Halfway through the banquet, the bride and groom came to toast the tables.

Everyone’s eyes fell on Yang Guan.

Someone at the neighboring table, apparently enjoying the drama, shouted over the surrounding noise, “Yang Guan represents this table!”

Qin Zhan and Liu Boyang both cursed under their breath and nearly jumped up, but were each held back by Lin Fang and Chen Xi.

Chen Xi was about to stand up when she saw that Yang Guan had already risen.

He held his wine glass and said, “Congratulations.”

His smile was the same as always, sunny and handsome.

Song Ya forced a smile. Li Guangpeng was about to speak when Han Susu gracefully stood up, also holding a glass of wine.

“I want to congratulate you, too.”

As soon as Han Susu spoke, the smile at the corner of Yang Guan’s mouth quietly stiffened.

Before he could stop her, he heard the girl continue, “Yang Guan and I together wish you a lifetime of happiness and a hundred years of harmony.”

Yang Guan turned his head and called out quietly, “Han Susu.”

His voice carried a trace of warning.

Han Susu turned a deaf ear, tilted her head back to drain her glass, then poured herself another.

She looked at Song Ya and clinked glasses with her.

Smiling, she said, “I never thought I’d have a chance to pursue Brother Yang Guan before, so Sister Song Ya, I toast this glass to you.”

Song Ya and Li Guangpeng held their glasses, too stunned to know what to say.

The surrounding noise somehow quietly faded away.

Pairs of eyes looked over, gazes like circling sharks that had caught the scent of blood that excited them.

Yang Guan couldn’t see, but he sensed a dangerous atmosphere.

He could never have imagined that the little girl in his memory who smiled so sweetly, who drooled on his back while sleeping, would suddenly grow up one day and tearfully demand love from him.

Afraid he would retreat, afraid he wouldn’t believe her, his little girl could only courageously announce to the whole world by herself.

No matter if her future life would be filled with overwhelming ridicule and doubt.

Or if she would be gnawed away by gossip until not even bone fragments remained.

Yang Guan gently moved his cold fingers.

The next second, a soft hand took his.

Yang Guan was stunned, then slowly, gently grasped that warm hand in his palm.

From now on, he would never let her cry for love again.

However much he had, he would give, until she grew tired of it, or until death.

The courtyard was shaded by green trees, with noon sunlight filtering through dense branches, sprinkling down bit by bit.

Falling on a pair of newlyweds and a pair of happy people.

Chen Xi smiled and looked away, silently finishing the wine in her glass and pouring herself another.

She felt today’s alcohol was particularly strong, going down – exactly the taste she needed right now.

Glass after glass, she didn’t eat much, just wanted to drink.

Through her drunken haze, she propped her chin on her hand and brazenly stared at Qin Lie.

She had a good alcohol tolerance and wasn’t really that drunk, but she wanted to be drunk.

When drunk, she could abandon herself and do things she couldn’t do when sober.

Qin Lie returned her cold gaze and gulped his sullen drink.

The shop was closed for the day. After the banquet ended, Qin Zhan and Liu Boyang organized everyone to go to KTV to sing.

Han Susu had wanted to drag Yang Guan along, but as soon as she turned around, her aunt caught her.

Han Susu was grabbed by her aunt and dragged toward the courtyard exit without explanation.

As she stumbled backward, she shouted to Yang Guan, “This is my aunt, it’s fine, you guys have fun first.”

Yang Guan smiled in the direction of her voice and said simply, “Okay.”

The family hurdle would have to be faced sooner or later; he just hadn’t expected it to come so quickly.

Han Susu was stuffed into a car by her aunt. Yang Guan wasn’t in the mood to sing and bid farewell to Chen Xi and the others before walking back to his courtyard.

Chen Xi and the group went to a KTV barbecue place together.

As soon as they got to the private room, Chen Xi ordered several more cases of beer.

Yang Shan and Fangfang settled comfortably into the sofa, eating fruit while happily watching three children fight over the microphone.

Qin Lie ignored everyone, sitting in a corner, drinking morosely.

The remaining few played dice and drank, having a great time.

The afternoon passed in a flash, and Chen Xi finally got her wish of becoming truly drunk.

She picked up a bottle of beer, swayed to her feet, walked over to sit next to Qin Lie with a thump, and lightly bumped into him sideways.

Qin Lie turned to give Chen Xi a sidelong glance and said nothing.

Chen Xi asked him with a grin, “Qin Lie, why aren’t you playing with us?”

Qin Lie looked at her coldly. After a long while, he finally spoke coldly, “What’s fun about it?”

Chen Xi tilted her head and looked at him teasingly, her eyes seeming to carry little hooks.

“You think it’s not fun… then do you want to play something else?”

She suddenly leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.

The faint fragrance from her hair and the alcohol on her breath wafted up.

Her words went straight to his ear like fire.

Qin Lie suddenly gripped Chen Xi’s wrist and strode toward the exit with her.

Behind them came Qin Zhan’s roguish whistle.

Chen Xi turned back and drunkenly waved goodbye to the roomful of people.

Qin Lie kept a cold face as he pulled Chen Xi straight to the street and hailed a taxi.

Chen Xi swayed gently, smiling as she teased him, “Get a room? What to do? I didn’t bring my ID…”

A taxi pulled over. Qin Lie wordlessly stuffed Chen Xi into the car and got into the back seat with her.

He gave the name of his residential complex and remained silent, ignoring all of Chen Xi’s attempts to provoke him along the way.

Leading Chen Xi into the building, they took the elevator straight to his door.

The door closed behind them with a crisp click of the lock.

Like a starting signal, Qin Lie immediately pushed Chen Xi against the door and kissed her.

Both seemed like animals that had been starving for a long time, or plants about to wither.

The moment they touched each other, they both sighed deeply, every pore on their skin crying out with hunger.

They stumbled and tangled their way to the sofa, shedding clothes along the path.

Chen Xi lay back on the sofa, her long hair messily spread across her snow-white chest.

Her whole body pressed up against him, almost embedding herself into Qin Lie.

The leather sofa cushions were ice-cold at first, but soon became damp and hot. Every movement produced jarring sounds.

Chen Xi suddenly laughed and complained, “Can’t we do this properly in bed just once?”

Qin Lie suddenly stopped, scooped up Chen Xi, who was wrapped around him, and strode toward the bedroom.

The two crashed heavily onto the big bed, too busy to even turn on the air conditioning.

The scents of alcohol, sweat, and raging hormones filled the air.

The temperature around them kept rising, sweat almost melting the two of them together.

Bean-sized drops of sweat formed on Qin Lie’s forehead, falling one by one onto Chen Xi’s arched lower back.

Fine beads of sweat trickled down his eyelashes, blurring his vision.

He had never felt as alive as he did in this moment.

Heavy breathing, pounding heartbeat.

And for the first time, something he wanted to reach out and grasp – that thing called happiness.

He didn’t want to stop, almost greedily so.

From the bed back to the sofa, from the sofa to the kitchen.

They indulged themselves until utterly exhausted.

Qin Lie had turned on the air conditioning at some point, making the room feel like an ice cellar.

The two of them wrapped in blankets, holding each other as they slept until noon.

Chen Xi woke up thirsty. Opening her eyes, she saw Qin Lie’s deeply sculpted features.

She moved slightly, and Qin Lie opened his eyes.

Last night’s madness seemed still before her eyes. Chen Xi breathed the cool air in the room and suddenly felt attached to these arms wrapped around her.

Warm and strong.

Chen Xi raised her head and lightly pecked Qin Lie’s lips.

Qin Lie looked at her expressionlessly, then suddenly flipped over and pressed down on her again.

Chen Xi begged for mercy, “Stop, stop, that’s not what I meant.”

Qin Lie leaned down and bit her tender neck.

He didn’t care what she meant.

Chen Xi closed her eyes in the turbulence and suddenly thought that perhaps love was neither a natural progression nor a desperate measure.

What it was, she couldn’t say.

She only knew that today she didn’t want to be apart from him, and tomorrow she still wouldn’t want to be apart from him.

Qin Lie turned Chen Xi’s face, which had turned to one side, forcing her to look at him.

With each thrust, he said in a hoarse voice:

“Look at me.”

“Try with me.”

“Stop being a coward.”

Chen Xi’s gaze was hazy as she looked into the depths of his eyes, where there was an unfathomably deep sea.

How deep that sea was, what it hid, she knew nothing about.

She thought she had always stood on the shore, chasing and dodging the rising and falling tides.

But in the instant he crashed into her hard, she realized she had long since lost herself in this deep sea.

Chen Xi suddenly nodded, her parched throat producing a hoarse “Mm.”

Qin Lie’s dark pupils suddenly contracted.

He held Chen Xi tight, wanting to meld her into his own body.

At the very end, Qin Lie suddenly whispered in Chen Xi’s ear, “Whatever promise you want, I’ll give it.”

Chen Xi suddenly trembled violently, tilted her head back breathlessly, and said, “No need.”

No need for promises, because promises were meaningless.

Things that even marriage certificates couldn’t guarantee – how could promises accomplish them?

Right now, she only wanted to be together. Tomorrow’s matters could be left for tomorrow’s self to face.