Chapter 924

Su Yang said, "It's fine, we had agreed to come today, there might be drinking," but inexplicably, he felt a bit hot, though he attributed it to having drunk too much, which was normal.

Afterwards, he gradually lost his ability to move, his vision blurred, and soon he felt the car start; then he fell into a dream.

The dream lasted a long time, actually giving him a hint of fatigue, after which he fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, it was already past 6 p. m. His head was still dizzy; shaking his head, he realized he was in a hotel. He thought, Fang Jingwen had considered things more thoroughly—if he had collapsed at their place just now, he would have lost a lot of face.

He struggled to sit up and saw Fang Jingwen sitting on the opposite sofa.

Seeing Su Yang looking at her, Fang Jingwen said, "You just woke up. If you hadn't woken, I would have called 120. I thought you had alcohol poisoning."

"If you're feeling better, go back now—Zhou Ruohan just called you. Evening is for family reunion dinner; you've just arrived at their place, don't hold things up."

Hearing this, Su Yang felt a sour note, chose to ignore it, and retorted as usual: "Can't you speak properly? What does 'first time at the Zhou family's' mean, making me seem like a newlywed daughter-in-law who just visited last time?"

"Going to their house for a meal is just to show them respect; I do have my own place, after all—it's just newly renovated and not yet livable, otherwise we'd be spending New Year at our own home."

But Fang Jingwen didn't argue as usual; she just said, "Do as you please. I called Zhou Ruohan and told her about being a bridesmaid; she agreed. So you don't need to mention this to her anymore. From now on, I'll consider the favors you owed me repaid, and I won't bring these up again to make demands."

Su Yang lit a cigarette and said, "That simple? When did you change? Before, you always brought up such matters; now they're settled? You said that yourself—don't regret it."

Fang Jingwen said, "That's what I said, and I have no regrets. Do you think everyone is like you, expecting a favor in return for a little help? I'm not that person. I helped you before, but it was because you wholeheartedly serve the common people."

"Besides, you're getting married—whether legally or morally, that makes you a family person. From now on, we should try not to stay in touch, lest Ruohan misunderstand. This would be bad for you, me, and her."

Su Yang was a bit baffled: "When did you become so reasonable? I thought it was because I helped you settle Jia Guolong's toad spirit, and you felt grateful, triggering your inner kindness."

Fang Jingwen said, "You can't get silk from a pig's ear. Whether you were there or not, I could have handled that toad matter. Alright, hurry up and leave—why are you loitering here?"

Su Yang thought likewise; as he pulled back the blanket, he discovered that aside from his underwear, all his clothes had been removed, and he quickly covered himself: "What's going on? Where are my clothes?"

Fang Jingwen said, "Look at you, as if I wanted to do something to you. You vomited all over the place—should I just have dumped you here? I went to great lengths to find someone to get you onto the bed, compensated the hotel, and cleaned the carpet and sheets."

"This outfit was just bought; put it on and head back. Whether you can explain things clearly is up to you."

Su Yang thought it also made sense, though he wondered if he really had vomited. Given his tolerance, he shouldn't have thrown up everywhere; at least he could have found a restroom. But since Fang Jingwen said so, he tacitly accepted it.

Still, he muttered, "I thought it wasn't a big deal, but after drinking your hangover soup, I got drunk right away."

Fang Jingwen said, "You really don't appreciate good intentions. That hangover soup wasn't for anyone else—I made it just for you."

Su Yang said, "Could you avoid looking? I'm getting dressed—how can I dress with you staring? At least some propriety should be observed."

Fang Jingwen said, "It's not like I haven't seen you before." But as soon as she spoke, her face flushed, and she quickly added, "You vomited all over yourself earlier; the hotel staff found it disgusting and refused to clean up, so I endured the nausea and stripped your clothes. There's nothing worth seeing in your little package."

Su Yang was speechless, but he felt this topic wasn't suitable for discussion with Fang Jingwen, so he quickly threw on his clothes and left. He also felt an inexplicable sense of ease and lightness; before, no matter what Fang Jingwen said—even if they called each other siblings—he always sensed a hint of something.

Looking at it this way, the issue can indeed be resolved clearly. Thinking about it, they are indeed an educated family; given their current status and background, such awareness is normal, and they will eventually need their own lives—it can't stay like this forever.

But as he was about to leave, Fang Jingwen stood up, tidied his clothes a bit, then instinctively leaned toward him, but reason pulled her back half a step. She finally smiled and said, "Sure enough, makes the man—this outfit really makes you look presentable; it's a bargain for Zhou Ruohan. I won't see you off; go down yourself, lest others see us gossiping."

Su Yang grunted, then hurried downstairs, because he had just seen two missed calls from Zhou Ruohan on his phone. At this time, they might already be preparing to eat; he couldn't hold them up alone.

But after going downstairs, he suddenly realized that despite all the fuss, he was still near the work unit. He wondered, Fang Jingwen had merely taken him out of the compound and then, around the corner, brought him to the hotel to rest—she hadn't walked far at all.

At the same time, he found it strange—Fang Jingwen's personality today had completely changed, making her unfamiliar to him. In the past, she would have spared no effort to send him back, even tying him up in the car if needed. Even just sending him back would have been enough, but she would surely have made up an excuse to visit her father for New Year's and taken a stroll around his home.

Today he suddenly became reasonable, even catching a glimpse of a virtuous wife and mother in Fang Jingwen. But he didn't dwell on it, because Zhou Ruohan's call came through.

At that moment, Fang Jingwen stood by the window watching Su Yang's back, the corner of her mouth faintly curving into a smile…