Chapter 615: The Endgame After Drinking

Fine, I'll drink with you.

Lin Dongfan picked up the bottle of sauce-flavor baijiu in front of him and poured himself a large cup as well.

He could see that tonight Zheng Qingxuan was determined to drown her sorrows in drink; there was no stopping her, so he might as well go along with her wishes.

The pure little kitten had evolved into a hard-liquor-guzzling grandma.

It seemed not necessarily a bad thing.

At least one thing was certain—liquid courage boosts the timid, and that's true! After learning to drink, her life might just kick into overdrive.

But her current tolerance is truly insufficient.

After a few cups of baijiu, her formerly pale cheeks flushed with an unnatural red, and her gaze grew hazy. She stopped crying and instead began to smile foolishly.

Like a madwoman she drank and laughed: 'You… do you know? I can recite poetry… I live at the head of the Yangtze, you live at its tail, day after day I think of you but cannot see you, together we drink the Yangtze's water…'

It seems she's not drunk enough after all—she didn't miss a single word.

Lin Dongfan put on an air of 'not my business'.

He refused to insert himself into the role of 'you' in her poem, instead picking up his chopsticks and placing a piece of shrimp on her plate: 'Don't just think about men; eat more vegetables. Drinking on an empty stomach hurts your body.'

I'm not hungry.

Zheng Qingxuan, her eyes hazy with drink, lifted her neck again and gulped down the liquor like a beautiful wine immortal.

This time she didn't use a cup; she tipped the half‑bottle of baijiu high and poured it straight down. The liquor streamed like a waterfall into her open, pearly red lips.

At the same time it splashed her dress, but she didn't care in the slightest.

There was a moment like that.

Lin Dongfan really wanted to call the waiter to bring over instruments, to beat drums and blow the sheng! His fellow Tang‑era poet Bai Juyi, wasn't it he who wrote in the 'Pipa Xing': 'Silver hairpins strike the rhythm, breaking; blood‑red silk skirts flutter amid wine stains!'

It describes the joy of a beautiful woman singing to wine, pondering life's brevity.

Too bad his own talent is lacking—he doesn't know drum rhythms, nor how to play the sheng; his sole specialty in life is blowing hot air.

Lin Dongfan harbored regret over his lack of talent.

He also lifted his neck and downed a cup of baijiu: 'I like the little kitten, and I also like the drunken lass. Drink up—tonight let loose. As long as it doesn't kill you, pour it in till you drop.'

Lin Dongfan's words carried a hint of indulgence.

Old Man Fan knew full well that some obstacles in life can't be overcome while sober; giving Zheng Qingxuan a chance to get thoroughly drunk might help her shake off worldly prejudices.

The effect was also obvious: at this moment Zheng Qingxuan was drunk in body but clear in heart.

Upon hearing that, her hazy drunken eyes smiled a little more.

She suddenly set down the bottle in her hand; not knowing how much force she used, the base knocked against the table with a muffled 'thud'.

Whether the bottle would break or not was obviously not on her mind.

She extended her wine‑moistened finger, pointing at Lin Dongfan and cooing: 'You heartless bastard… stop… stop fooling me… you… you clearly in your heart are cursing me as stupid, annoyed…'

Sure enough, she was drunk in body but lucid in mind—this drunken lass actually seemed to have grasped mind‑reading.

Lin Dongfan adopted a 'dead pig not fearing boiling water' attitude, first shoving a piece of preserved vegetable braised pork into his mouth, then eating while deflecting blame: 'You can drink recklessly, but you can't talk nonsense.'

'I know you don't like me. I know, I know everything.'

Zheng Qingxuan picked up the half‑empty bottle of sauce‑flavor baijiu again, tipped her head back and drank straight from the bottle; the hazy light fell on her faintly flushed cheeks.

If Lin Dongfan shifted his angle he could see a tear trickling from the corner of her eye.

The two kept drinking until past one in the morning.

When the gathering broke up.

Lin Dongfan was already seventy percent drunk.

While Zheng Qingxuan's head lay drunk on the table, her restless right hand kept feeling around for a bottle, muttering: 'Where's the wine? Waiter, open another bottle for me…'

'It's time to go home, miss.'

Lin Dongfan stepped forward and helped Zheng Qingxuan to her feet.

This drunken lass was truly plastered, unable to stand; having no choice, Lin Dongfan slipped her left arm over his shoulder, clasped her waist with his right hand, and supported her all the way.

The Zheng family's estate had long been sealed off.

Now Lin Dongfan didn't even know where she lived; he asked her several times on the road, but she was so drunk her words made no sense.

There was nothing to be done.

Lin Dongfan had no choice but to take her back to his own lodgings—the Hai'an Guoji Dajiudian.

Just as he got her into the room,

she suddenly 'vomited'—out of the blue she threw up all over Lin Dongfan. That sour‑wine stench was truly piercing.

'Hold it in, just three more seconds!'

Before Zheng Qingxuan could spew a second wave, Lin Dongfan hurriedly helped her into the bathroom, lifted the toilet lid, and let her lean over the bowl to release herself.

Lin Dongfan took off the white shirt stained with vomit.

Bare‑chested, he squatted and gently patted her back: 'Throw up; you'll feel better after. This is also the calamity I deserve—who made me wreck your family and leave you destitute…'

Zheng Qingxuan seemed not to have heard.

The vomiting came in waves, but in the end the toilet bore it all.

After she finished vomiting,

Lin Dongfan helped her back to the room, flung her onto the big bed, took off her high heels, and wiped her face with a damp towel.

He saw that even her white dress was speckled with vomit.

Lin Dongfan felt a tug of hesitation: 'Should I take it off or not? Should I help her change clothes? Can I help you change… sigh, forget it, I'll just call the staff…'

He turned, about to call the front desk.

Suddenly from behind came Zheng Qingxuan's drunken mutter: 'If you don't like me, why are you bothering me… I don't want you to manage me, go away…'

It carried a hint of a sob; Lin Dongfan froze in surprise, turned back to look at Zheng Qingxuan on the bed.

A feeling of depression he couldn't put into words: "In the south there is a beauty, secluded and independent—who wouldn't like her? I can't possibly take advantage of someone's vulnerability, can I? Even a scumbag and a piece of trash still have a slight difference…"

He agonized for a while.

Lin Dongfan eventually picked up the bedside telephone.

Calling the front desk: "Beautiful lady, my friend got drunk and vomited all over herself; could you come up and help her change her clothes… What attitude is this! You're the only one on duty at the front desk; that's your job, what's it got to do with me? I'm not in a position to help right now; you must provide thorough service… Who are you saying is being forced? A five-star hotel has this kind of service attitude?! Believe it or not, I'll file a complaint… Damn! You actually dare to hang up on my phone."

In anger, Lin Dongfan pulled out the telephone cord.

He picked up the telephone and angrily threw it to the ground.

With a loud 'bang', the telephone was destroyed, leaving only a wreck.

Zheng Qingxuan, drunk and unconscious on the bed, then let out a sobbing voice: "Leave me alone; let me live and die on my own—I'm not afraid…"

Sigh!

Oh the sin!

Lin Dongfan shook his head and sighed, turned to pour her a cup of water, helped her sit up: "Even drunk like this you can't get out of your psychological shadow; your mindset is on the verge of collapse. Open your mouth, good, drink some water…"