She had initially thought the young girl in front of her was joking; but quickly, she heard the sound of an iron gate scraping against the floor behind her, emitting a creaking noise.
"It seems something's not quite right."
*
Upstairs at the bar.
Since the central figure, Guo Cui'e, had drunk and let her guard down, the atmosphere of celebratory joy became increasingly intense.
A drunken blush crept up onto every woman's face, and their topics became more unrestrained.
A group of women, on average still considered young, gathered in a setting with like-minded company—what topics could they chat about?
A girl joking with her close friend soon had them both laughing heartily, leaning back and forth with laughter.
After a while, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, unbuttoned her collar, and sighed.
"So hot..."
"It's time to let off some steam."
Her friend teased beside her.