“Why are you so silly?” Du Qingshuo also felt sorry for her. “If he won’t eat, then don’t cook for him! Why do you have to please him like that?”

“I don’t know! I just… I feel panicked when my brother won’t talk to me, I don’t know what to do…” She choked back tears, desperately telling herself she was no longer a child, barely managing not to cry out loud.

“Shuning, do you like him?” Du Qingshuo asked softly, her gaze gentle yet hiding a subtle light.

She was taken aback and quickly shook her head. “No, no! You misunderstood, my feelings for my brother… are not romantic, we were neighbors when we were young, and whenever someone bullied me, he would stand up for me, so… I might be used to relying on him, treating him like a real brother…”

“Is that really all there is to it?”

“Yes, that’s all!”

Du Qingshuo didn’t say anything more, just smiled faintly and ordered another bottle of hot sake from the waiter. When the sake arrived, she poured a glass for each of them, her movements as graceful as flowing water.

“Let’s drink some more, getting tipsy will make you feel better.”

“Okay.” Jian Shuning obediently took the glass and sipped slowly, stealing glances at Du Qingshuo’s seemingly calm and gentle expression from under her eyelashes.

For some reason, she felt that Du Qingshuo’s expression was a bit strange, as if she was casually concerned but also hiding something.

Had she said something wrong? If Du Qingshuo really misunderstood her relationship with her brother, she didn’t want to ruin her brother’s budding romance.

“Um, let’s not talk about these unhappy things, let’s talk about something else!” she hurriedly tried to change the subject.

As if sensing her intention, Du Qingshuo smiled lightly and nodded.

The two of them chatted about various topics, and Jian Shuning curiously asked about Du Qingshuo’s work as a fashion buyer. Du Qingshuo complained that the job involved a lot of travel, attending long meetings, watching fashion shows, purchasing new seasonal products, developing partnerships with manufacturers and clients, and then monitoring shipments, adjusting inventory, and conducting cost-benefit analyses… It was far from the glamorous job some people imagined.

“So it’s that tough! I used to have friends tell me that this job is like getting paid to dress up and go to fashion shows and boutiques, like living the life of a wealthy lady.”

“That’s just what outsiders see, it’s not true!”

It seemed that every job had its own challenges.

The two of them chatted excitedly, and when the sake was finished, they ordered another bottle. This time, the plump restaurant owner brought it over herself, laughing heartily.

“The Daiginjo sake you ordered earlier is out of stock. This is a new type of sake that our store just got in. My husband brought it back from Japan himself. There are only a few bottles left in the store! The taste is very different from regular sake, it’s light yet deep. Would you like to try it?”

“Sure! Let’s try it!” Jian Shuning eagerly agreed, feeling very relaxed and willing to go along with any suggestion.

The owner seemed to appreciate her enthusiasm and poured the sake for both of them. “My husband said that when the store sold him this sake, they mentioned it has a special magic that can make your wishes come true!”

Jian Shuning laughed in surprise. “Is it really that magical? Like a wishing sake?”

“Haha, my husband tends to exaggerate. Just take it with a grain of salt.”

“Either way, being able to make wishes come true is a good thing! Sister, let’s have a drink!”

Even though they had already finished two bottles of sake, this third bottle tasted exceptionally different. It warmed their stomachs and made their bodies feel soft.

“This sake is really good!” Even the usually composed Du Qingshuo couldn’t help but praise it.

The two of them felt even better and started chatting happily, using the sake as a side dish. Somehow, they started talking about weight loss tips.

“How do you maintain such a great figure?” Jian Shuning asked enviously. “I feel like I gain weight just by drinking water.”

“You think I don’t gain weight if I eat too much?” Du Qingshuo shook her head and laughed. “You must have noticed that I don’t eat much. I usually only have salad for lunch and never eat anything after 9 PM.”

“Wow, I really admire you!”

“I actually envy you for eating happily without any worries. It makes people feel happy just watching you.”

“Hehe.” Jian Shuning said quietly. “I’ve tried dieting before.”

“And then?”

“I failed.”

There was a time when she tried various dieting methods, even having a record of eating only one egg and a few slices of toast a day. The result was that she developed an eating disorder.

She would vomit after every meal, rapidly losing weight, which scared her mother so much that she cried and begged her not to torture herself like that anymore.

She knew that at that time, her mind was sick. She wanted to become slim, beautiful, and the ideal woman in Zheng Yuanxi’s eyes. She was obsessed with this idea, but it only caused her pain.

Recalling that miserable past, Jian Shuning bit her lip. “Some things can’t be forced. I think I should learn to… love myself.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Du Qingshuo agreed.

“But I still really admire you, Sister Qingshuo!” She suddenly hugged Du Qingshuo, acting spoiled because of the alcohol.

“Wuwu… If I could be a smart and beautiful woman like you, even if it was just for a few days, I would be happy. My life would be complete!”

“Silly girl!” Du Qingshuo laughed softly and patted her head, treating her like a little sister. “Being me isn’t that great. A girl like you, who is simple, pure, and cute, is more likable!”

“Sister Qingshuo is such a good person. If my brother heard this, he would definitely make fun of me.”

“He’s so mean, let’s not pay attention to him.”

“Right! Let’s ignore him!”

The two women laughed and chatted, both feeling a bit tipsy. They paid the bill and left the restaurant, only to find that it was pouring outside, with lightning occasionally illuminating the dark sky.

“Wow, it’s raining and we don’t have an umbrella. What should we do?”

“I don’t have one either. Let’s call a taxi!”

They got into the taxi soaked, and seeing each other’s disheveled appearance, they couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sister Qingshuo, I don’t want to go back to my brother’s house today.” Jian Shuning sweetly pleaded.

“Then come stay at my place for the night. I have a guest room.”

“Okay! Thank you, Sister. You’re the best!”

“You’re so sweet. I don’t know how your brother can bear to scold you?”

“Hmph, he’s the worst…”

They got out of the taxi and supported each other as they walked towards the building entrance. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and the bright light startled them, causing them to scream and quickly dodge.

Following that, a rumble of thunder rolled in, as if foretelling some kind of fate…