The next day morning, nine thirty.
Qiao Ling was woken up by the mobile phone alarm clock.
She sat on the bed with dull gaze, retaining the light headache of hangover.
Qiao Ling turned her head to look at the tightly closed bedroom door, recalling the last complete memory before falling asleep last night.
At that time, Chen Kuang was pulling her, not letting go, not allowing her to go out in the middle of the night after drinking.
Her emotions had already been pushed to the edge of endurance, really about to struggle and cry, then saw him bend down, and asked her that sentence “Was it me that made you angry.”
Qiao Ling didn’t expect her own deeply hidden small thoughts to be guessed by him in one move.
At that moment, panicked, yet also had a trace of secret delight emerging.
But in the end, these emotions still kneaded together into the taste of escape.
She shook her head hard, avoiding his gaze bending down to observe, “No, no, don’t ask anymore, how could it be because of you.”
“I want to go home, Chen Kuang I want to go to my parents’ home! Don’t pull me anymore!”
“No.” Chen Kuang had always been very measured towards her, but this time did not let go the whole time, as if once letting go she would immediately run out.
She probably didn’t even know how high the danger coefficient was for a girl alone outside in the middle of the night.
He pressed down his brow, tone became heavier: “Qiao Ling, your emotions are not right, I can’t let you run out like this, also, if there’s something it’s best to say it out in time, holding it in or throwing a tantrum is useless, you…”
Qiao Ling heard his becoming fierce tone, shoulders shrank up, grabbed the arm of his holding her, looking at him pitifully.
“Don’t be fierce to me……”
Chen Kuang bumped into her water-red eyes, as if encountering a frightened little deer.
He fell silent.
“You don’t be angry.” Her voice line weak weak, as if trying hard to protect something fragile, “Chen Kuang… I don’t want to quarrel…”
“Quarreling really isn’t good… it will hurt feelings…”
She had already drunk alcohol, emotions also agitated, these words full of deeper meaning sounded instead like the most floating drunk talk.
Chen Kuang lightly let out a breath, loosened a bit the strength pulling her, “Okay, not quarreling, we didn’t quarrel.”
He took the key in her hand, stuffed it into his own pocket, “I’m not angry, don’t be afraid.”
“You first promise me, tonight properly sleep here one night, other things talk about after waking up, okay?”
He was too mature, too good-tempered, made her even when drunk also clearly know how much she was being unreasonable.
Too shameful.
Always letting him accommodate her.
Qiao Ling’s chin trembled, in the end couldn’t hold it in, dropped two streams of hurried tears, stomped foot.
“I didn’t use to like crying.”
“All your fault.”
…………
Outside the window flew past the magpie’s creaking cry, Qiao Ling expressionless shut off the mobile phone alarm clock that rang once every ten minutes.
Ended the unbearable-to-face memory.
“……”
Already don’t want to live anymore.
If embarrassment were a kind of wealth, she now was probably already able to sit and chat about rivers and mountains shoulder to shoulder with Buffett.
What made people curl their toes into the ground harder than last night was——if she wanted to walk out of this bedroom, she definitely had to face Chen Kuang who was still in the living room.
“……”
Even more don’t want to live anymore.
Qiao Ling changed clothes, dawdled at the bedroom door all the way until the final limit; if not going out now, today opening the shop would be late.
She thought with fluke mentality: estimating Chen Kuang at this time was sleeping soundly, as long as the movement was light, from here to the entrance just a few steps could be settled.
As long as she could successfully escape out the door, then she wouldn’t have to face him.
Qiao Ling finalized the plan, patted her chest to cheer herself up.
Alright, go.
She lightly twisted the door handle, bent her waist, pushed open the bedroom door, sneakily peeking through the door crack toward the living room side——
However, one second later, her nervous knitted brows suddenly relaxed, figure paused, straightened up her waist.
Qiao Ling casually pushed open the bedroom door, vision wide open, looking at the empty living room fell into silence.
Person… where?
She shuffled in slippers to the living room, looked around the clean and tidy surroundings, there was no sign of him having slept here, didn’t look like he left only in the morning.
So left last night already? Where could he have gone?
Qiao Ling lowered her head, saw that bunch of keys confiscated by him last night just quietly lying on the coffee table.
Chen Kuang who got off work at two in the morning, not sleeping at home at nine in the morning could be doing what?
Although it was just a momentary instinct, she couldn’t help but think——Chen Kuang on the surface indifferent to human feelings, yet was a person meticulous like hair thread.
Could it be he thought she would feel a bit embarrassed, deliberately went out to avoid?
Imagining this possibility, Qiao Ling’s heart was caught off guard twisted.
She really was too much…
Clearly from Chen Kuang’s perspective, he didn’t even know why she lost her temper like that.
…………
At the same time, in a nearby street’s online game internet café.
Inside the e-sports private room, Chen Kuang sprawled grandly lying across the not-considered-spacious sofa, using his arm to cover the light, sleeping.
Tightly furrowed brow line revealed extremely bad sleep quality.
Even though it was a private room, the crackling noise from the outer hall still couldn’t be completely isolated.
When the internet café staff brought in instant noodles, the noise outside the door for an instant poured in like a flood, making his heart thump.
At the same time, the mobile phone in his pocket also started vibrating.
Chen Kuang propped up his heavy eyelids, glanced at the caller and answered, exhaling completely: “What’s up.”
Xia Tian’s voice sounded from the other end: “I’m at the shop, the box of Bacardi Black Rum that arrived the day before yesterday, where did you put it?”
“I’m filming a cocktail short video, need that.”
He closed his eyes, like he was asleep yet also like he was thinking, after a few seconds under the other side’s urging, slowly answered: “Under the fourth shelf on the left side of the back kitchen, together with the white rum.”
“Got it.” Xia Tian paused, then said again: “Where are you, why is it so noisy?”
Chen Kuang impatient: “…Internet café.”
Xia Tian ridiculed like: “Already how old still hanging out at internet cafés? I’m telling you, even though today isn’t your shift, you also don’t just muddle along all day like this.”
“If later on because your private life isn’t managed well, affecting the quality of work, dragging down my reputation along with it, I’ll settle accounts with you!”
He crackled and nagged endlessly, Chen Kuang sighed again and again.
Originally agreeing to Xie Rouyin to come be a bartender was just to find something casual to do, yet happened to run into this kind of nitpicky and self-pressuring colleague.
What kind of outrageous things did he do in his past life?
Hung up the phone, Chen Kuang closed his eyes but no longer had sleepiness.
After a while, he opened his eyes, stared at the private room’s ceiling, couldn’t help but recall what Dan Zi said last night.
【I asked all around, no one knows your whereabouts, do you know how worried I was…】
【Chen Kuang, everyone really wants to help you, why must you cut off all contact with everyone, hide alone in this kind of place? You doing this will make friends sad.】
【If always escaping, you’ll never be able to walk out of it.】
【This time let me stay with you, don’t push me away again, okay.】
As he thought and thought, in his mind unexpectedly floated up the appearance of Qiao Ling standing in front of him last night, plop plop dropping tears.
She wronged like that, as if he had done something bad to her.
【I didn’t use to like crying, all your fault.】
Chen Kuang raised his hand to cover the upper half of his face, the lips exposed in the light hooked up slightly.
How come he, even doing nothing, would make others sad.
…………
At night nine thirty, Qiao Ling closed shop and got off work, with dust-covered face going downstairs, just about to pull out her little electric scooter’s key, ran into a person lying in wait face to face.
Qiao Ling saw him, couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “What are you doing, rushing up to quarrel?”
Qiao Jing blocked in front of her, tossing the car key, nonchalant: “If I don’t look for you, how can I hear you personally apologize to me?”
“You sick or what?”
She thought of last night because of quarreling with this person, losing face in front of Chen Kuang, and took the opportunity to throw so much drunken tantrum, couldn’t help but get angry: “Living too comfortably again huh? Want me to go to my aunt and file a few complaints about you?”
Qiao Jing’s face changed hearing this, “Hey, scolding your own brother a dumbass in front of so many people, you think that’s right?”
Qiao Ling slanted him a glance, turned her head not wanting to speak.
“Last night you just ran off, things that should’ve been talked about weren’t talked through at all, come on, get in the car.” Qiao Jing, like picking up a little chick, lifted her and walked outside.
Qiao Ling struggled but was useless.
“Qiao Jing! Let go of me! I’m not going with you! I want to go home!”
“Qiao Jing!! I’m going to tell your parents you’re bullying me!”
Being stuffed into the car, she glared at the cousin beside her, kicked the foot mat, “Say what you have to say quickly, I want to go home.”
Qiao Jing crossed his arms, silent for a few seconds, looking at her in puzzlement: “Hey, tell me, what exactly do you see in him?”
Qiao Ling glared at him, like a fully guarded small animal, “Then you tell me, what do you see in Rouyin-jie?”
“You.” Qiao Jing pointed at her, unable to catch his breath, “How long have I been fighting side by side with Rouyin? And you’ve only known Chen Kuang for how many days?”
“Besides, can’t you see how good Rouyin is? Isn’t it obvious? How come you don’t like her?”
“Rouyin-jie’s good is visible at a glance.” She did not deny it, and imitated him crossing her arms, counting one by one: “Chen Kuang is the same, smart, good temper, strong sense of responsibility and very measured.”
Qiao Ling yin-yang tone: “Can only say, not seeing it means your own eyes are blind and ears are deaf.”
When the brother and sister argued, it was like a cross-talk performance, coming and going, saying and teasing each other.
Qiao Jing irritably rubbed his hair, “Fine, I won’t bicker with you, the problem is I already told you, his relationship with Rouyin is ambiguous and unclear.”
“You’re already a grown-up girl, already twenty-three, is playing secret crush fun?”
She couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him, not knowing whether she should tell him now that Chen Kuang and Rouyin-jie fundamentally didn’t have any ambiguous relationship.
This involves other people’s privacy, casually saying it wouldn’t be very polite.
Qiao Ling thought it over, asked back at her cousin: “You’ve always been afraid Chen Kuang would snatch Rouyin-jie from you, then if I chase Chen Kuang and get him, wouldn’t he have no threat toward you?”
“You should be supporting me instead.”
“Knowing clearly that Chen Kuang doesn’t like you, I’d still let you for my sake forcefully flirt with him to get together? You’re my real little sister.”
Qiao Jing said something beyond her expectation: “This kind of thing, I can’t do it.”
Qiao Ling couldn’t rebut anymore against his heartfelt words, drooped her face, fell silent.
The brother and sister sat in the car, staring at the traffic flowing before the windshield, continued in mutual silence for a while.
She glanced at her cousin, sighed, finally took the chance to ask the question she had always wanted to ask: “You then, your situation should be more troublesome than mine, right?”
“What?” Qiao Jing asked.
“Rouyin-jie, she’s bringing such a big child with her, not everyone can be like us and not care.”
Qiao Ling pointed directly at the key point: “Especially when it comes to my uncle and aunt, you think they can accept it?”
“From out of town, five years older than you, unstable career, tense relationship with her family, and bringing a child, aren’t you dancing on top of the minefield of the two elders?”
She thought of cute little Feng, muttering: “Don’t let it end up undecided, making Rouyin-jie and her daughter suffer grievances they shouldn’t suffer.”
Qiao Jing’s expression gradually slumped, also became much more serious.
After a moment he laughed like joking: “What is there for them to disagree? Don’t even need to rush, getting married already comes with a ready-made eldest granddaughter accompanying, isn’t that great.”
Qiao Ling was so angry she wished she could pinch her philtrum to revive herself, shook her head, “Forget it, saying these things is still early, Rouyin-jie doesn’t even like you at all.”
Qiao Jing: “……”
“Hurry up and send me home, don’t get involved in my and Chen Kuang’s business.”
Qiao Jing started the car, let out a cold laugh: “Go home for what, come with your ge to work.”
“Tonight there are a lot of people at the bar, just lacking someone to help out.”
Qiao Ling: “！！！”
Are you even human!
She thought of her foolish appearance throwing a drunken tantrum at Chen Kuang last night, grabbed the car window and struggled, “I’m not going, I’m not going! I’d rather die than go to that broken bar of yours.”
“From the first time I stepped in there, there hasn’t been a single good thing!”
“Don’t worry! Tonight isn’t Chen Kuang’s shift!” Qiao Jing pulled her back to sit properly, almost couldn’t hold the steering wheel steady.
“I don’t know your little tricks by now? Don’t worry, ge definitely won’t let you lose face again.”
…………
And just like that, Qiao Ling was tricked into coming to Epic, but luckily Qiao Jing still had some conscience, didn’t really make her go help out as a waitress, arranged a spot for her to eat.
As time got later and later, the bar’s customer flow got faster and faster.
Friday night was the city men and women’s carnival opening ceremony.
After finishing her meal, Qiao Ling felt it was boring to stay here, everyone she knew was busy.
She glanced at Xia Tian in the cocktail bar already shaking so fast his arms almost had afterimages, then looked at Xie Rouyin, rarely stepping in personally—could see that tonight not only were there many guests, the amount of drinks each guest ordered was also not small.
Qiao Ling packed up her things, thinking of clearing her seat for customers who would come later to spend money, and going home early to sleep.
But right at that moment, another person came into the bar, directly walking toward her table.
“Hello, there are no seats in the shop, would it be convenient to share a table?”
Qiao Ling raised her eyes, met Dan Zi’s apologetic smiling eyes, and her hand’s movement stopped.
Qiao Jing, working in the shop, saw that scene, his protective alarm rang, turned his head and met eyes with Xie Rouyin at the cocktail bar.
Looking at Xie Rouyin’s gaze, Qiao Jing suddenly felt puzzled.
Hm? How come it feels like Rouyin already knew long ago that his little sister liked Chen Kuang…
Xia Tian followed the shop owner’s line of sight and also saw the elegant and beautiful Dan Zi, during a gap quietly asked: “That’s Chen Kuang’s ex-girlfriend they were talking about?”
Xie Rouyin rinsed the measuring cup, surprised: “You know already?”
“Heard them gossiping in the break room before work,” he said.
Xia Tian glanced from afar at Dan Zi and Qiao Ling sharing a table successfully, let out a light hum, didn’t understand and asked: “Really don’t get what he has that makes these girls one after another obsessed like crazy, throwing themselves up to him.”
“Every day half-dead, doesn’t work seriously, no ambition, just muddling along. What’s there to be unforgettable about this kind of man?”
“Is it just relying on a good face?”
Xie Rouyin looked at Xia Tian’s single-minded, not understanding feelings silly appearance, found it amusing, sighed and laughed: “Sometimes when looking at people, you can’t just look at the surface.”
Xia Tian raised an eyebrow, pushed his glasses, waiting for her next sentence.
“A person’s lifetime energy is limited. You only see him now living lazily day by day.” Xie Rouyin sighed, decorating the cocktail in her hand, “but you haven’t seen the time when he was living with all his strength.”
“It’s exactly because in the past he exerted himself too hard, so hard that once that state suddenly ended, he didn’t even know how to live his days anymore.”
…………
Qiao Ling originally planned to leave, but the moment she saw Dan Zi, impulse made her stay, agreeing to the other party’s table-sharing invitation.