"Sorry, I really can't have drinks with you tonight—things are a bit complicated!" With an apologetic smile, Hua Lanxi ultimately declined Cheng Yi's invitation, giving her a knowing look.
Receiving Hua Lanxi's look, Cheng Yi immediately understood—it meant "it's that time of the month, so drinking is out of the question." She slumped back in her chair helplessly. "Ah, fine then, forget it. Let's go sing karaoke! If you can't drink, at least let me sing my heart out!" After all, it was rare to have Hua Lanxi accompany her tonight; she wasn't going to let them part ways right after dinner. Her bottled-up emotions needed a proper outlet.
After some thought, Hua Lanxi nodded in agreement with Cheng Yi's request.
Confidently polishing off the entire table full of food that Hua Lanxi had ordered, Cheng Yi finally let out a loud belch, only to notice Hua Lanxi hadn't eaten much.
"You're on your period, not sick with a stomach bug, so why did you eat so little? Weren't you craving all this? How come everything ended up in my stomach instead?!"
Wiping her mouth carefully with a napkin, Hua Lanxi smiled softly but avoided answering the question. "Actually, I'm the worm inside your belly. I sensed your cravings for binge eating, so I ordered this huge spread!"
Having eaten only two pieces of chicken nuggets, Hua Lanxi had already suppressed her nausea inwardly, hesitating while looking at the beautiful and aromatic dishes on the table without daring to pick up her chopsticks.
"Hmph, in that case, thank you, Mrs. Intestinal Worm!" Cheng Yi pouted in dissatisfaction, grabbed her bag, and stood first. "Since you let me feast, now we've got to work off the calories!"
She boldly booked a large private room, tossed down her big bag, grabbed the microphone, and started singing loudly as if she couldn't wait any longer to vent the feelings she couldn't release back at the restaurant.
As the music began, Cheng Yi's crisp and soulful voice filled the room. Hua Lanxi quietly lowered the volume to a level comfortable for herself and sat silently on the side, silently experiencing a mixture of emotions following the ups and downs of the lyrics.
"Lanxi, pick a song! Why are you just sitting there? Not only can't you drink today because of your period, but have you lost your voice too?" After belting out a few songs, Cheng Yi took a breath, sipped her beer, then grumbled at the quiet Hua Lanxi sitting next to her. Before, even though Hua Lanxi wasn't quite as much of a karaoke champion as herself, she would at least keep the momentum going during Cheng Yi's breaks, never wasting a moment in the KTV.
Blinking away the sting in her eyes, Hua Lanxi forced a smile. "Today I'm the judge here, specifically listening to your singing. If you're off-key or don't emote properly, I'll cut you off immediately. No second chances!" She pointed to the "skip" button beside her. Hua Lanxi showed no mercy and immediately skipped the next song. "Don't sing this one—it's always off-tune and it sounds like you're lost in a valley."
"Hmph. Then you just sit there and listen closely tonight—no running off early!" She glared, then eyed Hua Lanxi for a few seconds. She faintly caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes but didn't press her to party harder. Instead, she continued singing alone.
For a full two hours, Cheng Yi held her own personal concert. Hua Lanxi, except for a quick break to the restroom, didn't leave her corner. Quiet and silent, she listened through song after song, occasionally cutting one short halfway through, much to Cheng Yi's dismay, who would stomp and protest loudly.
After downing a dozen beers by herself, Cheng Yi sang Yang Zongwei's low and sorrowful "Onion." She had only gotten through a few lines before suddenly trembling, covering her face and sobbing.
Immersed in the bleak mood, Hua Lanxi stared blankly at the screen until Cheng Yi's voice faded, then turned to look at her. She saw her trembling shoulders as she sobbed quietly.
Lowering the music volume, Hua Lanxi quietly approached and gently hugged Cheng Yi's head, whispering softly, "You fool."
"Sob… sob… Lanxi… why is loving someone so hard? Why is it that, no matter how hard you try, you can't enter their world or touch their heart?"
"Because…" Hua Lanxi parted her red lips but then paused, caught up in the whirlpool herself. Now she was retreating but had no courage to untangle the messy troubles—she just wanted to bury it all like an ostrich.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door: knock knock knock knock. Hua Lanxi turned to see Cheng Shaobai standing in the doorway, dressed in a sharp suit, his brows furrowed.
Looking up at Cheng Shaobai, Cheng Yi quickly wiped her tears, forced a smile at Hua Lanxi, signaling her not to reveal the earlier crying.
"Cheng Yi, are you that bored? Why did you bring Lanxi here?" He strode in and immediately muted the noisy music. His calm voice was laced with unmistakable anger.
"I just wanted to relax." Hua Lanxi smiled gently at Cheng Shaobai and stood up first. "Are you here to take Cheng Yi home? She had a bit of beer tonight and can't drive." Though this was a gathering of two people, Cheng Shaobai's sudden appearance puzzled Hua Lanxi. The only explanation was that Cheng Yi had called him to pick her up.
"I called my assistant to send her home. It's late now, so I'll take you back!" Upon receiving Cheng Yi's text, he rushed over from the office, itching to give her a good scolding for dragging Hua Lanxi into such a noisy, stimulating environment.
"Hmph!" Hearing this, Cheng Yi grabbed her bag and pushed open the private room door first. Although she had asked him to come get her, he left her to the assistant. Feeling increasingly aggrieved, she hurried away, tears falling as she went.
"Hey, Cheng Yi… Cheng Yi…" Hua Lanxi called after her as she left briskly but was pulled back by Cheng Shaobai.
"Don't ignore yourself! Can you even get away? Don't worry about her—I've told my assistant to wait for her at the door."
"But…" The words were on her lips, but Hua Lanxi stopped speaking, watching Cheng Yi's retreating figure and guessing she was crying again.
"Let's go. You should get some rest early." Cheng Shaobai gently pushed Hua Lanxi's shoulder, his thick brows still tightly knit. "If you get bored at home, you can go shopping a bit, but I don't recommend coming to a KTV. It's way too loud." Even walking down the corridor, he could hear the roaring singing in every private room—let alone being inside. Maybe he should find a chance to talk to Cheng Yi, so she wouldn't drag Hua Lanxi into trouble again.
"You don't have to worry so much. I know my own body! If I couldn't handle it, do you think I'd still be here? I'm not stupid, you know!" Hua Lanxi pouted and gave Cheng Shaobai a disdainful look, finding his excessive worry hard to accept.
"If you weren't stupid, you wouldn't have come here to run wild with Cheng Yi until now. Do you think I didn't see her crying? If she's upset and wants you to dance with her, you'd go? I bet you would!" He believed in Hua Lanxi's feelings for Cheng Yi and trusted she'd foolishly go along.
"Seeing you talk to her like that?" Hua Lanxi stopped in her tracks, wide-eyed. For the first time, she thought Cheng Shaobai wasn't the warm and nice guy she'd imagined.
"If I didn't let her leave first, how could I pretend not to see her crying? Lanxi, you've been sleeping too much lately—you're getting dumber!" With a faint smile, Cheng Shaobai reached out and gently flicked her forehead. "You're sleeping yourself silly!"
Though clearly annoyed, and staring wide-eyed, the flick on the forehead unexpectedly made the atmosphere suddenly intimate. Hua Lanxi instinctively stepped aside to put some distance between them.
Noticing her evasive move, Cheng Shaobai's friendly smile remained as he silently watched her.
Feeling awkward and at a loss under his gaze, Hua Lanxi simply turned and headed straight for the door, quickly saying, "It's late. Let's go home."
Just after leaving the KTV, she spotted Cheng Shaobai's car standing nearby. Without hesitation, she strode forward and stood beside the rear door, looking ready to get in once he unlocked it.
"The back seat is full of blueprints—come up front!" Cheng Shaobai stopped beside her, standing tall and gentlemanly opening the front passenger door, raising an eyebrow in invitation.
"Blueprints…" Hua Lanxi peeked into the front seat and saw bundles of large white papers—the works of various designers. In the end, she couldn't refuse anymore and bent to sit in the passenger seat.
The atmosphere was far too subtle, ambiguous, and maybe awkward. She tried her best to avoid giving Cheng Shaobai any chance.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Hua Lanxi rested her head on her right hand, wanting to say something but instantly drawing a blank. So she remained silent, stiffly enduring the confined space.
Cheng Shaobai drove steadily through the still-bustling streets. Nearing Hua Lanxi's home intersection, he suddenly took a turn.
"Huh? Where are we going?" Counting down the minutes to home, she was surprised to find herself entering a different neighborhood.
"The supermarket's still open. Come with me to grab some things!" From a distance at the traffic light, they could see the supermarket lights were still on. He couldn't bear to let her go so soon and thought maybe she needed to stock up on some household goods. He decided on the spot to come here.
The car stopped by the supermarket entrance, and Hua Lanxi resigned herself to getting out with him.
The store wasn't closed yet but was already nearly empty, with only a few scattered customers. Hua Lanxi walked slowly beside Cheng Shaobai under the bright lights of the supermarket and asked, "What do you want to buy? I can help you find it."
Cheng Shaobai took off his smoothly tailored, form-fitting coat and casually hung it on the shopping cart. With one hand he gave a slight tug on his tie, then unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves to his elbows. He raised an eyebrow at her question, a smile playing on his lips. "What's left in your fridge?"
"Huh?" He came here to shop—why was he asking about her fridge?
Walking side by side, Cheng Shaobai looked down slightly, catching the curiosity in her eyes. His smile broadened. "With a strong guy like me here to help, buy whatever you want. I'll carry everything back for you!"