents of mint and lime mingled, creating an invigorating and crisp aroma.
As he took a sip, he felt the coolness of the mint and the richness of the rum spread across his palate. The perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour drink went down smoothly, giving him the same refreshing satisfaction as an ice-cold cola on a summer day.
"My skills aren't too shabby. A few of the big bars held a bartending competition last time, and I took first place," Fina said with a smile. "How does it taste?"
"It's amazing. This is the best drink I've ever had," Zhou Chen praised without reservation, lifting the glass for a few more sips. Inwardly, however, he was puzzled.
'Why hasn't she made her move yet? Is she waiting for something?'
'Or has she already started? Could the drink be the medium she uses for control?'
'No, if it were the drink, the Intelligence Department would've definitely found out. Don't tell me I'm not her type?'
Just then, a few patrons who had just finished dancing came over to the bar, ordered drinks, and started joking around loudly.
"Excuse me for a moment," Fina said, turning to serve the other customers.
While sipping his drink, Zhou Chen casually glanced around, looking for Yang. He found him almost instantly.
It was hard not to. He was just too easy to spot.
The cramped booth was packed with gorgeous, scantily clad women. Yang had his arms around two of them—a sophisticated woman in black stockings to his left and a bombshell in a miniskirt to his right. On his lap sat an innocent-looking girl in a Japanese-style school uniform. A charming smile played on his ruggedly handsome face. Whatever he was saying to them, it periodically sent them into fits of delicate, flirtatious laughter...
Zhou Chen's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
'How the hell did you manage that? You've only been here a few minutes and you've already hooked up with this many women?'
'You're just blatantly enjoying yourself on the company's dime, aren't you??'
'Punishment! He must be severely punished!'
At that moment, Yang sensed his gaze and raised an eyebrow slightly, as if asking a question.
Zhou Chen took a breath and gave an almost imperceptible nod, indicating that he was fine and that Fina hadn't used her Ability on him yet.
After receiving the reply, Yang nodded back subtly and went back to laughing and joking with the women.
'Looks like if he weren't on a mission, he'd definitely be in for a wild night.'
'It's hard for me to trust you when you're like this...' Zhou Chen desperately wanted to rub the bridge of his nose, but he held back to avoid arousing suspicion.
A few minutes later, Zhou Chen finished his drink but still felt like he could have another. Coincidentally, Fina had just finished with her other customers, so he raised his glass and said with a smile, "Could I trouble you for another? I'll pay this time."
"Another Mojito?"
"I don't really know much about these things. Why don't you recommend something?"
"Hmm—"
Fina thought for a moment. "—How about a Long Island Iced Tea, then? This one's on me, too."
"Oh, I couldn't. Let me pay for it," Zhou Chen declined.
"Ah, it seems you really don't know anything, do you?" Fina looked at him with an enigmatic smile.
"What?" Zhou Chen looked completely confused.
"Because a Long Island Iced Tea has such a strong kick, it's also known as a 'get-you-in-bed' drink. So, in just about any bar in the World, there's this unwritten, unspoken Rule."
Fina propped her elbows on the bar and leaned in close to Zhou Chen with a smile. "When a woman buys a man a Long Island Iced Tea, it means she wants to... go on a date with him."
"A-A date..." Zhou Chen's face was a picture of shock and shyness. He broke into an embarrassed smile, perfectly portraying the surprise and excitement of a young man having an unexpected romantic encounter.
He didn't even have to act. All he had to do was get into character a little, and the rest came naturally.
"I-Isn't this a little fast? I don't even know your name..."
"Fina," she said with a bright smile. "Fina Blanch. And you?"
"Yang Chenfei," Zhou Chen replied.
Fina smiled warmly. "Let me guess. You're here because you've got a case of post-graduation anxiety and wanted to find a way to blow off some steam, right?
You feel lost about your future after graduation, not knowing what to do with the long life ahead of you. The thought of working a job where you do the same thing day in and day out with no hope in sight makes you panic, anxious, and restless. Am I right?"
'Sorry, but I've actually already landed a cushy, stable job with great benefits...' But for the sake of the mission, Zhou Chen just pursed his lips and nodded.
"Yes..."
"A lot of people here are like that. They build up too much stress in their daily lives, so they come here to let it all out."
Fina leaned in a little closer, her voice intimate and a pleasant fragrance wafting from her. "I can't make any promises about anything else, but for tonight, at least, I can make you forget all your troubles."
Zhou Chen's Adam's apple bobbed. His face flushed red as he stiffened and leaned back slightly, his eyes darting away, unable to meet her gaze.
"W-Wait... let me think about it..."
"Well, you'd better think fast," Fina said with a smile. She didn't press the issue, straightening up to serve another customer nearby.
Zhou Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted his glass and sipped the last drop or two of his drink, looking distracted, as if internally wrestling with whether or not to accept her offer.
It was all an act.
After that intimate exchange with the red-headed beauty, if he hadn't been wearing the D-394 Concentration Necklace, his mind would definitely be running wild right now. After all, how could a hot-blooded twenty-year-old guy possibly resist this?
But now, under the side effects of the D-394 Concentration Necklace, he felt absolutely nothing in response to Fina's advances. He was like a saint in Sage Mode, completely devoid of such worldly desires.
What puzzled him, though, was why Fina hadn't used her Ability yet, even after making such a direct invitation.
'Wait a minute...' A sudden possibility occurred to Zhou Chen.
'Could it be that, in Fina's eyes, I'm the type of guy who's an easy conquest?'
'The kind who doesn't even require her to use her Ability? The kind she can just lure away with a few words and a bit of flirtatious suggestion???'