Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

When Jian Qiuluo pushed open the wooden door of the Nightingale's Nest, she was almost pushed back by the sound waves inside.

The bar was as lively as a boiling hot pot, with crystal chandeliers casting warm yellow light on everyone's faces, and little witches everywhere.

She scanned the crowd and accurately found Miya in the densest throng.

The little blond girl was surrounded by five or six little witches. She was wearing a maid uniform from Nightingale's Nest, with her apron tied tightly. Her short, light blond hair was wet with sweat and stuck to her forehead.

She held a tray in her left hand with several colorful cocktails on it, while her right hand was used to hand tissues to the guests.

Several little witches next to her were taking pictures of her with their phones, making the blush on the tips of her ears completely visible.

"Miss, could you sign my autograph? Just on my clothes!"

"Can I take a picture with the little maid?!"

Miya was overwhelmed by the noise from all directions, and after signing a piece of clothing, she was handed a notebook.

She wore a smile that screamed "Help, I want to escape!" but was held firmly in place by her professional ethics, and you could see the circles of anxiety swirling in her eyes.

Jian Qiulu watched the farce for a few seconds with a blank expression, then silently found a corner seat at the bar and sat down.

She was indeed looking for Mi Ye, but she didn't intend to squeeze in with this crowd. If she went up to them now, she wouldn't even get a word in edgewise. She'd rather wait until things calmed down a bit.

Zimi Lu was wiping glasses behind the bar. When she saw her sit down, she nodded slightly as a greeting.

"Good evening. We have quite a few guests today. Please take a look at the menu and let me know what you'd like to drink anytime."

Jian Qiuluo took the menu, but didn't open it.

"Just a casual drink, something strong, nothing too fancy."

Zimi Lu looked up at her.

Most guests at Nightingale's Nest order their signature cocktails, such as sparkling sweet wine or seasonal floral and fruity cocktails. Few people ask for something stronger right away, but I didn't ask any further questions. I turned around, took a bottle of vodka from the bar, poured some into a cocktail glass, added a few ice cubes, and pushed it in front of Jian Qiuluo.

"If you find it too strong, there is ice water available for you to add."

Jian Qiuluo nodded, picked up her wine glass, and took a small sip.

The burning sensation of the alcohol spread from my throat to my stomach, driving away most of the chill that had come in from outside.

She leaned against the bar, holding her glass, sipping slowly, her gaze sweeping across the entire bar beyond the rim of her glass.

Each table is adorned with an exquisite little vase, the flowers carefully selected and not just randomly placed.

Three little witches dressed in Moon Forest uniforms were sitting at the table by the window, frantically snapping photos in Miya's direction.

In a corner booth, a couple shared a drink, their straws tangled together in a knot.

Korika weaved through the crowd serving drinks, her green hair swaying back and forth.

The whole bar was bustling, but the little corner where she sat seemed to be separated by a thin layer of snow.

The commotion was theirs; she simply sat inside the glass dome, holding a glass of vodka, watching the people outside laugh, chat, and clink glasses.

It's not that I don't like crowds, it's just that I've never learned how to be a part of a crowd.

Alcohol slowed and softened her thoughts, like a dream slowly being soaked in warm water, gradually releasing the memories she usually kept buried deep in her heart.

She recalled the time when [Flower Group] was first established.

Chikusai is also a clumsy person who might accidentally spill an ink bottle during a meeting and then pretend nothing happened.

Yu Citing hadn't yet learned how to use his talent to search other people's privacy; during his first intelligence analysis, he even misspelled the target's name.

Sister Blue Daisy hasn't been transferred yet. She always brings her own baked cookies to meetings. They're caramel flavored, and the edges are always a little burnt, but no one dares to say anything.

Ruixiang was still the youngest member of the club. Every day after school, she would run into the basement with her schoolbag on her back. The strap of her schoolbag was too long and dragged on the ground, so Qianqucai would always follow behind to pick it up for her.

That year, on the birthday of the gods, the girls squeezed into a small basement to set up a small Christmas tree. Actually, it couldn't be called a tree; it was made by Chikuro stacking old magic books into a tree shape and wrapping it in green wrapping paper.

Blue Daisy filled discarded test tubes with fluorescent powder and hung them on top as light bulbs. Daphne cut out snowflakes from white paper and pasted them on the very top. Yuciting placed a row of empty potato chip cans under the Christmas tree, saying they were for the reindeer feed.

Jian Qiuluo was assigned to write cards, and she wrote six cards, each with the same message.

"We'll still be together next year."

She looked down at the last bit of vodka at the bottom of the glass, her lips moved, and she silently said something to the glass.

Zimi Lu came over again at some point and pushed a new glass of wine in front of her, with a ring of salt around the rim of the glass.

The liquor was deep blue, shimmering with a faint silver light under the lamp, like a small patch of starry sky enclosed in a glass.

"This is a new product in our store. I've seen you sitting in the corner for a long time, so you'll probably like it."

Zimi Lu turned to greet other customers, her light purple short hair flashing briefly under the bar lights before disappearing from sight.

Jian Qiuluo picked up her cup and took a sip.

The deep blue liquid has a slightly salty taste upon entry, followed by the refreshing aroma of lemon, and finally a surprisingly long and sweet finish.

She gave a soft hum, it was unclear whether she was commenting on the wine or the night.

As she put down her cup, she glanced at Mi Ye's direction again. The little witch was still struggling in the crowd, and her professional smile was starting to crumble.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bar finally quieted down.

As the last group of customers checked out and left, Corica hung up a sign at the door saying the bar was closed, and Zimilu began to clean up the cups and glasses on the bar.

The light from the crystal chandelier had been dimmed by half at some point, and the warm yellow light softly spread across the dark wooden tabletops, with a faint floral fragrance still lingering in the vases on each table.

Miya placed the tray on the bar and stretched her sore wrists.

She was about to go upstairs to her room to take a hot bath to wash away the day's fatigue when she suddenly stopped in her tracks as she glanced at the corner.

A girl was slumped over a table near the window of the back alley. Her red side ponytail slipped down her shoulder and the ends of her hair were scattered on the table. Her face was buried in her arms, so her expression was not visible. Her shoulders rose and fell slightly, and her breathing was very light and slow.

On the table was an empty wine glass, with a ring of salt residue around the rim.

Miya took a few steps closer and saw the other person's profile clearly.

His dark gray eyes were narrowed, his eye sockets were slightly red, and there was a dark circle under his eyes.

He was the customer who sat alone in the corner of the bar all night.

Mi Ye noticed her several times. She was alone the whole time, neither talking to anyone nor looking at her phone. She just slowly drank her wine, occasionally glancing up at the moonlight outside the window, like a wild cat curled up in a corner, clearly cold but unwilling to go near the stove.

Miya gently pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.

Her movements were very light, but the sound of the chair legs scraping against the wooden floor still made the guest tense up abruptly. He quickly lifted his face from his arms, his dark gray eyes still lingering with moisture, but his gaze had instinctively switched to alertness, and then his eyes met Mi Ye's face.

A few strands of her light golden short hair stood up because she was busy, and her warm-looking eyes were quietly watching her, her worry almost overflowing.

Jian Qiulu subconsciously leaned her body to the side, turned her face away, and reached out to grab the wine glass on the table, trying to find something to do or say to cover up her panic at such close eye contact.

But before her hand could touch the rim of the cup, Miya moved her body a little further to that side, then reached out and gently pressed her shoulder, slowly pulling her from her position lying on the table so that she could lie on her lap.

Jian Qiuluo's mind went completely blank for a moment.

Her head rested on Miya's soft thighs, her red side ponytail spreading out and covering the hem of Miya's maid uniform skirt.

Looking up from this angle, you can just see Mi Ye looking down at her with a smile.

Against the warm light of the chandelier, her pale golden hair was surrounded by a warm halo, and her eyes held a faint smile, as well as a lingering worry.

Miya reached out and gently placed her fingertips on the top of Jian Qiuluo's head, then gently rubbed it.

"Don't cry, get some rest."

Jian Qiuluo wanted to say that she hadn't cried; she had just drunk too much.

But all these words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.

Because Mi Ye's palm was so warm, it made her eyes start to sting again.

She realized how long it had been since someone had touched her head. It had been so long, four or five years ago, when Ruixiang was still around. Whenever she stayed up too late, Ruixiang would lean on her back and pat her head, saying, "Sister Jianqiuluo, don't push yourself too hard." Sister Landaiju would also casually rub her hair after her work report.

Later, when they were no longer around, she cut off her long hair that she had kept for a long time and changed it into her current neat side ponytail. No one touched her head anymore.

Her body gave up resisting even before her mind could. Her tense shoulders slowly relaxed, her curled fingers gradually unfurled, and her gaze, which had been averted, returned to meet Mi Ye's eyes.

Okay, let's leave it at that for tonight.

The plan to abduct her, and the reasons why it had to be done, can all be put off until tomorrow.

Tonight, she just wanted to stay a little longer on this short but warm lap pillow.