Chapter 64. Bai Xiao: When did my wife start drinking? How come I didn't know?

When did Bai Xiao invest in this movie? He never mentioned it to me no matter how many times I asked. Song Huai's heart was instantly shaken.

But then, Song Huai came to his senses and gave Bai Xiao a polite yet insincere smile, "Hello, President Bai."

Bai Xiao smiled when she heard Song Huai address her by this title, but the smile was ambiguous. "Mr. Song, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Howard had been living abroad and was unaware of Bai Xiao and Song Huai's past; Song Huai had never mentioned it to him either.

He had drunk a little wine, and his face was flushed with excitement. He became a chatterbox, pulling Song Huai along and rambling on and on, "Little Huai, when I chose you to compose the movie score, the other investors were extremely unhappy. It was all thanks to President Bai who overruled everyone's objections and saved you..."

The soundtrack is the soul of a film. Five years ago, Song Huai was not as well-known internationally as he is today. Howard faced a huge risk in casting Song Huai in such a big-budget film, and the other investors were naturally very unwilling.

Fortunately, Bai Xiao was adamant and threatened that if Song Huai hadn't provided the music, the Bai family would have withdrawn their investment. Such a large sum of money would be difficult to find other investors to fill the gap in a short period of time, and the filming process would also be affected. Only then did the others give up and reluctantly accept Song Huai.

"Then thank you, Mr. Bai." After hearing Howard's words, Song Huai seemed very excited, his hands were trembling. He raised his glass shakily, "I'd like to toast you."

Before Bai Xiao could even raise his hand to stop him, Song Huai tilted his head back and boldly downed the red wine in his glass.

In a moment of panic, Bai Xiao blurted out, "Song Huai, you..."

How could Song Huai possibly drink so much alcohol?

One glass wasn't enough, so Song Huai picked up another glass from the table next to him and was about to pour it into his mouth again.

Bai Xiao grabbed his hand holding the wine glass, preventing him from drinking anymore.

Howard watched the two's intimate actions, completely bewildered, wondering if this was some kind of local custom. He awkwardly tried to smooth things over, "Mr. Bai, Xiao Huai wants to thank you, please don't refuse his kindness."

Song Huai calmly met Bai Xiao's gaze, and after a long while, Bai Xiao gradually released his hand.

He was just being delusional. The way this person was drinking was extremely sophisticated. There was not a trace of Song Huai from back then, who would pass out after just one cup.

Yes, people change. After all these years, the only one who has remained in the same place is Bai Xiao herself.

Freed from restraint, Song Huai couldn't wait to gulp down the wine in his cup.

Bai Xiao's heart was burning with irritation, and he became increasingly restless. Song Huai offered him two glasses of wine, but he didn't bother to return the toast. He made up an excuse and hurriedly left.

Howard stared at Bai Xiao's hasty retreating figure, feeling even more confused.

That evening, Song Huai became one of the focal points of the crowd. People either admired, respected, or fawned over him, surrounding him and toasting him with cups of wine.

Whether it was excitement or something else, Song Huai accepted every toast offered to him without hesitation. He would return a toast if offered one, and two toasts if offered two. After finishing red wine, he would drink champagne, and after champagne, he would start drinking brandy.

Everyone assumed that Song Huai was simply overjoyed at such a young age and had won a major award, and no one noticed anything amiss.

Even with Song Huai's enormous capacity for alcohol, his head began to spin by the end. But his mind remained perfectly clear, and the image of that person was still vividly etched in his mind. Frustrated, he picked up another glass of wine and drank it down.

After the event, Song Huai declined the organizer's offer to send him home and walked alone on the night road.

The midnight wind blew straight at his head, and it felt like a nerve in his brain was being pulled and throbbed with pain. His steps became slightly unsteady, and he stumbled from time to time. He had no choice but to squat down and lean against a telephone pole by the roadside to rest for a while.

"Ding!" The phone's text message notification sounded.

Song Huai opened his phone, and the wallpaper was a photo of him and Bai Xiao taken five years ago on a mountaintop under the starry sky. In the photo, he was kissing Bai Xiao's cheek, and Bai Xiao looked confused and silly.

He stared at the wallpaper intently for a long time.

His right hand fingers were trembling, and Song Huai had to swipe several times to unlock the screen.

[Donghua Airlines] Passenger: Song Huai, from City S to Country Y, Flight DH517, departing at 21:10 on May 17th and arriving at 10:45 the following day. Please arrive at the gate 120 minutes in advance!

May 17th, which is tomorrow night.

Tomorrow night, he will be leaving this land again.

He won't see that person for several more years.

But it's alright, he's made it through these five years, hasn't he?

He probably won't be as reluctant to part with Bai Xiao as he was at the airport five years ago... right?

He squatted there for a while longer, until his legs went numb, before he finally stood up while holding onto the telephone pole.

But he got up too quickly, and his legs were so numb that he lost all strength. As soon as he stood up, everything went black, and he uncontrollably fell to the ground again.

The expected pain did not come; instead, a warm and strong embrace caught him from behind.

Over the past few years, Song Huai's alcohol tolerance has become incredibly high. He hasn't been drunk in a long time. Although he drank a lot tonight, it's really nothing for him.

But now, Song Huai suspects he is really drunk.

Otherwise, why would Bai Xiao appear in front of him?

Song Huai blinked twice, but Bai Xiao was still in front of him, not gone.

After blinking twice more, not only did the person not disappear, but the arms wrapped around him tightened their grip even more.

Bai Xiao gently brushed aside Song Huai's wind-blown hair and sighed, "Get in the car, I'll take you home."

After seeing Song Huai drinking alcohol all night as if it were free, he subconsciously didn't drink a drop.

Why did he do that? He himself didn't know.

Song Huai refused the car offered to take him home by the organizers. He was worried about them, so he drove at a distance and followed silently from behind.

Several times he wanted to get Song Huai into his car, but then he remembered Song Huai running away from the hospital while still running a fever, so he stopped talking to him.

It wasn't until he saw Song Huai squatting by the roadside that he feared something had happened to him, and finally couldn't bear it any longer and stepped forward.

Song Huai was about to refuse, but Bai Xiao scooped him up in her arms without giving him a chance to refuse and strode towards the car.

"Hey, I'm not drunk, let me walk by myself..." Song Huai weakly tried to save face.

"I know."

Despite saying that, Bai Xiao's arms remained firmly around Song Huai, showing no intention of putting him down.

As if possessed, Song Huai stopped speaking and buried his head deep in Bai Xiao's chest to avoid others noticing his flushed face.