After finishing dinner, Jiang Hao was already tipsy. He had finished an entire pot of sake by himself, while Zhou Nuan hadn’t touched a drop.
Originally, he wanted Zhou Nuan to drink a little too.
As the saying goes, if the woman doesn’t get drunk, the man doesn’t get a chance!
Zhou Nuan had only given him one month, so he had to do something during that time, right?
But Zhou Nuan remained perfectly sober. No matter how Jiang Hao tried to persuade her, she refused to drink.
With no other choice, Jiang Hao drank it all himself.
After settling the bill, he tossed the keys to Zhou Nuan. “Nuan Nuan, I’ve been drinking. I can’t drive. You drive.”
“B-But I’ve never driven before,” Zhou Nuan refused to take the keys.
“You have a license, don’t you?” Jiang Hao glanced at her.
“Yes, but I’ve never driven on the road. And this car is so expensive—I’m… I’m scared to drive it.”
“No problem, I’ll watch you,” Jiang Hao said casually.
“No.” Zhou Nuan shook her head emphatically. “Call a driver instead.”
“Even if I drive, I can only get us to my building. You’ll still need a driver to go home.”
“Nuan Nuan, don’t go home today. Let’s go to a hotel.” Jiang Hao wrapped his arm around her waist, his breath smelling of alcohol, softly coaxing her in her ear.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Nuan pushed him away forcefully. “Jiang Hao, you’re drunk. I’ll call a driver for you.”
Without waiting for his consent, she started operating her phone.
“Nuan Nuan, why are you always like this?” Jiang Hao glared at her with his eyes full of grievance.
“Be patient, just wait until this month is over.” Zhou Nuan gently patted his face, speaking softly to comfort him.
After one month, everything would be settled. She didn’t want any accidents to happen before then.
She didn’t expect that things would be resolved in less than a month.
“Alright then.” Hearing her, Jiang Hao finally felt a little relief.
Soon, the driver arrived.
Zhou Nuan helped the slightly unsteady Jiang Hao out the door.
After sending Zhou Nuan to her apartment building, Jiang Hao wanted to get intimate with her again, but with the driver present, he could do nothing and had to watch helplessly as she got out and went upstairs.
When Jiang Hao returned home, Li Huanying was sitting in the living room waiting for him, just like last time.
“Mom,” Jiang Hao said sheepishly.
“You’re back.” Li Huanying glanced at the alcohol-smelling Jiang Hao and asked calmly, “Who did you go to the restaurant with last night?”
“How do you know I went to the restaurant?” Jiang Hao asked instinctively, then suddenly realized something and fell silent. The card he had used was issued by Li Huanying.
“Jiang Hao, do you remember what I told you last time?” Li Huanying asked slowly.
“What are you talking about?” Jiang Hao pretended to be clueless.
“Still pretending?” Li Huanying raised her voice. A mother knows her child best. How could she not know what Jiang Hao was planning?
“I told you to break up with that Zhou elementary school teacher. You’re not still seeing her behind my back, are you?” Li Huanying demanded sharply.
“I…” Jiang Hao hesitated, then straightened his chest, throat thickening, and admitted, “Yes, Mom. I am still seeing her.”
“You…!” Li Huanying pointed at him, too angry to speak.
“Mom, we truly love each other. I don’t want any blind dates. I just want to marry her,” Jiang Hao said, summoning courage.
Alcohol emboldened him, and words he never dared to say before spilled out.
“You… you really want to drive me crazy.” Li Huanying was breathless with anger. “Alright, Jiang Hao, your wings are hard now. You dare disobey me? Then don’t blame me for what I’m about to do.”
“Mom, what are you going to do?” Jiang Hao panicked.
He knew Li Huanying too well. When pushed to the limit, she was capable of anything.
“What, are you scared?” Li Huanying sneered.
“If you’re afraid, break up with her obediently. Otherwise…” She didn’t finish her sentence.
Jiang Hao shivered inexplicably.
Yet, at this point, he still wanted to gamble.
He wanted to test Li Huanying’s limits, to test her love for him.
“Mom, I will not break up with her.” He stiffened his neck and pretended to be firm.
“Good, determined. Let’s see how long you can hold out!” Li Huanying said, then turned and went into the bedroom.
“Bang!” The door slammed behind her.
Jiang Hao’s heart trembled along with it.
The next day, when Jiang Hao woke up, it was almost noon.
The house was empty.
He was used to it. His father, a deputy S director in Jiang City, and his mother, chairwoman of a major group, were both busy and rarely home. Meanwhile, he had plenty of free time besides work.
He couldn’t even remember the last time the three of them were together.
Seeing Li Huanying for two nights in a row was already an extra “surprise.”
He remembered that as a child, he saw the housekeeper most often, not his parents.
As he grew up, the housekeeper was replaced with part-time cleaners.
From then on, he was often home alone.
When the cleaners were absent, he had to order takeout or eat out. This was one reason Li Huanying gave him the cards.
All his life, many envied him for having powerful and wealthy parents; sometimes, he even envied families with ordinary parents who lived harmoniously together.
Thinking of this, he sighed softly.
He picked up his phone to order takeout for lunch.
When he tried to pay, the system prompted that payment couldn’t be processed due to the bank card.
He didn’t think much and used another card, but the same thing happened.
(Because he usually used Li Huanying’s card, he rarely used WeChat balance.)
Later, Jiang Hao realized miserably that aside from his salary card, all the cards Li Huanying had given him were unusable.
Now he was genuinely panicking. Without money, how could he stand up to his mother?
He hadn’t expected her to strike so hard this time.
He suddenly regretted confronting her while drunk last night. Now he had only hurt himself.
There were still many unexpected things ahead.
For example…
At noon, Zhou Nuan received a call from an unknown number.
“Is this Teacher Zhou Nuan?” a cold middle-aged female voice asked.
“Yes. May I ask who’s calling?” Despite the unfriendly tone, Zhou Nuan replied politely.
“I’m Jiang Hao’s mother. My surname is Li. Teacher Zhou, do you have time this afternoon? I’d like to meet with you.” Though polite, her tone carried an unmistakable authority.
Sigh! Zhou Nuan inwardly sighed. What was meant to happen had finally arrived.
“That’s fine.” She replied calmly.
“Then 3 p.m., at the **Tea House. I’ll wait for you.” Li Huanying gave the address.
“Okay.” Zhou Nuan replied softly.