Chapter 80: Don’t Go
"Thank you, Aunt Liu." Su Zhaozhao looked at the glass of green plum wine and couldn’t help but take a sniff.
The scent of the green plums almost made Su Zhaozhao’s mouth water.
She took a sip.
It was sweet and sour, with a hint of bitterness. Su Zhaozhao immediately gave Liu Guiyan a thumbs-up. "This is so good, Aunt Liu! It’s just like the kind my mom used to make!"
In that moment, Su Zhaozhao suddenly felt a little homesick.
Her mom used to love making fruit wines, too. Every year, she would make a jar of green plum wine, as well as bayberry wine, lychee wine...
Her favorite thing was to add a bunch of ice cubes and drink it slowly. That cool, refreshing feeling was pure bliss.
When Liu Guiyan heard Su Zhaozhao mention her mother, her expression softened. "Good girl. Is that enough? If not, I can get you some more."
"Thank you, Aunt Liu. I’d love some more." Su Zhaozhao downed the entire glass of green plum wine in one go.
Eating skewers with wine was a completely different experience from just eating them on their own.
Whenever she used to go out with friends, skewers had to be paired with beer.
But now, with no beer available here, the green plum wine would have to do.
Liu Guiyan went and poured another large glass for Su Zhaozhao.
This time, she deliberately used a bigger glass.
Xie Huaizheng’s dark eyes swept over Su Zhaozhao, and he warned, "Don’t drink too much, or you’ll get drunk."
Hearing Xie Huaizheng’s words, Su Zhaozhao scoffed. "Don’t underestimate me. I can drink a thousand cups and not get drunk!"
She had never gotten drunk before.
’This green plum wine can’t be that strong. How could I possibly get drunk?’
"I want more lamb skewers," Su Zhaozhao said, looking at Xie Huaizheng with pleading eyes.
Xie Huaizheng looked at her large, dark eyes, which glistened under the lights.
Her voice was even softer than before, practically tugging at his heartstrings.
’And she says she won’t get drunk?’
Xie Huaizheng ordered some other skewers and had them brought over.
Su Zhaozhao ate a lot. When she finished her wine, she wanted more, but Xie Huaizheng stopped her.
"No more. Two glasses is enough."
"Fine," Su Zhaozhao didn’t insist, mainly because she was starting to feel a bit dizzy.
’No way.’
’I’m drunk after just two glasses?’
’This is unscientific!’
Su Zhaozhao rubbed her cheeks and looked at Xie Huaizheng.
’Why is my vision so blurry?’
She couldn’t see Xie Huaizheng’s face clearly anymore, and it felt like he had suddenly split into two people.
’Weird!’
"Xie Huaizheng, why... why did you suddenly turn into two people?"
Xie Huaizheng watched as Su Zhaozhao waved her hands around, a vein throbbing in his temple.
’So much for "drinking a thousand cups and not getting drunk."’
’She’s this plastered after just two glasses?’
After they finished eating, Xie Huaizheng paid the bill and pulled Su Zhaozhao away.
Su Zhaozhao leaned against him and called out a farewell to Liu Guiyan, "Aunt Liu, we’re leaving now! I’ll come by often in the future. Your lamb skewers are so delicious!"
Her eyes were hazy from the drink, and her cheeks were flushed and puffy.
She was also much more talkative than before.
Liu Guiyan found her incredibly endearing. It had been a long time since she’d seen such a cute and lively young woman.
From the bottom of her heart, she had come to see Su Zhaozhao as her own daughter.
"Alright, alright, Little Su. Come back often. Whatever you want to eat, Aunt Liu will make it for you."
"Goodbye, Aunt Liu!" Su Zhaozhao waved to Liu Guiyan.
Her body swayed, unsteady on her feet, but Xie Huaizheng’s quick eyes and hands steadied her instantly.
Su Zhaozhao leaned her entire body against him.
Xie Huaizheng said to Liu Guiyan, "Aunt Liu, we’ll be going now."
"Take care. Be careful," Liu Guiyan said, watching them leave.
As she turned to go back inside, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
She said to her husband, "Old Zhang, do you think if Ah Rong were still alive, he’d be dating someone by now, just like Little Xie?"
...
Xie Huaizheng got Su Zhaozhao into the car, then leaned over to fasten her seatbelt for her.
After he finished, he glanced up and saw that Su Zhaozhao had closed her eyes, seemingly asleep.
At that moment, the distance between them was very small. Xie Huaizheng could see the girl’s long, thick eyelashes casting a shadow beneath her eyes.
The red on her cheeks was like a smear of rouge.
Her lips were also rosy and full, like a freshly bloomed flower.
The scent of jasmine from her, mingled with the faint smell of wine, drifted over him.
It made his eyes darken as his gaze fell upon her lips. He felt a wave of heat spreading through his body.
Seeing Su Zhaozhao so drunk and defenseless truly made him want to do something.
His hand involuntarily came to rest on Su Zhaozhao’s cheek. The soft, delicate texture of her skin made it hard for him to pull away.
He moved closer, inch by inch, but the next moment, Su Zhaozhao waved her hand impatiently and slapped him across the face.
It wasn’t a hard slap, but it instantly sobered Xie Huaizheng up.
Realizing what he had been about to do, Xie Huaizheng suddenly felt he must be insane.
’Was he really trying to take advantage of her?’
Xie Huaizheng immediately returned to the driver’s seat and drove Su Zhaozhao back to the guesthouse.
Fortunately, when Su Zhaozhao was drunk, she was very quiet and well-behaved, almost as if she were just asleep. He didn’t have to worry about her too much.
’But how am I going to get her back to her room?’
’I guess I’ll just have to wake her up.’
When they arrived downstairs at the guesthouse, Xie Huaizheng gently shook Su Zhaozhao. "Zhaozhao, wake up. We’re here."
Su Zhaozhao opened her bleary eyes, looked at Xie Huaizheng, and then glanced outside.
"We’re here."
She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door to get out.
Seeing her movements, Xie Huaizheng breathed a sigh of relief.
’Good, Su Zhaozhao’s sobered up a bit.’
But the next moment, Su Zhaozhao’s body went THUMP as she fell to the ground.
Xie Huaizheng immediately threw open his door and got out, only to see Su Zhaozhao kneeling on the ground.
Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain. "Ow, that hurts..."
This was the first time Xie Huaizheng had ever seen Su Zhaozhao acting like such a child.
’Getting tripped by a tiny pebble?’
He sighed, torn between finding it funny and feeling sorry for her.
He bent down, scooped Su Zhaozhao up in a princess carry, and walked into the guesthouse.
Thankfully, it was late and no one was around.
When Yu Huijun saw Xie Huaizheng carrying Su Zhaozhao in, her eyes widened, and she was just about to say something.
Xie Huaizheng shot her a warning glance, and Yu Huijun immediately clapped a hand over her mouth and nodded at him, silently promising not to say a word.
Otherwise, if word got out, it would be bad for Su Zhaozhao’s reputation.
Lately, she had grown quite fond of the couple, Su Zhaozhao and Xie Huaizheng.
She used to only like Xie Huaizheng, but now she realized that only a girl as outstanding as Su Zhaozhao was worthy of him.
’I’ll do my best to help them protect their love.’
Xie Huaizheng carried Su Zhaozhao back to the room as quickly as possible. Only after he closed the door did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He placed Su Zhaozhao on the bed and was about to let go.
But unexpectedly, the girl suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of it. "Don’t go, okay?"