Chapter 267: Scared Away by His Drunken Behavior

The lights in the living room were very bright; Xia Xi stood leaning against the wall, her breath still a little unsteady. Her fingers ran through her hair roots, sweeping her hair back to reveal a face dyed tomato-red.

After a while, the warmth on her face hadn't faded; instead, the feet standing on the floor felt a bit cold.

Xia Xi pressed the back of her hand to her face, calming slightly, then turned back to Xu Yanfeng's room and slipped on the slippers left beside the bed on the carpet.

She glanced at the person on the bed; Xu Yanfeng's originally neat shirt had gained many wrinkles, the collar's button had come undone at some point, exposing a large expanse of fair skin.

He tilted his head, eyes closed, long lashes lowered, brows slightly furrowed, as if he weren't sleeping comfortably.

After drinking that much, it would be strange if he could sleep comfortably.

Xia Xi sighed silently, unable to ignore him; she went into the bathroom, first washed her face with cool water, then switched to hot water and soaked a towel. When she came out, Xu Yanfeng had shifted his sleeping posture, lying on his side with one hand pressed against the pillow, looking a bit more childlike.

She walked to the bedside, bent over to wipe his face and hands, then shook open the blanket beside him and covered him with it.

Night was deep, all around quiet; Xia Xi turned off the light, stepped out softly, closed the door, exhaled lightly, returned to her own room to bathe, but lay in bed unable to sleep no matter what.

Thinking she still had to catch a flight the next morning, Xia Xi took a melatonin pill, set her alarm, and pulled the blanket up over her face.

The next morning, Xu Yanfeng was awakened by a burst of phone ringing.

Having forgotten to close the curtains last night, bright sunlight streamed in, spreading a large patch across the floor; if he didn't get up soon, he would likely be basking on the bed.

The phone kept ringing; Xu Yanfeng's head ached slightly, he pressed the pads of his thumb and middle finger against his temples on both sides, rubbed a few times, then instinctively reached for the nightstand but found no phone there.

He opened his eyes, the bright light stung him, he closed them again, waited a few seconds, then opened them once more.

His mind was a bit clearer than before, and he heard the ringing coming from under the blanket.

Xu Yanfeng reached his hand into the blanket, felt something, pinched it with two fingers and pulled it out to see—a black hair tie.

How could such a thing be on his bed?

Xu Yanfeng casually set it aside and continued searching for his phone.

He finally found it in his trouser pocket, only then realizing he was still wearing yesterday's shirt and trousers, now wrinkled beyond recognition.

The ringing stopped automatically; Xu Yanfeng glanced at the screen—it was a call from Tang Yizhou, which he guessed wasn't important, so he didn't call back and set the phone down.

He kicked the blanket aside with his foot, sat up, instantly felt his head about to split, and leaned against the headboard.

The phone rang again, this time a message notification.

Xu Yanfeng picked it up and saw it was still Tang Yizhou.

Tang Yizhou, as the strategist, had come to ask for feedback: "Did you do what I said? How's the situation?"

Xu Yanfeng lacked the energy to type; he held down the voice key, his tone scornful, voice hoarse: "What a terrible idea."

Tang Yizhou: "Isn't the effect working? It shouldn't be."

Xu Yanfeng: "I accidentally got really drunk."

He had listened to Tang Yizhou's strategy, intending to drink a little, feign drunkenness, and speak clearly with Xia Xi; but last night he first heard Xia Xi mention that Zhou Du had funded her overseas studies, then tasted her cooking, which reminded him of her life abroad, leaving him feeling stifled, and without realizing it he drank the whole bottle of red wine; after the alcohol took effect, his words and actions were no longer under his brain's control.

Tang Yizhou: "You tell me what's the use of you getting drunk, didn't I tell you? Just drink a little, having a bit of alcohol smell on you is enough. Three-tipsy, do you not understand what three-tipsy means? You don't know your alcohol tolerance is poor, why drink so much?"

Xu Yanfeng: "Do you think I want to? I already said it was accidental."

Tang Yizhou: "Fine, even that could be accidental. So what did you do after getting drunk?"

Xu Yanfeng didn't reply.

He was recalling last night's events; fortunately he hadn't blacked out, his memory was intact. He had said some things to Xia Xi, though not exactly what he'd planned, but not far off. He had also hugged her, kissed her……

Thus, it seemed not entirely without gain.

Tang Yizhou was still waiting for his reply; after half a day with not a single word, Tang Yizhou sensed trouble: "Could it be that you went on a drunken rampage and scared her away?"

Xu Yanfeng still didn't reply.

Tang Yizhou: "Second Xu, don't lose heart; if this plan fails, I've got another—why not try the self-inflicted injury stratagem?"

Tang Yizhou: "I guarantee, this trick works every time."

Tang Yizhou: "The self-inflicted injury stratagem is simple—just give yourself a wound; when she panics and worries, won't the distance close?"

Thinking that Xu Yanfeng was unreliable—even a drink could get him drunk—Tang Yizhou warned him: "Don't be too hard on yourself; breaking a bone would just scare people. The essence of the self-inflicted injury stratagem is acting, you know—you need to appear badly injured to win sympathy and affection, not actually be badly injured."

He explained it in detail, fearing Xu Yanfeng's blockhead wouldn't understand.

Tang Yizhou: "Given your worrying intellect, I think you'd better just take a cold shower and freeze yourself into a bad cold, letting her take care of you. That's more reliable."

Since getting beaten by Xu Yanfeng, Tang Yizhou's mind has become clearer; he's figured it out—since Xu Yanfeng's heart is set solely on that woman, no advice would sway him. As a childhood iron-brother, he has experience in this matter and naturally must step in to rescue this poor soul trapped in the love vortex. Although he still dislikes Xia Xi, who let his brother be unable to live without her.

It's just about winning back a woman's heart; to him that's still a piece of cake.

Xu Yanfeng: "Where do you get all these terrible ideas? You have so many ideas, yet I don't see you with a proper girlfriend. Unlike me—I already have a kid, and a wife should be coming soon."

Tang Yizhou almost spat blood: "Do you have any conscience? Brother, for your little love trouble I haven't even eaten breakfast well; you don't know gratitude, that's bad enough, and you're attacking me personally."

Xu Yanfeng couldn't be bothered with him, got out of bed, went to the bathroom, took a hot shower, changed into loungewear, feeling much fresher overall—only his head still felt a bit uncomfortable, a dull ache.

He dried his hair with a towel, opened the door, walked to the living room, and saw no one.

The huge house was dead silent.

Xu Yanfeng draped the towel over his neck, knocked on the master bedroom door; no one answered, he coughed and politely asked: "I'm coming in."

He pushed the door open and entered; Xia Xi wasn't in the bedroom.

Was she still going to the office on weekends?

Xu Yanfeng checked Zi Heng's and Youyou's rooms; neither child was there either.

He suddenly had a bad thought—could it be that Tang Yizhou's jinxed mouth had come true, and Xia Xi had been scared away by his drunken behavior last night……

Xu Yanfeng hurried back to the master bedroom, walked into the wardrobe; Xia Xi's clothes were still there, but one suitcase was missing. He remembered clearly that she had brought three suitcases when she moved in.

Was she planning to move out some things first, then shift the rest in batches?

Xu Yanfeng felt his head about to explode, returned to his room to grab his phone, dialed Xia Xi's number, one hand braced on his waist, a flash of anxiety appearing in his brow.

A toneless voice sounded in his ear: "Sorry, the number you dialed is turned off, sorry……"

The suspicion in his heart was confirmed; Xu Yanfeng panicked, his already fair face turned even paler—a helpless, clueless pallor.