"Damn it!" Ran Fang cursed harshly, put down the wine in his hand, and turned towards the wine cabinet, pondering which bottle he could choose without feeling reluctant or pained. All the wine here was his private collection, a rare leisure indulgence during busy times, meant to be savored slowly, not wasted on getting drunk.
"If I don't pick it right, I'll pick it myself!" Kong Chengyi narrowed his eyes slightly and coldly warned. Today, he was determined to finish all of Ran Fang's good wine.
"Brother, you're wasting it, do you realize? It's a waste!" Just as his hand touched a bottle, a warning came from behind. Ran Fang immediately jumped up, turned back in front of Kong Chengyi, and earnestly tried to protect his precious collection, "Let's go drink outside, anywhere is fine!"
Raising an eyebrow at the empty-handed man, Kong Chengyi, who had been leaning back exhaustedly, stood up straight. His handsome features were cold and stern; his bright eyes fixed on him. "Ran Fang, we'll drink here today!"
He had chosen here for peace and quiet; he was annoyed by the noisy crowd outside.
His gaze was bright yet cold, his expression serious and almost unfamiliar. Ran Fang was stunned; it was the first time he had seen such an expression. His typically teasing look immediately disappeared. "What's wrong with you?"
"Bring the wine over, drink a few glasses with me today!" Kong Chengyi put away the cold look and leaned back on the sofa again, rubbing his forehead with his thumb, looking weary.
Standing by the sofa, Ran Fang observed Kong Chengyi carefully and walked straight to the wine cabinet. He took out two bottles of red wine at once, grabbed a wine glass, and sat opposite him.
Silently watching Ran Fang pour the wine, Kong Chengyi sat up again, his thick lips curling slightly, "Ran Fang, you can always buy more wine!"
All three bottles were opened at once. Ran Fang poured more than half a glass for him, then did the same for himself, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "Brother, each bottle is different. Once you drink it, it's gone. People are the same!"
Slightly swirling his glass, Kong Chengyi didn't lower his head to sniff but gulped the wine down straight away. The reddish liquid spilled at the corner of his mouth, and he nonchalantly wiped it away with his palm.
"Ran Fang, your mother passed away so many years ago. How does that feel?" What does it feel like to have no mother? Or had he always treated himself as a child without a mother?
Taking a sip, Ran Fang was momentarily stunned by the question. The taste in his mouth suddenly turned bitter.
"My mother passed away, so I'm a child without a mother. Every time I see others calling their mom, fussing over their mistakes with their mom shielding them, having their mom taking care during holidays—me, I have nothing. Like a kite without a string, drifting, unstable, rootless!" He wiped his face to remove the sadness, then tilted his head back and drank the entire glass in one go.
"Kite?" Kong Chengyi murmured, taking a big sip. "I'm also a kite. I flew far away. I thought as long as I flew far enough to not see the string, I wouldn't be tied down, wouldn't be held back. But it turns out cutting that string with your own hands is so painful!" He kept flying; Lin Xiao kept pulling him back, desperately wanting him to return and be the beloved son she cared for. But he hated it, so he tried harder to fly away. Yet, when she cut that string herself, letting him fly free without constraints, his heart hurt—this pain was more suffocating than hatred.
Frowning, Ran Fang looked at him with concern. "What happened with your aunt? Did you have a fight with her?" Though Kong Chengyi's relationship with Lin Xiao was not close, and rarely quarrelsome, the source of this conflict was something Ran Fang had never understood.
"Drink up!" Kong Chengyi smirked self-deprecatingly but didn't answer him. He tapped his glass against Ran Fang's. "Sometimes it's better to be confused!" When drunk, you become muddled. Today, he wanted his mind to be confused.
As before, Kong Chengyi drank silently. No matter how much Ran Fang asked or acted crazy, he remained silent. Eventually, he didn't get drunk, but Ran Fang passed out first, slumped down.
"Confused? Maybe not so confused after all?" Kong Chengyi shook his dizzy head, kicked the passed-out Ran Fang on the carpet, then kicked over the empty bottles scattered on the floor.
"One... two... three... four? Only four bottles?" He weighed a bottle with his foot; just four bottles—no wonder he wasn't completely drunk.
Suddenly recalling the last time Ran Fang had been sent to Hua Lanxi's place after drunkenly passing out, Kong Chengyi instantly grew irritated, pulled off his tie with one hand, then kicked a bottle hard. "Bang!" The bottle hit the sofa and fell, shattering into red shards and spilling wine droplets everywhere.
Lowering his head to shake off dizziness and drifting thoughts, Kong Chengyi turned and left.
Leaning back in her chair, Hua Lanxi gently closed her eyes and massaged her eyelids with fingertips. She had been revising design drafts all afternoon, planning to hand the final version to Cheng Shaobai in the coming days.
"Ding dong... ding dong..."
Just as she relaxed and closed her eyes, the doorbell suddenly rang. Startled, Hua Lanxi jumped and looked suspiciously toward the door.
She sat there motionless, letting the doorbell ring continuously but stubbornly refused to open the door.
She had few friends; no one would just come by. If it were Cheng Yi, she'd have gotten a call first. If it were Cheng Shaobai, she could just pretend to be out. As for others, they weren't important enough.
Leaning back in her chair again, she took deep breaths to ease her fatigue. She thought the doorbell would stop soon, but it kept ringing persistently, as if determined to pull her out.
Right hand pressing against the doorbell, Kong Chengyi leaned his head against the door, eyebrows knitted, eyes closed tightly. The alcohol was starting to take effect.
Standing near the door, Hua Lanxi cautiously didn't open it, raising her voice to ask, "Who is it? What do you want?"
Breathing heavily, Kong Chengyi struggled to stand straight and called out with a nasal voice, "Open the door!"
Knowing he shouldn't be here, he still seemed bewitched by the alcohol, charging over impulsively.
He wanted to see her, right now! The only thought in his mind, no matter the reason or consequence, was to see her.
"Who?" Hua Lanxi whispered, immediately widening her eyes in disbelief. How had he come again? Moreover, his voice wasn't normal.
"We have no relationship. No need to meet. My home does not welcome you. Please leave!" Behind the door, Hua Lanxi leaned against the wall, trying hard to calm herself.
"Hua Lanxi, open the door! If you don't open it, you'll bear the consequences!" Eyes wide open, Kong Chengyi pressed the doorbell repeatedly, threatening to go in. What began as a domineering demand to see her had now turned into a challenge, and he insisted on entering.
"Kong Chengyi, you're crazy!" The doorbell kept ringing, irritating Hua Lanxi until she nearly lost her temper and hated his unreasonable behavior even more. "This is my home. I won't see you if I don't want to. Why do you have to come in? Leave, or I'll call the police and report you for trespassing!"
"Call the cops? Haha, Hua Lanxi, that's ridiculous!" He slammed his foot hard against the door. "Bang!" Suddenly sobered by the banging, Kong Chengyi said, "Aren't you afraid the neighbors will notice?" He knew she deliberately kept a low profile, avoiding neighbors' attention and gossip.
The heavy wooden door shook violently from his kick, as if the blow struck her heart. Leaning on the wall, she trembled with fury, unable to speak.
"Ten seconds. Open the door! Or don't blame me for breaking it down!" Stretching his neck and crossing his arms to loosen up, he immediately prepared to break down the door.
"Who do you think you are? You come whenever you want? Break my door down if you want? Kong Chengyi, I've never met someone as shameless as you…" Hua Lanxi, utterly infuriated by his arrogance and shamelessness, flung the door open and fiercely shouted at him.
The door opened, and the long-unseen man fiercely shouted as he entered. Kong Chengyi's mood instantly brightened. He smirked, stepped in, stood firmly in front of her, and took a deep breath, sniffing carefully—the familiar scent of her was still there.
The strong smell of alcohol hit her. Hua Lanxi stepped back cautiously, remembering his last drunken visit. Her face burned hot.
After a few seconds, as if smelling enough of her faint fragrance and satisfied yet helpless at her fearful retreat, he strode past her into the living room. "Pour me a glass of water!" Having stood outside too long, his alcohol level was rising, and he plopped down on the sofa comfortably.
"Do you have business with me? Speak up and leave afterward!" Hua Lanxi stared wide-eyed, incredulous as he settled comfortably and showed no signs of leaving—she almost wanted to drag him up.
"I'm thirsty. Pour me water!" His blurry, bright eyes fixed on her unadorned face, seemingly unable to get enough of her. "Drink, then we talk!"
"You!" Hua Lanxi bit her lip, wanting to lash out but wary of his drunken state. She dared not provoke him again. She turned sharply, went to the kitchen, grabbed a cup, filled it with cool boiled water, and just as she reached the kitchen door, she turned back.
Setting the cup on the edge of the coffee table, Hua Lanxi lifted her chin, her eyes fierce. "Drink it, finish drinking, say what you want, then leave!"
Leaning on the edge of the sofa, Kong Chengyi glanced at her flushed face, bent down to pick up the cup. His palm got wet. He took a sip but then put the cup down. "I want cold water, not just boiled water!"