But after the lively dinner, Han Qing was left with endless loneliness. Therefore, he was no longer willing to go home with Lin Xuzheng to celebrate the New Year after that. Upon returning home after the festivities, Han Qing was all alone in that large and cold house.
There were servants, but he did not have his family with him. He was afraid that he might not be able to withstand the loneliness after visiting Lin Xuzheng’s family often. Hence, Han Qing chose to endure everything in silence, but he never allowed others to know what he experienced—nor did he reveal what he truly wanted deep down in his heart.
Yan didn’t know much about Han Qing’s past, but she noticed a trace of loneliness flashed across his eyes when he said that. However, a mixture of emotions covered the flash of loneliness swiftly. She couldn’t see it anymore and searched for it in panic, but it was long gone.
“Why are you staring at me? Eat up.” Han Qing reached over the table to hold her palm before squeezing her gently.
Yan blushed immediately when Han Qing did that in front of her parents. Therefore, she stopped staring at him. Instead, she kept her head bowed to eat her food. Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, who were sitting across them, couldn’t help but smile faintly when they saw the interaction between the couple.
In the beginning, everyone seemed awkward during dinner, but soon, they started chatting animatedly. Mr. Zhou started chatting about work with Han Qing and it moved on to some topics related to a certain industry. Han Qing maintained a good attitude, and toward the end, Mr. Zhou was in such a good mood that he wanted a drink of liquor. However, after Mr. Zhou’s injuries from his last car accident, he had tried to be in good health. Hence, Luo Huimei glared at him viciously when she heard that he wanted to have some alcohol. “Aren’t you planning to focus on health? Why are you drinking alcohol if you are focusing on health?”
Mr. Zhou slapped his thigh immediately as he commented, “Well, isn’t Han Qing here for a visit? I am glad and that is why I’d like to have a drink with him.”
Initially, Luo Huimei did not agree to it, but she figured it was such a rare chance for Han Qing to drop by. He’s drinking today after such a long time. I suppose it’s fine. Hence, she agreed.
Yan had no choice but to fetch the liquor for Mr. Zhou since he was in such a good mood. Then, she advised him, “Dad, you can be in high spirits, but you shouldn’t have too much to drink.”
“Go on, just leave me alone. Why are you trying to control me, little girl?”
Yan returned to her seat beside Han Qing while speaking to him in a hushed tone, “My dad used to enjoy drinking. You shouldn’t drink too much later too.” What would I do if he gets drunk after drinking too much? How would he return home?
“Okay,” Han Qing mumbled an acknowledgement. His large hand reached for Yan’s hand under the table to grip her tightly. She blushed slightly while trying to pull her hand away. However, Han Qing tightened his grip and she failed to yank her hand from him. Yan didn’t dare to move too much since her parents were sitting just across the table. She gave up after trying several times to release her hand from Han Qing’s grasp.
After that, the two men started to drink liquor. Luo Huimei was worried about Mr. Zhou’s well-being, so she got up to prepare some soup in the kitchen when he was still drinking. She wanted to have the soup ready when they were both drunk from the alcohol.
In the beginning, Mr. Zhou claimed that they’d have very little to drink. However, both of them never stopped once they started drinking. In fact, the more they drank, the louder they became. In all honesty, most friendships between men were simple enough—no matter what the grudge was, they’d end up as friends over some liquor or they’d simply let their guard down.
Mr. Zhou was a simple man in that sense. Previously, he felt that Han Qing was not reliable because he was prejudiced about the latter’s identity. However, now that Han Qing was willing to have a chat with Mr. Zhou over some alcohol, the old man’s prejudice toward the former lessened significantly. In fact, Mr. Zhou insisted on chatting with him. “Qing…”
Yan, who was sitting beside, felt awkward straight away when she heard that. “Dad…”
“That’s fine.” Han Qing squeezed her palm while giving her a reassuring gaze.
After that, Luo Huimei walked out of the kitchen to call for Yan. Yan had no choice but to leave, so Han Qing released her hand. Yan then jogged into the kitchen. “Mom, what is it?”
“Can your boyfriend, Han Qing, hold his liquor? Do you think he can handle it? Once he gets in the mood of drinking, your dad will become out of control. What if…”
Can Han Qing hold his liquor? Yan was troubled when she heard that. Han Qing can definitely hold his liquor. Previously, before I got together with Han Qing, I attended a banquet on behalf of Han Muzi with him. I forced myself to drink and in the end, I was drunk, but when I regained my memories the next day, I recalled he was barely affected because he was steady on his feet. In the end, he brought me home, and… Yan was too shy to continue recalling what happened after that because it was embarrassing. Besides, he hurt her with his words the next day. She still felt a stab in her heart even when she recalled what he previously said.
“What is it?” Luo Huimei waved a hand in front of Yan’s face. Snapping back to reality, she realized that Luo Huimei was staring at her. Hence, she shook her head hastily. “Nothing, I was just remembering the past. Mom, Han Qing can hold his liquor well, but I think it’s best not to let them drink too much.”
“That’s going to be a problem.” Luo Huimei looked worried when she heard that. “Your father loves his alcohol and I’m sure he’ll force Han Qing to drink with him throughout the night if the latter can hold his liquor. I should have stopped them if I had known.”
“Mom, didn’t you try stopping him earlier? Dad is in high spirits. Forget it. I think it should be fine since it’s just a night.” Yan was worried. When it involves drinking, I know it’s detrimental to one’s health in excess, but if it’s just one night, it can’t be that bad, can it? Besides, tonight is rather special. Therefore, she was not keen on stopping them.
“Forget it. Let’s just forget it. We should let them drink if that’s what they want. However, I’m sure your boyfriend needs to go to work tomorrow. You might want to advise him later to pretend to be drunk. If your dad sees him drunk, I’m sure he wouldn’t continue drinking.”
“Okay. Got it, Mom.”
When both mother and daughter walked out of the kitchen, they both carried a bowl of hangover-cure soup each. Mr. Zhou scowled unhappily when he got a whiff of the medicine and scrunched up his nose. “Hey, what are you doing? We are still drinking. We barely started. Why are you preparing the hangover-cure soup?” The statement might have sounded reproachful, but Mr. Zhou’s tone and gaze were filled with helplessness—in fact, he did not appear critical at all.
“What? Am I not allowed to prepare this earlier for you? Should I prepare this after you have collapsed from being drunk?” Luo Huimei retorted while glaring at Mr. Zhou.
Mr. Zhou was rendered speechless by her reaction. “Do you hear yourself, woman? How could I possibly collapse from drinking? Everyone here knows that I can hold my liquor well!”
Yan brought the bowl of hangover-cure soup to Han Qing before sitting beside him. Just when Mr. Zhou and Luo Huimei were bickering, she whispered near Han Qing’s ear, “My dad loves his liquor and he is competitive as well. He won’t stop drinking unless you collapse.”
Han Qing flashed Yan a faint smile when he heard that. Then, he gazed at her reassuringly while patting her hand under the table for reassurance.
