C10 Obtaining Information

Lee Bingqian raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Sorry, I'm hardly a little girl. I'm probably older than all of you."

"What the fuck? How is that even possible? You look like you're in your twenties!" The beauty exclaimed, staring at Lee Bingqian in disbelief.

"I'm almost thirty," Lee Bingqian replied, not wanting to linger at the entrance, she promptly made her way into the bar.

Inside, the bar was bathed in dim lighting, save for a massive ball lamp suspended above the dance floor, casting rapid flashes of multicolored light that nearly blinded Lee Bingqian.

The bar was filled with women, so Lee Bingqian's entrance went largely unnoticed.

It was bustling with activity, and finding an empty seat proved challenging. After some searching, Lee Bingqian finally found one.

The bartender sent a flirtatious wink her way and inquired, "What can I get for the beautiful lady here?"

Lee Bingqian requested, "A cocktail, something on the sweeter side with low alcohol content, please."

"OK."

As the bartender prepared the drink, he noticed Lee Bingqian surveying the bar. His face remained expressionless, but suspicion was slowly creeping into his mind.

"Here's your drink."

"Thanks." Lee Bingqian didn't turn back as she took the cocktail, continuing her scan of the surroundings.

Puzzled, the bartender ventured, "Beauty, what are you looking for?"

"Ah? Nothing." Lee Bingqian turned back to her drink, halting her vigilant gaze, though her face still bore a look of deep concern.

Catching her expectant look, the bartender ventured, "Beauty, you seem really down. What's wrong? I hope you don't mind me asking, but if you'd like to talk, I'm all ears."

Lee Bingqian sighed, massaging her temples with a troubled expression. "A few days ago, my sister came here on vacation and then she disappeared. We've been unable to reach her. I'm worried something's happened, so I rushed to Vushor to find her, but I've come up empty. I'm really concerned about whether she's still safe."

Hearing this, the bartender's eyes widened in surprise. "When was the last time you were in contact with her?"

"Four days ago."

"Do you know where she was last seen?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that she's in Vushor! Vushor is so vast; I have no way of finding her!" Lee Bingqian cautiously glanced around before leaning in and lowering her voice to ask, "I heard there was an explosion downtown a few days ago. Do you have any details? Could my sister have been passing by when it happened?"

Lee Bingqian couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, taking a deep breath as fear gripped her at the possibility.

The bartender noticed the grief etched on Lee Bingqian's face and quipped, "Haven't you checked with the police?"

Their conversation was suddenly disrupted by a noisy disturbance. Everyone turned to see two men throwing punches at each other on the dance floor.

Instead of intervening, the crowd cheered and whistled.

Lee Bingqian, with eyes wide in disbelief, asked, "Aren't you going to call the police?"

The bartender shook his head with a smile. "No, fights are pretty common here at our bar, and nobody gets involved."

The two men continued their brawl, eventually leaving the bar bruised and hobbling. Shortly after, the crowd resumed dancing as if nothing had happened.

Lee Bingqian redirected her attention back to the previous topic. "No, but I contacted the embassy. They told me my sister's name isn't on the list of casualties."

"Perhaps she went hiking and lost signal on the mountain," the bartender suggested.

Lee Bingqian bit her lip and sighed. "Hiking wasn't on her itinerary; it's not a signal issue."

After a few more words of consolation from the bartender and realizing she couldn't glean any more information, Lee Bingqian turned and left.

Unbeknownst to her, a man stood in the shadows, coldly watching her departure.

"Young Master Yu, what are you looking at?" A figure approached, speaking through mouthfuls of pastry.

Huang Wenyu furrowed his brow and murmured, "Why is she here?"

"Who? Him?" The man followed Huang Wenyu's gaze, and upon seeing the woman's silhouette, his eyes widened in shock. "Oh, oh, oh, Young Master Yu, have you finally seen the light?"

Huang Wenyu withdrew his gaze, giving the man a look that suggested he thought the man had lost his mind. Silently, he returned to his seat and settled down.

The man scurried back and plopped down beside Huang Wenyu, eagerly inquiring, "Young Master Yu, don't be bashful. Even though I didn't catch a glimpse of the lady's face, judging by her silhouette, she's absolutely stunning!"