Who Wants to Love Bad Girls - Chapter 1

Bahe Road is located in the center of N City, a rare street that has not been renovated and still retains its old charm amidst the bustling city.

The houses are all historical relics, protected buildings that cannot be demolished, making it difficult for vehicles to pass through. As a result, it is quiet during the day, with few people in sight. But as soon as night falls, it transforms into a lively place.

The reason behind this is that it is a well-known bar street in the local area.

N City has always been famous for its abundance of bars, and the last thing it lacks is bars. In theory, Bahe Road has only five or six bars along its stretch, which can’t compare to other lively streets where you can change venues and drink all night.

But it stands out for a reason.

‘Kilig’ opens at 8 PM, and every day at 4:30 PM, Tingwan arrives at the shop on time, earlier than anyone else. Her first task upon arriving at the shop is not to check the drinks, adjust the equipment, or inspect the cleanliness; instead, she waters the flowers.

No matter the season, the flower beds on both sides of the entrance of ‘Kilig’ are always blooming with pleasing colors. Thanks to Tingwan’s careful care every day, the front of ‘Kilig’ has become a beautiful scenic spot on Bahe Road.

Later, when Kevin, the owner of the neighboring ‘Garden,’ saw this, he followed suit and planted a large patch of flowers at the entrance. Since he was too lazy to take care of them himself, he hired a few older ladies. Comparing with Tingwan, he was always generous, as you can tell from the ‘Garden’s’ sign, which is twice the size of ‘Kilig’ and has an extremely flamboyant style.

The old ladies worked hard after being paid, and somehow managed to make the flowers grow as if they were injected with hormones, climbing over the low wall all the way to ‘Kilig.’ Kevin was pleased with this, and Tingwan didn’t feel offended or invaded by the encroachment on her territory. She liked flowers and didn’t mind having more.

When Lan Ling arrived at the shop, Tingwan was arranging flowers at the bar counter. Her jet-black hair was tucked behind her ears, cascading down her shoulders with a radiant glow. When she focused her gaze, whether on people or objects, her eyes would appear particularly affectionate, often giving people the illusion. Many first-time customers who were just captivated by her gaze would come back again and again, eventually becoming regulars. And now, as she looked at the peonies that had bloomed from the ‘Garden’ and made their way over, she pondered how to pair them, her eyes filled with contemplation.

Lan Ling, however, had no time to appreciate the beautiful flower arrangement. She recognized the peonies in Tingwan’s hands and couldn’t help but feel angry when she thought about the “Garden.” Kevin had been so smug lately, acting like he was on top of the world. Seeing the way people flocked to their shop, he couldn’t help but hold his head high. It was all because of that interview with an internet celebrity that brought them fame.

Although Bahe Road is usually bustling at night, recently it has been overcrowded to the point where even the nearby streets are congested. Most of the people rushing to the “Garden” are tourists from out of town, drawn by the curiosity sparked by the viral video of the shop.

“Kilig” has been around longer than the “Garden” and is the first bar of its kind in N City. Business has always been good, but recently, due to the influence of the “Garden,” regular customers have been scared away by the overwhelming crowd. Instead, there has been an influx of female customers who took a wrong turn.

It’s amazing how women are the main consumer force in this era. “Kilig” has also been featured in exploratory videos, but it hasn’t generated such a massive spread on the internet.

Lan Ling felt somewhat unfair. What’s so great about those gigolos next door, who seem to want to coat their hair with a pound of hair gel every day? They flirt with people all the time, and some of them don’t even walk like straight men!

“Tingwan Mama, why are you still arranging flowers? Don’t you care about the ones they planted? They’ve made it look like we’re one shop, and there are people walking in the wrong direction every day. In the past few days, I’ve seen more female customers in front of ‘Kilig’ than I have in the past three years.”

God knows how many times she had to explain to those first-time girls who came to Bahe Road that there were no gigolos here, only hostesses. It was so annoying when they had to turn left at the “Garden.”

Tingwan continued her hand movements without stopping, indifferent to the situation. “They’re planting flowers in front of their own shop. What can I do about it?”

“We should at least make a distinction. Maybe we should change the flowers at our shop’s entrance…?” Lan Ling realized she had said the wrong thing as soon as the words left her mouth. She knew just how precious those flowers were to Tingwan.

Indeed, upon hearing these words, Tingwan turned her head coolly and gave Lan Ling a glance. “I’ve worked so hard to cultivate these beautiful flowers. They are meant for appreciation, not for distinguishing ourselves from others.”

Lan Ling dared not say a word and then saw Tingwan smile as gently as usual. “Alright, tonight you go and accompany the guests. I’ll handle the reception at the entrance.”

“Thank you, Tingwan Mama~!” Lan Ling felt an immediate sense of relief and hurriedly went to the changing room with her bag. Tingwan Mama was always gentle and elegant, seemingly incapable of getting angry, but sometimes she exuded a rather intimidating aura.

The uniqueness of Bahe Road lies in the presence of “kilig” and “Garden,” two bars that, rather than selling alcohol, seem to sell services or emotions. Are they selling companionship or affection, perhaps?

Unlike typical bars, the expenses here are higher, yet they have never suffered from a lack of customers. That’s because here, you can have someone to drink with you.

“Kilig” has hostesses, while “Garden” has gigolos. Customers come here not just for the sake of drinking, but for the meticulous care and attention they receive from the hostesses and gigolos.

Tingwan opened a social media app and saw the viral video that catapulted “Garden” to fame. Surprisingly, she, as the Mama-san, had the most indifferent reaction to it. She felt no sense of crisis at all.

The customer bases of the two establishments are inherently different. Although there was never a rule stating they only catered to male or female clients, it was an unspoken consensus that women went to “Garden” and men came to “kilig.”

While Tingwan didn’t feel any crisis, it was indeed quite troublesome. She understood Lan Ling’s dissatisfaction. The roads to Bahe Road had been congested at night recently, and regular customers didn’t want to deal with the crowds. Moreover, the out-of-town visitors, who were seeking novelty, often ended up mistakenly entering their shop, causing a constant flow of people coming in and leaving. It was understandable that Lan Ling didn’t want to handle these customers.

The online hype comes and goes in waves. Tingwan used to think it would blow over, but among these girls coming to Bahe Road, wasn’t there anyone who wanted to try “kilig”? It was worth considering whether or not to put up a sign welcoming female customers. After all, “Garden” is always packed every night, and they couldn’t accommodate all those customers. I heard Kevin has been scouting new locations lately…