Chapter 29: Free Fall

"His name is Guo Junxuan, and his mother is our deputy troupe leader, surnamed Li. He isn't part of our troupe, but he often comes to the troupe to ask girls out. Everyone didn't know who he was before, so some really were willing to go out with him, and as a result, he ruined quite a few of them. He's asked me out many times recently, and I've always made excuses to turn him down. I didn't expect him to be so shameless, actually bringing his mother out today to pressure me... Um, thank you for helping me out of that spot."

As she spoke, Xia Yehe glanced at him, "...We're even now."

Chen Nuo understood in an instant. So, she hadn't forgotten about that day at all; she had been keeping it in mind the whole time. But he didn't blush or skip a beat, pretending he didn't understand, and laughed: "Teacher Xia, actually, I really do want to treat you to a meal. Why don't you do me the honor today, how about it?"

Xia Yehe tilted her head, acting as if she were thinking, her big eyes blinking; she looked extremely cute, and no one would doubt it if someone said she was a beautiful high school girl—there wasn't a trace of the original Cindy to be found.

After a while, Xia Yehe said: "Fine, I just said I was going to eat with you today, and if we don't actually go eat a meal together, it would definitely be troublesome if Guo Junxuan found out."

Chen Nuo asked: "That works, let's go now. By the way, if he keeps pestering you in the future, what will you do?"

Xia Yehe's expression stalled for a moment, then she laughed: "When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover with earth—what else can I do? No matter how his mother is, she's only a deputy troupe leader; she can't eat me. Besides, at worst, I just won't work here anymore. I don't believe that after practicing dance for over ten years, I can't find another place to take me in."

Chen Nuo could tell that Xia Yehe's smile was a bit forced; her mood definitely wasn't as relaxed as her words suggested.

Afterward, Chen Nuo once again sat in that little yellow QQ. After leaving the dance troupe's gate, Xia Yehe drove for over 20 minutes, then parked next to a barbecue skewer shop. Business at this shop didn't seem very good, and the seats inside weren't full. After the two got out of the car, they went inside and found a corner to sit.

Xia Yehe must have been a regular here. After they sat down, a waitress in her twenties brought over the menu and greeted her very familiarly: "Sister He, you haven't been here for over a week. So you went off to date, huh? Is this your boyfriend? So handsome."

Xia Yehe's face turned a bit red, and she hurriedly waved her hands, saying: "No, don't talk nonsense, this is our colleague."

The waitress laughed and said to Chen Nuo: "Handsome, sorry about that. Sister He is a very good person, we've known each other for a long time, but this is the first time I've seen her bring a guy here to eat. It was a misunderstanding, sorry, so sorry."

Chen Nuo chuckled: "It's fine, it's fine."

Xia Yehe's tone was a bit flustered: "Xiao Tian, you go get busy with your work first, we'll call you when we've finished ordering."

"Alright~" the waitress named Xiao Tian said, drawing out her tone, "Take your time ordering, don't rush."

Xia Yehe kept her head buried, looking at the menu, but Chen Nuo could see that her ears were a bit red.

She lowered her head and said: "I come to this shop to eat often. The prices are very cheap and the taste is very good. It's just that the boss doesn't have money, the renovation isn't good, and it looks unremarkable from the outside. There are many hotels and such around here, and most of the people eating nearby are couples, and they all look down on this place."

"Then how did you discover this place?"

"I live right around here. The environment here is poor, but the rent is cheap, which is very suitable for poor people like us."

Chen Nuo asked in surprise: "Don't you have a dormitory in the troupe?"

Xia Yehe said: "The dormitory in the troupe only had a bed open up last month, and I just moved in. This is where I rented before, and I paid a year's rent, but the landlord won't refund it, so I sometimes stay here too. Hurry up and order, I'm starving to death."

The two finished ordering, and the boss's speed at grilling things was quite fast; before long, the skewers were served. The taste was indeed not bad, especially the grilled eggplant—the outside was charred but not burnt, and the inside was spicy and flavorful, which very much suited the palate of Chen Nuo, a person from Xichuan. Seeing Chen Nuo eating with great relish, Xia Yehe seemed quite happy too: "Eat slowly, if it's not enough, we'll order more. The eggplant here is a great deal; at other barbecue shops, some sell a grilled eggplant for 8 yuan, but here it's only 3.5 yuan." As she spoke, Xia Yehe waved at the waitress: "Boss, bring a bottle of Erguotou."

Noticing Chen Nuo's gaze, Xia Yehe explained: "My home is by the sea, we're fishermen. Where I'm from, both adults and children like to have a drink. I've been drinking with my dad since I was little, especially in this kind of winter, it's damp and cold, and if I don't drink a little, my whole body feels uncomfortable. But since I'm drinking, I won't be able to drop you off later. It's not far to take a taxi from here, just ten-something yuan."

"Mm, it's fine." Chen Nuo nodded, "Do you want me to keep you company with a drink?"

Xia Yehe laughed out loud: "Forget it, you're a future big star, I wouldn't dare let you keep me company."

Although she said that, once the liquor arrived, Xia Yehe still poured a glass for Chen Nuo, telling him to drink slowly, while she herself, just as she said, poured glass after glass without stopping. And she truly didn't look drunk, just her complexion was slightly red, and she became more talkative.

"So you're gay, I actually believed it. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because there were so many girls around that day, and when you were practicing dance, your eyes didn't wander around at all. It was simply abnormal." Xia Yehe hummed: "As it turns out, those were all your smoke screens, making me fall for your trick."

Chen Nuo just wanted to explain, but Xia Yehe waved her hand: "It's fine, I already said, we're even. And I thought about it later, you really didn't seem to do it on purpose, otherwise you wouldn't have run away at that time. So you see, I haven't said anything either. Otherwise, do you think it's that easy to take advantage of me?"

A fierce look appeared in Xia Yehe's big eyes, and she glared viciously at Chen Nuo.

"Yes, yes, yes, you are magnanimous." Chen Nuo hurriedly raised his glass to signal: "Come, Teacher Xiao He, I toast you, to apologize to you."

Xia Yehe didn't act coy; she picked up her glass, clinked it with Chen Nuo's, tilted her head back, and downed it directly. Afterward, she let out a hiccup, turned her head, and said loudly: "Boss, bring another bottle."

Chen Nuo hurriedly stopped her: "How about we call it a day? You've already had two bottles."

Xia Yehe laughed: "What's this little bit of liquor? *Hic*, you don't know, before I, *hic*, drank with my dad, that was really..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Chen Nuo saw Xia Yehe's head drop onto the table like a free fall, her forehead making intimate, hard-on-hard contact with the tabletop, emitting a muffled "thud."

Then, she just stayed there with her head buried, her whole body motionless.

Chen Nuo was truly startled and stood up abruptly: "Hey, what's wrong with you? Teacher Xiao He?" He walked over, shook her shoulders, and checked her breathing—she was still breathing. He hurriedly took out his phone, preparing to call 120.

At this moment, the waitress from before walked over unhurriedly, looked at the motionless Xia Yehe on the table, then looked at Chen Nuo, and asked: "This time, how about you be the one to carry her?"

(End of chapter)