Chapter 14: Divergent Thoughts

A young man dressed in a dark suit stood at the entrance, his expression amiable yet carrying a hint of professional sharpness.

Upon seeing Li Yan, he immediately stepped forward with a perfectly measured smile. "Brother Yan, you’re here! The private booth is ready, and the drinks have been arranged just as you requested. Yueyue and Xiaomei are also here, waiting for you."

Li Yan gave a slight nod, his tone brief. "Mm, thank you for your hard work."

This man was the marketing manager of Shangmei Bar, who had interacted with Li Yan several times and was well acquainted with his habits and needs.

The manager glanced at the few people behind Li Yan, his smile growing warmer. "These must be your friends, right? You’re sure to have a great time tonight."

As he spoke, he turned slightly and made a polite gesture of invitation.

After getting out of the car, Shen Qingyue tilted her head up slightly, gazing at the familiar yet strange decor at the door.

She had been to bars a few times before, but never to a high-end place like Shangmei.

Here, every light seemed to exude the scent of wealth, and every customer who walked through the door carried an invisible aura of superiority.

She knew very well that her presence here tonight was all because of Li Yan.

Thinking of him, a subtle and complex feeling welled up in her heart.

As her best friend’s boyfriend, Shen Qingyue had followed Li Yan’s life even when he was still with his ex-girlfriend.

Back then, Li Yan’s posts on Douyin often featured exquisite scenes of life—sometimes a photo filled with luxury goods, sometimes a pair of costly shoes.

She still remembered seeing in her friend circle Li Yan’s gift to her best friend—a Chanel Mini Flap Bag she herself had once coveted online, priced around thirty thousand yuan.

She was not only shocked but also felt an indescribable stir—how could a high school student be so poised and carefree?

Later, when Li Yan and her best friend broke up, Shen Qingyue listened to her friend’s complaints but secretly rejoiced at the prospect of her own chance.

Tonight, she felt that opportunity drawing even closer.

Li Yan’s way of speaking, his taste, manners, and resources—from the meal to now—all proved his uniqueness.

He was someone who could give people a sense of security while astonishing them.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingyue smiled faintly, her heart swelling with anticipation.

Standing beside Shen Qingyue, Liu Yuting’s eyes held a different look.

She was more familiar with the bar scene than Shen Qingyue—since the second year of high school, she had been a regular.

She had come to Shangmei a few times too, but never as a host—only as a “guest” freeloading on others’ private booths.

Those booths were always the most remote spots in the bar, noisy with loud music, poor views, and terrifyingly expensive. Every time, she had to take many photos.

But tonight was different.

Liu Yuting knew Li Yan had reserved the S booth, the core area of Shangmei Bar, usually reserved for the most elite patrons.

The S booth wasn’t just the best location; the minimum spend was shockingly high. She had never dreamed she would sit there one day.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but secretly appraise Li Yan’s figure, her heart brimming with complicated emotions.

From the meal until now, she had learned more and more about Li Yan.

He was someone who could make money, had taste, had means, and could quietly arrange every detail—wasn’t this exactly the type she liked?

Yet Liu Yuting also knew that compared to Shen Qingyue, she fell far short in both looks and temperament.

Her presence tonight was mostly because Shen Qingyue wanted someone to “match” Li Yan’s friend Wang Zhen.

Though Wang Zhen wasn’t as dazzling as Li Yan, he was said to run a moderately sized supermarket, having some standing in Luzhong City.

If the two could develop further, it wouldn’t be a loss.

Liu Yuting’s gaze flicked between Li Yan and Wang Zhen, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curving her lips.

Tonight, she had to seize this chance; whether in friendship or romance, it could change her life.

Both women harbored their own thoughts, maintaining calm expressions as they tidied their dresses and hair slightly, following Li Yan and Wang Zhen toward the bar entrance.

Under the neon lights, Shangmei’s grand doors stood out strikingly; a smiling hostess led the way, while the marketing manager walking beside Li Yan chatted with him.

The marketing manager of Shangmei Bar was named Liu Tianze, under thirty years old, yet holding a position to be admired in Luzhong’s top nightlife scene.

He was not one of those common bar marketers but a person with genuine authority and resource allocation power.

Liu Tianze was responsible not only for daily customer relations but also for leveraging his extensive network and professional judgement to elevate Shangmei’s brand influence to the pinnacle of the local nightlife circle.

His career did not start in Luzhong but came from the nationally renowned nightlife hub—Sanlitun in the capital.

In the fiercely competitive bar scene there, he began as a low-level waiter and, thanks to exceptional social skills, precise understanding of customer psychology, and flexible adaptability, quickly secured his place in several top bars.

Bars like the famous Migas Rooftop Bar and Mix Club in Sanlitun.

The minimum spend at these places usually started from two to three thousand yuan, and high-end booths easily exceeded ten thousand yuan.

In such a high-pressure environment, he accumulated a wealth of experience and forged many high-quality client connections.

A few years later, an investor friend recruited Liu Tianze to Luzhong City, where he became the marketing manager of Shangmei.

Though Luzhong could not compare to first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, Shangmei’s positioning was already top-tier locally.

The S booth’s minimum spend was eight thousand yuan, far less than the twenty or fifty thousand yuan minimums at Shanghai’s M1NT or Chengdu’s Space Bar, but in Luzhong’s lower consumption market, it was a premium experience accessible to only a few.

Liu Tianze was especially courteous to Li Yan because over the past two to three years, Li Yan had become an important high-value client of Shangmei.

Every time he came, Li Yan booked the S booth directly and never spent less than thirty to fifty thousand yuan.

Such stable and high spending was rare in Luzhong—especially given Li Yan was still in high school, making it all the more remarkable.

As marketing manager, Liu Tianze not only recognized Li Yan’s spending power but admired his temperament and confidence.

Unlike those nouveau riche or showy customers, Li Yan’s consumption carried no deliberate ostentation.

He was very familiar with Shangmei’s environment, service, and even the drink menu, ordering drinks and songs with composure and ease.

This “mature” approach to spending, contrasted with his young age, made Liu Tianze even more eager to maintain their relationship.