Late at night, in a bar.
Duan Yiheng sat in the VIP room on the third floor of Nightscape, downing a bottle of whiskey by himself. He drank it quickly and aggressively, causing the manager some concern, who quickly invited Mu Zhao over. When Mu Zhao saw Duan Yiheng, he was startled by his restrained expression and bloodshot eyes. "Heartbroken?" Mu Zhao casually joked, then sat down opposite him. Duan Yiheng smashed the empty bottle at his feet. The bottle didn't break, but it startled Mu Zhao. Had his jinx come true?
The strong liquor burned his throat, and Duan Yiheng drank one glass after another. Mu Zhao's eyelids twitched. He waved to the manager, "Get out of here." "You—" "If you want to drink, sit down. If not, get out." Holy crap? Mu Zhao pressed his hand to his startled heart. Was he really heartbroken?
"Come on, brother, I'll drink with you." Mu Zhao poured himself a glass and downed it in one gulp. Duan Yiheng, panting heavily, fell silent. Soon, a blur of light blurred his vision—the double image of the chandelier.
He lay on the sofa, and naturally, he remembered the day Lin Xi got drunk here. Afterwards, every moment he spent with Lin Xi surged through his mind like a rising tide. The more he drank, the clearer the memories became.
Duan Yiheng, defiant, tilted his head back and chugged three glasses. The liquor went down his throat and into his stomach, feeling like a fire burning his body. "Yiheng, you can't drink anymore."
Mu Zhao couldn't bear it any longer and snatched the glass from his hand. "You're not the kind of person who drowns his sorrows in alcohol. What happened? Tell me." Duan Yiheng suddenly laughed. What was there to say to Mu Zhao? The whole plan to get back to work was a joke.
The old fox was indeed more cunning. He still wasn't patient enough. Duan Yiheng gripped the glass and slammed it against the wall. A wine glass shattered, startling the manager outside who burst through the door to investigate. Mu Zhao quickly waved his hand, signaling him to mind his own business.
It seemed to be a night of drinking until everyone was drunk. Mu Zhao, determined to keep him company, arrived an hour later with Duan Yiheng's driver. Duan Yiheng sat there silently. Mu Zhao gestured for him to speak. "Mr. Duan has a meeting with the new sales director, Mr. Xu, tomorrow."
Mu Zhao: "...When? Why didn't you say so earlier?" "Tomorrow at lunch." The driver was also troubled. "I reminded him, but Mr. Duan wouldn't listen and insisted on coming to drink. I didn't dare stop him." Mu Zhao looked at Duan Yiheng and snatched his wine glass away again.
"Yiheng, you really can't drink anymore. You have important business tomorrow." Duan Yiheng frowned. "Get out of the way." "Duan Yiheng, you're not the kind of person who mixes business with personal matters." Mu Zhao went to help him up. "You can't let important business interfere with your work."
Duan Yiheng was 188 cm tall, and difficult to move when drunk. Mu Zhao tried to delay several times without success, so he simply said to the driver, "How about we just leave him here? Or can we carry him down?" The driver hesitated and suggested,
"How about we call Miss Lin?" Mu Zhao clapped his hands, "How stupid of me! Why didn't I think of that? The one who tied the knot must untie it. Call, call now." The driver naturally had Lin Xi's phone number, and to avoid delaying tomorrow's business, he dialed Lin Xi's number.
Lin Xi had just finished showering and hadn't even reached her bedroom when her phone rang. Fearing it was Duan Mingxuan, she shuffled over to peek, and seeing it was Duan Yiheng's driver, she immediately answered. So late, could something have happened to Duan Yiheng? "Miss, Mr. Duan is drunk."
Lin Xi was taken aback. "He's going to see Director Xu tomorrow, how could you let him go drinking?" "I tried to persuade him, but it was no use, I couldn't stop him," the driver said. "He's still at the bar, we can't get him out." Lin Xi said, "Give him your phone."
The driver quickly held the phone to Duan Yiheng's ear. "Duan Yiheng." When Lin Xi called his name, it had a gentle, rippling quality, like petals falling on water. Duan Yiheng lifted his eyes slightly and subconsciously replied, "Mm."
With just that one word, Lin Xi knew he was drunk. "Stop drinking. We have important business tomorrow. Have the driver take you home. I'll call Sister Mei and ask her to make you some hangover soup." Duan Yiheng tugged at his tie. "Sister Mei is asleep. You can make it." "I'm not home." Lin Xi coaxed, "Why don't you go home first?" "No, I need to see you." Duan Yiheng resolutely refused. "Sister Mei is old; don't disturb her sleep." Lin Xi: "…Wait a minute, I'll come find you now." Duan Yiheng smiled and agreed.
Mu Zhao, seeing his radiant face, was speechless: "You can treat people differently even when you're drunk?" Duan Yiheng's mind was foggy, and he couldn't reply. Mu Zhao pulled the driver to the door and gossiped, "What's going on between your CEO Duan and your young lady?"
The driver, who followed Duan Yiheng all day, had long noticed the sparks between them. But as Duan Yiheng's driver, being taciturn and quick-witted was a basic requirement. He pretended not to know, shaking his head repeatedly in response to Mu Zhao's question. Unable to get any information, Mu Zhao patted the driver's shoulder casually, "Not bad." The driver smiled and went to stand guard outside. Fifteen minutes later, Lin Xi arrived at Nightscape in the apartment's car. Upon entering the building, she was immediately assaulted by the strong smell of alcohol in the private room.
Seeing Duan Yiheng, Lin Xi almost burst into tears. She quickly looked at Mu Zhao and said, "Brother Mu Zhao, could you please help me help him downstairs?" Mu Zhao pointed at Duan Yiheng, "Ask him first if he's going to leave, and if he won't let anyone touch him."
Lin Xi walked to Duan Yiheng's side, raised her hand to steady his shoulder, and softly called his name, "Duan Yiheng?" Duan Yiheng was startled, and in the blur of his vision, he hugged Lin Xi tightly. He smelled the familiar floral scent.
Lin Xi seemed frozen in place; after a long while, she raised her hand to steady his head. Seeing tears welling in Lin Xi's eyes, Mu Zhao asked softly, "What happened between you two?" Lin Xi shook her head. "Let him tell you himself. I'll take him back first." Mu Zhao:
"You can't handle him, I'll go with you." "Alright," Lin Xi said. "I came in the apartment's car, so I'll have to trouble you to accompany him back. If anyone asks, don't say you've seen me." Mu Zhao paused for a moment, then said:
"Let's go directly to your place, so no one will ask. I'll go with you too. If you're worried about your family, I'll call Sister Mei later and say Yi Heng is with me." Duan Yi Heng held Lin Xi tightly. Lin Xi hesitated, then said:
"Let's get out and talk about it later." Duan Yi Heng indeed wouldn't let go. Lin Xi, like a conjoined twin, got into the back seat with Mu Zhao's help. Mu Zhao wisely took the passenger seat. The driver followed Lin Xi's car all the way to Tiandu Yuxi. Lin Xi said to him,
"You'll have to stay in a hotel tonight. If anyone asks, just say he's with Young Master Mu. Go back early tomorrow morning and bring him a formal suit and shoes. Have Sister Mei put together an outfit." The driver replied, "Okay, I understand. Thank you for your trouble tonight."
Lin Xi and Mu Zhao helped Duan Yiheng upstairs. After entering the bedroom, she called the housekeeper to order some hangover soup. Mu Zhao shook his arm and said, "It's too late today, and it's not convenient for me to stay here. I'll talk to Yiheng when he's free. I'll be going now."
Lin Xi escorted him to the elevator, just as the hangover soup arrived. Lin Xi turned to go to the bedroom and almost dropped the soup when she saw Duan Yiheng staring intently at her.