Starting by picking up a female fan, he swept through the martial arts world.

Not long after I hung up the phone, I received a notification that the money had been deposited into my account.

Jiang Lang scratched his head for a while, then looked at his phone. There were still twenty minutes until the agreed time.

Bored, he made another call: "Old Zhou, how's the teaching going?"

Ghost Eyes said impatiently, "I'll teach you, what's the point of asking so many questions?"

Jiang Lang couldn't help but curse, "Go look at the forum yourself, see how bad our group's reputation is! When I invited them to join, I practically begged them on my knees, and now I can't even ask about the progress?"

Ghost Eye remained silent for a while, sensing that Jiang Lang had also suffered, before reluctantly speaking: "Wu Lie activated two base stations, and the others each activated one."

"good!"

Jiang Lang nodded in satisfaction: "At this rate, everyone should be able to reach 10 Star Dome within seven days."

"I'm afraid that won't work."

Why?

"There isn't enough energy."

"It's okay, I'm getting it done outside!"

"Then you'd better hurry."

Ghost Eyes said in a deep voice, "The school just sent a notice saying that in order to help students who didn't choose a group in the first round to quickly understand the various research groups, the first formal competition will be held in seven days."

"understood."

Jiang Lang frowned slightly. Normally, the first official martial arts competition should be a month later. The fact that it was brought forward so much likely means that someone was sabotaging it.

However, he didn't curse. Ever since he followed Su Yunchang, he had been targeted every day and had gotten used to it. He didn't know if he could finish the report in seven days.

He suddenly saw a familiar figure outside the window and said into the microphone, "Please tell Wu Lie that Teacher Su has already applied for his scholarship, and that he should move out as soon as possible. I have other things to do, so I'll stop here!"

After hanging up the phone, he rolled down the car window and waved at the bus stop sign: "Ms. Gu!"

Gu Manzhi was looking around searching when she saw Jiang Lang waving at her. A gentle smile immediately appeared on her pretty face, and she walked over quickly in her high heels.

She opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and turned to look at Jiang Lang: "So you arrived early. I thought you weren't here."

"I'm always punctual."

"Okay, from now on, don't call me Miss Gu, just call me Manzhi."

"All right."

Jiang Lang looked her over curiously: "You came by bus?"

Gu Manzhi retorted, "Shouldn't a mere intern like me take the bus?"

Jiang Lang smiled but didn't say anything. Judging from her demeanor, she must have come from a wealthy family.

I don't know how wealthy they are, but they certainly wouldn't be so poor that they can't afford a car.

He didn't press further, and instead got down to business: "Where is our first destination?"

"Right here!"

Gu Manzhi pointed out the window; there was a rather stylish bar right across the street.

"Oh……"

Jiang Lang seemed to be deep in thought. Judging from the decor alone, this bar was comparable to the one across the bridge, but the prices were much lower across the bridge, and most of the customers were office workers who earned money in Qipu and spent it in Linqi.

Venues of this caliber typically offer Seven Emotions Vine to relieve guests' stress and facilitate communication and emotional connection between men and women.

Of course, it is the Seven Emotions Vine that has undergone detoxification treatment.

In Gu Manzhi's research plan, this falls under the category of regular sales.

Jiang Lang nodded: "Perfect! Our outfits won't look out of place. Shall we go now?"

He always wore casual clothes, which looked ordinary but not cheap. Many people in companies in Qipu don't have strict dress codes.

Gu Manzhi wore a beige knit sweater, paired with a sky-blue midi skirt and high heels.

The two of them perfectly fit the bar's customer profile.

Gu Manzhi called out to him, "Wait!"

"Um?"

Jiang Lang feigned confusion, waiting for her to ask a question.

Gu Manzhi smiled apologetically, "I'm a little tired after wearing high heels all day. Can I change my shoes in your car?"

Jiang Lang: "..."

He nodded thoughtfully, preparing to get out of the car to give her space.

Gu Manzhi had already taken off her shoes and was curling her legs to the side, placing her fair and delicate feet on the seat.

He used a wet wipe to rub his toes, which were sore from being squeezed by the tips of his high heels, then took out a pair of clean sandals from his bag and put them on before getting out of the passenger seat.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Gu Manzhi smiled at Jiang Lang, adjusted the angle of the miniature camera hidden in her clothes, and then went into the bar with Jiang Lang.

Inside the bar, a folk singer was playing and singing under the warm lights, the aroma of alcohol filled the air, and the atmosphere was already slightly tipsy.

"Hello, how many of you are there?"

"You two, we prefer some peace and quiet."

"Alright! You two, please follow me."

The waiter's warm and friendly smile led the two to a corner where a semi-partition woven from polar vines surrounded the table, creating a cool and refreshing atmosphere as soon as they entered.

Because of its design, although there is a connection between the inside and outside, it still creates a certain degree of privacy.

This bar is really nice.

Jiang Lang muttered to himself, "This kind of polar snow vine is just a roadside plant in the Qingmai Domain's ecosystem. It could have survived by hiding in the polar regions, but the Qingmai Domain Lord still dug it up and used it as high-end timber."

How pitiful...

He sat down comfortably, feeling much of the heat that had accumulated throughout the day dissipate.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he relaxed, his body involuntarily became alert again.

Because Gu Manzhi didn't sit across from him, but instead sat next to him.

She gave a sad smile and looked at the waiter: "Hello, my boyfriend is breaking up with me tomorrow, but I still want to win him back. I heard that your Scarlet Enchantress can make men change their minds. May I have two glasses?"

"Sister, you have excellent taste!"

The waiter seemed to have found a kindred spirit: "Our signature drink is Scarlet Enchantress, but just drinking it won't bring out its full effect. Would you like to pair it with the Love Vines?"

Jiang Lang: "..."

He was stunned on the spot, feeling that the two of them were exchanging secret codes, with one awkward phrase after another.

It can only be said that Gu Manzhi had indeed done her homework; as soon as she opened her mouth, the waiter promoted the Seven Emotions Vine.

Gu Manzhi smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say!"

After paying, I watched the waiter leave.

She rested her chin on her hand, chuckling as she looked Jiang Lang up and down: "You avoided me just now, did you feel offended by me?"

"It's necessary for research, which is understandable."

"You...have you never been in a relationship?"

"no."

Jiang Lang answered very decisively.

"very nice!"

A hint of joy flickered in Gu Manzhi's eyes. She didn't say anything more, but just waited quietly.

About three minutes later, the waiter placed the tray on the table: "Please enjoy your meal."

On the tray were two crimson cocktails, their vibrant colors and hazy hues illuminated by the table lamp.

Beside it, there were two thick, bright red vine tendrils.

Gu Manzhi picked up the vine tendrils and smelled them. Then she picked up a cocktail, handed one of the glasses to Jiang Lang, and whispered in his ear, "These two have been detoxified. You'll have to act out a tragic scene with me later. If they don't throw out any bombshells, it means this place is clean."

"Um!"

"Let's have a drink first!"

"good!"

"Finish it!"

"Of course we have to finish it."

Jiang Lang suppressed his discomfort at being so close to a strange woman, maintained a relaxed smile, lightly clinked glasses with Gu Manzhi, and began to sip.

The Scarlet Enchantress wine has a very light flavor, with more of the fragrance of several plants. When you drink it, you feel two streams of energy, one cool and one warm, flowing slowly through your body.

I felt a little dazed after only a short while.

Jiang Lang was prepared for this. The wine tasted mild, but it was actually very strong. The strong taste was just masked by the bartending technique and low temperature. It was easy for a novice who didn't know much about alcohol to have a bad experience.

Jiang Lang had a bad experience with the crazy woman, which caused his only attempt to confess his feelings to end in failure. After sobering up, he couldn't even tell whether his arrogant words were genuine or just his drunken fantasies.

This time it definitely won't happen.

Gu Manzhi was also slightly tipsy, her cheeks flushed, and she leaned affectionately on Jiang Lang's shoulder: "Don't you want to ask me if this only happens when I'm with you, or if it often happens when we're doing research?"

"You only need to be with me..."

"I told you to ask, and you only asked now? That's so insincere!"

Gu Manzhi gave him a charmingly disdainful look, then placed the Seven Emotions Vine between her lips and took out a bling-bling lighter from her bag, ready to light it.

Jiang Lang pressed her hand down and shook his head at her.

Gu Manzhi's lips curled up slightly, but she had already lit a cigarette and taken a puff, teasingly blowing the smoke behind Jiang Lang's ear: "Feeling sorry for me? Don't worry, the damage isn't significant after detoxification. If I don't smoke this, how will I lure the snake out of its hole?"

"Then I'll have one too."

Jiang Lang lit another one and soon felt a faint suction from the vine bark, trying to draw away his spiritual power. Yet, this process felt strangely pleasurable, like being in love.

He was no stranger to this feeling; back when he was with the madwoman, he often used the Seven Emotions Vine for mental combat training. Even when the vine tendrils were all stripped bare, it couldn't drain a single bit of his mental energy.

However, this feeling of confrontation is really unpleasant.

However, Gu Manzhi seemed to enjoy it. At first, she blew smoke behind Jiang Lang's ear, and later she wrapped her arms around his neck and gently breathed into his eyes. With her red lips, she looked very alluring.

This is clearly beyond the scope of the research.

Jiang Lang did not resist; instead, he acted as if he were infatuated and interacted with her, as if he had come here specifically to indulge with her.

He held the tendrils hidden in the shadows, sprinkled some powder on the sparks, and found an opportunity to secretly switch the tendrils between the two of them.

Then he watched as Gu Manzhi brought her own to her lips.

But right under his gaze.

Gu Manzhi suddenly stopped moving, her intoxicated gaze abruptly clearing.

She looked into Jiang Lang's eyes and said with a reproachful smile, "You pretended to be close to me for so long just to drug me? After all these years, you're still so cautious, Brother Mo Li!"

Jiang Lang's eyes flashed coldly as he pressed a dagger against Gu Manzhi's waist: "How did you find out?"

Gu Manzhi showed no fear whatsoever, only a wry smile: "Getting close to me is like torture for you, it's so frustrating, how could I not notice! But Brother Moli, when did you finally realize it?"