Seeing the sly smile on Huang Po's face, I immediately understood what he meant: the "having fun" he mentioned must be the kind that all men understand.
I thought for a moment and was about to decline. After all, my life was still in jeopardy, and I had no interest in this kind of thing for the time being.
Noticing the change in my expression, Huang Po said, "Haven't you heard on TV that 'to die beneath the peonies, even as a ghost, is to be amorous'?"
"We're being chased by that female corpse. Maybe we won't make it to tomorrow. If we don't enjoy ourselves now, and something really happens, when will we have another chance?"
"Now that Xinyi and Jiang Lixin are gone, you're single again. You're not still thinking of being a chaste and honest guy, are you? How old - fashioned."
I thought about it carefully and found that what Huang Po said made a lot of sense.
If I went back to sleep now or just stayed up all night somewhere, as long as I couldn't hold on and fell asleep, I might die in my dreams. It would be better to go out and have an all - night spree.
Not to mention, after I started working at the funeral parlor, I quickly met my girlfriend Xinyi, and since then I've been living the life of a good family man.
On the other hand, Huang Po has always been a nightclub prince. Whenever he's not busy, he hangs out in nightclubs and bars, flirting with girls and having a great time.
When it's time to go to work, he would tell me about his conquests and achievements, which made me itch with envy. But I've always been too timid to give it a try.
Today, my mindset has changed: I'm almost out of time, so why should I care about morality?
Let's have fun first. Anyway, most of the girls who go to these places are also looking for fun. It's just a matter of each getting what they want.
As long as I don't do anything illegal or immoral like drugging girls or picking up passed - out girls, and if there are girls willing to play with me, I'll have a good time.
"Let's go and have some fun together."
"Right! I'm telling you, once you go to a bar, you won't feel sleepy at all. You won't even be able to fall asleep if you want to." Huang Po had that sly smile on his face again.
The two of us went back to the housing estate first, got into Huang Po's flashy car, and headed straight for the bar street.
As soon as we entered the bar street, it felt like we'd entered a different world.
Our city is situated in the Central Plains, and the culture is relatively conservative. Usually, although there are some girls on the street who dress boldly, most of them are still quite reserved.
But it's completely different in the bar street. Everyone here dresses very boldly, and the girls are wearing less and less fabric, which makes one's blood boil.
I stared so hard that my eyes almost popped out. Huang Po nudged me with his elbow: "Don't let your eyeballs fall out. Take it easy. Girls don't like rookies. Just follow my lead and don't show your fear."
I quickly averted my gaze and followed Huang Po, pretending to be calm as we entered a bar.
Times have changed. Girls nowadays know how to have a good time. In the old days, honest and simple boys were in favor, but nowadays girls dig experienced guys.
After all, experienced guys have more moves and better staying power. Girls come here to have a good time, so you have to act like an experienced player.
Of course, there are also cougars who dig innocent young dudes, and they can be a hit too.
But that kind of approach requires one to be very young and look innocent. I simply don't meet those physical requirements and can't take that path.
Young guys with baby faces are innocent and shy. They're like cute young guys. I've stayed up late for years, with a haggard face. At best, I can only come across as an honest guy in terms of my demeanor.
Being an honest guy isn't a hot ticket in the nightlife scene. Even if I'm lucky enough to meet someone willing to have fun with an honest guy, those ladies are usually older. I don't have the energy to handle them.
After Huang Po's explanation, I finally understood why he wanted me to pretend to be an experienced player.
I couldn't help but say, "You should've told me before. Let's go change our clothes and come back. We look so out of date like this."
The clothes we were wearing were indeed a bit old - fashioned. The other young men and women in the bar were either dressed in hip - hop style or trendy denim clothes.
Only we were dressed conservatively. We didn't look like we were here to have a good time at a nightclub at all. How could we pretend to be experienced players like this? No girls would want to meet us!
"Don't worry. Clothes aren't a problem at all. I come here often. The boss knows me, and I know a lot of the girls here. Don't worry. I won't let you go home empty - handed tonight."
Huang Po burst into laughter. He called over the waiter to order drinks and a fruit platter and invited me to drink.
To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about Huang Po's guarantee. How could it be so easy to pick up girls?
Soon, my doubts began to waver.
Huang Po really didn't waste these years hanging out in the bar. In no time, the bar's lobby manager came over to greet Huang Po, clinked glasses with him like old buddies, and then asked the waiter to bring a plate of snacks.
After the bar manager left, Huang Po wiggled his eyebrows at me and said proudly, "Chen Zi, watch. Girls will come to hit on us soon."
"Are you kidding me? Can we really pick up girls like this?" I really didn't see any sign that girls were into us. The only one who came over was a guy.
"You just don't understand. Just sit back and watch the show." Huang Po had a mysterious smile on his face.
I still remained skeptical, but soon my doubts were dispelled. Two heavily - made - up girls actually came over and asked if we wanted to share the table.
Huang Po sized up their figures and tried to make out their looks under the heavy makeup. He exchanged a look with me and then nodded in agreement.
The two girls were very lively. After sitting down, they started playing rock - paper - scissors and dice with us and had a great time.
Playing games naturally involved physical contact. As the contact continued, I started to get distracted and restless.
But just then, the two girls said they were going to the restroom and would come back to continue playing.
Seeing the two girls leave their seats, I got a bit anxious. "Pizi, are these two girls not interested anymore?"
"What's the rush? They'll definitely come back. They left their coats here, which means they're not going anywhere. By the way, do you know why they came over?" Huang Po had a smug smile on his face.
"Why?" I was also really curious.
"You can't tell an experienced player just from their appearance. But regulars at a bar are definitely experienced players. If you're on good terms with the bar owner and manager, you're definitely a regular and have the spending power. Then the chicks will naturally come over."
Only then did I have an epiphany. So the chicks had their own tricks too.
"They don't just go to the toilet to pee. They probably touch up their makeup and spray on some perfume. After they come back and have a couple more drinks, they'll probably invite us out. Don't be a chicken then."
Huang Po was absolutely right. After the two chicks came back, they clearly had touched up their makeup, and the scent of their perfume was a bit stronger.
After playing two more rounds of the game, the chick sitting next to me leaned over and whispered in my ear, "It's so stuffy here. Let's go out for some fresh air."
I was instantly excited. Is this the sign that we're going to a hotel to get a room?
"Let me tell my buddy." My heart was pounding.
"No need. We're just going out for some fresh air." As the chick said this, her hands started to get a bit too friendly.
I immediately understood. She couldn't wait and wanted to have some fun in the alley behind the bar.
As a man, in this situation, how could I possibly resist? I quickly reached into my pocket. The rubber Huang Po had stuffed into my pocket was still there. Everything is ready; all we need is the right opportunity.
The chick pulled me along and we smoothly slipped out of the back door of the bar and into the somewhat dim alley.
Going from the noisy bar into the alley, my ears took a while to adjust. The sudden quietness of the world felt a bit strange.
Before I could collect my thoughts, the chick had already planted a passionate kiss on me and started getting handsy.
This was too much! Of course, a man shouldn't just sit back and take it at a time like this.
I immediately sprang into action, but I still kept in mind not to let the chick kiss my right ear.
While passionately kissing the chick, my eyes casually swept over the dim street lamp in the alley, and it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over me from head to toe, dousing all my passion.
Under the dim street lamp, a woman in a red wedding dress with a red veil stood there silently.
Her mouth was exposed outside the red veil, and her bright red lips looked as if they were stained with blood. At that moment, she was grinning.