Chapter 22

Today is Saturday. I got up early, put out dog food and water for Jiang Jiang, and went out.

Qi Chengchen invited his future sister-in-law, Chen Xinyue, to his home. Apparently, things are going well between them recently. Qi Chengchen was still a little nervous and asked me to come along for his courage.

The subway wasn't crowded on Saturday. I bought some fruit downstairs from my apartment, and the vendor casually gave me an apple. I ate it as I walked into my apartment.

…My brother is truly in love.

He cleaned the house until it looked brand new, and he was actually wearing a suit jacket? Such a pretentious act.

I teased him, saying he was over thirty and acting like a clueless kid who'd never been in a relationship. I also coaxed him into changing into some normal, comfortable clothes, since that jacket looked too hot to me.

My sister-in-law arrived at 10 o'clock. Before that, while I was lounging on the sofa watching TV, Qi Chengchen kept pacing back and forth. I estimate that his WeChat steps count was over 10,000.

At noon, Qi Chengchen cooked a big meal. His sister-in-law was very gentle and didn't eat much, but I could tell that they really liked each other. When they talked, they looked at each other, their cheeks flushed, and their eyes were a little lingering.

That's wonderful, my brother has found someone he loves.

In the afternoon, I felt I should leave first to give the two of us some time alone. When I sneaked away, my sister-in-law saw me and grabbed my bag, asking me where I was going.

I winked at her to show I understood: "I have to go now, sister-in-law, why don't you go shopping with my brother later?"

Before she could react, I ran away, sticking to my principle of not being a third wheel.

When I got downstairs, I texted Qi Chengchen to tell him about a movie that was recently released and that there was a screening that evening.

...

Qi En called me that night, asking if I wanted to come to a gathering. Of course I came.

When I arrived, they had already started playing. The whole group was made up of handsome men and beautiful women. I just threw on a T-shirt and went. It was a bit inappropriate.

We were having a great time at the dinner table when three glasses of wine were brought out as soon as I sat down. I don't know who handed them to me, but I drank them all out of politeness.

I have no idea what kind of gathering this is. They're drinking baijiu, beer, and red wine all mixed together. It's quite a novel thing.

I don't know how much time passed, but several people had passed out in the private room, and two others were asleep on the sofa. I held up my wine glass and mocked them. Through my drunken haze, I saw Qi En walk over and smear tissues on my face, making it hard for me to breathe.

"...How did you get so drunk?!...Who mixed up her liquor with white wine?!"

I'm not drunk.

"Honey, don't cry, your face is covered in tears."

I didn't cry.