Chapter 10

Hangover

The next day, Lin Qianyou woke up at eleven o’clock. She had drunk too much the night before, and her head still throbbed. She groggily sat up, rubbed her aching head, and then remembered she had been drinking at the bar last night.

However, she couldn’t remember how she got back home.

Her mouth still carried a honey-like sweetness. She touched her lips, furrowing her brows as she tried to recall.

Last night… Did Qi Shanglan go to the bar too?

Lin Qianyou vaguely remembered seeing Qi Shanglan at the bar. He seemed to have helped her get rid of two greasy men, but after that, she couldn’t remember anything at all.

Could he have been the one who brought her home?

She couldn’t remember clearly, so she got up from the bed and went to wash up. Afterward, her head still hurt a bit. She walked to the kitchen to get herself a cup of hot water but saw a jar of honey on the dining table.

“Why is there a jar of honey?” Lin Qianyou picked it up and examined it. She didn’t remember buying honey.

Next to the jar, there was a water cup and a spoon. Lin Qianyou pursed her lips. No wonder her mouth had been so sweet earlier; was it because of the honey water she drank last night?

Could it have been bought by Qi Shanglan?

She set the honey jar down and hurried back to her bedroom to unlock her phone and open WeChat. It was still on her chat screen with “Qi Shanglan.”

They only had one chat record: a voice call lasting less than five minutes, and it was a call from Qi Shanglan.

“When did I add him on WeChat… and why did he call me?” Lin Qianyou muttered to herself.

After thinking for a moment, she sent him a message: “Hello, was it you who brought me home last night?”

After sending the message, he didn’t reply immediately, so Lin Qianyou quickly typed another message: “Did you also buy the honey? Thanks, let me pay you back.”

A few seconds later, the reply came: “It wasn’t much, no need to transfer it back to me. The honey water helps with a hangover. If you still have a headache, just make a cup for yourself.”

Lin Qianyou replied: “Oh, okay, thanks. Sorry for troubling you last night.”

Qi Shanglan: “No trouble. Drink less and avoid going to bars. If you do, it’s better not to go alone. Find someone to accompany you.”

Lin Qianyou: “Okay, thank you. I won’t go again in the future.”

Qi Shanglan: “Mm.”

They didn’t continue chatting, each lost in their own thoughts. Lin Qianyou wanted to ask Qi Shanglan if she had done anything inappropriate last night, like acting drunk or misbehaving, since she had a history of doing so.

She remembered when Ke Siyu had a breakup, Lin Qianyou went to the bar with her to drink. The two of them got so drunk that after leaving the bar, they started loudly singing children’s songs in the street. Passersby thought they were crazy and immediately called the police. After they were caught that time, neither of them dared to drink to such excess again.

Qi Shanglan stared at his phone screen, not knowing what he was thinking. His slender fingers occasionally tapped the screen, but no new messages popped up.

He raised an eyebrow. Is that it? Nothing else to say? Drunk and forgot everything?

He seemed a little impatient as he rotated his neck, ready to exit WeChat when he received a message from his mother: Shanglan, can you come home tonight? Your younger brother has the day off, and he’s been wanting to see you. He even said he would go to the police station to find you. I’m worried he’ll disturb your work since you’re so busy. Can you come home tonight?

Qi Shanglan paused for a moment after reading the message before replying: Okay.

Meanwhile, Lin Qianyou leisurely made herself a cup of honey water, which tasted sweet and warmed her stomach, making her feel comfortable.

She opened Weibo. The comment section still had people cursing her, but there were fewer than yesterday. She decided to ignore them, not wanting to explain anything. Whatever, those who are clear will be clear.

Coincidentally, Ke Siyu sent her a message, saying that the new drama would start filming tomorrow and invited her to the opening ceremony.

Lin Qianyou replied: Tomorrow? That soon? I still don’t know which actors are in the cast.

Ke Siyu: You’ll know when you go tomorrow. Director Li also wants to take advantage of the buzz to promote the drama.

Lin Qianyou: …At the cost of me being cursed, right?

Ke Siyu: Oh, don’t worry. Those netizens are just following the trend to curse you. Who knows, once the drama airs, they might all turn into fans.

Lin Qianyou: …

Ke Siyu: By the way, the day after tomorrow is Ye Shuwan’s funeral. You’ll need to attend that too.

Lin Qianyou: Mm, I know. The company group chat posted about it.

Lin Qianyou: Sigh, such a pity. I wonder why she committed suicide. Her father must be heartbroken.

Ke Siyu: Who knows? She chose that path herself, can’t blame anyone. Don’t dwell on it too much.

Lin Qianyou: Mm.

—

At eleven o’clock that night, a western-style villa in the city’s first ring road still had its lights on.

In the living room downstairs, seven-year-old Qi Shangxing sat on the carpet, holding a game controller and playing a video game, while his parents, who were already half asleep on the couch, could barely keep their eyes open.

Zou Ying frowned at Qi Shangxing, who still seemed full of energy, and said, “Qi Shangxing, go to bed. Stop playing. Look at the time! Staying up late is bad for your health. Go to sleep now!”

Qi Shangxing, still absorbed in his game, distractedly replied, “You haven’t gone to bed either. Besides, I’m waiting for my brother to come home. He’s going to play with me.”

Zou Ying was about to say something else when Qi Dongjun stopped her. “Let him play. Shanglan should be home soon.”

Qi Dongjun glanced at the time and then at the table full of cold food that had been ready since 5:30 in the afternoon. He sighed deeply but didn’t say anything more.

The couple had been excited all day because Qi Shanglan finally agreed to come home, but they hadn’t received any word from him. The food had been prepared hours ago, but he still hadn’t come back or sent a message.

Zou Ying suggested calling Shanglan to ask when he would be home, but Qi Dongjun said it wasn’t necessary. He was probably busy with something at the station and couldn’t get away.

In fact, both the husband and wife were very clear in their hearts: Qi Shanglan still resented them. Back then, Qi Dongjun had said such harsh words in anger, and it was no wonder that Qi Shanglan had become so heartless, abandoning them to live on his own.

Over the years, he would occasionally come home, but every time, he would avoid Qi Dongjun.

The couple were feeling troubled when they suddenly heard a noise by the door. Qi Shangxing immediately dropped his game controller and shouted, “My brother’s back!” He rushed to the door without bothering to put on his slippers.

Zou Ying and Qi Dongjun quickly stood up from the couch, their hearts filled with nervous anticipation as they walked towards the door.

“Brother!” As soon as Qi Shanglan opened the door, Qi Shangxing rushed over and hugged his leg. “Why are you so late? I was about to starve.”

Qi Shanglan pushed his head away and pinched his chin, asking, “You didn’t eat? Why are you still awake?”

Qi Shangxing shook his head. He turned to glance at Zou Ying and Qi Dongjun awkwardly standing behind him and didn’t dare say that his parents hadn’t let him eat.

Qi Shanglan also looked over, called out “Mom,” and when his gaze landed on Qi Dongjun, he paused for a moment before saying, “Dad.”

Zou Ying responded and then smiled as she squatted down and placed slippers by his feet, explaining, “Your dad and I didn’t let him eat, said he should wait for you to come back. Go wash your hands and sit down. The food’s cold. I’ll go heat it up.”

Qi Shanglan glanced at the dining table, which was full of dishes that clearly took a lot of effort. He changed into his slippers, his expression neutral. “In the future, you can eat first, no need to wait for me to come back. I can’t say when I’ll be on duty.”

The couple were momentarily stunned by his words. In the future—did that mean he was planning to live at home from now on?

Zou Ying immediately smiled and said, “Okay,” then pulled Qi Dongjun to the kitchen to reheat the food.

Qi Dongjun didn’t know how to start a conversation with Qi Shanglan. One was a father, the other was a son—did that mean he had to apologize to his son, humbling himself? He couldn’t bring himself to do that, but he also felt bad. So, he just kept feeling conflicted in his heart.

Qi Shangxing tugged at Qi Shanglan’s arm and dragged him to the couch. He handed him the other game controller and then selected a two-player game.

Qi Shanglan had just come back from duty and was a little tired. He didn’t want to play, so he casually tossed the controller aside, leaned back on the couch, and said lazily, “I’m exhausted, don’t you feel sorry for me? Which is more important, the game or your brother?”

Qi Shangxing blurted out, “Aren’t you just comforting your girlfriend? How tired could you be?”

“What did you say?” Qi Shanglan sat up straight with a start. He furrowed his brows and asked in a low voice, “How do you even know what a girlfriend is? Who told you I have one? Who also told you I went to comfort my girlfriend?” He didn’t hold back, pinching Qi Shangxing’s face, thinking how precocious kids were nowadays.

Qi Shangxing pushed Qi Shanglan’s hand away, not backing down, and said, “Last night, after school, I secretly went to the police station to look for you, but Brother He told me you made your girlfriend cry and went to comfort her.”

Qi Shanglan: …

“I don’t have a girlfriend, he’s just making stuff up,” Qi Shanglan said seriously. “Did you tell Mom and Dad about this?”

“Don’t worry, bro, my lips are sealed.”

Qi Shanglan: …

“I said I don’t have one, so I don’t.”

“Hmph, I don’t care. You’d better tell Mom and Dad. They’re still discussing setting you up on a blind date today. You can’t keep hiding things from them forever.”

Qi Shanglan, speechless, squatted down close to Qi Shangxing and frowned, saying, “Qi Shangxing, you even know about blind dates? Is this what you’re learning at school? You’d better drop out of school now.”

“I have great grades!” Qi Shangxing retorted, becoming even more defiant.

Qi Shanglan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. He thought about helping in the kitchen, but he didn’t know how to cook. He had barely entered the kitchen a few times, and over the years, living on his own, he had always bought food instead of cooking it himself.

Thinking about this, he had no choice but to pick up the game controller and play a few rounds with Qi Shangxing.

Once the food was reheated, the family of four sat at the dining table. Qi Shangxing, starving, ate eagerly, while Zou Ying urged Qi Shanglan to eat as well.

For the first time in a while, the family gathering felt somewhat warm.

As Qi Shanglan ate, he absentmindedly took out his phone to check. The WeChat app showed 0 messages, so he put the phone down again.

Qi Shangxing gave him a meaningful look, and Qi Shanglan rolled his eyes at him in response. “Eat your food, Qi Shangxing.”

Qi Dongjun also took out his phone and glanced at it. He was startled when he saw the news.

“What’s going on? Old Ye’s daughter committed suicide?” he said in surprise.

“What? Which Old Ye?” Zou Ying stopped mid-bite and asked.

“My old classmate, Ye Feng, now a director. His daughter, a little star named Ye Shuwan, committed suicide.”

“What? How did she commit suicide? Depression?” Zou Ying asked, and both Qi Shanglan and Qi Shangxing also looked over with curiosity.

Qi Shanglan frowned. Ye Shuwan? The name seemed so familiar, like he had heard it somewhere…

“Who knows? Old Ye told me that the funeral is the day after tomorrow. I have to go,” Qi Dongjun said.

“Okay, I’ll go with you,” Zou Ying sighed in pity. She then asked, “Did he say why she committed suicide? I remember his daughter was really young, about the same age as Shanglan.”

“He didn’t say. The news might have more details.”

At this moment, Qi Shangxing suddenly slammed the table and said loudly, “I know! I know! Wasn’t it that actress Ye Shuwan? I saw it in the news! She committed suicide because another little star snatched her role! I think the other girl’s name was Lin something… Oh right, Lin Qianyou!”

The couple was surprised that their son knew so much about tabloid news. Qi Shanglan was even more surprised. The sweet and sour pork ribs he was about to eat fell into his bowl with a “plop,” and he stiffly turned his head to ask Qi Shangxing, “Who did you say?”

“Lin Qianyou, a super obscure little star, but my deskmate is a fan of hers.”

Qi Dongjun, dissatisfied, scolded him, “Qi Shangxing, I sent you to school, not to learn all this nonsense. Finish eating and go to bed.”

Qi Shanglan didn’t say anything. He silently downloaded Weibo, then clicked on Lin Qianyou’s personal Weibo page. As he scrolled, his appetite gradually disappeared.

The insults from the netizens were too vile; not a single one was worth reading.

Qi Shangxing saw that he was looking at Lin Qianyou’s Weibo and poked his arm. “Bro, are you a fan of hers too?”

Qi Shanglan glared at him and coldly said, “Eat your food.”