Chapter 48: So It Was a Hongmen Banquet After All
After stepping out of the private room, Leon let out a long breath, feeling a long-lost sense of peace and relief.
He liked to think of himself as a thick-skinned social misfit, but put him in a dinner gathering where every other person was a woman, and the inexplicable pressure was something only those who had experienced it could truly understand.
Especially when there was a mischief-maker on the side grinning like an indulgent aunt. As the poor soul on the receiving end of that smile, Leon felt the weight double.
Thankfully, he could temporarily escape the situation with the excuse of a bathroom break. Not that he actually intended to go. Instead, Leon decided to use the opportunity to head to the counter and look for Gus.
“Well, look who’s here. Hahaha, I didn’t expect you to be so popular. You even managed to slip into Jodi’s girls’ night. Youth sure has its perks,” Gus chuckled warmly, polishing a glass as he teased Leon.
“It’s just a favor exchange from that time I treated Jodi to a drink,” Leon waved his hand, taking a seat on the stool at Gus’s bar to explain.
“I get it. Jodi’s got a big heart, and since it’s rare for us to have new faces in Pelican Town, she’s just trying to keep you around,” Gus said with a nod.
“So this is her plan to seduce me?” Leon joked with a wry smile.
“Seduc… what?” Gus blinked, not quite grasping the odd term.