Chapter 39

“The third glass of wine…”

“Wait!” Song Haowen grabbed the wine glass in her hand. “No need for a third glass. Let’s eat some dishes first.” He picked up a piece of deer meat and put it in her bowl, then took the lead in eating.

After consuming two glasses of white wine, Zhu Hongyu’s complexion turned rosy. Her lacquer-like apricot eyes were bright and charming, and her pair of dimples were enchanting with a smiling allure. Song Haowen didn’t dare to look at her too much.

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Next, Song Haowen toasted Zhu Hongyu several more times. They went back and forth, and eventually, they finished the entire bottle of white wine.

Both of them were a bit tipsy, but they didn’t eat much. Their faces were flushed, and they felt a bit excited. However, they dared not drink anymore, especially since Song Haowen’s alcohol tolerance was not that good even in previous life, and he was already feeling dizzy.

Song Haowen called the waiter to pay the bill and pack the leftovers. Then, he and Zhu Hongyu left together.

Seeing that Song Haowen was a bit drunk, walking unsteadily, Zhu Hongyu carried the packed dishes in her left hand, and with her right hand, she held onto his arm, helping him walk. Fortunately, the office was not far away, just a few steps.

Upon reaching the office, Zhu Hongyu poured a cup of hot tea for Song Haowen to sober up and handed him a hot towel to wipe his face.

Song Haowen felt a bit awkward letting her serve him, so he went into his room first, telling her to rest early as well.

Song Haowen lay on the warm kang, not even taking off his padded jacket, and fell asleep directly. He didn’t know how long passed when his urge to urinate woke him up.

He got up to go to the bathroom. When he passed through the living room on his way back, he was surprised to hear a soft sobbing coming from the east room where Zhu Hongyu was staying. He listened carefully and felt that it was Zhu Hongyu, so he went over and knocked on the door.

“Sis, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Younger brother, you go rest, I’ll be fine in a while,” Zhu Hongyu replied softly.

“If there’s anything, tell me. If you need to go to the hospital, I’ll accompany you,” Song Haowen urged.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m fine. Go to sleep quickly,” Zhu Hongyu reassured.

Song Haowen returned to his room, checked the time on his watch, and realized it was just past eleven at night. By now, he was almost completely sober.

He took off his padded jacket and lay on the kang, but he couldn’t fall asleep, as the sound of Zhu Hongyu’s crying kept echoing in his mind.

After a quarter of an hour, unable to shake off his concern, Song Haowen quietly went to the living room to listen for any sounds.

Although he couldn’t hear any crying, he still felt uneasy. He went to knock on Zhu Hongyu’s door, asking if everything was okay. Seeing that there was no response, he guessed she might be asleep, so he turned around to go back to his room.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the door to the east room creaked open. Zhu Hongyu, wearing a padded jacket, stood at the door, staring at Song Haowen. Her eyes were red, and it was evident that she had just cried.

Song Haowen walked over, concerned, and asked, “Sis, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell, perhaps from drinking too much?”

Without saying a word, Zhu Hongyu bit her lip tightly, and tears rolled down like pearls. Song Haowen was taken aback and quickly grabbed her hand, trying to comfort her. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. If there’s anything, tell me. I can help you figure it out.”

Zhu Hongyu threw herself into Song Haowen’s arms, crying without saying a word, leaving him feeling helpless. Seeing her like this, he felt a bit awkward and gently pushed her shoulders, trying to get her to move away.

However, she held onto him even tighter and said, “Brother, let me hold on a little longer. It makes me feel better.”

Song Haowen thought, “If this makes you feel better, it’s making me feel worse.” But he didn’t dare to abruptly ask Zhu Hongyu to leave, so he slowly led her to the three-person sofa in the living room.

Zhu Hongyu leaned in Song Haowen’s arms for a while before finally stopping her tears. She lifted her tear-stained face and stared into his eyes, asking, “Brother, do you think sister is a bad person?”

Song Haowen felt puzzled. “Where is this coming from?”

Zhu Hongyu left Song Haowen’s embrace, sat down, and took out a letter from her pocket, waving it in front of him. “I went to the dorm during the day and received a letter from my brother at the gate. In the letter, he said my parents want me to come home for the New Year.”

“It’s only natural for parents to want the whole family together for the New Year.”

“You haven’t read the letter; you don’t know the reason. I wrote to my family before, saying I wouldn’t go home for the New Year this year to save some money. But they still want me to come back.”

“Is that all? It’s not worth being so sad about. If you don’t want to go back, just stay here. Write another letter, come up with an excuse, and that’s it.”

“My parents don’t just want me to come back for the New Year; there’s something else.”

“Isn’t your dad’s health much better now? What else could there be? Unless one of your siblings is getting married?”

“Don’t guess randomly.” Zhu Hongyu hesitated for a moment and then made up her mind. “My parents urgently want me back to get married during the Spring Festival.”

Song Haowen was greatly surprised. “You’re a college student , Why are you getting married?”