In truth, Yu Nian was not very good at comforting people.
For one thing, she didn’t have many friends; for another, she had always adhered to the principle of not interfering in other people’s private affairs.
However, tonight’s situation was slightly different.
After all, she was the one who had arranged the meeting, and whether intentionally or not, she had indeed completely exposed the privacy that Mai Suisui wanted to keep hidden, making the situation between them a bit awkward.
Therefore, she wanted to end this particular topic between them as quickly as possible.
Of course, Yu Nian couldn’t deny that as they talked further, she began to understand Mai Suisui’s feelings.
Perhaps due to preconceived notions, she chose to unconditionally stand by Mai Suisui’s perspective when considering the problem.
As for the woman she had never even met, she naturally became the target of criticism for both “Max” and “Twenty-Three.”
A date that was supposed to be akin to drinking and heart-to-heart talk finally got on the right track when they started discussing the “foreign enemy.”
But what Yu Nian regretted… was that she hadn’t expected Mai Suisui’s alcohol tolerance to be so poor!
It seemed she had only had three or four bottles of beer?
Or was it because Mai Suisui had already drunk a lot alone at home?
In short, Yu Nian clearly felt that the person behind her had entered a state of intoxication.
For example, her current action of rubbing hard against Yu Nian’s shoulder fully illustrated this fact—
“Humph… heh! Not a good person! That person, and you, both of you… neither of you are good people…”
Listening to the slurred, indistinct voice in her ear, Yu Nian looked at her arm being held by the other girl and could only sigh helplessly.
“How am I not a good person?”
“Still saying it… still! One by one, you all keep secrets and hide things! Do you all think it’s fun?!”
As Mai Suisui mumbled, she craned her head forward, trying to see Yu Nian’s face clearly, but Yu Nian kept tilting her head away to avoid her gaze.
Mai Suisui’s cheeks puffed out in anger, and she pointed a finger, accusing her with great indignation:
“Look at you… how can you be a good person like this!”
Consequently, the movements between the two became even stranger in the eyes of the shop-owner auntie.
One girl was clutching the other’s arm and leaning in close, while the other girl—wearing sunglasses and a mask in the middle of the night—didn’t reject the physical contact, but kept twisting her head away… so strange.
“Um, Mai… Max, can you hear me? Where is your home? I’ll call a taxi and send you back.”
“Not going back… not going back… you haven’t told me yet!”
“Told you what?” Yu Nian was startled.
“You haven’t told me what your sad story is! That’s not fair!” After a struggle, Mai Suisui finally let go of Yu Nian’s arm, but her loud clamoring showed no signs of stopping.
A strange expression flashed across Yu Nian’s face.
Did this count as someone who, even when drunk, still remembered that they had been slighted?
“Whatever it is, how about we talk about it later?” She looked at Mai Suisui patiently. “First, tell me where your home is, alright?”
“No! No!”
The sudden spike in volume even drew the attention of many surrounding customers. Despite Yu Nian not caring much about the opinions of others, she felt truly embarrassed.
“Hurry up and say it! What is your sad story?”
Yu Nian took a deep breath but still spoke softly to the Mai Suisui in front of her: “I don’t have any sad stories, okay?”
“No!”
As a result, Mai Suisui’s voice rose another octave, containing a hint of grievance that made one want to laugh out of sheer exasperation.
“You have things hidden that you won’t tell me! You, you… are you worthy of the relationship between us?!”
Strangely enough, while her previous words were slurred, this interrogation was articulated very clearly.
For a moment, Yu Nian once again felt the gaze of everyone around them.
Fortunately, this was an open-air food stall; no one really cared about loud noises.
However, Yu Nian knew this couldn’t continue. She looked back at Mai Suisui, who was sitting on the plastic stool with her hands hanging down, her body swaying unsteadily. Yu Nian couldn’t help but frown.
This was the first time in her life she had encountered this type of “drunk.”
Was this the legendary “Drunkard”?
“…Why aren’t you speaking yet? Um, if you don’t speak, I’ll… I’ll…”
Yu Nian ultimately chose to surrender.
She looked at Mai Suisui helplessly and asked rather irritably, “I’ll just tell you briefly, okay?”
Upon hearing this, Mai Suisui, who had been dazed just a moment ago, immediately perked up.
She sat on the plastic stool in front of her, nodding her head rapidly. Her hazy eyes flew wide open as she stared at “Twenty-Three” with full anticipation.
“I…”
Yu Nian hesitated as she opened her mouth, but eventually, she spoke: “I’ve encountered some tricky matters at work lately. A new job opportunity was placed before me, but I don’t really like it, because the girl who extended the job invitation to me is…”
“Is she your ex-girlfriend?!” Mai Suisui suddenly straightened up, her eyes blinking confusedly behind her sunglasses. “Is that why you’re so sad?”
She said this sentence very loudly, as if afraid others wouldn’t hear.
Yu Nian: “…”
Seeing the strange looks from the surroundings again, Yu Nian could only pretend she didn’t see them.
Immediately after, both annoyed and amused, she reached out and pressed down on Mai Suisui’s head, pushing her back down to sit obediently on the stool.
During this process, Mai Suisui was very docile. After having her head patted by Twenty-Three, she knowingly tucked her neck in and looked at her sheepishly.
Seeing this, the corners of Yu Nian’s mouth under the mask curled into a smile. She weighed her words and continued:
“It’s not an ex-girlfriend; my relationship with her is more complicated than you imagine…”
Having said this, Yu Nian paused, unsure if she should say the rest.
But soon, she looked at the swaying Mai Suisui in front of her and couldn’t help but shake her head with a smile. She continued in a voice so low it was hard to hear: “And… I think she really does like me a bit. But this matter isn’t actually about whether there is ‘like’ or not, but about suitability. For me, being with her is a decision destined to make the relatives around me unhappy, and that kind of romance will only bring pain in the future. As for her, her desire to be with me… no, I should say her desire to get close to me, is only a small part due to liking, and a larger part is due to hidden deeper motives. So… I…”
“Just refuse then.”
“What?”
Before Yu Nian could finish her sentence, the drunken Mai Suisui told her directly: “Just refuse.”
“You’ve said so much, but all I hear from Ms. Twenty-Three is a heart full of reluctance. So why bother agonizing over it? Just like what you, Ms. Twenty-Three, just said to me—just refuse.”
Mai Suisui, whose eyes were blurry yet who was trying her best to sit upright, had an indescribable cuteness.
It also warmed Yu Nian’s heart. She looked at Mai Suisui with a smile, and as she watched, she fell into silence.
“You’re right. I said so much just now, but I was only looking for reasons to refuse. I’ve known what I should do all along. My hesitation until now was only because of some selfish feelings…”
After finishing these words that had been hidden in her heart, Yu Nian couldn’t help but take a deep breath, as if exhaling the gloom that had built up inside her during this period.
She looked down, only to be stunned.
Immediately, a spontaneous smile appeared on her face.
The girl who was supposed to be listening intently to her sad story had, at some point, fallen asleep hunched over her own table.
Yu Nian stood up and looked at Mai Suisui lying on the table to ensure she was truly passed out, though she felt a bit troubled in her heart.
She noticed the girl was carrying a small bag. After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and unzipped it. Without rummaging much, she took out the phone from inside.
To her surprise, just as she took out the phone and before she could try to unlock it, a video call happened to come through.
The contact name read—【Sister】.
Without thinking much, Yu Nian answered the call.
“How is it going, Suisui? Do you feel any better…”
As soon as the video connected, she saw a woman on the other end of the phone asking with concern.
Yu Nian glanced down at the girl who was still unconscious and said in a polite tone to the person on the screen: “I’m sorry, she’s drunk. May I ask if you know her address? I’ll call a taxi and send her there now, or if you are nearby, you can come pick her up.”
In an instant, the other end of the phone went completely silent.
After a few seconds passed, Yu Nian heard the other person ask cautiously: “Um… may I ask who you are?”
“Oh, I…”
Yu Nian looked down at Mai Suisui again and said into the phone: “I am her friend. She came out to drink with me tonight and is now drunk. I’m not sure of her home address. If it’s convenient, can you come pick her up? Or I can bring her to you.”
The other end of the phone fell silent again before asking as if to confirm: “You’re saying… she went out to drink with you tonight?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?” Yu Nian looked puzzled.
“But… friend, why are you dressed like that?”
“…”
Yu Nian had almost forgotten about that.
Her current outfit, in anyone’s eyes, must look like someone with bad intentions…
“Um… you can come pick her up now. If you’re worried, we can keep the video call on the whole time.”
“Ha, no need,” the person on the other end smiled. “Although your appearance is indeed a bit strange, anyone Suisui would go out to drink with alone must be someone trustworthy! By the way, you aren’t some big celebrity, are you?”
Yu Nian shook her head helplessly.
She wasn’t some big celebrity.
And, dear elder sister, do you know that half an hour ago your sister was shivering and telling me not to drug her?
Yu Nian wanted to say something more, but then her brow furrowed. This sister of Mai Suisui… why did she look so familiar?
Just as Yu Nian was wondering where she had seen her before, the voice on the phone suddenly said: “I’m quite far from Sucheng, so I’ll have to trouble you to send her home. I’ll send her address via text to the phone in a moment.”
Her train of thought interrupted, Yu Nian didn’t think further. “Alright. But… are you sure you don’t need to keep the video call on the whole time?”
“I trust you both. Good luck, Fighting!”
What?
Fi… Fi-what?