After dinner and drinks, it was almost ten o'clock. Qian Fei and Yao Jingjing had eaten, drunk, and chatted so much that they were actually getting more and more hyper. With their bellies full and their spirits high, Yao Jingjing said she'd slept too much in the afternoon and now the alcohol was coursing through her veins, making her restless. She insisted on dragging Qian Fei out to sing karaoke.
Unable to resist her, Qian Fei had no choice but to go along.
Qian Fei asked Yao Jingjing where she wanted to go, and Yao Jingjing said, "To Candy near Yonghegong! It's the New Year—let's sing a couple of songs for Buddha to hear!"
Qian Fei's lips twitched. "Aren't you afraid of scaring Buddha? He might curse you with bad luck for the whole next year!"
They took a taxi straight to Candy.
Because it was New Year's Eve, Candy was packed. By the time Qian Fei and Yao Jingjing arrived, there were no private rooms left. They sat in the lobby waiting.
A group of young people dressed somewhere between gothic and edgy walked in. One of them went to the bar, while the rest glanced over at Qian Fei and Yao Jingjing. Two of them even whispered to each other.
After a while, those two approached. One of them struck a pose and plopped down next to Qian Fei, flashing a flirty smile. "Hey, beautiful, just the two of you? Want to join us for some fun?"
Qian Fei scooted closer to Yao Jingjing and replied coolly but politely, "No, thanks!"
The guy wasn’t deterred and leaned in even closer. Qian Fei could smell the alcohol on him—stronger than what was on her.
Just as she was wondering how to shake off this drunk cleanly, a server came to her rescue.
The server told them a small room had opened up and gave them the room number. Qian Fei quickly grabbed Yao Jingjing and followed the server.
Once inside the room, Qian Fei asked Yao Jingjing what she wanted to eat. Yao Jingjing tossed her hair and said, "Eat what? We're here to sing or drink—or both!"
So Qian Fei ordered four bottles of Budweiser from the server.
Yao Jingjing nudged her aside and told the server, "Forget the beer, get me Chivas!" After a moment’s thought, she grabbed the server’s arm and changed her mind. "Actually, get both—Chivas and beer!"
Qian Fei couldn’t help but facepalm. "Sis, can you explain to me how you plan to drink this?"
Yao Jingjing grabbed the mic and randomly selected The Trade of Love . Over the intro, she shouted, "Sis is gonna mix them! Feifei, tonight we’re not leaving until we’re wasted!"
Then she belted out: "You sold my love, forced me to leave, and when I learned the truth, my tears fell like rain..."
Qian Fei’s knees nearly buckled.
This wasn’t even about getting drunk—they were already wasted before they even left the house, for crying out loud...
●︶3︶●
When the drinks arrived, Qian Fei witnessed the reckless drinking prowess of a top-tier CBD white-collar worker.
Yao Jingjing did exactly what she said—she mixed them!
A sip of beer, a sip of Chivas, then a few lines of singing. In this bizarre yet domineering rhythm, Qian Fei clutched her chest in despair, lamenting how normal and unspectacular her own heartbreak had been in comparison.
As they duetted The Drunken Concubine —Qian Fei singing the male part while Yao Jingjing took the female part—she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.
Annoyed, she pulled it out to hang up.
But as she looked at the 11-digit number on the screen, it struck her as vaguely familiar—almost like the one Yao Jingjing had blocked.She put down the microphone, stepped out of the private room, and answered her phone.
A deep, magnetic voice asked on the other end, "Hello, is this Qian Fei? I'm Lu Ze."
Qian Fei replied irritably, "Yes, this is Qian Fei. Who is Lu Ze? Never heard of you!"
There was a pause on the line before the voice continued, "You haven't heard of me? Well, I'm Jingjing's friend. She mentions you often."
Qian Fei snorted inwardly.
"Oh, it's you? What do you want?" Thinking that the person on the phone was the very reason Yao Jingjing was acting like a maniac in the private room, Qian Fei grew even more annoyed.
Unfazed by her tone, the man hesitated before asking, "You're together right now, aren't you? It's noisy on your end. It's late—where are you?"
Qian Fei noticed his tone turning slightly harsh toward the end and felt a petty satisfaction. "Us? We're at Candy KTV singing!"
She heard him exhale heavily. "Stay right there. Don't go anywhere. I'm taking a cab from the airport now."
The call ended abruptly.
Qian Fei blinked in surprise.
Had the rich guy actually chased Jingjing all the way to Beijing?
She glanced back into the room, where Yao Jingjing was screeching the final line of "Drunk in the Emperor's Arms, Dreaming Back to Tang Dynasty Love."
The absurdity of her friend's voice made her laugh.
Maybe tonight, that little minx really would end up "drunk in the emperor's arms, dreaming back to Tang Dynasty love."
●︶3︶●
While keeping Yao Jingjing company—drinking, singing, and acting wild—Qian Fei waited for the legendary rich guy to arrive, presumably riding a wave of cash through wind and dust.
She had thought she was sobering up after drinking at home earlier, but after being dragged to Candy KTV and forced to drink haphazardly with Yao Jingjing, she was tipsy again.
Just as they were about to sing Phoenix Legend's "Free Flying," someone suddenly pushed the door open.
Qian Fei jumped. At first, she thought it was a waiter, but upon closer inspection, she startled again.
It was the two edgy guys from earlier in the lobby—a bizarre fusion of goth and salon-style fashion.
Yao Jingjing, already wasted, continued bouncing around and singing. Qian Fei tried to steady herself, hoping they wouldn’t notice her blurred vision.
One of the guys sidled up. "Hey, beautiful, we meet again! We’re in the room across the hall. Wanna join us?"
Qian Fei refused. "Sorry, we’re about done here. We’re leaving soon!" Worried things might escalate, she snatched the mic from Yao Jingjing and loudly called for a waiter.
When the waiter entered, the guys gave Qian Fei an awkward look. "What’s your problem?"
"We have to go home. Sorry!" Qian Fei quickly gathered their things and hustled Yao Jingjing out.
Outside Candy KTV, she supported Yao Jingjing as they walked a short distance before stopping to hail a cab. Yao Jingjing swayed unsteadily. "What’s the rush? We weren’t done singing! That’s money down the drain, Fei-Fei, you know that?!"
Qian Fei had to dodge her flailing arms while making sure Yao Jingjing didn’t faceplant. But since she was also dizzy, the effort left her exhausted.No empty taxis passed by, and Qian Fei felt like she was about to collapse on the roadside. Dizzy and muddle-headed, she wished she could just drag Yao Jingjing down onto the curb and sleep for a while.
Footsteps approached from behind. Qian Fei turned her head and was surprised to see the two sharp-dressed young men had actually followed them out.
Qian Fei turned back, supporting Yao Jingjing as she tried to quicken her pace, but her legs felt weak, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move faster.
The two men caught up and blocked their path.
"Hey, beautiful, what’s the deal? Not giving us any face, huh? We’re just asking you to have a drink, sing a song, and have some fun—it’s not like we’re asking you to do anything else. No need to be so rude!"
Qian Fei was a little scared and tried to sidestep them. "Sorry, but we really need to go home!"
One of them reached out and grabbed her arm. "What’s the rush? The night’s just getting started! Come on, let’s go back, make some friends, and have some fun. Then we’ll take you home ourselves, alright?"
Qian Fei was both furious and panicked. Yao Jingjing was swaying against her like dead weight. She thought, This is it—are we really about to get harassed by these creeps? In their current drunken state, running wasn’t an option. She just hoped that if she screamed for help, there might be a chance to preserve her dignity in the name of her great homeland.
She struggled hard, trying to break free from the creep’s grip. "Let go of me! Are you drunk or something? I don’t even know you—what gives you the right to grab me like this?"
Hearing her words, the man actually laughed. "Then let’s get to know each other!" He yanked Qian Fei toward him while the other guy went for Yao Jingjing.
"Don’t be ungrateful. We’re only asking you to hang out because you’re pretty. Don’t make us force you!" the guy holding her sneered.
Terrified, Qian Fei screamed loudly. A passerby approached, seemingly to ask what was happening.
The two men glared at them with thuggish expressions. "What are you looking at? Never seen a couple fight before?"
As the passerby hesitated, Qian Fei shrieked, "I’m not his girlfriend! Please, call the police!"
The two men threatened the bystander. "Mind your own business—get lost!" They then tried to drag Qian Fei and Yao Jingjing away.
Qian Fei’s body felt weak and powerless, her heart sinking in despair. She was on the verge of tears.
Suddenly, the man holding her was violently shoved forward and face-planted onto the ground. She nearly toppled over too but was steadied by someone wrapping an arm around her waist from behind.
Once she regained her balance, her first instinct wasn’t to look at her rescuer but to lunge at the other guy to free Yao Jingjing from his clutches.
But her waist was firmly held, and she couldn’t move an inch.
Frustrated, she turned her head and struggled. "Let me go first!" But when she saw the furious face behind her, she froze. "Li Yifei?"
From the side, a taxi screeched to a halt, and someone rushed out in a hurry.
The person sprinted toward Yao Jingjing, covering the distance in a few strides before delivering a flying kick straight at the creep holding her.
The creep went flying in the exact same way as the one who had been holding Qian Fei—face-first into the pavement.
Qian Fei suddenly felt a warm breath by her ear. She heard Li Yifei snort. "My flying kick was way cooler than his just now."
Qian Fei thought this guy was truly hopeless—even in a situation like this, he had to compete over something so trivial.The man got out of the taxi with his arm around Yao Jingjing and walked up to Qian Fei.
He asked coldly, "Didn’t I tell you to stay inside and not go anywhere?"
Qian Fei shrank back slightly. She recognized him as the rich guy named Lu Ze from Yao Jingjing’s phone. In person, he looked even more handsome and aloof than in the photos.
Li Yifei, standing beside her, also spoke up icily, "And who are you? Got any manners? Is that how you talk to people right off the bat?"
The other man looked Li Yifei up and down, his brows gradually furrowing as if deep in thought.
The two edgy young men scrambled up from the ground, cursing and yelling, "Who the hell are you guys? Damn it, don’t you dare run!" They called for backup on their phones.
Qian Fei grew nervous and tugged at Li Yifei. "Let’s get out of here quick—he’s calling people!"
Li Yifei glared down at her angrily. "Now you’re scared? What were you thinking earlier? Who told you to drag a girl out to sing in the middle of the night?"
Qian Fei hunched her shoulders under the scolding.
From a distance, a group of people emerged from the club Candy, all sporting a mix of goth and over-the-top hairstyles.
Li Yifei muttered, "What the hell? Where’d they dig up these freaks? Did they just crawl out of Journey to the West or something?"
Qian Fei couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Li Yifei shot her a look. "Laughing, always laughing—can you take anything seriously?"
The man holding Yao Jingjing asked Li Yifei, "How many can you handle?" He seemed to be strategizing for the impending fight.
Li Yifei scoffed, tilting his chin toward the area behind Lu Ze. "Don’t need to handle any!"
Qian Fei followed his gaze.
Another group was walking out of Candy, apparently heading next door to Jindingxuan for late-night snacks.
Compared to the earlier bunch, this group was much easier on the eyes.
Li Yifei called out to them, and they immediately started heading over.
Qian Fei watched as both groups converged on them, her heart swelling with excitement—never before had so many people rushed toward her like this, making her the center of attention.
For a moment, she felt like she’d already reached the pinnacle of life.
●︶3︶●
The goth and edgy young men ultimately fled in disarray under the towering presence of the good-looking guys, none of whom were shorter than 1.8 meters.
The battle concluded perfectly.
Among the tall, handsome group, Qian Fei noticed one who looked a lot like actor Jing Boran, staring hard at her.
Next to him was a very pretty girl who was also staring at her.
Confused by their gazes, she instinctively looked down at herself.
Someone lightly tapped the back of her head, and she heard Li Yifei say irritably, "Realizing you messed up and bowing your head in repentance, huh?"
When she looked up, the Jing Boran lookalike was asking Li Yifei, "What’s going on? Didn’t you just say you were stepping out to make a call and would meet us at Jindingxuan? How’d we suddenly end up in a brawl?"
Li Yifei replied, "Long story short, you just participated in a heroic act. Anyway, go ahead to Jindingxuan first—I’ll catch up later.""Jing Boran" led the group of handsome young men, along with that pretty young woman, off to Golden Tripod Restaurant. Before leaving, he turned back to glance at Qian Fei a few more times, flashing her a smile as radiant as blooming peach blossoms.
Qian Fei shivered at his attention, then turned her head, her gaze drifting past Li Yifei to settle on Yao Jingjing and Lu Ze.
Lu Ze was supporting Yao Jingjing, asking in a low voice, "Did you block me on your contact list?"
She found it particularly amusing that this question was coming from a man who appeared aloof and serious, directed at a woman so drunk she couldn't stand without support.
Yao Jingjing, who had been dazed until then, suddenly widened her eyes. Recognizing the person holding her, she began struggling violently. "Lu Ze, you persistent ghost! Can't I even escape you when I'm drunk?" Breaking free from his grip, she staggered toward Qian Fei, whimpering, "Feifei, what should I do? I'm seeing Lu Ze's shadow again! Does this mean I just can't forget him?"
Qian Fei looked up at the starry sky, silently sweating.
How could she honestly tell her: "Sweetheart, are you blind? That's the real person, not a shadow..."
Author's Note:
First update of the double update today—such a meaty chapter! Dare you leave comments over 25 characters long so I can send you points?!!!! Betting on your integrity, I dare you!!!!
Next update: 8 PM!!!
OpenNovel