Qian Lili simply couldn’t get the answer out of her. Even after eighteen questions, she still had no idea who the person was. She cursed her luck inwardly; Chi Wei had so many flings, how was she supposed to guess? Eighteen glasses—Qian Lili drank them all. Seeing everyone having a good time, Gu Ming couldn’t help but nudge Zhong Xiao’ou, who was sitting beside her. “Why don’t I understand some of these questions? There’s no logical connection,” Gu Ming said, clearly the type of person who took games very seriously.
“Like what? I’ll explain it to you, President Gu,” Chi Wei chimed in from the side.
“For example, there’s no logic between the fourth and fifth questions. Qian Lili, you wasted your turns.”
“What were the fourth and fifth questions again?” Qian Lili was already bloated from all the alcohol.
“The ones asking ‘Was it a woman you slept with last night?’ and ‘Was it a great high?’ Where is the logical link between those two?” Gu Ming was earnest about almost everything.
Zhong Xiao’ou clutched her jeans tightly, desperately wanting to pull Gu Ming away. Let’s go, President Gu, these people are all hooligans! But she didn’t dare move, let alone grab Gu Ming’s hand. Her face was flushed bright red, and four or five other people at the table were similarly stifling their reactions.
It was a classic case of “a word from a bystander clearing the fog.” Everyone suddenly realized that President Gu was “straight”; she obviously understood what homosexuality was, she just hadn’t connected it to those specific questions. Chi Wei pursed her lips and glanced at Zhong Xiao’ou. “That question… well, it actually does have a logic…” How was Chi Wei supposed to explain this to her? Tell her that when women sleep together, they can get “high” too? And what if Gu Ming asked why? How would she explain that?
“Anyway, that’s roughly how the game works. Lili and I have already demonstrated, and student Qian Lili has personally shown us the ‘eighteen glasses for a wrong guess’ style. Now it’s your turn, President Gu. How about this: you ask Zhong Xiao’ou. Xiao’ou, I’ll give you three seconds to pick a person. One, two, three… President Gu, begin!”
The shift in topic was lightning fast. Gu Ming looked at Zhong Xiao’ou. She felt this game was better suited for close friends, but she had to push through. “Is it a man?”
Zhong Xiao’ou: “No.”
Gu Ming: “Is it a close friend of yours?”
“No.”
Gu Ming: “Is the person from our company?”
“Yes.” Perspiration began to bead on Zhong Xiao’ou’s forehead. How did she end up playing this with Gu Ming?
“Is it a young person?”
“Yes.”
Gu Ming rested her chin on her hand, thinking. Someone from the company but not a close friend, and a woman… who was she thinking of?
Whether Gu Ming guessed correctly or not, it was going to be awkward for Zhong Xiao’ou. If she didn’t guess, Gu Ming would have to drink; if she did guess, the answer was quite intoxicating in itself.
“Is the person sitting here with us?” Gu Ming asked, mimicking the previous round.
“Yes.” Zhong Xiao’ou bit her lip hard. Chi Wei was a total trap-setter.
Aha! The scope narrowed instantly. A woman, present at the table, but not a close friend. Besides the two of them, there were only three other women there. Chi Wei was Xiao’ou’s best friend, so she was out. That left only two.
“Is it Qian Lili?” Gu Ming asked, looking confident of victory.
“No.”
“Then it must be Lu An.”
“No.”
Gu Ming stared at Zhong Xiao’ou. She had completely forgotten about herself. It took a long moment of stunned silence before it clicked. “Is it… me?”
Zhong Xiao’ou felt like crying. Her face flaming, she whispered, “Yes.”
Since she had “lost,” Gu Ming hurried to find a drink. “I lost! How many questions was that? Eight glasses? Is it eight?”
Gu Ming leaned back in her chair with a sense of relief. She had almost failed to guess, and eighteen glasses—even small ones—would have been brutal.
…
Everyone was drinking to their heart’s content. Game after game followed in endless variety. It was a rare opportunity for Gu Ming to be close to everyone, and she unknowingly consumed quite a bit of alcohol. Strange, she thought. Is it because of the long-term repression and this rare relaxation that I’m in such a good mood? Usually, she pushed herself too hard. Thinking of certain things still made her heart ache with a sharp, pulling pain, but the memory of seeing Shi Lei with his mistress in that karaoke lounge made all her lingering affection feel like a joke.
She shook her head and clinked glasses with the group. Amidst the beautiful night scenery, Wei Hang went back to his room and brought out a guitar. He moved his stool back quite a bit and began to sing. His voice was mournful, like a woman pining for a lost love. In such a good atmosphere, he chose to sing “Sending My Love via the Moonlight over a Thousand Miles”—a real downer of a song. Wei Hang crooned softly: “The night is vast, surrounding me, the crescent moon like a hook… memories of the past are like a dream, where can I find that dream again? Separated by a thousand miles, the road is long… my heart is already sorrowful… let the bright moon send my greetings, the one I miss, tears flow constantly…”
Qian Lili stood up and snatched the guitar away. “Too depressing! Everyone’s happy, and you’re killing the vibe.” She then played a rap song. Gu Ming didn’t know the name, but she felt the two styles were worlds apart. She was still immersed in the sadness of the previous song. Come to think of it, the Mid-Autumn Festival wasn’t far off. Her parents were coming to Chengdu to spend it with her, and she still hadn’t told them the wedding was off.
“Chi Wei! Chi Wei!” Gu Ming bypassed Zhong Xiao’ou and called out from behind. “Help me call a designated driver. I’m heading back.” Gu Ming checked the time; between the eating and drinking, it was already past 9:00 PM.
“Huh? It’s too loud, President Gu, I can’t hear you!” Whether Chi Wei truly couldn’t hear or was just faking, she had already grabbed Zhong Xiao’ou’s hand to dance to the rhythm.
“President Gu is calling you. Didn’t you hear?” Zhong Xiao’ou nudged her.
“I heard her.” Chi Wei pulled her close. “She’s definitely going to ask me to call a driver for her.”
“How do you know that?”
“Look at her. She’s standing up; she looks ready to leave.”
When Gu Ming stood up, she felt the world sway slightly. Maybe I’ve been sitting too long. Seeing that Chi Wei was ignoring her, she figured she’d have to call one herself. Luckily, she had a regular driver she knew, though she wasn’t sure if he’d be willing to come this far. Wait, where’s my phone? Gu Ming felt around in her bag.
“Hurry up and call her a car! We’ve lost track of time. What time is it now?” Zhong Xiao’ou asked.
“You really are a pig, you know that?” Chi Wei whispered. “I’m intentionally not calling one. At a time like this, shouldn’t you be keeping her for the night?”
“But you said the rooms were full! There’s no space! Oh no, we shouldn’t have kept President Gu out this late.”
Chi Wei clutched her chest and hissed, “The fact that it’s full makes it even better for you to ask her to sleep in your room! Do you have any emotional intelligence at all?”
Zhong Xiao’ou looked at her in shock. Chi Wei, the veteran of the dating scene, was truly ruthless. “But even if you don’t call, President Gu can just call one herself.”
As a “habitual offender,” how could Chi Wei not have a backup plan? She guided Zhong Xiao’ou’s hand to feel inside her own pants pocket. Something hard was there.
……
“President Gu’s phone?” Zhong Xiao’ou was speechless and dejected. She had forgotten—she’d seen Chi Wei’s tricks back in university. But this was President Gu! What if she got angry?
“Where’s your phone?” Gu Ming walked over and asked Zhong Xiao’ou while they were still whispering.
Zhong Xiao’ou returned to her seat and pulled her old phone out of her bag. Gu Ming took it and dialed her own number. It was turned off. Gu Ming frowned. Zhong Xiao’ou’s heart raced, fearing she was angry. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find my phone, and when I call it, it’s off.”
Seeing her anxious look, Zhong Xiao’ou turned and ran back to Chi Wei, fishing Gu Ming’s phone out of her pocket.
“Huh? Why was it with you?” Gu Ming asked, looking confused.
“I found it over by that stone platform,” Zhong Xiao’ou lied casually.
“I thought I’d lost it. Why is it off?” Gu Ming took her phone and pressed the power button.
Zhong Xiao’ou shot Chi Wei a glare. Stop using these petty tricks.
Gu Ming turned it on and saw nothing wrong with the phone, so she relaxed. Seeing how late it was getting, she called the driver, only to find out the distance was too far and he was unwilling to come. I shouldn’t have had that drink, she thought.
“What is it?” Zhong Xiao’ou asked, seeing the difficult look on her face.
“The driver won’t come,” Gu Ming said, holding up her phone.
“Do you have something urgent back in Chengdu tonight?”
“Nothing urgent, really. I just didn’t expect to have to stay overnight.”
“Is it a hassle? I shouldn’t have encouraged you to drink. I’m sorry,” Zhong Xiao’ou said guiltily.
“Forget it. It’s so late, I’ll just stay here with you all tonight. But… are there really no more rooms?” Gu Ming drank some water and asked Chi Wei.
“Um, President Gu, there are no separate rooms left. We’ll have to trouble you to share a room with Zhong Xiao’ou.”
Zhong Xiao’ou’s eyes went wide. Gu Ming paused for a moment, then leaned her body slightly against Zhong Xiao’ou’s shoulder. “Then I guess that’s how it has to be for tonight.”
Zhong Xiao’ou’s heart hammered against her ribs, and she was at a loss for words. As Gu Ming got up to go to the restroom, Zhong Xiao’ou finally snapped out of it, wiped the sweat from her brow, and looked helplessly at Chi Wei. “But there’s only one bed in that room! How are two people supposed to sleep there?”
“Oh, you…” Chi Wei sighed heavily. “I can’t teach you everything, right? I can only help you this far. I’ll teach you the technical aspects later; tonight, you’re on your own. I’m certainly not going to be the one listening at the door.”
Zhong Xiao’ou nudged her with her elbow. What are you saying? She was just nervous. Sleeping in the same bed… that was too much for her to handle.