Chapter 30 Jiang Yan went crazy: "At least wear some clothes!"

The cleaning staff came to collect the broken cups, while Yu Jintang was still deep in thought.

She didn't seem embarrassed at all by the gossip, and looked like she was seriously thinking about solving some mathematical problem. "Teacher Feng, do you know about white dwarfs? They are the ultra-dense cores left behind by dead stars. Because there is no new energy supply, they cool down."

However, under extremely rare conditions, white dwarfs can undergo carbon bursts, releasing tremendous heat once again. If a white dwarf is in a binary system and continuously accretes matter from its companion star, it will reach a critical point and undergo a violent nuclear explosion, forming a Type Ia supernova, its light instantly illuminating the entire galaxy.

She spoke intermittently, her expression serene: "I've passed the stage where I believe in the existence of 'unchanging' things in the world, so although I don't plan to be in a relationship, I can't guarantee that I'll always remain the same. It's just that the conditions for that companion star are too demanding; I don't think such a person will appear."

"Understood." Feng Manhong nodded calmly. When no one was looking, she looked down and pressed a few buttons on her phone.

After playing for more than ten rounds, the bottle returned to Feng Manhong's hands.

Yu Jintang sat up straight: "Alright, Teacher Feng, just ask whatever you want."

Feng Manhong smiled awkwardly: "Indeed, there is one last question."

Yu Jintang gestured: "Please speak."

"What influenced you to take the path you have today—was it the actions of one person more, or the shock of someone's death?"

The room fell silent upon hearing this. Xiao Qing turned her head from side to side, looking at everyone, while Lü Xi looked equally bewildered. Feng Manhong remained calm, while Qin Lan sat up a little straighter.

“It’s hard for me to say which is more important.” Yu Jintang finally spoke, her well-behaved face still bearing a cynical smile, but her speech was slower than ever before: “From the moment that person appeared, I was deeply affected. It’s undeniable that her death spurred me, but if I’m only doing these things for the sake of grief, I’ll eventually get tired of it. And right now, I still deeply love my work.”

Lu Xi lowered her head, staring absentmindedly at the corner of the table.

Feng Manhong nodded and smiled, "Teacher Yu is a very, very good person...and also very capable, excellent, and kind."

"Hey, these are just a few of my many strengths that are not worth mentioning." Yu Jintang grinned.

Feng Manhong's smile froze for a moment before she turned to Qin Lan: "Has she always had these symptoms?"

Qin Lan smiled weakly: "Sometimes I really want to call the police... Could the next person please ask me the truth? I want to talk about this guy's medical history."

The only person in this world who could care for Yu Jintang is dead. When that person was alive, little Yu Jintang was a shy, reserved, sweet, and adorable girl...

＊

Jiang Yan scanned the QR code to pay and looked up at the bar's sign.

There weren't many people inside; it looked more like a quiet bar, even though it was still brightly lit and bustling.

Qin Lan and Feng Manhong were both there, so it must have been a friend's restaurant.

She pushed open the door and went inside. As she walked around the bar, she saw a few people sitting some distance away. She started to walk over, but suddenly stopped and stood still.

"Haha! Old Qin! Got you!" Yu Jintang pointed at her condescendingly: "Tell me, do you want to play Truth or Dare?"

Qin Lan gritted her teeth: "Truth or dare."

She would rather lose face than tell the truth.

If all else fails, she can always drink another can of Want Want milk.

"Okay, we've known each other for so many years, I won't make things difficult for you. Let's do the simplest thing: call your crush and gently tell her that you miss her."

Qin Lan was baffled, and her voice reached Jiang Yan's ears as she walked past the bar: "What the hell is a crush? I don't have one."

“It’s someone you like, or someone you have feelings for,” Feng Manhong explained.

"...There is no such person in the world," Qin Lan said without blinking, but for some reason she felt a little uneasy.

"Old Qin, are you planning to lie to me too, after lying to others?" Yu Jintang clicked his tongue repeatedly, sat down next to her, put his arm around her shoulder, and winked at her while lowering his voice: "Where's that other person? Didn't you also..."

"Nonsense." Qin Lan covered her mouth.

Yu Jintang struggled to break free: "Don't mess with me. Even if you shake me today, you have to shake someone out."

Qin Lan decisively spun the wine bottle: "Then let's leave our fate to the wine bottle."

Yu Jintang exclaimed, "Seriously? You'd rather draw a prize than choose one yourself?"

Qin Lan patted her on the shoulder: "Don't make a sound."

The bottle spun rapidly, drawing everyone's attention with a mixture of tension and excitement. Jiang Yan also stared at the bottle, a peculiar expression on her face.

"Ha! Teacher Feng!" Yu Jintang jumped up, never one to miss a good show: "Qin Lan, you're so lucky! You've managed to get your idol all of a sudden. You must be thrilled!"

"It's alright." Jiang Yan heard the woman's voice was still incredibly arrogant, but she couldn't help but grin and immediately took out her phone to make a call.

Feng Manhong answered the call, smiling as she waited for her to speak.

Qin Lan said earnestly, "Teacher Feng, you may not know this, but my mother and I are both your fans. I have collected your posters and studied your works. You will always be my favorite idol."

Feng Manhong listened attentively, smiled, and leaned over to give her a gentle hug: "I'm honored to be your idol. I hope the next poster you collect will feature both of us. You're an excellent actress, that's my honest opinion."

Everyone clapped, but no one heckled; they were all wishing the fans and idol a happy reunion at the top.

Jiang Yan turned and walked away.

Meanwhile, Qin Lan and the others continued drinking round after round.

Wangzai drank too much, and Qin Lan even felt a little dizzy. She thought to herself, "I'm such a grown-up, I won't get drunk on milk, will I?" With a blurry gaze, she turned around and asked Xiao Qing, "Did you tell Bai Ai?"

Xiaoqing was startled: "I...I've reported it."

"Something's not right with you." Qin Lan frowned, pinched Xiao Qing's chin and stared at her: "What's wrong with you today? I just realized that you haven't said much the whole time."

Xiaoqing was on the verge of tears. It was because she had betrayed you and was afraid of attracting your attention...

She tried to back away, shrinking completely into the sofa: "My tonsils seem to be a little inflamed, I don't want to talk..."

Qin Lan sneered, looking down at her intently: "Is that so? Dare to open your mouth and let me see?"

Xiaoqing, of course, wouldn't dare. She desperately kept her mouth shut, but Qin Lan forcefully pried her mouth open and leaned closer to take a closer look, startling Yu Jintang across from her: "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? What are you doing? Why are you forcibly kissing your assistant?!"

"Are you drunk? Kissing can contagious intelligence." Qin Lan turned around with a cold smile: "Didn't you notice that Xiao Qing is acting strange tonight? She hasn't said a word."

Yu Jintang exclaimed and came over, "Oh, right? What's wrong with Xiaoqing today? Is something on your mind?"

Xiaoqing blushed deeply as their faces were pressed so close together: "Qin, Sister Qin, Sister Yu, please, please wear a mask, even just one..."

"What's wrong? Are you bewitched by my face?" Yu Jintang smiled, slamming her hand hard on the back of the sofa. "Tell me! Woman, what's on your mind? I bet it's something you feel guilty about!"

Xiaoqing was so bewitched by her face that she was on the verge of fainting from rapid breathing. She closed her eyes and cried out in despair, "I'm so sorry, Sister Qin, it's just that Teacher Jiang is too... I couldn't hold back and confessed everything. She already knows you went out drinking, and she even knows where you were drinking."

Yu Jintang exclaimed again, pursed her lips, looked at Qin Lan, and remained silent, but her eyes were eager to try.

Qin Lan's mind went blank for a moment, and she asked again in shock, "You mean she already knows where I am?"

Xiaoqing nodded with a look of grim determination.

Qin Lan took a deep breath and turned to leave. After thinking for a moment, she went back and asked Xiao Qing for her phone. Just as she was about to make a call, she hesitated for a second.

The proprietress behind the bar called out to ask, but Qin Lan waved her hand absentmindedly. After thinking for a moment, she dialed the number, even though she wanted to hang up as soon as she dialed.

She held up her phone as she walked towards the door. The call didn't go through, but it wasn't switched off or busy either.

Qin Lan stood at the door for a while, thinking the call had ended automatically, and looked at the phone screen with a surprised expression.

"What's going on?" she muttered, and dialed again, still not believing it.

Still no one answered, but then a song finished playing, and the whole bar was briefly quiet for a few seconds. She heard a faint ringing on her left.

Qin Lan turned her head sharply, and Jiang Yan was sitting behind a table with seven or eight overturned glasses and bottles in front of her. She was obviously drunk and just staring at her.

"You scared me!" Qin Lan breathed a sigh of relief and walked over. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you answering your phone?"

She looked down and counted, then said irritably, "How much did you drink? How could you drink all by yourself? And so much at that."

Jiang Yan remained silent.

Qin Lan couldn't help but wave her hand in front of her, worried that she might have drunk too much: "Hey, are you alright? Say something."

"My head hurts so much," Jiang Yan mumbled.

Qin Lan suddenly noticed a few drops of water on the table. Startled, she quickly lifted her face and saw two lines of tears.

"Why are you crying?" Qin Lan felt uncomfortable seeing her expression. She thought to herself, "Didn't you say you'd come to terms with things over the past three years? Why are you still sitting here crying, and acting like you've been let down?"

"Tell me, why are you angry with me and why did you come here to drink?" Qin Lan softened her voice.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yan shook her off: "My grandma doesn't let me play with strangers."

Qin Lan: "?"

She patiently picked up Jiang Yan's bag: "Let's go back to the hotel first, and you'll feel better after having some hangover soup."

"I'm not going back," Jiang Yan said somewhat vaguely. "There's no one at the hotel either, and Qin Lan isn't there."

Qin Lan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Yan had waited for her like this many times before. She bent down, removed her mask, and coaxed patiently, "Take another good look at who I am?"

Jiang Yan stared at her for a long time: "Who are you?"

Qin Lan was about to curse.

The drunkard raised his hand, his fingertips landing on her nose and brows, his expression somewhat dazed: "Her features are so defined, especially her eyebrows and eyes, they're so deep."

Qin Lan: "......"

Her lips twitched, but she finally stood up and pulled the person back: "Come back with me."

"Who are you?!" Jiang Yan shoved her away and reached for her bag, yelling, "You're kidnapping me! You're robbing me! Officer!"

Qin Lan stared in disbelief and quickly pulled out a mask to put on her. Fortunately, Jiang Yan was so drunk that she was only groaning and moaning, which didn't attract the attention of the other tables.

Afraid she would scream, Qin Lan gently slapped her twice: "Are you awake now? Look carefully, I am Qin Lan, I'm taking you back."

Jiang Yan was stunned for a long time, and tears welled up in her eyes: "You hit me."

"......"

Qin Lan: "Do you recognize who I am?"

Jiang Yan covered her cheek, looking extremely aggrieved: "You actually hit me!"

Qin Lan's temper flared up too. She bent down, hoisted Jiang Yan onto her shoulder, and strode outside. Jiang Yan didn't struggle, but kept pounding Qin Lan's waist, grumbling, "You hit me! You hit me! How could you bear to hit me..."

Qin Lan's patience ran out. He threw the person into the car, slammed the door shut, and yelled at the towering partition in front of him, "Drive!"

Ye Wei stepped on the gas, and the car drove smoothly. But Jiang Yan's expression changed as soon as she got in the car; she seemed very uncomfortable and squirmed in the back seat. Qin Lan didn't know what was wrong with her, so she rolled down the window: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Yan didn't speak, but her expression grew increasingly grim. The car lurched as it went over a speed bump, and Jiang Yan suddenly covered her mouth.

Qin Lan's expression changed drastically. While shouting for the car to pull over, he tried to pull out a container. Jiang Yan shuddered twice, unable to hold it in any longer, and bent over to gag against the car door.

Qin Lan froze for three seconds, then, as if stunned, reached out and patted her back. Ye Wei stopped the car, got out, grabbed a towel and a bottle of electrolyte water, and walked around to Qin Lan's side to open the car door.

"Miss, should we take Miss Jiang to the hospital?"

Qin Lan took the bottle in a flustered manner and said, "Let's go over there and buy another bottle of honey water."

After Jiang Yan finished vomiting, she unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, poured it on a towel, turned Jiang Yan back, hesitated for two seconds, and then reached out to wipe her face. A feeling of awkwardness welled up inside her again. When had Qin Lan ever served anyone like this? Even her mother didn't receive this treatment! But seeing Jiang Yan sitting in front of her with a pale face, she felt a pang of heartache. Helplessly, she wiped Jiang Yan clean, opened an electrolyte solution, and handed it to her: "Drinking some of this will make you feel better."

Jiang Yan's forehead was covered in a layer of cold sweat as she took the item with trembling hands.

Qin Lan sighed inwardly, reluctantly snatched the chair, and had someone lean back in the back seat: "Open your mouth."

"Why are you so good to me?" Jiang Yan finally opened her mouth after a long while, but only managed to utter this one sentence.

Qin Lan glanced at her, puzzled, and carefully poured the bottle halfway in, saying, "You must be really drunk. We're still in a contractual relationship, isn't it only natural for me to be good to you?"

"But you don't like me." Jiang Yan closed her eyes, and a stream of water fell down.

Qin Lan's lips twitched; she seemed to want to nod and shake her head at the same time, but ultimately chose neither: "Drink slowly."

Jiang Yan's tears flowed silently. Qin Lan felt a pang of anxiety, wishing Ye Wei would return immediately. The next second, Ye Wei appeared as if she had heard her inner call, handing her honey water: "Miss, honey water."

Qin Lan wiped Jiang Yan's sweat: "Do you still feel like throwing up?"

"In no mood."

"Then drink some more honey water, and I'll take you to the hospital later."

"I'm not going."

"......"

"Stop fooling around, let's go to the hospital to get it checked out."

"No."

Qin Lan was at a loss: "So how are you feeling now?"

"I feel terrible."

"Then why aren't we going to the hospital?"

"We need to go back to the hotel."

"......"

Qin Lan raised her hands: "Okay, okay, let's go back to the hotel."

She got out of the car first, then carried the woman out. Just as she was about to hoist her onto her shoulder, Ye Wei hesitated and reached out her hand: "Miss, won't this press against your stomach?"

"Then..." Qin Lan thought for a moment, then picked the person up in her arms again.

Ye Wei reached out her small hand again and advised, "Miss, you shouldn't lie down right after vomiting, it will make you feel even worse. It's best to sit up and keep your body tilted."

Qin Lan suddenly realized and said, "You support her."

Ye Wei thought to herself, "No wonder Miss hasn't had a boyfriend all these years; in the end, she even had to be helped up by a bodyguard." But the next second, Qin Lan half-squatted down and said in a muffled voice, "Put him up."

Ye Wei's face shifted wildly for two seconds, from a splitting expression to a stern expression, before she finally placed Jiang Yan on the bed without a trace of emotion, making sure her head was facing upwards: "Miss, you may get up now."

Qin Lan lifted Jiang Yan up and carried her back to the hotel. After opening the room door, she put Jiang Yan down, and in the time it took to change her shoes, she was gone. The bathroom light then turned on, and the sound of rinsing mouths could be heard.

"She's quite clean, actually." Qin Lan muttered. She wanted to go next door to take a shower, but was afraid that Jiang Yan would get dizzy and bump into something, so she dragged a chair over and sat outside.

After sitting for only a short while, the shadowy figure on the frosted glass began to take off its clothes.

Qin Lan froze for a moment, then cried out in despair, "Jiang Yan, what are you doing?"

No one paid her any attention, but soon the showerhead started working, and the figure stood under the water curtain to start taking a shower.

Qin Lan quickly moved her chair to a different position and started scrolling through her phone. After a while, she remembered that this was her girlfriend and she might as well look at it, so why was she shy? She then turned around to face the bathroom and started playing on her phone with a disdainful expression.

The door opened with a whoosh, and Jiang Yan walked out, climbing onto her large bed amidst Qin Lan's shocked and speechless gaze.

"...No, at least put on some clothes!" Qin Lan cried out in despair.

Jiang Yan completely ignored her.

Qin Lan stormed into the bathroom, quickly took a shower, dried her hair, and then said fiercely, "This is my bedroom, you better get out of here..."

Qin Lan was once again stunned into silence. She felt like her eyes were about to go blind, unable to even discern which movie set she was on. Her room, her pillow, her large bed—and this woman was lying there so carefree, a ribbon around her neck and wrists, the clips on her wrists rising and falling with her breath, and inside her was...and...she couldn't understand why a pink toy was in her suite...