"MoMo!" Duan Mingxuan jolted awake, rushing to the bedside. Seeing Zhang Mo's blankets completely soaked with porridge, he grabbed Lin Xi and pulled her back.
Lin Xi staggered backward, only to be braced against her back by Liang Yutong. "Duan Mingxuan, could you—"
"Xiao Xi, how could you spill such hot porridge on her?" Liang Yutong's words of defense were interrupted by Duan Mingxuan's blow.
"I didn't," Lin Xi stammered, hiding her left hand.
"Mingxuan, I was weak, I couldn't catch it, don't blame Xiao Xi." Lin Xi pursed her lips, emphasizing again, "I didn't."
Liang Yutong glared angrily at Zhang Mo: "Did you do it on purpose?"
Duan Mingxuan looked angrily at Liang Yutong: "What right do you have to speak?"
"Duan Mingxuan," Lin Xi stopped his venomous words, "Please show some respect to Yutong, she came to see you."
Duan Mingxuan gave Yu Lang a look, and the latter pulled Lin Xi and Liang Yutong away. "Let's go, let's go outside first."
"Duan Mingxuan." Lin Xi struggled to back away, "Don't you trust me either?" She was betting that after so many years together, Duan Mingxuan should understand her character.
But reality disappointed her. Duan Mingxuan turned back and frowned at her: "Xiao Xi, you go back first. I'll deal with things here and then call you, okay?"
Lin Xi smiled, a self-deprecating yet forlorn smile: "Okay." Duan Mingxuan felt annoyed and subconsciously took a step to comfort her, but Zhang Mo stopped him.
Liang Yutong put her arm around Lin Xi and left the ward, entering the elevator. She said, "Xiao Xi, you shouldn't like him anymore."
Lin Xi leaned against her and said, "Want to go for a drink?"
Liang Yutong: "Sure, to Nightscape." They each drove their own cars. After parting, Lin Xi washed her hands.
Ignoring her red and sore hands, she and Liang Yutong planned to drown their sorrows in alcohol.
As night fell, Lin Xi and Liang Yutong found a corner behind the bar and gestured to the bartender for drinks. The bartender, accustomed to all sorts of people, immediately noticed she was heartbroken and made her a Margarita.
Lin Xi downed it in one gulp, startling Liang Yutong into not drinking any herself.
If they both got drunk, who would take her home?
"Drink slowly," Lin Xi said, glancing at the bartender, her eyes demanding another drink. She licked her lips and swallowed a mouthful of the strong, sweet-and-sour liqueur.
The lime was sour, like the regret of her unrequited love for Duan Mingxuan, but the orange liqueur filled her with a sweet sweetness.
One glass after another, Lin Xi's eyes began to glaze over.
"I came to the Duan family when I was six. Do you know who greeted me first?"
"Duan Mingxuan, of course," Liang Yutong replied. "You've said it a million times." Lin Xi downed her drink again in one gulp. "He's always been very good to me, he just doesn't like me."
Liang Yutong fell silent. Although she often criticized Duan Mingxuan for not being worthy, she couldn't deny his kindness towards Lin Xi.
Lin Xi had only been a few years old when she lost her parents. Duan Mingxuan's acceptance was a cornerstone of her survival in the Duan family.
"We celebrated our birthdays together every year. When I was little, I thought I would spend my whole life celebrating my birthday with him." Seeing Lin Xi drink again, Liang Yutong told her to slow down.
The alcohol went down her throat, and Lin Xi cried. She cried uncontrollably amidst the noise of the bar.
Liang Yutong patted her back: "You still like him after you cried?" Lin Xi shook her head: "I'll try my best, okay?"
Liang Yutong was both amused and exasperated: "Okay, you're only 23. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Look at this bar, so many handsome guys. See which one you like? I'll get his WeChat for you."
Lin Xi's mind went blank. She turned to look at the large dance floor and pointed: "Him."
Liang Yutong's vision went black: "Which one?" A halo of light flashed before Lin Xi's eyes: "The one dressed really flashy."
Liang Yutong squinted and looked closely: "The one with the floral shirt and silver chain?"
"Hehe, doesn't he look like Duan Mingxuan?" Lin Xi asked, leaning on Liang Yutong's shoulder.
Liang Yutong: "...He really does look a bit like him."
Lin Xi: "Then I'll take him." Liang Yutong made a tough decision, about to head over, when the man walked over.
She instinctively stepped in front of Lin Xi: "What are you doing?" The man smiled gently: "Shall I buy you a drink?"
"Okay." Lin Xi raised her glass.
The man seemed charmed by her gesture and snapped his fingers at the bartender. This man was a regular; the bartender knew what he wanted with just a glance.
After mixing three cocktails, Lin Xi leaned on the bar counter and drank with the man. Men who frequent bars are good at flirting and have high emotional intelligence. Lin Xi, under the influence of alcohol, was completely charmed and laughed uncontrollably. Seeing that things were going well, Liang Yutong patted the man's shoulder: "Here's ten thousand for you. Your mission is complete."
The man was taken aback: "I'm not selling myself. I genuinely like her."
"Get lost!" Liang Yutong pressed close, "I've seen plenty of people like you. I'm just trying to make my sister happy, understand?"
"Sister, we're having a great time chatting." The man didn't want to leave. Before Liang Yutong could say anything more, Lin Xi suddenly grabbed the man's wrist, asking groggily, "What did you say you could do?"
"I can sing. Want me to sing for you?" the man deliberately lowered his voice. Lin Xi pressed her burning face against the bar, drunkenly slapping the counter with her hand: "Okay, I'll clap for you."
The man chuckled again: "You're so cute." Lin Xi frowned in displeasure: "Am I not pretty?"
"Pretty." Lin Xi was satisfied, laughing, "Why do you look so strange? You're all crooked." The man chuckled at her comment, mimicking her by leaning against the bar, their eyes meeting.
"That's good now." Lin Xi grinned sheepishly. Liang Yutong: "..."
Mu Shuo stood on the third floor, thinking he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes and called Liang Yutong. As soon as she answered, he knew it was her standing next to the bar downstairs.
"Why are you here alone?" Mu Shuo asked on the phone.
Liang Yutong shouted into the loud music, "I'm not alone, Lin Xi is here too, she's drinking alone."
"Lin Xi is here too?"
"Too?" Liang Yutong looked around. "You're here too."
Mu Shuo: "I'm on the third floor, look up." Liang Yutong looked up and saw Mu Shuo waving his phone at her from the railing of the VIP room's outer corridor on the third floor.
She breathed a sigh of relief: "Come down, help me chase someone away."
Mu Shuo quickly agreed, and when he went downstairs and saw Lin Xi smiling sweetly at a strange man, he almost dropped his jaw in shock.
"What happened to her?" Liang Yutong rolled her eyes. "It's all because of Duan Mingxuan."
Mu Shuo rolled his eyes a few times and said, "She's drunk, and you can't get her to move. How about I call Brother Heng?"
"Duan Yiheng?"
"Yeah." That's an idea. Liang Yutong said, "I'll call him now."
"No need for that trouble." Mu Shuo said, snapping a picture of Lin Xi and sending it.
Duan Yiheng had just gotten off a business dinner table and entered the back seat. He loosened his tie, grabbed a bottle of water, and chugged most of it. His phone buzzed. He leaned back in his seat and glanced at it.
Mu Shuo had sent a photo. In the photo, Lin Xi, her face flushed, was pressed against the bar counter, "sweetly gazing" at a peacock.
Duan Yiheng squeezed the water bottle, his eyes instantly darkening.
"To Night Realm," Duan Yiheng instructed the driver to turn around.