Chapter 91: Drunken Return Home

Lin Hexi was stunned.

He had thought of countless possibilities regarding You Chong’s marriage, but he had never imagined the news would be fake.

When Zhou Xuan exposed the lie about the marriage, You Chong admitted it without changing his expression:

“I do want to get married, but I need to have someone to marry first.”

Lin Hexi asked, “Where is your fiancée then?”

“You knew he had a fiancée?” Zhou Xuan’s expression turned playful.

Avoiding Zhou Xuan’s probing gaze, Lin Hexi spoke, “I heard it from Fang Qingning.”

Zhou Xuan chuckled softly. “The engagement was called off a year ago.”

Lin Hexi instinctively glanced sideways at You Chong, hesitating whether to ask for the details of the engagement. However, time didn’t grant him the opportunity.

The friends You Chong and Zhou Xuan had arranged to meet had already arrived.

Zhou Xuan hung up the phone and turned toward the bar entrance to greet the friend.

Guessing that the person was likely not just a casual drinking buddy, Lin Hexi figured they probably had some serious matters to discuss. Considering the amount of time he had spent away, longer than one would expect for a restroom trip, Lin Hexi still had things on his mind but decided to leave for now.

He returned to his seat at the bar. Zhao Mingliu was leaning against the bar, chatting with the bartender. Hearing Lin Hexi’s movement, he turned around and casually asked, “Why did it take you so long?”

Lin Hexi, a bit distracted, replied, “The restroom was a bit crowded.”

Zhao Mingliu didn’t think much of it and turned back to continue his conversation with the bartender.

Lin Hexi propped his face on one hand, lifting his gaze toward Zhao Mingliu and the bartender, as if listening to their conversation. In reality, his thoughts wandered to the engagement news he had found online years ago.

Some articles described the engagement ceremony, while others were gossip pieces.

Most of the photos depicted scenes from the engagement, while a smaller portion captured private moments between You Chong and Zhuang Yixia.

What Lin Hexi remembered most clearly was how a gossip reporter had snuck into an upscale residential area in the city and photographed You Chong bringing Zhuang Yixia home late at night, followed by both of them leaving the community together the next morning.

The article stated plainly that the reporter had staked out the building entrance all night, confirming that Zhuang Yixia had not left the residential tower at any point during the night.

Because of this, Lin Hexi had firmly believed in You Chong’s engagement.

However, Zhou Xuan was now saying that You Chong and Zhuang Yixia’s engagement had been called off a year ago. And the day You Chong quietly returned to the country, Lin Hexi had witnessed him and Zhuang Yixia riding in the same car—something that had happened only a year ago.

Thinking it through, the engagement between You Chong and Zhuang Yixia probably only lasted a few months.

Now, his state of mind was no longer as uncertain as it had been back then. With Zhou Xuan’s words helping him settle down, Lin Hexi revisited the scattered clues from that time in his memory, gradually realizing that You Chong’s actions back then followed a certain logic.

In truth, during that period, he and You Chong were still deeply in love. If You Yueteng had forced them to break up, it would have only pushed him further to oppose You Chong. Ultimately, the only person truly standing on the same side as You Chong was himself.

Even if You Chong had reached out to him during the two years he was abroad, what difference would it have made? As long as You Yueteng remained in power, he would still find a way to separate them again.

Clearly, giving in to short-term impulses at the cost of a longer-term future would have been a temporary solution, not a lasting one.

Perhaps the former version of himself didn’t understand this, but the present him, weighing the pros and cons, saw it clearly. A brief separation of two years in exchange for twenty or even thirty years together in the future was a deal that promised nothing but gain.

Perhaps You Chong only wanted to lie low. Perhaps the brief engagement with Zhuang Yixia was merely a cooperative arrangement. Or maybe You Chong just needed a nominal fiancée to gain You Yueteng’s trust.

There was no need to ask about the details of the engagement anymore.

You Chong wasn’t at fault—the one who hadn’t trusted him was Lin Hexi himself.

A deep sense of disappointment welled up in his heart. Lin Hexi lowered his gaze, letting his face sink into the shadows.

He was deeply disappointed in his past self.

Noticing Lin Hexi’s unusual silence, Zhao Mingliu turned back and gave him a nudge. “What’s wrong? Bored sitting here? Want to dance with me?”

The man leaning against the bar stayed silent for a moment, then tilted his head and asked, “Do you have more alcohol?”

Zhao Mingliu was slightly taken aback but instinctively replied, “Yes.”

Lin Hexi sat at the bar, pouring drinks for himself. Half of it was because he was genuinely in a bad mood; the other half was because, apart from drinking himself into a stupor, he couldn’t think of any other way to get closer to You Chong in the short term.

He was betting that once You Chong finished whatever business he had, he would come back to find him.

The bartender, standing behind the bar, teased him, “Drinking this much—did you just go through a breakup?”

Hearing this, Zhao Mingliu sounded puzzled. “He was fine before going to the restroom. How could he manage to get his heart broken in the time it takes to use the bathroom?”

Before the conversation even ended, Lin Hexi, the person in question, seamlessly responded, “Yeah, I got my heart broken.”

Zhao Mingliu was stunned. “What’s his background? Love at first sight?”

“It’s not love at first sight,” Lin Hexi said, shaking his glass and slowly exhaling three words, “It’s picking weeds.”

The bartender spoke with a knowing tone, “You want to get back with your ex?”

Lin Hexi stared down at the rim of his glass for two seconds, and slowly lifted his gaze, his emotions unreadable. It was unclear whether he was asking the bartender or just murmuring to himself, “Do I still have a chance?”

The bartender actually gave it some serious thought. “That’s hard to say. It depends on Mr. ‘Weeds’ and his attitude.”

Zhao Mingliu couldn’t help but lean in, squinting as he asked, “So, what’s his attitude?”

Lin Hexi’s lips moved slightly, his expression showing uncertainty.

Perhaps it was the alcohol clouding his mind, but Lin Hexi seemed a little dazed. After a moment, he shook his head and answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

The bartender cut straight to the point: “You do know, you just don’t want to admit it.”

Lin Hexi tilted his head slightly, gently swirling the liquid in his glass. His mind replayed, in slow motion, the moments and conversations he’d shared with You Chong since his return.

After carefully weighing his words, he swallowed the liquor in his mouth, and a faint trace of confusion surfaced in his eyes. “Distant one moment, close the next.”

Zhao Mingliu, pretending to analyze the situation seriously, said, “That suggests your ex isn’t really serious about getting back together with you.”

“It’s not entirely his fault,” Lin Hexi mused, then added, “Sometimes it feels like he hasn’t forgotten me either, but every time I try to take a step forward, something always pulls me back to where I started.”

“How about this,” Zhao Mingliu suggested boldly, “Get him over here now, and I’ll help you figure it out.”

But Lin Hexi didn’t respond further.

The bartender didn’t offer to help analyze the situation. Instead, he prepared a brightly colored cocktail and handed it to Lin Hexi, saying ambiguously, “If he’s still here tonight, I think you might need this.”

Lin Hexi understood the implication and, without refusing, thanked the bartender before drinking the cocktail.

It was a strong one, and as he swallowed it, he could feel the alcohol hitting him with an unmistakable force.

Whether he was merely resting with his eyes closed or overwhelmed by the alcohol, he quietly slumped over the bar, never opening his eyes again.

Twenty minutes later, You Chong returned to the bar to look for Lin Hexi. Seeing him asleep, drunk and slumped over his arms, You Chong half-supported, half-embraced him and carried him away.

Zhou Xuan trailed a few steps behind, and waved goodbye to Zhao Mingliu. Caught off guard, he stared in surprise and called out, “Brother Chong is his ex?”

Zhou Xuan shrugged. “Next time, be more mindful. Don’t sling your arm around Lin Hexi in front of You Chong again.”

Zhao Mingliu remained silent for a long time. The image of You Chong holding Lin Hexi and the way he looked at him replayed in his mind. Unable to suppress his thoughts, he turned to the bartender and muttered, “The more I think about it, the more it seems like Lin Hexi is the one who doesn’t want to reconcile.”

The bartender chuckled softly. “Their relationship isn’t something we can figure out.” Then, with a knowing smile, he added, “But do you really think, with your friend’s tolerance, that a single cocktail could knock him out?”