Chapter 3: Yao Yao
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At 7 p.m., An Bu finished work, went home for a bath and made some soup—besides fruits and vegetables, a nutritious soup for replenishing blood and energy could also increase a certain amount of vitality. After boosting her energy with a few dozen points, she slung a backpack over her shoulder and energetically headed out again.
For a corpse that maintained a presence for at least 20 hours a day, a variety of activities was essential. She had spent the entire day working, so she planned to hit the bar scene in the evening.
Surge Bar was located on the entertainment street in the city center. It wasn’t large in scale, but its design was quite distinctive. An Bu had visited this city a year ago, and the first bar she went to was “Surge,” where she had established a good relationship with the bar owner.
“D*mn, Bu Bu, did you change your style again?” A young man with blue-dyed hair pointed at An Bu as she walked out of the lounge, exclaiming in horror.
The long-haired youth to his right chuckled and added, “Every time I see Bu Bu’s style, I feel like my aesthetic sense isn’t enough.”
The other three also expressed their agreement, all looking at An Bu with a mix of laughter and crying.
At this moment, An Bu wore a white tank top, layered with a black jacket. She paired it with denim shorts and a wide belt adorned with beads, showcasing a sexy figure—full chest, slender waist, and long legs.
However, that wasn’t the focal point. The real attention-grabber was her makeup: deep purple eyeshadow, orange lipstick, and a blue rose pattern beside her right eye, with several golden vines intertwining and covering half of her face. The color combination was extremely eye-catching, exuding a peculiar and impactful vibe. If someone unexpectedly came across this face in the dead of night, it would surely be frightening.
In fact, this makeup wasn’t intentional on An Bu’s part. Due to her visual anomaly, she couldn’t distinguish colors; she only perceived the depth contrast in black, white, and gray. To her, everyone appeared to have grayish skin, except for Black people.
Standing in front of An Bu were five members of the Surge band, performing three shows every week. An Bu occasionally joined them on stage, but she wasn’t the lead singer, guitarist, or keyboardist—instead, she played the drums.
Female drummers were relatively rare due to the high physical demands of drumming. Women’s natural strength wasn’t as strong as men’s, so while short performances were fine, continuous endurance for two or three hours could be challenging.
An Bu’s power level depends on the magnitude of her vitality. More vigorous activities contribute to the manifestation of her strength. As long as she replenishes nutrients in a timely manner to avoid falling into a state of hunger, she can continuously unleash a century of consecutive critical hits.
“Alright, enough joking around. Let’s get ready to go on stage,” lead singer Wei Lusi called out, leading the group towards the stage.
Around 10 p.m., just as the nightlife was kicking off, An Bu followed the band members onto the stage. Her gothic-style smoky makeup looked especially eerie under the colorful lights. Although her position wasn’t prominent, the glitter on her face immediately captured everyone’s attention, challenging the aesthetic senses of most people.
However, in this environment of revelry and chaotic dancing, no one found any non-mainstream presence strange. At most, they would receive some good-natured teasing, especially since a portion of the crowd already had unusual aesthetic preferences.
Lead singer Wei Lusi skillfully greeted the crowd, lifting the atmosphere with humorous language. He then made a gesture, and amidst the cheers, the explosive performance began.
An Bu stood in front of the drum kit, coordinating with the music’s rhythm. Her arms crossed and swung, skillfully and flamboyantly striking the drumheads. Her entire body was exerting force, with each hit perfectly timed, showcasing impressive and entertaining movements.
Those who had been mocking her face earlier were now activated by the rhythm of the drums, wholeheartedly immersed in the revelry.
As the song was about to end, the lead singer’s voice suddenly paused, and the other accompaniments stopped simultaneously. In the brief silence, a series of dense drumbeats erupted like a torrential storm, with slender arms showcasing exceptional skill. In an instant, it ignited the entire audience. With the rising atmosphere, An Bu also gained a considerable amount of vitality.
“Ahhhhh—” Shrill screams echoed, and the crowd erupted once again.
“Ahhhhhh, Wei Lusi, I love you! Yao Yao*, you’re so cool!”
* affectionate way to call out enchantress/demon
“Yao Yao, play another one!”
“Yao Yao” was An Bu’s nickname in the band. Although she didn’t perform frequently, her exotic makeup and cool skills left a lasting impression on everyone.
After a performance, An Bu stepped down from the stage, making way for the band’s original drummer. The second song quickly began, but the crowd felt like something was missing, as if the previous passionate impact was gone.
“Bu Bu, here, specially made fruit wine for you, in a pink satin robe.” Bar owner Leo pushed a cup of fruit wine onto the bar in front of An Bu.
“Thank you.” An Bu, still wearing that demonic and seductive ghost face, picked up the wine glass and calmly tasted the fruit wine. She could only drink fruit wine below 18 degrees, and not excessively, as it would decrease her vitality level. In reality, any drink in her mouth was tasteless, just for the aesthetics.
“Bu Bu, seriously, why don’t you consider joining the band?” Leo laughed, “With your skills, you’ll definitely hit it big if you debut.”
An Bu leaned lazily on the bar, her fingers gliding slowly along the rim of the cup, lazily saying, “If I wanted to debut, I would have done it already.”
Participating in a high-profile career was one of the fastest ways to increase her vitality level. The popularity in the entertainment industry was self-evident, but An Bu absolutely couldn’t become a star, to be more precise, she couldn’t become any public figure requiring a visible face. She wouldn’t age, and while maintaining a decade of youth was normal for a person, having no changes for twenty or thirty years would be too suspicious.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, An Bu had to reluctantly give up the path to stardom, accumulating popularity quietly and splendidly.
“Ah, what a pity,” Leo sighed, sounding both genuine and feigned.
In the midst of their conversation, a group of undercover police officers suddenly stormed into the bar, led by a person who flashed his credentials and shouted, “Police spot check! Everyone stay quiet, stand in place, and await inspection.”
Bars, as mixed places, often had instances of drug transactions or drug use. Therefore, the police conducted surprise checks periodically.
An Bu had no objection to the inspection, as long as she wasn’t present.
Seeing An Bu’s conflicted expression, Leo couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “You wouldn’t happen to…”
“No, it’s just that I can’t undergo the inspection.” Getting checked for toxicity was manageable; it was terrifying when nothing could be detected.
Leo didn’t inquire further and pointed to a safety passage behind the bar. “There’s a safe passage over there. Take advantage of the chaos and leave quickly.”
“Thanks.” An Bu suddenly pulled Leo’s tie, gave him a quick kiss on the face, and swiftly entered the hidden passage behind the bar.
“This guy, is it really okay to flirt so casually?” Leo muttered softly, his eyes filled with amusement. If he were ten years younger, he definitely wouldn’t let this enchanting creature go.
Surge Bar had two safety passages, one visible and one concealed. An Bu chose the hidden one and managed to avoid the police.
Leaving the bar just after 11 p.m., for An Bu, there were at least four more hours of activity time.
As she strolled down the street, contemplating whether to go back and run, her phone suddenly rang. Xin Yan was calling.
Strange, wasn’t she supposed to be with her boyfriend today? What was she doing calling at this time? An Bu answered the call, and just as she greeted, she heard an unfamiliar voice on the other end, “Hello, I’m the owner of Yuanyuan Convenience Store. The owner of this phone got drunk in my store. Could you come pick her up?”
“Convenience store?” An Bu thought she misheard. “She’s drinking at your convenience store? And she’s drunk?”
“Yes.” The owner’s voice sounded somewhat helpless. “I hope you can come over as soon as possible.”
“Alright, please send me the address.”
Fifteen minutes later, An Bu arrived at the Yuanyuan Convenience Store. At a glance, she saw Xin Yan drunkenly lying under the table, arms wrapped around the legs of a stool, crying heartbreakingly. Around her, several empty liquor bottles were scattered, and there was a suspicious puddle of vomit on the floor, emitting a pungent odor capable of inducing wicked thoughts.
Not far away, a middle-aged man with a simple and honest appearance anxiously watched this scene. When he saw An Bu enter, instead of relaxing, he became even more tense. The reason was simple: An Bu hadn’t had the chance to remove her makeup yet, and with her dark and alternative outfit, she looked like a delinquent girl, the kind in the late stage of chuunibyou.
“Are you… the girl I spoke with just now?” the store owner asked uncertainly.
“Yes.” An Bu saw the shop owner’s strange expression and understood his feelings. A perfectly good convenience store was forcefully occupied by a drunk, deterring other customers from entering. Anyone wouldn’t be pleased. However, in reality, he was scared by An Bu’s makeup that annihilated humanity.
“Sorry for the trouble.” An Bu apologized to the store owner while helping Xin Yan up. Xin Yan was really a genius, managing to get drunk in a convenience store! It was decent of the owner not to call the police.
“It’s okay. Just take her away.” The store owner was a good person and sincerely advised, “Young girl, at such a young age, what could be so distressing?”
“You’re right. I’ll have a good talk with her later.” An Bu paused, took out a hundred yuan from her pocket, and said, “This is a small compensation. I hope it doesn’t cause you too much trouble.”
“No need, no need. Just go. Get some rest early,” the store owner hastily waved his hands.
An Bu didn’t say much, left the money, and helped Xin Yan out of the convenience store.
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