Chapter 20: So… Nothing Happened Between You Two After Drinking? 

Shen Nanzhi cast Gu Qinghe a wary glance. 

Retracting her gaze, she unlocked the door with her fingerprint and entered the apartment.

Gu Qinghe followed her in like a shadow. After closing the door, she excitedly ran up to Shen Nanzhi, grabbing her by the arms with a tone filled with anticipation. 

“Come on, tell me—how was last night?” 

Shen Nanzhi brushed off her overly enthusiastic friend and tried to remain calm as she walked to the bar to pour herself some water. “How could it be? How do you want it to be?” 

“?” Gu Qinghe studied her reaction, then carefully observed her best friend’s steady steps—her legs weren’t weak, and her waist wasn’t sore. She stroked her chin thoughtfully and let out a long “Hmm…” 

Shen Nanzhi’s mind was still a mess at the moment. 

She ignored her friend’s antics and poured two glasses of water. Handing one to Gu Qinghe, she took the other and sat down on the sofa, trying to collect herself. 

Gu Qinghe took a sip of water, placed the cup down, and scooted closer to sit across from her best friend. 

Seeing Shen Nanzhi’s neck clean and devoid of any ambiguous marks, Gu Qinghe let out two exaggerated “Huh?” sounds before asking again. 

“Xiao Zhizhi, so last night… you and President Jiang didn’t—after drinking—do anything reckless?” 

“Cough… cough, cough!” 

Shen Nanzhi had just taken a sip of water, and before she could swallow, she choked violently on Gu Qinghe’s completely unfiltered words. 

 
Gu Qinghe casually pulled out two tissues and handed them over to her best friend, but she had no intention of stopping her line of questioning.

“Zhizhi, you really didn’t do anything?” 

Shen Nanzhi suppressed the last of her coughing fit. 

Once she recovered, she lifted her gaze and glared at her nosy friend across from her. 

“Miss Gu, what exactly is going on in your head? Did you come all the way here early in the morning just to ask about this?” 

Gu Qinghe didn’t take it as a joke. 

When she woke up this morning, she heard from her brother that after Shen Nanzhi got drunk last night, it was Jiang Jinnian who personally came to pick her up and carried her away. The moment she heard that, she didn’t even bother dealing with her family’s constant nagging about the arranged marriage. She quickly tidied herself up and rushed over to Shen Nanzhi’s apartment. 

Seeing that her best friend wasn’t taking the situation seriously at all, Gu Qinghe felt an overwhelming sense of frustration, as if she were watching iron refuse to turn into steel. 

She moved to sit beside Shen Nanzhi, grabbed her by the arm, and shook her slightly. Her expression was still filled with disbelief, and her tone even carried a hint of regret as she confirmed once more: 

“My dear lady, you had such a perfect opportunity last night, and you really just… slept at Jiang Jinnian’s place? Just slept?” 

Shen Nanzhi: “…” 

She pulled her hand free from her unusually enthusiastic friend’s grip. 

“Then what exactly do you want? Gu Qinghe, what’s with that regretful tone of yours?”

Gu Qinghe smacked her forehead, looking as if she had just lost out on a multi-billion-dollar fortune. 

“Obviously, you should’ve taken advantage of being drunk—such perfect timing and conditions—and just slept with Jiang Jinnian in one go! That way, the relationship would be locked in!” 

Shen Nanzhi: “……!!” 

“Zhizhi, I didn’t know before that Jiang Jinnian was even considering accepting the engagement. I originally thought that since you were engaged to the Jiang family anyway, and Jiang Tingxu was a lost cause—forget the fact that he outright rejects arranged marriages, but he’s also been tangled up with that actress Su Wu every other day. He’s clearly not husband material.” 

“But Jiang Jinnian is different.” 

She started counting on her fingers. “Look, the marriage arrangement between your families was set in stone when you were born. It’s a done deal. Jiang Tingxu backing out and refusing to uphold the engagement? That means, to some extent, the Jiang family owes you.” 

“That’s why I kept telling you to consider Jiang Jinnian! If you marry him, babe, you’d have an unshakable pillar of support for the rest of your life!”

“It’s just that Jiang Jinnian, well, he’s as cold as ice. And you two have barely had much interaction over the years. Before, I couldn’t tell whether he’d even consider the engagement, so I only ever mentioned it casually and never really pushed you on it.” 

“But, Zhizhi, babe, now that Jiang Jinnian is actually willing to accept the engagement, why aren’t you taking the chance and securing this relationship?!” 

Shen Nanzhi: “……” 

The more Gu Qinghe spoke, the more regretful she sounded. 

With the perfect conditions last night, even the slightest development would have ensured that her dear Zhizhi could spend the rest of her life completely worry-free. 

Not only would she be untouchable in the elite circles, but she would never have to worry about the future of Shen Group again. 

Everything—every advantage—could have been hers with just one move: getting her name on the marriage certificate next to Jiang Jinnian’s. 

Yet, with such a golden opportunity, her dear Zhizhi had let it slip through her fingers! 

Shen Nanzhi’s eyelids twitched as she stared at her so-called best friend, who looked utterly heartbroken—like she had just lost an eight-billion-dollar fortune. 

She couldn’t help but remind her, “Miss Gu, everything you just said is about arranged marriages. But just yesterday, you were wailing at the bar, swearing to the heavens that you’d never accept one. And now, after just one night, you sound like you’ve joined some kind of brainwashing cult, trying to convince me to go through with it?” 

Gu Qinghe, however, refused to accept this comparison. 

“Babe, my arranged marriage and yours are two completely different things!” 

She clutched her chest in despair. “Look around the entire elite circle—who is richer than Jiang Jinnian? Who has more power than the true heir of the Jiang family?” 

“In Huaihai City, anyone connected to capital knows that every move they make depends on Jiang Jinnian’s nod of approval!”

“Besides, with Jiang Jinnian’s personality, he would never cross the line with any woman or get caught up in any scandalous rumors.” 

Unlike Jiang Tingxu, who openly indulged Su Wu and let her stir up gossip until she trended online. 

“Zhizhi, babe, you should’ve just taken the chance last night when you were drunk! Seize the moment, make it happen, and secure yourself the most reliable golden ticket!” 

“Isn’t that better than working yourself to death every night, exhausting yourself like a dog?” 

After all, making the right choice is always more important than sheer effort. 

With a powerhouse like Jiang Jinnian as her backing, her best friend should be living in absolute comfort, stepping into marriage with ease. Not only would she enjoy a lifetime of wealth and stability, but she’d also slap those snobby socialites in the face—the ones eagerly waiting to see her humiliated by a broken engagement. 

Shen Nanzhi’s mouth twitched as she listened to her friend’s endless persuasion. 

When Gu Qinghe finally finished, she turned her head slightly, throwing her a half-smile before pointing out a very real issue. 

“But, Miss Gu, putting aside everything you just said, have you ever considered—” 

Shen Nanzhi massaged her throbbing temples. 

“—that your dear best friend and the man you keep talking about… aren’t even close?” 

 
Gu Qinghe waved her hand dismissively. “So, what if you’re not close? Once you reach zero distance, you’ll be close enough.” 

Shen Nanzhi, caught completely off guard by the sudden R-rated implication: “…??!”