Poof!
Poof!
Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze spat out the drinks almost at the same time, and looked at Chen Lie in shock.
Chen Lie blinked his eyes: “Don’t you all feel so?”
“No, we don’t think so!” Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze retorted unanimously.
Yin Shixiong continued: “Chen Lie, you cannot say things like that on a whim. Our Nianzhi is still young; jokes like these shouldn’t be made.”
Almost drunk, Gu Nianzhi only had her attention on Huo Shaoheng. However, Chen Lie was laughing too loudly, and his voice was bright. Thus, it caught her attention.
For a moment, her mind was blank.
She turned to Chen Lie mindlessly, and saw his sparkling eyes. She repeated after him: “… exchange of wine between bride and groom? How do we do that?”
Pooooooof—!
Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze both spat their drinks again.
Huo Shaoheng straightened himself and walked to Chen Lie. Putting down his wine glass, he picked up the Mao Tai and filled a third of a glass. Next, he picked up the red wine and filled another third. Finally, he filled the glass with tequila.
The alcohol were separated into 3 colors – White, red and green, just like a cocktail.
Huo Shaoheng held the glass, and gave it a little swirl. The three colors blended together and turned into a rainbow.
“Come, Chen Lie; It has been hard on you this year. Let me toast to you.” Huo Shaoheng handed the rainbow ‘cocktail’ to Chen Lie, and lifted his white wine. “Bottoms up!”
Chen Lie gulped: “Mr. Huo…”
“Down it! If not it’ll mean you look down on me, and don’t treat me as a buddy.” Huo Shaoheng showed his wine glass – he had already finished his.
Since he put it this way, Chen Lie had no choice but to drink it.
“You’re good…” Chen Lie mouthed a vulgarity towards Huo Shaoheng, and drank the ‘cocktail’ in one gulp.
Almost immediately after, Chen Lie’s fair chubby face started flushing. His focus began to blur. His reactions towards people slowed as well.
Huo Shaoheng went back to his seat, and continued with his reunion dinner, occasionally speaking to Song Jinning and Yin Shixiong.
Using the corners of his eyes, he kept a good eye on Gu Nianzhi, and continued to observe Chen Lie.
After a while, they passed out due to having too much alcohol.
“Just one drink and he got drunk.” Huo Shaoheng shook his head in disapproval. “Soldier, send Doctor Chen to the guestroom please.”
The soldier standing guard at the entrance of the dining hall came over, and helped Chen Lie to the guestroom.
Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze knew that it was Chen Lie’s “incoherent” words that led to this…
He still felt that it was a taboo to talk about him and Gu Nianzhi in front of him…
Song Jinning finished her dinner, stood up and nodded to everyone at the table: “I’m heading back to rest. You guys enjoy your dinner.”
“Mdm Song, aren’t you going to Shousui?” Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze both stood up.
Song Jinning shook her head, and touched her warm face: “Nah, it’s okay. I’m used to turning in and waking up early.”
She looked at Gu Nianzhi who was sprawled on the table, and told Huo Shaoheng: “Nianzhi is still young. She shouldn’t drink so much alcohol. Remember to give her some soup to sober her up.”
She left after talking.
Even before Huo Shaoheng asked him to, Zhao Liangze had already informed the military chefs in the kitchen to send two bowls of soups for sobering people – one for Gu Nianzhi, and one for Chen Lie.
Gu Nianzhi was feeling horrible due to dizziness; Yin Shixiong spent some time trying to get her up and feeding her the soup.
She felt better after finish the entire bowl of pickled asparagus and chicken skin soup, but still didn’t have the energy to move.
“How many times have I said before; don’t drink if you can’t hold your liquor.” Huo Shaoheng walked over to her and picked her up. “Go and sleep.”
Gu Nianzhi was practically hanging on his arm. Her hair fell on her back, like a waterfall.
Yin Shixiong quickly volunteered: “Mr. Huo, you’re busy. Should I send her to the room instead?”
Huo Shaoheng did not reply, only shooting a glare towards Yin Shixiong.
Yin Shixiong froze at the glare, and looked on at Huo Shaoheng carrying Gu Nianzhi out of the dining hall.
“Stop looking…” Zhao Liangze knocked on the dining table. “Let’s eat, let’s eat. There is still so much food left. They’re gone, but we shouldn’t waste all these food.”
…
Huo Shaoheng helped Gu Nianzhi out of the dining hall, but it was tough helping her as she was practically knocked out. So Huo Shaoheng just carried her, princess style, up the stairs and to her suite on the second level.
Pushing the door open, he entered and kicked the door close with a thud.
The lights weren’t turned on in the suite. The curtains on the French windows were opened. The lights from the street lamps along with the lights from the house poured into her suite from the windows and made it look dull, but not dark; just like the evening hours.
Huo Shaoheng put Gu Nianzhi on the sofa, and sat down beside her. “Awake?”
“Hm,” Gu Nianzhi sat up slowly, and placed her head onto his shoulders. “It’s not 12 yet; I cannot sleep.”
“Why were you angry just now?” Huo Shaoheng lowered his voice, putting a hand gently on her cheeks and caressing it.
“Just now?” Gu Nianzhi frowned. “You didn’t even look at me just now… People looked at you so many times though…”
“Angry merely because of that?”
“Yeah.” Gu Nianzhi avoided Huo Shaoheng’s eyes, “I was indeed a little upset just now, but was all okay after you came over.”
She knew she might not have, but she just couldn’t control herself at that moment.
When you truly like someone, you’ll realize that your emotions rise and fall according to that one person, and not yourself anymore.
Huo Shaoheng looked at her fixedly, with a gaze that spoke so much, but so hard to understand: “But if you were to be by my side, there’ll be many more situations like this in the future. There might even be a possibility where someone else and you fell into the river, but I have to save that someone else instead of you. – You’re alright with these too?”
“Huh? You don’t have to save me… I can swim, remember?” Gu Nianzhi looked at him with her big round eyes and replied cheekily.
Huo Shaoheng smiled weakly and looked at her. He was still caressing her face, but the temperature from his fingers was falling. Very soon, it felt almost cold. “You don’t understand what I’m trying to say?”
Falling into the river together was just a metaphor.
Gu Nianzhi looked at him fondly for a while, and sigh softly, nodding her head. “I understand. I know it all. Your identity is different, status is different, work is also different – different as compared to normal people. It was just – at that moment, I couldn’t control myself, that’s all.”
“Control yourself even if you can’t.” Huo Shaoheng held on to her cheeks tightly, and left a red mark due to using too much strength.
Gu Nianzhi placed her hand over his, and said with a low voice: “I wanted to control, but I was just too full of emotions for you, you get it?”
Huo Shaoheng got a little shocked. He kept quiet.
“I like you so much, if I’m able to control myself in all situations, then I wouldn’t be the 18 year old Gu Nianzhi. I would’ve been the Huo Shaoheng who, at the age of 28, already was ranked a major general and made countless contributions in the army.”
Gu Nianzhi answered earnestly, and had an utterly serious expression on her face. However, it only made her look like a child in adult’s clothing.
A smile crept up Huo Shaoheng’s face, and bent down to kiss her. His tongue spread her lips open and barged into her mouth, their tongues twirling.
She was so young. Growing up alongside him, she wasn’t like the others who were always wary against him.
She was like a perfect piece of crystal, clear and beautiful, and easily seen through.
A young girl’s love was passionate and straightforward; it was pure. How can Huo Shaoheng not understand this?
She only had him in her heart, but his heart had too many other things.
She only took up a small area in his heart; even though that was already all he could afford in the area of a romantic relationship.
Huo Shaoheng thought: he was actually a heartless person. Even if he was to give her all he could afford in the area of a romantic relationship, she might not feel that it was enough.
Breaking the kiss, their foreheads met. His hands caressed her back, like he was coaxing a little girl, but Gu Nianzhi was more than contented.
What she wanted wasn’t his all.
Some people had a lot of emotions. Like the ocean, it was never ending.
However, some people just didn’t have much. Perhaps, all they have just added up to be the amount of water at the bottom of a well.
Huo Shaoheng was the latter.
Even if it was just a tiny well, she wouldn’t mind being the frog at the bottom of that well, and could only see a small area of the sky from it, as long as that was his all.
Gu Nianzhi leaned on his chest, and listened to his steady heartbeat. She smiled blissfully.
Huo Shaoheng hugged her, and leaned his chin on her head. “But you have to control yourself. If you cannot do it, then… It’ll be hard for us to continue being together.”
“I will do it.” Gu Nianzhi straightened up, and seemed much more matured all of a sudden. “Don’t you worry; I will never lost my composure again.”
She looked really determined, but there was still fear deep within her.
“I look forward to it. Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows. “Rest early; we’re going visiting tomorrow.”