Dinner parties among middle-aged people were usually quite boring. A group of strangers gathering together for a al was rely a way to get acquainted.
Fortunately, the two main hosts of today's gathering were female, so the drinking culture was sowhat more refined. They wouldn't drink to excess, but they certainly wouldn't stay completely dry either.
Principal Li Ru had a very academic aura about her, but anyone who could sit in the highest administrative seat of a university naturally possessed so shrewdness. She insisted on having a drink with Liu Jing and exchanged polite pleasantries, joking that Boss Liu's inspection visit had caught them off guard, resulting in subpar hospitality.
Liu Jing waved her hand dismissively, stating that was absolutely not the case and that she was the one imposing on them.
And so, the two of them shared a glass of white liquor. Liu Jing's alcohol tolerance was quite decent, and she gave Li Ru plenty of face. After taking a small sip, she motioned for Jiang Xinyi to stand up and introduced her daughter to Li Ru.
As was customary, they went through the motions of asking where she worked and so on.
Liu Jing ntioned that she was a postgraduate student at Nanjing University.
"Oh my, that is quite impressive," Li Ru exclaid, feigning a look of surprise.
To soone like Li Ru, a postgraduate degree probably did not an much, but in social situations, one had to act surprised when the occasion called for it.
Liu Jing replied with practiced modesty, saying it was just alright.
"Xinyi, Yuwen, the two of you should stand up and offer a toast to Aunt Li," Liu Jing instructed, clearly treating Zhou Yuwen as one of her own.
Zhou Yuwen was very sensible and stood up alongside Jiang Xinyi.
Li Ru quickly waved them down, telling them there was no need to stand.
"No need, just sit and drink."
Despite her words, when Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi stood side by side, the only phrase that ca to everyone's mind was a match made in heaven. Moreover, Liu Jing's transparent motive was perfectly obvious to everyone. Li Ru naturally played along with Liu Jing, continuously praising how perfectly suited Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi were for each other.
The constant complints left Jiang Xinyi feeling a bit embarrassed.
With Li Ru taking the lead, the others at the table naturally followed suit, chiming in with remarks about how they looked like a golden couple ever since they played the piano together earlier, making them an exceptionally perfect pair.
"Boss Liu, this must be your son-in-law, right?"
"I truly envy you for finding such an excellent son-in-law!"
With just a few words, they coaxed Liu Jing into a wonderful mood, and she did not even make the slightest attempt to deny their claims.
Even Jiang Xinyi was blushing slightly, but she was genuinely happy today. Not only had she earned applause on stage, but after learning that Zhou Yuwen had broken up with his girlfriend, she felt an indescribable joy in her heart.
Letting the excitent go to her head, she aggressively downed half of her glass of white liquor.
"Cough, cough!"
What followed was a violent bout of coughing.
At this mont, Zhou Yuwen handled the situation perfectly.
He quickly pulled two tissues from the box and handed them to Jiang Xinyi, while naturally patting her back and asking softly, "Are you alright?"
Jiang Xinyi shook her head. Being gently comforted by Zhou Yuwen gave her a very subtle, fluttering feeling.
Zhou Yuwen whispered that if she could not handle her liquor, she should drink less.
"Here, drink so water."
As he spoke, he poured a cup of hot water and placed it right in front of her.
For the first ti in her life, Jiang Xinyi experienced what it felt like to be properly cared for by soone else; she had never truly had this before. Looking at Zhou Yuwen, she saw how effortlessly and naturally he handled everything.
It was not just Jiang Xinyi; everyone else at the table took note of Zhou Yuwen's attentive behavior.
Zhou Yuwen truly did not act like a boy six years her junior. Instead, he seed more like Jiang Xinyi's older brother.
The two of them sat back down, and Zhou Yuwen served Jiang Xinyi a few bites of hot food, giving her a mont to catch her breath.
"Mhm," Jiang Xinyi responded, nodding obediently.
Watching their little interactions, Liu Jing grew increasingly satisfied. She offered an apologetic smile to Li Ru and explained, "Principal Li, I am truly sorry. Xinyi has never been very good at drinking since she was young."
"It is perfectly fine. She is still young; if she cannot drink, she shouldn't force herself. This isn't a strict formal occasion anyway."
They exchanged pleasantries back and forth, and the dinner party dragged on until ten o'clock before finally concluding.
When they stepped outside, Jiang Xinyi was draped in Zhou Yuwen's jacket.
The university leaders had a dedicated car waiting to pick them up, so they were able to leave first.
Liu Jing, of course, also had her own private vehicle.
After taking off his suit jacket, Zhou Yuwen was left wearing only a shirt, which clearly highlighted his strong physique in the cool night air.
Jiang Xinyi seed a bit drunk, hovering in a state of tipsiness. When she walked out, she needed Zhou Yuwen to support her weight, though Liu Jing was in much better condition.
After bidding farewell to Li Ru and the others, the Maybach pulled up smoothly right beside them.
Liu Jing turned to Zhou Yuwen and suggested, "Yuwen, it is getting late. How about you skip returning to the dormitory and co rest at our house?"
Zhou Yuwen smiled and declined. "There is no need, Aunt Jing."
"I bought a house off-campus, so I will just head ho."
"Huh, aren't you..."
"The one I just bought is a villa, but I have another place," Zhou Yuwen clarified.
Seeing the confident smile gracing Zhou Yuwen's face, Liu Jing let out an 'oh' of realization. She suddenly felt that Zhou Yuwen was far more excellent than she had originally anticipated.
She feared her daughter might not be able to hold onto him.
Zhou Yuwen carefully guided Jiang Xinyi into the back seat of the car and told Liu Jing, "Aunt Jing, Sister Xinyi seems to have drank quite a bit. You should take her ho first."
Seeing how polite and well-mannered Zhou Yuwen was, Liu Jing smiled warmly and replied, "Alright then, let us keep in touch."
"Mhm, let us keep in touch."
Once Liu Jing got into the car, the driver, Little Li, started the Maybach. In the rearview mirror, Zhou Yuwen's figure slowly faded into the distance.
Jiang Xinyi appeared to be genuinely drunk. Apart from the first glass, she had downed two more small glasses later on. It wasn't because others were pressuring her with toasts, but simply because she wanted to prove that her alcohol tolerance wasn't terrible and she had only choked by accident.
She hadn't expected to get more intoxicated with every sip.
Ultimately, the alcohol was just a catalyst for her already intoxicating mood. Sitting in the back seat, Jiang Xinyi's flushed red cheeks naturally ca to rest against Liu Jing's shoulder. It looked like she was truly plastered.
Her small face still wore a tipsy, drunken smile.
However, Liu Jing, seeing right through her, remarked lightly, "Still pretending? Yuwen is already gone."
Jiang Xinyi's smile stiffened for a brief second, but there was no way she would admit to faking it now. She simply closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. In truth, she wasn't entirely faking it; drinking alcohol always made her dizzy anyway.
It was just that the feeling of being taken care of by Zhou Yuwen was far too wonderful.
Liu Jing was absolutely right. You Changjin could not provide Jiang Xinyi with any real emotional value. For starters, he wasn't very tall, and he only knew how to offer basic care like a nanny.
He could never be like Zhou Yuwen, who exuded a completely different kind of charm with every single gesture.
At this mont, Jiang Xinyi truly experienced the feeling of love.
It was entirely different.
Upon returning ho, she was helped to her room by the nanny. Jiang Xinyi lay sprawled on her large bed, her cheeks as red as apples. She stared blankly at the ceiling, eventually letting out a giggle.
It was hard to say what she was thinking about; she just felt an irrepressible urge to smile. Perhaps it was because the dizzy sensation in her head felt surprisingly comfortable.
Or perhaps it was because she rembered the mont she went on stage to play earlier, and the flood of complints she received from everyone around her.
Of course, it was more likely because of the seamless chemistry she shared with Zhou Yuwen on stage. With just a single look or gesture, it felt as though they could completely read each other's minds.
Zhou Yuwen was now...
Single?
Jiang Xinyi found it impossible to fall asleep. She got up from the bed and walked over to her piano.
She had an overwhelming urge to play the piano right now.
Even while lying in bed, her fingers had moved uncontrollably, itching to play the lody of Fleet of Ti.
But just as she was about to strike the keys, She suddenly heard footsteps echoing outside her door.
Startled, Jiang Xinyi scrambled back toward her bed in a panic.
By the ti Liu Jing walked in, Jiang Xinyi was already lying prone on her bed, perfectly mimicking soone who had not yet woken up.
However, Liu Jing, seemingly seeing right through the charade once again, said calmly, "Stop pretending. If you want to play the piano, just play. There are no outsiders in the house anyway."
"Ahhh! Mother!" At her age, it was the first ti Jiang Xinyi whined to her mother like a little girl.
She couldn't help it; her heart was awakening to love for the first ti.
She silently blad her mother—why did she have to expose her like that?
Liu Jing rely scoffed and stated that she was a piece of her own flesh and blood.
How could she not know what was going on in her daughter's mind?
"Before, because Zhou Yuwen had a girlfriend, I did not support you."
"But now that Zhou Yuwen does not have a girlfriend, what are your thoughts?" Liu Jing had co over to bring Jiang Xinyi so hot milk and figured she would ask her daughter's opinion while she was at it.
Jiang Xinyi started playing dumb, curling up on the bed and clutching her Stitch pillow. Pouting her lips, she wondered what she was even supposed to do.
"I am six years older than him. Besides, with so many girls crushing on him, how could he possibly take a liking to ?" Jiang Xinyi mumbled.
For the first ti, Liu Jing realized that her own daughter could suffer from a lack of confidence.
Feeling utterly speechless, she rolled her eyes. "If you do not even try, how will you ever know!"
"But how am I supposed to try!" Jiang Xinyi was a complete novice at this.
Liu Jing's expression at that mont was difficult to describe with words. In the end, she simply sighed, pulling out two tickets to a piano recital and handing them to Jiang Xinyi. "Anyway, if you want to pursue Zhou Yuwen, I absolutely support you. Excellent boys are a rarity, and it would be a massive sha to miss out on one after finally crossing paths. This is the only help I can offer you. The rest is entirely up to you."
With that, she placed the tickets on Jiang Xinyi's bedside table.
"Rember to drink the milk before sleeping."
Before walking out, Liu Jing added one last reminder.
Jiang Xinyi let out a reluctant whimper.
She picked up the piano recital tickets, staring at them over and over, pouting as she grumbled that this didn't really count as much help at all.
By the ti Liu Jing had stepped out of the room, Jiang Xinyi was still muttering out of pure embarrassnt, complaining, "Are you really that afraid I will not be able to get married?!"
"Hmph, back when I was together with You Changjin, you certainly weren't acting like this!"
Hearing this, Liu Jing stopped dead in her tracks. "Then give the tickets back? If you are not going, I will go with Yuwen."
"No, no, there is a massive generation gap between the two of you, you had better forget about it!" Jiang Xinyi hurriedly shielded the tickets with her body.
Liu Jing gave a light snort.
She understood her daughter's character far too well.
Once Liu Jing had completely vanished, Jiang Xinyi sat back down on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest and absentmindedly rubbing her toes.
Then, she picked up the tickets again and stared at them intently.
Eventually, she picked up her phone and sent Zhou Yuwen a ssage: "What are you doing right now?"
What was Zhou Yuwen doing?
Zhou Yuwen was undeniably busy.
Extrely busy. First of all, as a direct result of him singing that song, a huge group of girls had suddenly taken the initiative to chat with him. Setting aside all the random unnad ones, there was Qu Jing, who kept blowing up his phone, sending texts praising him, saying, "Brother is simply amazing!"
"Jingjing is falling more and more in love with Brother."
"Jingjing wants to wrap around Brother forever (Shy) (Shy)"
Qu Jing's way of thinking simply could not be understood through normal human logic.
Zhou Yuwen could only respond with two sweating emojis.
Then there was the usually distant Tao Tian.
She, too, was naturally reaching out to Zhou Yuwen at this ti.
Before tonight, Tao Tian had originally planned to give up on Zhou Yuwen, but that single song had effortlessly yanked her right back in.
Especially that later verse: "We should keep our lingering ties; we should remain indebted to each other."
Tao Tian felt as though Zhou Yuwen had sung that specific line directly to her.
Because she genuinely owed Zhou Yuwen.
Zhou Yuwen had treated her so incredibly well.
Yet she had actually entertained the thought of backstabbing him.
Even though it hadn't worked out in the end.
Tao Tian still believed it was entirely her fault.
She had originally assud that Zhou Yuwen would never forgive her.
But listening to the lyrics of his song, It felt as though Zhou Yuwen was signaling that he wanted them to maintain a superficial break with lingering ties.
After a mont of hesitation, Tao Tian finally took the initiative and sent Zhou Yuwen a ssage, asking him:
"Is the company still short on staff? It is getting close to the end of the year, and I want to earn so extra money."
Zhou Yuwen replied, "We are quite short-handed, actually. There are a lot of exhibitions going on right now, and Su Qing and the others seem to have co up with a new project. It would be perfect if you could co over. Now that I think about it, you haven't been to the company in ages."
Zhou Yuwen had just ntioned it casually, but Tao Tian imdiately interpreted it as him caring about her, filling her heart with secret delight.
"Then I will head to the company tomorrow? Will you be there?"
"Yeah, I will be. I have been at the company a lot lately."
"Alright, I will co find you tomorrow."
"Let's chat more tomorrow, then."
"Okay, goodnight (Cute)" Tao Tian secretly wanted to keep chatting with Zhou Yuwen, but she was afraid of annoying him, so she forced herself to say goodnight early.
It was completely impossible for Zhou Yuwen to fall asleep so early because there were simply far too many people lining up to chat with him.
Qu Jing, Tao Tian, Su Qing, Zheng Yanyan, Lu Lin, and even Li Shiqi.
Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan had both sent a barrage of ssages, though their contents were practically identical.
Su Qing was demanding that Zhou Yuwen issue a public statent declaring that the song was written exclusively for her!
She threw Zheng Yanyan under the bus, complaining to Zhou Yuwen that Zheng Yanyan was entirely shaless for daring to claim that the song was ant for her!
"This song was clearly written for , alright?!"
Zhou Yuwen found her exasperated and furious deanor quite amusing. He told her, "That is completely out of my hands. You asked
to sing a song, and I did exactly that."
Upon hearing this, Su Qing was so enraged she almost burst into tears.
She quickly dialed his number, intending to sob over the phone call to garner his sympathy.
Zhou Yuwen chuckled, "Alright, alright, I just finished drinking, and my head is spinning a bit. How about this, I will see about putting out a statent for you tomorrow."
Only then did Su Qing finally settle down.
anwhile, Zheng Yanyan kept pestering Zhou Yuwen about his whereabouts, reminding him that they had agreed he would co to her place tonight.
She had even prepared the uniform.
"So, are you coming or not?!"
Zhou Yuwen ignored Zheng Yanyan, as he was currently on his way back to his big flat.
Finally, Zhou Yuwen noticed a single word sent by Li Shiqi: "There?"
It was just a single word, sent at nine-thirty. It had already been an hour since then.
Zhou Yuwen wasn't entirely sure if Li Shiqi had fallen asleep yet.
After a mont of thought, he eventually replied with a simple, "Yeah."
Instantly, his phone screen lit up.
It turned out to be a lightning-fast reply from Li Shiqi: "I heard you broke up?"
In reality, concerning his breakup with Zheng Yanyan, Zhou Yuwen had already been pondering it for quite so ti when he initially brought up a cooling-off period. Given his current way of thinking, he truly had no intention of jumping into another romantic relationship.
He had originally planned to head over there today to have break-up sex and make things crystal clear with Zheng Yanyan once and for all.
Coupled with the fact that he had already made his stance known in front of the principal earlier, Zhou Yuwen felt that dragging out a cooling-off period was completely unnecessary.
So, after a brief hesitation, he answered Li Shiqi, "Yeah."
Upon receiving this text, Li Shiqi remained silent for a short while before sending another ssage. "Have you booked your train ticket ho for the winter holiday yet?"
"No, I will be driving ho."
"Oh."
Li Shiqi never sent another reply after that.
Reviews
All reviews (0)