5 Missoula Mare

"I was actually in California just a few weeks back, staying in my bungalow. You know, I have a pilot's license there – if you ever decide to drop by, maybe I could fly you around in my private plane. Give you a nice bird's-eye view of America! Hahaha~"

Ai Jing laughed along, amused at how transparent he was. They'd been talking about how Ai Jing had gone to an international school, and he had used the opportunity to transition into how he owned a house and plane in the United States.

It was clear what was going on. The man was doing his best to try and impress her, never mind the fact that nearly everyone inside the La Chaleur was very well-off to begin with. Her initial impression of him had been neutral, if not a little bit positive, and she had agreed to stay at the club a while longer and let him sit by her side. She didn't have anywhere she needed to be, and she saw no harm in humoring him a little.

She did feel a bit guilty, as she wasn't interested in him at all. But it wasn't as if his intentions were totally pure, and listening to him try to sell himself was definitely entertaining. From the short time they'd been talking, she had gathered that his name was Liu Yong, and that he was the only son of Liu Zhenhua, a very famous film producer.

"Lingling, what's your biggest dream?"

Thinking her real identity was a bit too high-profile, she had introduced herself as "Lingling," the daughter of a local investor.

"I just want to live a happy life, I think. I don't really know what that'll look like – I suppose I'll find out as I go."

"Nice and simple, huh? I like that."

Neither of them seemed to know how to keep the conversation going. And when the awkward silence had dragged on for the better part of a minute, Ai Jing wondered if maybe she should take her leave.

"Hey! Bro!"

Liu Yong waved and called out at a passing waiter, stopping him. Apparently, the two of them knew each other, because they were soon exchanging pleasantries as two old friends might do.

"Brother Liu! Look at you, huh? How in the world did your ugly ass get such a gorgeous girl to pay you company?"

Liu Yong grinned.

"What can I say? I'm a lucky man. But hey, if you'd be so kind as to help me out – bring this pretty lady a Missoula Mare, won't you? And one for me too, of course."

At this, the waiter's smile faltered slightly. The reaction confused Ai Jing, but the sudden hesitation was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and she thought no further of it. Maybe the waiter was just annoyed that Liu Yong was basically waving him away. Or perhaps the drink Liu Yong had ordered was difficult to make?

The Missoula Mare… she had never heard of it before. It sounded complicated.

"Hey, Liu Yong? Thanks, but I don't think I should drink any more."

She pointed at the bottle of champagne, which was still sitting in the center of the table.

"Ah, don't worry. The Missoula Mare barely has any alcohol in it. I know it sounds like a heavy mixed drink, but it's actually lighter than a beer. It's got this really nice strawberry flavoring in it too, so I'm sure you'll like it. Don't worry, just have a sip if you're unsure. I won't be offended if you don't finish it. It's just that it's one of my favorite drinks, and no one knows about it! Have to share the wealth, you know?"

A short while after he finished explaining, the waiter returned, two thin glasses of hot pink liquid standing on his serving plate.

"As requested – a pair of Missoula Mares."

He placed them on the table in front of Ai Jing and Liu Yong.

"Please enjoy."

With a bow and a flourish, he left.

Likely trying to dispel Ai Jing's apprehension about the drink, Liu Yong picked up his glass and downed half of it in one go.

"Ah~ So good. Seriously, Lingling, try it. It almost tastes like a cream soda."

Ai Jing picked up her glass and took a cautious sip. Immediately, her eyes lit up. Liu Yong wasn't kidding – it really did taste like a smooth soft drink. The frothy foam floating on the surface paired perfectly with the fruitiness of the sweet drink below. She also couldn't taste the alcohol at all. It was almost like she was drinking strawberry ice cream.

Still, she decided to err on the side of caution, and she set down her glass after drinking only about a fifth of its contents.

"Wow, that really is delicious. Missoula Mare… I wonder what the name means?"

"I don't know that much, sadly."

Liu Yong laughed.

"I sure know it's amazing, though."

He finished his glass, and the two of them gazed out at the club like Ai Jing and Isabella had been doing earlier. Now that it was so late, the electronic music had been replaced with soft jazz. And as they sat there in silence, serenaded by the sound of a piano, Ai Jing found her eyes drifting to the same spot as before…

There was no mistake this time. Gao Ming was definitely staring right at her, and there was a steely look on his face. She immediately turned away, flustered. What was that about? Why was he looking at her like that? Ai Jing watched out of the corner of her eye as Gao Ming stood from his seat. He swiftly tossed his jacket over his shoulders before bowing slightly towards the two girls still at his table. And then, as if he was in a mad rush to get somewhere, he marched out of the nightclub, his entourage following neatly behind him.

It was all very sudden, to say the least.

"Hey, so…"

Liu Yong's voice dragged her out of her thoughts.

"I have an apartment not too far from here. It's by the shore, and it has a really good view of the ocean. What do you say? Wanna swing by tonight?"

She had been expecting something like this, but the question still caught her off guard. Her response came out a lot less diplomatically than she would have liked.

"Ah! Um! Sorry, I'm not really interested."

Liu Yong's reply was laced with disappointment.

"Oh."

Ai Jing pursed her lips, hoping she hadn't upset him too much.

"That's too bad…" Liu Yong whispered, so quietly she had to strain to hear him.

"But I'd still like you to come."

She raised an eyebrow. At the same time, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in alarm.

"Sorry, but… what?"

Liu Yong's hands were folded in his lap and he was looking straight ahead, like he was waiting for something to happen.

And then it hit her. A sudden haze, clouding over her mind. It almost felt like being drunk, but the effect was much, much worse.

Her consciousness was slipping away, and she grasped at its final sparks, trying desperately to figure out what was going on. This wasn't the effect of alcohol, that she was sure of. This was too strong, too sudden.

Had she been drugged?

No, that couldn't be. She made it a point to always keep her drinks in her field of vision. There was no feasible way someone could have slipped anything into her glass without her seeing. But then, what other explanation could there be? All she'd had to drink so far was the champagne from earlier and the Missoula Mare Liu Yong had ordered her.

Wait...

She thought back to the waiter's strange reaction when he heard the Missoula Mare's obscure-sounding name. That, and how Liu Yong had insisted on having her try that specific drink?

Could it be? Had there been something wrong with the drink, right from the start?

As a cold dread crept into her mind, she felt her thoughts slowly going dark. The last thing she remembered was Liu Yong lifting her from her seat, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.