After entering the restaurant, Xiaoqing went straight up to the second floor, found a secluded seat near the corner and sat down. She called the waiter and asked for a dozen jars of wine. She picked up one of the jars, opened the seal and drank it. As the wine entered her throat, a spicy feeling immediately surged up, making her choke and cough a few times.
Zhang Yutang followed and glanced at the wine on the table. Seeing Xiaoqing's reckless attitude of getting drunk, he couldn't help but frowning in worry and sighing secretly. He called the waiter to order more wine and food. Thinking that he had no money to pay the bill, he called the waiter to a corner and took off the jade pendant he was wearing and handed it to the waiter. The top-grade jade was more than enough to pay for a meal. He sent the waiter away and sat opposite Xiaoqing. Zhang Yutang smiled and advised: "If the girl wants to drink, Zhang will accompany you. But if you drink like this, you will get drunk quickly, but your worries may not be relieved."
Xiaoqing raised her eyelids slightly, she stared at Zhang Yutang, and suddenly sneered: "Sir, don't be so self-righteous. You don't need to interfere in my affairs." After that, she ignored Zhang Yutang and went to drink. She just wanted to get drunk, which could relieve her worries. Even if it couldn't relieve her worries, at least it could make her forget her troubles temporarily.
"Wine makes you sadder, why do you hurt yourself like this?" Zhang Yutang snatched the wine from Xiaoqing's hand, smiled, took the wine glass beside him, filled it, handed it to Xiaoqing, raised his eyes and said, "You should drink the wine slowly, and you should also get rid of your sorrow bit by bit. With your ability, I don't think there is anything that can't be done for you." After a pause, he said, "Or, if there is something that really embarrasses you, I may be able to help you."
"Serve me?" Xiao Qing snorted coldly, looked at Zhang Yutang, and said teasingly: "You say it so lightly, you don't know why I am worried, how can you serve me?"
"If Zhang's guess is correct, the young lady's troubles should be related to the scholar on the street just now. I wonder if it is correct?" Zhang Yutang considered his words and saw Xiaoqing's face darken, as if she was unhappy. He knew that his guess was correct. He said slowly and carefully: "If the young lady is really troubled by the scholar, as long as the young lady says a word, Zhang will immediately deal with the man for the young lady." Zhang Yutang just noticed that Xiaoqing's eyes looking at the scholar did not have any affection, but seemed to be hostile. He guessed that she must have had a grudge with the scholar. It was easy for him, Zhang Yutang, to teach a weak scholar a lesson.
Xiaoqing was stunned and speechless for a long time. She lowered her eyes and drank the wine in the glass. After a while, she looked up at Zhang Yutang, as if she had made up her mind, and said word by word: "Okay! I want you to make that man disappear from Qiantang County!" Xiaoqing only wanted Xu Xian to be as far away from Bai Suzhen as possible. Even if Bai Suzhen could calculate his location, it would take at least a certain amount of time to find him. One more day to spend alone with Bai Suzhen was a kind of happiness and a gift to her.
Zhang Yutang nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay! I will definitely take care of this for you, young lady." He reached out and filled the glass in Xiaoqing's hand, then filled the glass in front of him, raised his glass and said, "Young lady, you saved my life, so I will risk my life to accompany you today and get drunk with you. But please wait until you are drunk today, otherwise drinking will hurt your body."
Xiaoqing didn't know whether it was possible or not, so she raised her head and drank the wine in the glass. Then she glanced at Zhang Yutang and said lightly: "My name is Xiaoqing. I will be waiting for you here in three days. I hope you will keep your word and don't let me down." After that, Xiaoqing stood up and left.
"Xiao Qing?" Zhang Yutang slowly sipped the wine in the glass, stared at the direction where Xiao Qing left, and murmured, "Interesting..."
The night was as cold as water. Bai Suzhen stood alone in front of the window and had not fallen asleep for a long time. It was already three o'clock in the morning, and Xiaoqing had not come back yet. She didn't know where she had gone. Bai Suzhen was worried in her heart. She regretted her attitude towards her during the day. She sighed faintly, walked back to the bed and sat down slowly, leaning against the edge of the bed, frowning slightly. She had always regarded Xiaoqing as her sister, and never thought that she would have other thoughts about her. For a moment, she was a little confused, and her tone was a little heavier, hurting her, which was not what she wanted. She locked her eyebrows, and her mind couldn't help but recall the scene when she first met Xiaoqing. She thought of that high-spirited young man, with a sly smile on his face, deliberately making things difficult for herself, and kept saying that he wanted her to be his princess. A faint smile appeared on her lips. Qing'er was so bright at that time, without a trace of sadness between her eyebrows, but today she clearly saw sadness in her eyes. Bai Suzhen suddenly felt a trace of pain in her heart, and the smile on her lips gradually faded. Xiaoqing's sad expression kept flashing before her eyes. After a long time, she sighed and murmured to herself: "Qing'er, what should I do with you?"
Bai Suzhen was in a daze when she suddenly heard the sound of the door. She had an idea and walked out of the room quickly. She saw Xiaoqing closing the door and walking towards her room. A smell of alcohol came towards her from afar.
"Qing'er." Bai Suzhen called Xiaoqing, frowned slightly, and asked, "Have you been drinking?"
Xiaoqing had never expected that Bai Suzhen had not fallen asleep so late. Seeing her in such a state of disgrace, Xiaoqing felt uncomfortable. She turned away and said stiffly, "Sister, why are you still awake so late?"
Bai Suzhen sighed softly, walked up to Xiaoqing, and stared at her with a hint of blame in her eyes: "Qing'er, if you are angry with your sister, you can just tell her directly. Why did you go out to drink alone? Do you really not care about your body?"
"Sister, are you concerned about me?" Hearing the worry and concern in Bai Suzhen's tone, Xiaoqing was delighted and a bright light flashed in her eyes.
"You call me sister. As a sister, I should naturally care about my sister, right?"
"Sister?" Xiao Qing's eyes dimmed, and she felt lost. She stared at Bai Suzhen and asked unwillingly, "Am I only able to be your sister?"
Bai Suzhen shook her head and said earnestly: "Qing'er, I have thought carefully about what you said to me today. You said that you like me, but you know that this kind of feeling is fundamentally wrong. You and I are both women, how can we..."
"So what if we're both women?" Xiao Qing interrupted Bai Suzhen and said nonchalantly, "As long as I like you and you like me, we can be together. Why bother about so much?"
"Qing'er, I—"
"Sister, I know you can't accept my feelings for you for the time being. Don't worry, I can wait until you accept me. If... if you really can't accept me, I will leave." After saying that, Xiaoqing said no more and walked towards her room.
Looking at Xiaoqing's departing figure, Bai Suzhen felt confused.