"How does it feel now? Now she's more polite to me than she is to strangers."
Shen Yin didn't know how to comfort Chang Zhiyuan. She could actually see that Shu Yi still had feelings for Chang Zhiyuan, or at the very least, still cared about him. But Shu Yi had learned to hide it, never mentioning their past situation.
"Knock knock knock."
"Come in."
Shen Yin thought it was the waiter coming to deliver food, so she responded. But when she saw who it was, she felt it was just bad luck.
"What are you doing here?"
"Brother, someone downstairs just said there are no private rooms left. Can I share your room? After all, we're brothers."
Xu Zhengyang said shamelessly.
"No, you can't. I don't have a brother like you. My mother only gave birth to me."
"Brother, please help me out. You can't let your own brother take his girlfriend out for dinner with nowhere to sit, can you?"
"That's right, brother. For Zhengyang's sake as your brother, just let us sit down and have a meal."
The woman looked at Xu Xiuhe, pouting coquettishly.
Chang Zhiyuan suddenly became angry. He was drinking and feeling heartbroken, and now these two people suddenly showed up. What was the meaning of this?
"Who the hell are you? I don't know you. And Xiuhe doesn't have a brother."
Chang Zhiyuan, emboldened by alcohol, stood up and started pushing Xu Zhengyang out. The woman beside him seemed to want to pull Chang Zhiyuan back, but as soon as her arm touched him, Chang Zhiyuan shook her off.
The girl, wearing high heels, stumbled backward and fell to the ground, starting to cry.
Chang Zhiyuan instantly felt even more irritated.
"What are you crying for? Don't come showing off your love in front of me. I'm in a bad mood. Get the hell out of here."
With that, Chang Zhiyuan gave Xu Zhengyang another forceful push.
The woman beside him got up and stumbled out the door.
Xu Zhengyang wiped his mouth and left the private room.
"What's going on? Didn't you say we should follow them to see which private room they enter so we could go and annoy them?" the woman complained.
"Shut up. You can't even handle this simple task. Why didn't you tell me there were other people in the room?"
"You didn't ask. Besides, how was I supposed to know there were other people in the room?"
"Damn it!" Xu Zhengyang kicked the nearby railing.
"Let's go back."
"But we haven't eaten yet."
"To hell with eating."
Inside the private room, the family of three was stunned. What was this situation? When did Chang Zhiyuan's fighting ability become so strong?
"Where did they come from?" Chang Zhiyuan sat back down in his chair and asked.
"Xu Zhengyang," Xu Xiuhe explained.
"Oh, it was him. If I had known, I would have kicked him a couple of times."
Chang Zhiyuan continued drinking.
"You didn't know it was him just now?"
Chang Zhiyuan shook his head. He felt like he was almost drunk, but those two people who came in wanting to share the room were disgusting. How could there be such people? Moreover, this was the room where Shu Yi had sat. How dare they try to share it?
"You've had too much to drink," Xu Xiuhe said.
"Waaah, Xiuhe, sister-in-law, son, I'm so sad. Why won't Shu Yi accept me?"
"Do you really want to know?" Shen Yin asked.
Chang Zhiyuan kept nodding, eager to know the answer.
"Shu Yi feels that she and you are not from the same world. You were born into a wealthy family, with a privileged background. She's been insecure since childhood, and just when she finally climbed out of that and regained some confidence, your parents came looking for her. Tell me, how could she dare to continue accepting you?"
Shen Yin didn't want Shu Yi to become insecure again, so she had never tried to match-make the two. What was wrong with Shu Yi? She had looks, education, and ability. Why should she be looked down upon?
"But I've already told my parents not to interfere with my relationships anymore."
"Does saying it make it effective? Did your parents really listen?"
Chang Zhiyuan was speechless.
He drank one glass after another.
"Mom, Dad, is Uncle sick? Why does he look like he's about to cry?"
"He's not sick. It's just that people always face some hardships as they grow up, and we need to get through them. He's facing difficulties now, but it's something only he can overcome. We can't help even if we want to. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Let's have someone send him home later," Shen Yin said.
"I'll give Ningjing a call," Xu Xiuhe took out his phone and called Chang Ningjing.
Fifty minutes later, Chang Ningjing appeared in the private room.
"Xiuhe, Yin Yin, is he drunk again?"
"Yes."
"I'm really at a loss with him. He might not be good at other things, but he's certainly a champion at drinking," Chang Ningjing complained.
This was the second time this month she had to take him home.
"Zhiyuan, get up."
Chang Zhiyuan seemed not to hear, continuing to sleep on the dining table.
"I'll help you get him to the car," Xu Xiuhe said.
Xu Xiuhe supported Chang Zhiyuan, who used his remaining consciousness to walk down the stairs one step at a time.
Finally, they reached Chang Ningjing's car.
"Senior?"
Chang Ningjing heard a familiar voice and turned to look.
"Tan Xiao, you're here too?"
"Yes, I was having a meal. What's this?" Tan Xiao asked, looking at Chang Zhiyuan leaning against the car window.
"My brother. He's heartbroken and drowning his sorrows in alcohol."
"Zhiyuan?"
Tan Xiao asked. He had heard people mentioning Chang Zhiyuan's name recently. Usually, he didn't pay attention to such news, but because of Chang Ningjing, he had looked up some news about Chang Zhiyuan.
"Yes, he's my only brother."
Tan Xiao came over to help, getting Chang Zhiyuan into the car.
"Finally got him in. I'll take him home first. Thanks for your help just now. I'll treat you to a meal another day," Chang Ningjing said to Tan Xiao.
"Let me come with you to help take him back."
"No need, you go about your business. I can manage."
Tan Xiao got into his own car and followed behind Chang Ningjing's car.
"Sister Ningjing likes him, right? The soldier?" Shen Yin asked.
"Probably," Xu Xiuhe replied.
"It seems Tan Xiao must have feelings for Sister Ningjing too, otherwise he wouldn't have offered to help take Chang Zhiyuan home."
After a year's experience, Shen Yin had made progress compared to when she first arrived. At least now she knew what it meant to like someone and what love was. She could also see different things in the way two people interacted. This was also a kind of growth.
"They're probably both not young anymore. Didn't we say last time that Sister Ningjing always thought she couldn't have children, so she's been secretly in love with him for so many years?"
"I think I could try to take her pulse and see what the real reason is. Maybe, possibly, there's still a chance."
"You can take pulses?"
Xu Xiuhe wasn't doubting her, he just always thought pulse-taking was a very mysterious thing.
"Why not?"
After saying this, Shen Yin began to take her own pulse.