Drunk?
It's better if she's drunk. Her goal was to get drunk! But whether she was truly drunk or faking it was another matter.
Lin Qinghe forced a slightly strained smile, "It's fine... I have a high tolerance for alcohol, I won't get drunk so easily..." As she spoke, she refilled her glass and drank again.
Her alcohol tolerance was indeed good, and she had even taken hangover medicine beforehand. She wouldn't let herself get completely wasted before achieving her goal.
Since Lin Qinghe insisted, Qin Tiantian couldn't persuade her further. But as Lin Qinghe downed glass after glass, the atmosphere in the KTV room gradually changed. Everyone exchanged knowing glances, their eyes filled with gossip, shifting back and forth between You Rong and Lin Qinghe. They were all trying to figure out the reason for Lin Qinghe's low mood, wondering if it was related to the escalating public opinion online.
Some who enjoyed drama even secretly hoped that Lin Qinghe would get drunk and start an argument with You Rong, allowing them to overhear some juicy gossip.
You Rong, holding his wine glass, naturally noticed Lin Qinghe's behavior of drinking one glass after another in a daze. His brow furrowed slightly, but he chose not to interfere.
It wasn't until Lin Qinghe started showing signs of drunkenness, her eyes growing hazy and her grip on the wine glass unsteady, that he felt an inexplicable sense of irritation. The noisy environment became particularly uncomfortable for him.
You Rong finished his drink, put down his glass, and said to Director Wang, "Director Wang, I apologize, but I'm not feeling very well. I'm going to leave now. Please continue to have fun."
Director Wang didn't think much of it, "Alright, then go back and rest well. I'll see you on set tomorrow."
"Mm, okay."
You Rong gave Hu Xiaobei a look, and Hu Xiaobei also got up to leave.
You Rong's early departure caught Lin Qinghe completely off guard. She had planned to pretend to be drunk and then find an opportunity to follow You Rong out when he was alone, confessing her feelings under the influence of alcohol.
However, Lin Qinghe quickly recovered, quickly took out her phone, and sent a message to someone before pulling Yuan Xiaoai along, "I want to go back, let's go."
Yuan Xiaoai was so taken aback by the sudden move that she was pulled out of the private room before she could even react or say goodbye to Director Wang and the others. Seeing Lin Qinghe leave in such a hurry, Director Wang and the rest in the room were momentarily confused.
Pulling Yuan Xiaoai, Lin Qinghe hurried to the elevator and descended to the KTV's underground parking lot. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, Lin Qinghe spotted You Rong not far away. Her eyes flickered, and she quickly slipped into her act of being drunk, leaning on Yuan Xiaoai's shoulder and mumbling, "My head is spinning... Why is everything suddenly spinning... I'm so dizzy..."
Yuan Xiaoai struggled to support Lin Qinghe, anxiously asking, "Sister Qinghe? What's wrong? Did you drink too much upstairs? Sister Qinghe... be careful, oh... I can barely hold you up..."
Lin Qinghe secretly shifted her weight onto Yuan Xiaoai. Eventually, Yuan Xiaoai couldn't bear her weight, stumbled, and both lost their balance, falling heavily to the ground. Just before falling, Lin Qinghe subtly changed positions, making herself the cushion underneath.
After the fall, Yuan Xiaoai's face turned pale with fright. She quickly scrambled up and cried out in a panicked voice, "Sister Qinghe? Are you alright? Sister Qinghe..."
"I'm fine, I'm not drunk... I'm fine..."
"Sister Qinghe, let me help you up!"
Lin Qinghe continued to feign drunkenness. Yuan Xiaoai, a young girl, struggled to pull her up, almost crying in distress.
While pretending, Lin Qinghe secretly thought, "No way, I've acted this much, You Rong and the others must have heard. Why haven't they come over yet? They wouldn't be so petty as to leave two girls needing help and walk away without looking back, would they?!"
Fortunately, Lin Qinghe's worries were unfounded. You Rong heard the commotion and walked over with Hu Xiaobei. They lent a hand to help Lin Qinghe up. Lin Qinghe seized the opportunity, leaning directly against You Rong.
You Rong's body stiffened, and he instinctively wanted to push her away. But seeing how tired and out of breath Yuan Xiaoai was from trying to help Lin Qinghe up, he felt it would be awkward to hand her back to Yuan Xiaoai. Besides, Yuan Xiaoai had clearly been unable to support the drunken Lin Qinghe earlier.
Yuan Xiaoai was visibly surprised when she saw You Rong, likely not expecting him to help them, given their past conflict.
"Um... Brother You Rong, thank you. If it weren't for you... Sister Qinghe drank too much, and I couldn't have supported her alone. I didn't know what to do."
Hu Xiaobei chuckled honestly and comforted her, "It's nothing, it's nothing... We were just heading to the car to go back to the hotel, and we saw you, so we lent a hand. Don't take it to heart."
"Mm... We still need to thank you."
You Rong lowered his gaze, looking at Lin Qinghe, who was leaning limply against him. He subtly observed her, seeing that she wasn't injured, and then spoke directly, "You two are heading back too, right? Where is your car? We can help you get Sister Qinghe into the car."
Yuan Xiaoai belatedly reacted, "Right, right! I'll take Sister Qinghe back to the hotel first! Our car is just ahead..."
Yuan Xiaoai looked ahead and froze.
She clearly remembered the company's van being parked there. Why was it gone?
Lin Qinghe guessed Yuan Xiaoai's thoughts and felt a little smug.
She had thought of this earlier and had messaged Uncle Li, the driver, asking him to drive back first and that she would be staying out all night and would be picked up tomorrow morning. She specifically mentioned they were playing a game and might call him later, but he was absolutely not to answer, or she would lose the game.
Seeing Yuan Xiaoai frozen, Hu Xiaobei asked curiously, "What's wrong? Your car... isn't parked here?"
"No! I remember it was parked right here! I even told Uncle Li to wait here, why is it gone? Where did Uncle Li go?" Yuan Xiaoai said urgently, "I'll call Uncle Li to ask!"
Yuan Xiaoai's calls went unanswered. She tried several more times, but still no answer. She looked distressed, "For some reason, Uncle Li isn't answering. I... Brother You Rong, I'm sorry to trouble you further, but I'll call a taxi."
Lin Qinghe, at the opportune moment, snuggled closer into You Rong's embrace, murmuring, "Cold... so cold..."
You Rong frowned, thinking that Lin Qinghe, as a popular artist, was already facing a lot of public scrutiny. If paparazzi caught her drunk like this, it would be endless trouble.
You Rong pondered for a moment and said, "I remember we're staying at the same hotel. No need to call a taxi. Get in our car and we'll go back to the hotel together."
"Is that really okay..." Yuan Xiaoai hesitated.
Hu Xiaobei chimed in, "What's not okay about it? It's safer to go back in our car. Otherwise, if you take a drunk Sister Qinghe to hail a taxi and people see, who knows what will be spread online."
Yuan Xiaoai thought about it and realized Hu Xiaobei had a point. She finally nodded, "Okay, then please bother Brother You Rong and the others."
"No trouble, no trouble, it's on the way anyway."
Yuan Xiaoai helped You Rong lift Lin Qinghe into the car. After seating her properly, You Rong intended to let Yuan Xiaoai sit next to her to take care of her. However, Lin Qinghe grabbed his arm and refused to let go.
You Rong had no choice but to sit in the same row as her. Hu Xiaobei and Yuan Xiaoai sat in the back row. Su Dan Novel Network
The driver started the car and drove towards the hotel where they were staying.
Lin Qinghe squinted her eyes. Taking advantage of the car's bumps, she leaned onto You Rong's shoulder. You Rong reached out to push her away, but she grabbed his hand instead, looking at him with drunken eyes and asking, "You... are you You Rong?"
"..." You Rong frowned. "Yes."
Lin Qinghe let out a low laugh. You Rong had no intention of engaging with her, dismissing it as drunken ramblings. Unexpectedly, she leaned even closer, her lips almost brushing his ear, and murmured, "You Rong, everyone is asking me why I apologized for what happened two years ago... You, why aren't you asking me?"
As if by some strange impulse, You Rong replied, "I did ask... Would you have told me?"
"Yes!"
You Rong hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Why did you suddenly apologize?"
Lin Qinghe's breath, warm and moist, brushed against You Rong's ear, tickling him. You Rong heard her say, word by word, "Because... I, like, you..."