Chapter 2 Same as Ever!
Hua City is a third-tier small city in Huaxia, located in the northern part of Jiangnan Province!
At this moment, night was slowly falling, and the entire Hua City was brightly lit, appearing tranquil and serene amidst the secluded Night Color.
Phoenix Bar is a rather famous bar in Hua City!
Right now at the entrance of Phoenix Bar, car after car pulled up, and groups of enthusiastic young men and women kept getting out, eager to revel in the festivities!
And unlike many of those who arrived by car, at this moment, a young man with his hands in his trouser pockets, leisurely approached the entrance of Phoenix Bar!
He was wearing a white T-shirt on top, and a pair of bleached jeans below. Right now, he lifted his head to glance at the flashing neon sign above the bar's entrance, a faint smile forming on his lips!
He was none other than Hao Jian!
Hao Jian wasn't concerned about the job interview at Shu Ya Group during the day.
He had only returned from abroad not long ago, and presently, he was attending four to five interviews a day. Being turned down had become commonplace for him, and he was well accustomed to it!
But now, his purpose for coming to Phoenix Bar was straightforward: it was to pick up women!
Thinking of this, Hao Jian couldn't help but reveal a sly grin, then, with his hands in his pockets and whistling, he walked into Phoenix Bar!
As soon as he entered the bar, blasts of heavy metal music thundered in his ears, deafening!
The wild rhythm of the music seemed as though it could ignite every nerve in the body, rapidly bringing one into an ecstatic state!
Hao Jian surveyed the scene, only to see men and women writhing wildly under the neon lights, and on the dance platform, scantily clad nightclub girls were dancing provocatively!
Throughout the bar, the aroma of alcohol, the scent of women, and the odor of hormones were drifting and blending, stimulating every nerve!
Hao Jian's glance swept over the sultry figures of the various women in the bar, and then, with a nonchalant smile on his lips, he headed straight for the bar!
"Sir, what would you like to drink?"
As soon as Hao Jian reached the bar, the bartender behind it immediately asked with a professional smile.
"Give me a bottle of American Everclear!" Hao Jian snapped his fingers, gave a slight smile, and sat down as he spoke.
However, upon hearing his words, the bartender was evidently startled:
"Sir, did you just say a glass? Or a bottle?"
The bartender could hardly believe his ears, knowing that American Everclear is one of the world's top ten strongest liquors, with an alcohol content of ninety-five percent, nearly the same as pure alcohol!
Moreover, American Everclear is mostly bottled in 750 milliliter quantities, which is the equivalent of about one and a half pounds. If converted to erguotou—a strong Chinese liquor—it's practically the alcohol content of nearly three pounds of erguotou!
And this guy...
Thinking of a single person consuming the alcohol equivalent of three pounds of erguotou, the bartender couldn't help but shake his head vigorously:
"I must have heard wrong! Definitely, I heard wrong!"
The bartender suspected that his recent excessive indulgences were causing auditory hallucinations!
Meanwhile, Hao Jian was unaware of the bartender's thoughts, and with a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth, he said:
"You didn't hear wrong, a bottle! A bottle of American Everclear!"
Gah!
At Hao Jian's words, the bartender was completely dumbfounded!
He stared blankly at Hao Jian; if it weren't for the earnest look on the guy's face, the bartender would even suspect he was being played with!
"Sir, are you really intending to order this kind of drink? Its alcohol content is ninety-five percent, it can literally kill people!" the bartender couldn't help but ask one more time!
Yet, Hao Jian became somewhat impatient and immediately took out his wallet, pulling out a stack of money and placing it on the bar:
"Is this enough?"
"Enough! Enough!"
Seeing that the other party had made up his mind, the bartender could only take the money and then took out a bottle of American Everclear from the very bottom of the liquor cabinet!
Hao Jian looked at this bottle of American Everclear, smiled faintly, and then opened the cap, pouring a fierce gulp directly into his mouth!
A burning sensation trickled down his papillae, through his throat, and finally into his stomach. The fiery, spicy sensation made Hao Jian feel exhilarated:
"Great liquor! Still the same taste!"
At this moment, the bartender was even more dumbfounded. He saw that with that one gulp, Hao Jian had downed a third of it!
A third of the American Everclear is equivalent to the alcohol in a jin of Chinese grain liquor called Er Guo Tou!
And this guy did it in a single swallow!
Gurgle!
The bartender swallowed hard, his eyes nearly popping out; he knew he had encountered a tough customer today!
Hao Jian paid no attention to the bartender's shock; after so many years, he was no longer surprised by such gazes!
At this moment, after taking another sip of liquor, Hao Jian patted his pocket, took out a pack of seven-yuan-a-box Red Double Happiness cigarettes, drew one out, 'snap' lit it, and then took a deep drag!
Smoke billowed out; in this moment, Hao Jian, illuminated by the neon lights, exuded a strong aura of mystery!
His gaze was somewhat hazy, as if he had returned to the days when he was dominant in the dark underworld, sweeping through the four forbidden zones!
"Where's my drink? Uh… where's my liquor?"
Just as Hao Jian was engulfed in memories of the past, a drunken female voice came from beside him!
The woman's voice was extremely pleasant, like the call of a oriole, although it was a bit slurred at the moment. Nonetheless, the timbre seemed to resonate with the heartstrings!
Hao Jian was startled and turned to look, finding a young woman drunkenly sprawled on the bar next to him!
In front of this woman were several empty bottles, clearly having drunk a lot, and her pretty face was flushed, very tempting. Her unfocused eyes were scanning the bar as if searching for her drink!
The moment Hao Jian saw the woman's pretty face, his eyes lit up!
The delicate features seemed carved by the gods, perfect and flawless. Her snowy skin bore a faint flush of alcohol, like a peeled egg, without a single blemish to be found!
While Hao Jian's gaze was drawn to the young woman, she hazily snatched up Hao Jian's bottle of Everclear and fiercely guzzled a mouthful!
Damn!
Hao Jian was somewhat dumbstruck, not expecting this stunning woman, who seemed almost angelic, to actually snatch his drink.
Just as Hao Jian was considering whether to warn the young woman, she had barely swallowed the liquor when her cheeks suddenly turned red, and her throat convulsed!
'Pff'!
The alcohol in her mouth sprayed out instantaneously, and unfortunately, it went right in Hao Jian's face!