Chapter 344: Just Listen, Don’t Take It Seriously

The Professional Bar.

After about a month, Su Ming once again paid a visit to this bar — the one Xu Xiayan had introduced him to, open exclusively to Professionals and serving special varieties of alcohol.

Tonight, Xu Xiayan had reserved the entire place to host a small gathering, inviting all the leading figures of the teams she had hired to get acquainted with one another before the operation.

“You can bring all your team members along — it’s fine.”

Xu Xiayan had even generously offered to let Su Ming bring his entire group.

But this generosity, from Su Ming’s perspective, nearly made him roll his eyes.

“My team only has a handful of people. Even if every one of them came, how much space would they take up?”

Xu Xiayan was clearly putting on a show of magnanimity, deliberately teasing him.

Besides, not everyone on Su Ming’s team was interested in a place like a bar.

Take Tong Xinyao, for instance. At only fourteen years old, she obviously couldn’t frequent bars, and she wasn’t even of legal drinking age. Even if Su Ming had wanted to bring her along, Chi Qian and the others would have firmly objected.

Then there was Mu Yan — this ice-cold beauty preferred sitting quietly in a corner with a book. One look at her and you knew she wouldn’t enjoy somewhere as boisterous as a bar. And even though the Professional Bar was different from ordinary establishments — not raucous at all, but rather quite tranquil — she still expressed no interest.

Feng Qing’er, on the other hand, had been a little tempted.

But compared to alcohol, this girl seemed far more fond of desserts and other treats — a complete little foodie through and through. She also wasn’t quite at ease in places that emphasized social etiquette, so once she learned the gathering would be at a bar, after a great deal of hesitation, the girl ultimately decided to pass.

So for this gathering of Xu Xiayan’s, the only attendees from Azure Mercury were Su Ming, its Captain, and Chi Qian, its Vice Captain.

That’s right — Chi Qian had become Azure Mercury’s Vice Captain.

Although Azure Mercury was still small in scale and didn’t really need a Vice Captain to help manage things — Su Ming as Captain should, in theory, have been enough — the issue was that Su Ming had spent the entire past month playing the hands-off boss, not undertaking a single mission and leaving everything to Chi Qian.

Since Chi Qian was pouring her heart into the team while he himself had taken to being a hands-off manager, Su Ming simply created the position of Vice Captain and handed it to her.

So Chi Qian was now the genuine number-two of Azure Mercury — and indeed, during Su Ming’s stretch as a hands-off boss, she had unquestionably been the one actually running the team: leading the squad on missions, and handling all of the team’s external affairs.

It wasn’t until today that Su Ming, the Captain, had finally stepped out of his home and, together with the newly-promoted Vice Captain Chi Qian, arrived at the Professional Bar.

“Is this the place?”

Looking at the bar tucked away in this rather out-of-the-way location, and not hearing any of the rowdy clamor she had expected, Chi Qian seemed to find it quite novel.

“What? You haven’t been here before?”

Su Ming asked her, curious.

“A special bar catering exclusively to Professionals — I’ve been to one of those,” Chi Qian said. “Just not this particular one in such a secluded spot. The one I’ve been to was on Commercial Street.”

“Right.” Su Ming shrugged. “I hear the owner of this place likes quiet, so they picked a more out-of-the-way location. That’s why the atmosphere isn’t as lively as the one on Commercial Street.”

“That’s a good thing,” Chi Qian nodded in agreement. “Plenty of Professionals don’t care for the rowdy atmosphere of traditional bars — especially female Professionals. The number of well-bred young ladies who’d rather not set foot in a place like that is endless. If they knew about this place, they’d probably become regulars.”

“Well, that’s not my problem.”

Su Ming pursed his lips, walked up, and pushed open the door of the bar, stepping inside amid the chiming of wind bells.

Chi Qian followed close behind him, fully playing the part of the deputy.

The two of them entered the bar, and while their arrival wasn’t exactly abrupt, it nonetheless drew every gaze in the place.

“————”

Lines of sight converged on them all at once, and Su Ming and Chi Qian felt an indescribable pressure.

Chi Qian’s brow furrowed.

Su Ming, on the other hand, calmly lifted his eyes and took in the bar’s interior.

The environment was no different from when Su Ming had visited last time — warm-toned lights still illuminated the room, lending it a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

But compared to his previous visit, this time the bar wasn’t filled with Professionals each sitting alone at their own table, quietly savoring a drink and unwinding. Instead, there were a great many people, all impeccably dressed, gathered in groups of twos and threes — some conversing in low voices, some holding glasses and chatting easily with one another.

The scene was reminiscent of successful figures from high society mingling at a ball — there was an indescribable air of sophistication to it.

The crowd was sizable too — roughly several dozen people.

These were all either the leading figures of the teams Xu Xiayan had hired, or the confidants and family members those figures had brought along. Each one of them carried themselves with such poise and presence that it was hard not to take notice.

And when those gazes converged on him and Chi Qian, Su Ming clearly sensed that quite a few of those looks shifted.

“Captain.”

Chi Qian glanced at Su Ming.

She had spotted several familiar faces.

Of course, “familiar” didn’t necessarily mean “on good terms.”

Chi Qian could already foresee exactly what kind of troubles they were about to run into once they ventured further in.

But Su Ming said nothing.

“Let’s go in.”

His expression was calm — placid, even — as though he hadn’t even noticed the crowd present. He simply walked deeper into the bar at his own pace.

Chi Qian said nothing more either, and silently followed.

Before long, a voice called out to Su Ming.

“Over here, over here!”

Just as on the day they had first arranged to meet here, Xu Xiayan was waving at Su Ming from across the room, beckoning him over.

The difference was that this time, Xu Xiayan wasn’t sitting alone waiting for him. She had someone with her, and the two of them appeared to be in the middle of greeting the various guests she had invited.

Su Ming’s arrival had drawn the attention of not only the bar’s patrons, but Xu Xiayan herself.

And so, Xu Xiayan immediately called out and beckoned him over.

“Long time no see.”

Su Ming brought Chi Qian forward and exchanged a polite greeting with Xu Xiayan.

“It’s only been a month — that’s hardly long.” Xu Xiayan gave a soft laugh, looked Su Ming over, then glanced at Chi Qian. “I hear your team has been making quite a splash this past month.”

“Have we?” Su Ming blinked, deliberately playing dumb.

“You haven’t?” Xu Xiayan said with an ambiguous smile. “You broke the record we set and became the fastest team to climb from E-Rank to C-Rank. The kind of splash you’ve made is something everyone knows about, and yet here you are still trying to act ignorant?”

“Well — it’s all Chi Qian and the others’ doing,” Su Ming said, pursing his lips. “If you want to talk somebody up, talk them up. No need to talk me up.”

At that, Chi Qian, standing to one side, spoke up.

“I only contributed what little I could,” Chi Qian said calmly. “If the Captain had been so inclined, he could have managed it just as easily.”

Those words, Xu Xiayan might have believed. But the person beside her was less convinced.

“Captain Chi, there’s no need for false modesty. No one in all of Tianfeng City would doubt your abilities.”

The one who said this was, of course, Wang Di, who had been at Xu Xiayan’s side.

Wang Di had been sizing Chi Qian up for some time, and only now had he chosen to speak.

“You’d be the young master of the Wang Family, then?”

Chi Qian turned her gaze toward Wang Di and asked.

It was at this point that Xu Xiayan stepped in.

“Come to think of it, this is your first time meeting. Let me introduce you both.”

Xu Xiayan smiled faintly and gestured toward Wang Di.

“This is my second-in-command, also the Vice Captain of Summer Chasing Smoke — the third young master of the Wang Family’s main line, a Six-Star Professional: Wang Di.”

She then gestured to Su Ming, addressing Wang Di.

“And this is a younger junior from my hometown. He graduated from the Demon Hunter Academy at eighteen — a prodigy Sorcerer — and the founder and Captain of Azure Mercury, the team that’s been making waves recently: Su Ming.”

At that, Wang Di nodded, and his gaze finally turned to Su Ming.

“If you’re a junior from Xiayan’s hometown, then I suppose that makes you a junior of mine as well.”

Wang Di’s manner was reasonably friendly. He showed no contempt toward Su Ming, nor any of the loftiness one might expect from a senior Professional and the son of a great family. Whether that was on account of Xu Xiayan’s face was hard to say.

He went on:

“To leave home so young to chase your future in a distant city, and to have founded such a unique team right out of the gate — recruiting people of such formidable ability — regardless of what others may think, you’ve already made record-breaking history.”

Wang Di extended his hand to Su Ming.

“If there’s ever anything you need help with, just say the word. Wherever I can lend a hand, I’ll do so without hesitation.”

If those words had been directed at some other fresh-out-of-the-gate newcomer, the kid might genuinely have been moved to tears of gratitude.

But to a seasoned old hand like Su Ming, this was nothing more than standard social courtesy — the sort of thing you listen to politely, but absolutely don’t take seriously.

After all, the wording was “wherever I can lend a hand, I’ll do so without hesitation” — right?

So what about places where he couldn’t lend a hand?

Then it would simply be a polite refusal.

Which is why words like these should just be heard out. Taking them at face value would be the surest way to lose.

Of course, you don’t slap a smiling face. The fact that he was willing to trot out the social pleasantries — rather than swaggering in to bark orders from on high — was already pretty decent of him.

And so Su Ming extended his hand as well.

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

As they shook hands, Su Ming was returning a social pleasantry of his own.

Still, seeing Su Ming’s calm, mildly smiling demeanor, Wang Di was a touch surprised.

Only eighteen, and able to remain this composed in front of a Six-Star Professional from the main line of a great family. That kind of composure alone is worthy of Xiayan’s “prodigy” label.

Wang Di’s estimation of Su Ming rose considerably.

Watching this play out, a flicker of amusement passed through Xu Xiayan’s eyes.

“As for Chi Qian — Captain Chi — I don’t suppose she needs any introduction?”

Xu Xiayan said this to Wang Di.

“Of course not.”

Wang Di shook his head.

“I’m not a Captain anymore,” Chi Qian reminded them. “The two of you really shouldn’t address me that way going forward.”

Xu Xiayan and Wang Di naturally nodded — there was no reason to refuse.

“Come, let me introduce the rest of the people I’ve invited.”

At Xu Xiayan’s words, both Su Ming and Chi Qian turned their gazes in her direction.

(End of Chapter)