The Woman I Was Flirting With Turned Out To Be A Chaebol Heiress - Chapter 2

Something’s wrong. Very wrong. So wrong it’s beyond words.

Li Nianyi stared at the freshly delivered message on her phone and fell into deep thought.

After being fired from her job as a convenience store cashier, the ramen shop where she also worked dismissed her the very next day following Suzuki’s fall from the building. Even the language school where she had just landed a position as a Chinese teaching assistant  after pulling all the strings she could had suddenly informed her the position had been given to someone else.

And just like that, all three part-time jobs she relied on to survive were gone. Li Nianyi was now completely without income.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to question why she was being let go. But the convenience store manager had made it clear: “Hiring an employee involved in a murder case would bring trouble to the store.”

As for the other two jobs, they didn’t even bother giving her a reason. After all, gigs like those were never short on cheap labor like Li Nianyi.

By this point, even someone as slow to react as her could see it she was in big trouble. The incident of Suzuki falling to his death might be hiding a deeper conspiracy, one so big that small fries like her weren’t even allowed to survive.

What should she do? Run? Go back to her home country?

But her life as an international student had only just begun, not even two months in. To return home with her tail between her legs… she couldn’t accept that.

The one silver lining in all of this was that the police already had an eye on her. As a key witness, she had to cooperate with their investigation. If someone were to make a move on her, they’d likely expose themselves to the cops. In a twisted way, that meant she had a layer of protection, at least temporarily.

The problem was she had no money to move. Her current apartment was already the cheapest she could afford. Now that she’d lost all her income, if she did try to move, begging on the street might be her next option.

Li Nianyi had always considered herself emotionally stable, but even the most composed person would break down after taking this many hits in a row.

With her head down, she wandered the streets aimlessly, carrying her canvas bag stuffed with resumes. It was 9 p.m., and Shibuya was buzzing with life. On top of that, it was one of the rare dry days during Tokyo’s rainy season. Everyone who passed her seemed to have a smile on their face, as if she were the only unlucky soul left in the world.

Summer. The sweltering summer. That annoying season, when your chest fills with frustration and you have nowhere to let it out.

Her head hurt, her feet ached there wasn’t a single part of her body that felt okay.

She had been rushing around all day, helping undergrads with lab work, reading papers, writing her thesis, and still had to squeeze in time to job hunt only to get turned down by every single listing.

To hell with this world!

At that moment, she was a walking ball of resentment, practically a Sadako level grudge spirit.

Li Nianyi had always been broke, sure. But she never skimped when it came to treating herself. As an orphan, she only had herself to worry about if she worked hard and earned money, she’d spend it all on herself. Sometimes she’d even splurge in places like Roppongi or Ginza.

But tonight, she couldn’t care less about those lively places.

She didn’t know where she wanted to go, but she didn’t want to go home either. So, like a ghost, she drifted down the streets, letting her already-tired body wear itself out even further.

Her mind blank, thoughts paused, Li Nianyi unknowingly ended up in a place completely unfamiliar to her.

At some point, the surrounding noise had quieted down. Maybe it started when she turned into a narrow alley. Not that it mattered now.

The area was clearly remote one of those places few people bothered to explore. The little shops nearby felt lonely and forgotten, tucked away in a neglected corner of this bustling city.

She randomly pushed open the door to a bar that at least looked somewhat aligned with her aesthetic. The space was small just a counter and a few tables, all empty. But it felt comfortable.

An English song she didn’t recognize played in the background. The melody was tinged with melancholy, matching her current mood perfectly.

Hearing the doorbell ring, someone emerged from the back room. The floor creaked with each step. Li Nianyi didn’t look up. She simply sat at the high barstool and casually flipped through the menu on the counter. The menu was handmade, like a scrapbook illustrated by hand, both the text and the drawings.

What was odd was that none of the drinks had names only numbers. Her finger landed randomly on one of them.

“Hi, I’ll take a glass of… number sixteen.”

When she finally looked up and met the eyes of the person before her, she froze.

A very young woman stood in front of her, likely the bartender. Her long hair draped over her shoulders, and there was a striking sharpness to her features especially those eyes. They were unusually beautiful, and strangely familiar. Li Nianyi couldn’t quite describe it, but looking into them gave her a ticklish feeling in her chest.

Like buying a blind box without any expectations, only to discover the rarest, most exquisite surprise inside.

It seemed like the beautiful bartender was also caught off guard for a second upon seeing her first customer of the night, but she quickly regained her composure so quickly that Li Nianyi missed the brief flicker of surprise.

“Number sixteen has a pretty high alcohol content,” the woman said.

Her voice was unexpectedly pleasant cool and soft, like morning rain landing gently on bare skin. Irresistibly alluring.

“That’s fine. I’ll take it,” Li Nianyi replied.

Her alcohol tolerance wasn’t great, but she rarely indulged like this. Tonight was different she was already at rock bottom, wasn’t she? Maybe it was time for a rebound.

The bartender said nothing more, silently going to work. The clinking of ice cubes against the glass filled the air. Li Nianyi watched her intently.

Oddly enough, this woman didn’t dress like a typical bartender she wore a tank top and loose cargo pants. Aside from a plain collarbone chain, she had no accessories. As she moved, the lines of muscle on her arms became more defined, adding a bit of sensuality to her whole vibe…

Like a muscular plumber from a lesbian indie film working behind a bar. It was strange, but strangely intriguing.

Perhaps due to being on the job, the woman didn’t show much expression. She seemed a little cold, not the kind of person you could approach easily… But who knew? Maybe she was one of those stoic types who actually melted at the slightest flirtation.

Li Nianyi rested her chin on her hand, letting her imagination run wild as she stared at the woman. The romantic music and dim lighting added the perfect touch of mystery, temporarily distracting her from all the crap she’d been through lately.

Her gaze clung to the bartender like glue. The next second, she was caught off guard meeting those same beautiful eyes directly.

“Your drink is ready,” the woman said, sliding over a beautiful cocktail that shifted from blue to purple.

“Thank you,” Li Nianyi replied.

She showed no sign of embarrassment from being caught staring. Instead, her smiling eyes lingered boldly on the woman’s face. The bartender turned her gaze away, visibly flustered, while Li Nianyi calmly sipped her drink.

Yep. Definitely the second type.

“Miss Bartender, seems like you’re the only one here. Are you also the manager?”

The woman seemed a bit stunned by the sudden small talk, reacting a little awkwardly almost cutely before replying, “Owner and employee, I guess. I like peace and quiet, so I didn’t hire anyone.”

“Ohh, I see.” Li Nianyi dragged out the syllable playfully. “That explains why you’d open shop in this back alley looks like I’m your last customer for the night.”

Resting her chin on her hand, she fiddled idly with her straw, eyes still on the bartender.

“Why don’t you sit here and drink with me? You standing there in front of me feels a little intimidating.”

The woman hesitated for a moment, then walked around the bar and sat next to her. She cracked open a can of beer. Li Nianyi noticed this woman seemed like someone who couldn’t say no.

If that was the case… did that mean she could push things a little further?

“Boss, you smell really nice. Can you recommend your perfume?”

“Oh, uh… it’s just a basic wood-scented one. If you like it, I can add you on LINE and send you the link.”

The bartender seemed caught off guard by Li Nianyi suddenly leaning closer. She subtly shifted back, digging her phone out of her pocket. Her movements weren’t nearly as smooth as when she was mixing drinks in fact, she looked a little flustered.

Li Nianyi found her endearing. Despite her handsome features, she had an unexpectedly shy personality.

“Jiang Ji? You’re Chinese too?” Li Nianyi asked, seeing the name pop up on the LINE request.

Surprised, she switched to Mandarin:
“A fellow countrywoman in a foreign land.