167: It's late, sister.

Meng Jiang raised her hand and placed her glass on the bar counter. Her entire 'body' slumped limply against the edge of the bar, soft and boneless like a wad of cotton.

She pretended to frown, murmuring, "Mmm, the kick from this cocktail is a bit too strong..."

Hearing this, Shang Wan Ning, who was cleaning her bartending tools nearby, let the corners of her lips curve upward slightly and responded softly, "Madam, if you drink too quickly, the kick will naturally feel stronger. That's perfectly normal~"

After saying this, she set down the tools in her hands and looked at Meng Jiang with concern. "Would you like~ me to accompany you to the lounge upstairs to rest for a while?"

Meng Jiang straightened up slightly, her gaze somewhat unfocused as she looked at Shang Wan Ning.

Her tone carried a hint of teasing: "Oh! This beautiful bartender lady, are you perhaps trying to ask me out?" As she spoke, she deliberately twisted the ring on her left ring finger, making sure to wave it in front of Shang Wan Ning.

Shang Wan Ning leaned close to Meng Jiang's earlobe and whispered in a volume only the two of them could hear: "That's right, Madam."

"I do want to ask you out!!!"

Hearing this, Meng Jiang was first stunned, then a flicker of complex emotion crossed her face before she let out a soft sigh.

"But I... am already... married."

Shang Wan Ning slowly straightened up, reached out, and took Meng Jiang's jade-like hand wearing the ring. She examined the ring carefully, gently stroking 'it'.

Then she asked in a low voice: "This ring must hold very special meaning for you, I presume?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jiang's originally smiling face instantly froze, and a trace of barely concealed faint sorrow flickered in her expression.

After a long while, she finally spoke slowly: "This is the wedding ring my 'wife' gave me."

"Once, we were deeply in love, but now... we can only end up appearing harmonious while being estranged at heart..." As she said this, her eyes gradually reddened.

"If only life could be as it was when we first met, why should the autumn wind grieve the painted fan..."

Shang Wan Ning's heart stirred; it seemed she had found the key to unlocking the 'Madam's' heart.

(Poaching + Double-tap 666) ⌓‿⌓

"Perhaps, this is fate's arrangement, letting you meet someone better. For example... me." Shang Wan Ning deliberately drew out her tone, her eyes filled with implication.

Meng Jiang raised her head slightly, her gaze sharp as a torch, staring directly into Shang Wan Ning's eyes—their gazes intertwined, as if an invisible electric current surged and flowed between them.

"Do you truly believe in fate?" Meng Jiang asked softly.

"I believe... and I think our meeting is fate's meticulous arrangement." Shang Wan Ning met Meng Jiang's scrutiny without flinching.

The corners of Meng Jiang's lips lifted slightly, revealing a charming smile. "Very well then, bartender lady... I accept your~ invitation."

Shang Wan Ning gracefully stepped out from behind the bar and reached out to embrace Meng Jiang. "Believe me, Madam. Tonight is destined to be a dreamlike night."

"The honor is mine!"

...

Shang Wan Ning led Meng Jiang up the stairs to the '201' lounge.

"Swoosh!"

Pretending to be slightly tipsy, Meng Jiang, like a deflated ball, slumped weakly onto the soft sofa.

Shang Wan Ning handed her a glass of plain water, sat down beside her, and then tidied the stray hairs at her forehead.

"Feeling better, Madam?"

Meng Jiang slowly opened her eyes. "Thank you, bartender~ lady."

Shang Wan Ning smiled gently. "Just call me Wanling." She paused briefly. "Madam, why did you come here to drown your sorrows in drink?"

Meng Jiang was silent for a moment. "I... I'm feeling vexed."

"Is it because of your 'wife'?" Shang Wan Ning asked cautiously, her tone as light as a breeze brushing over strings.

Meng Jiang let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, we... haven't been in contact at all for two weeks now."

Shang Wan Ning tightly grasped Meng Jiang's hand. "Don't be sad, Madam. Perhaps you can meet again the one~ who loves you deeply."

Meng Jiang shook her head with a bitter smile. "If only that were so..."

Right at that moment, Shang Wan Ning suddenly leaned close to Meng Jiang and planted a light kiss on her brow.

"Sister Meng, this emperor wishes to spend the night with you. What say you???"

"Your Majesty is dropping the act already?" Meng Jiang's lips curled into a half-smile, her bright eyes like stars twinkling in the night sky, staring directly at the person before her.

Seeing Shang Wan Ning shake her head and say softly, "Can't keep it up anymore, sis~ter!!!"

"On such a bewitching night, how could this emperor be a Liu Xiahui, unmoved by beauty in his lap?" Having said this, she reached up and pulled out her hairpin. A cascade of pitch-black, lustrous hair instantly cascaded down.

Shang Wan Ning lowered her head slightly, her vermilion lips parting. She actually took Sister Meng's plump finger directly into her mouth.

Meng Jiang's eyes widened instantly, her face full of astonishment. She only felt her finger enveloped by a warm flame.

An indescribable tingling numbness quickly spread from her fingertip to every corner of her body.

Immediately after, the tender pink on both sides of Meng Jiang's cheeks, as if gently brushed by the dazzling sunset glow on the horizon, quietly tinged with a faint 'crimson'.

This crimson gradually spread, igniting a fire throughout her entire body—from her fingertips to her toes, every part of her was burning hot.

"Wanling is cheating!!!"

"It's not cheating. Love arises unknowingly, yet runs ever deep." Shang Wan Ning still tightly held Meng Jiang's middle finger between her teeth, unwilling to loosen her grip in the slightest.

Meng Jiang tried to pull her hand back with force, but the more she struggled, the tighter the other's arm encircled her waist.

She couldn't help but feel a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, crying out coquettishly, "Let... go..."

Before she could finish speaking, she let out a soft "hiss." Because she never expected that her middle finger would be~ bitten and broken by the female emperor.

Instantly, bright red blood quickly spread within the mouth.

Shang Wan Ning was slightly taken aback, then concealed the flicker of obscure emotion that passed through her eyes.

The action of biting the finger also gradually slowed down~

But she still murmured to herself, "Sister Meng's blood tastes sweet."

Immediately after, Meng Jiang suddenly felt a powerful spiritual energy envelop her body, rendering her immobile.

Shang Wan Ning pursed her lips slightly, her dense yet gentle kisses like a spring breeze caressing the face.

They slowly traveled upward along Meng Jiang's ring finger, and wherever they passed, it was as if a trail of sparkling embers had been lit, extending all the way to Meng Jiang's fair, smooth, swan-like neck.

...

Shang Wan Ning's breath gently fanned against Meng Jiang's sensitive skin, bringing a tingling sensation.

She whispered softly, "Sister Meng, the night is deep!!!"