Tang Zheng scratched the back of his head: “I’m not taking on this job. If you want to persuade me to drink, persuade Brother Yan. If he agrees, I will drink.”
When everyone heard this, they all looked at Yan Xingzhi cheekily. Yan Xingzhi smiled lightly. “He must drink.”
“Eh, eh? Brother Yan, are you still human?”
“Hahaha, come on Tang Zheng, just take it easy.”
…
They told them to drink until they were thoroughly drunk, but in fact, no one truly forced Tang Zheng and Yan Xingzhi to drink too much. Although the two were not wearing military uniforms, it was still obviously not good for them to get drunk.
The people present were all friends who had been hanging out since childhood, so they all acted with propriety.
Cen Ning drank one glass. It wasn’t back when she was still a minor, so she had to drink a glass as a token of their friendship. She was an average drinker, so she sat obediently and ate the cut fruit in the fruit bowl after finishing a glass.
“I heard you were admitted to A University.”
Amidst the noise, a deep male voice stood out to her. Cen Ning glanced sideways at Yan Xingzhi, only to realize that he was talking to her. She smiled shyly. “You told me before to work hard.”
Yan Xingzhi raised the corners of his lips. “Mhm, and you did it. You’re amazing.”
The light in the room was dim, and his facial expression was not so easy to detect. His compliment thrilled Cen Ning, so she got her courage up and looked at him.
He didn’t seem to have changed, but, at the same time, he also seemed to have changed. His facial features were still as handsome as before, but his temperament had become colder and sharper.
“You haven’t contacted your family in all these years.” Cen Ning hesitated. “You, don’t you miss home?”
Yan Xingzhi: “I occasionally miss them, but can’t get in touch with them.”
“Why?”
“Military secrets.”
“Why? Do you really want to know?” Yan Xingzhi reached out and patted her on the forehead. That familiar feeling seemed to bring her back to the past many years ago. Cen Ning froze, and opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. So in the end, she just shook her head. “No…”
“I’m afraid that I’ll scare you if I tell you.” After Yan Xingzhi spoke, he saw the little girl beside him looking curious, so he said helplessly, “I’ll tell you in the future when I have a chance.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.”
Meng Peiyan had an announcement tomorrow, so she couldn’t drink too much alcohol. She sat on the sofa and ‘inadvertently’ looked across the room when she was chatting with her friends.
Sitting across from her were Yan Xingzhi and Cen Ning.
The environment was a little noisy, so she wasn’t able to hear what they were saying, but she could see what was going on.
When Yan Xingzhi spoke or listened, he seemed to turn slightly to accommodate the people next to him. He usually had an air of indifference between his eyebrows, but at this moment, when he talked to the girl next to him, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. Meng Peiyan could even perceive some gentleness that naturally flowed out from him.
Meng Peiyan frowned, but quickly let go of the expression. She got up, took the wine glass in her right hand, and walked over to Yan Xingzhi’s side calmly and naturally. “Brother Xingzhi, we didn’t drink when we met yesterday, so today counts as the celebration of your return. Have a drink?”
Yan Xingzhi gave respect, picked up the goblet and took a sip.
Meng Peiyan sat down beside him. “By the way, my dad said that you and Tang Zheng have all been transferred to the troops of the Beijing Military Region. Is it the Southern Region?”
“Mhm.”
“Do you still need to go abroad after that for missions?”
“The entire team was transferred to the Beijing Military Region together, and the missions will still be released together.”
“Oh, Uncle Xiao said that the troops there…”
Cen Ning sat on the sofa, bored. She blankly listened to Meng Peiyan’s words that she did not understand and looked for something to do while eating the fruit at the same time.
There was a sour feeling in her heart.
Even if he didn’t tell her anything, Meng Peiyan knew what he was doing now or what he was about to do. But she knew nothing, and she couldn’t even add one word to the conversation.
This feeling of powerlessness gradually cooled down the joy and sweetness from just now. And it returned to the idea in her heart about when she was heartbroken, when he didn’t appear: Expect nothing more, don’t get close to him, and don’t fall in love with him again.
Just then, the phone in her pocket vibrated. Cen Ning took it out and found that it was Xia Yi who called her. She put down her fork, hurriedly passed through a group of people, and walked out of the room to answer the phone.
“Hello? Senior Brother.”
“Cen Ning, where are you?”
Cen Ning was confused. “This place, it seems to be called C Plus. What’s the matter?”
“C Plus?” Xia Yi was surprised, but he quickly said, “Have you finished dinner with your friends?”
“I will, soon.”
“Oh, uh… Actually, nevermind. It’s just getting dark, and if you’re planning to go home alone, I can pick you up.”
Cen Ning was stunned for a moment. “No need, senior brother, I can go back by myself.”
“It’s okay. In fact, I’m not home either. I was planning to go back just now. I thought it wouldn’t be safe for you to go back alone, and our homes are in the same direction.”
Xia Yi had always taken care of her, so he naturally moved her. But Cen Ning suddenly remembered what Zhang Ziyi said downstairs in her bedroom about Xia Yi liking her.
She hadn’t yet gotten to the point of liking, loving, or dating him.
“I really don’t need the ride, senior brother. In fact, I don’t know when this will end…”
Inside the room, Yan Xingzhi glanced at the door. Three minutes had passed, and Cen Ning still hadn’t come back in yet.
He picked up the goblet in front of him and took a sip, and the mellow aroma of the wine spread on the tip of his tongue. His eyes darkened slightly.
Just now, when he saw Cen Ning take out her phone, he naturally saw the caller on her phone screen—
Senior Brother Xia Yi.