Chapter 32 Two Names

The wind is the messenger, the antidote, the answer, and the place to return to.

The gloom and tangled emotions that had been weighing on my heart slowly softened and dissipated. The indescribable feeling of unease dissipated with each breath, and a sense of comfort permeated every bone.

She also possessed a unique strength, a strength that was inherent in Xia Li and could not be blown away by her pride.

She leaned back on the railing, her body swaying in the wind, her hair disheveled. The light in her eyes was swallowed by the darkness, replaced by a sense of confusion and emptiness. She only slightly raised the corners of her lips, her eyes still drooping.

Ji Ling, standing not far away, remained rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on her.

It was on her body, but unfortunately she didn't know.

A moment later, Xia Li suddenly stood up. She didn't answer Wang Shu's question, but instead reached out and pulled Wang Shu to a table nearby. She picked up a glass of champagne, raised it slightly, and asked Wang Shu, "Would you like some?"

Wang Shu frowned, gently wiped her nose with her other hand, and replied with a pout, "Drink, drink, drink."

Xia Li lowered her head slightly, her smile extremely faint: "Why do you look like this?"

Wang Shu muttered under her breath, "Sister Xia Li, ignore what I just said. Everything I said is true."

“Okay, it’s all true.” She gently patted Wang Shu’s head like she would a small animal, then looked up at the sky for a while. It was pitch black, without a single star. She pondered for a moment, her eyes shining, and answered very seriously, “To be honest, I don’t know either.”

Wang Shu was still looking forward to it, but when she heard this sentence, she suddenly closed her eyes and let out a strange scream of "Ahhhhhh".

Xia Li was startled by her, her lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, she reached out and patted her back, and asked carefully, "Are you alright?"

Wang Shu shook her head, took the wine glass from Xia Li's hand, tilted her head back and downed it in one gulp, gritting her teeth as she said something against her will: "Sister Xia Li, I'm fine, let's drink."

Then she added, "But I can't drink too much, or I won't be able to explain it to my brother-in-law."

Xia Li tilted her head, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Are you very afraid of him?"

Wang Shu shook her head vigorously, several times in a row: "It's not that I'm scared, it's just that every time my brother-in-law looks at you, the way he looks at you..."

Wang Shu shuddered. She originally wanted to say possessiveness, but when she looked up, she met the gaze of Ji Ling, who was not far behind Xia Li.

Ji Ling's eyelids were half-open, one eye was covered by stray hairs, and the other eye had a deep, unfathomable look, making it impossible to discern his emotions in the dim light.

Wang Shu trembled as she put it another way: "His aura is too strong..."

Xia Li wasn't a good drinker; after a couple of sips, she felt dizzy and didn't notice the change in Wang Shu's expression.

She also never saw the man who had been protecting her from beginning to end.

Each of them was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and neither of them went forward to disturb them.

One treats this place like a bar to drown his sorrows, while the other seems to see right through you with just her eyes. She cares about your every move and is also preoccupied with her thoughts because of what the people around her say.

Xia Li didn't know how she left in the end, nor did she know who took her away.

She felt a churning in her stomach, a mix of complex emotions. Her body couldn't take it anymore; she had been holding it in for so long, and she wanted to vomit out all those words at once, regardless of whether anyone was listening.

But when it comes time to speak, I don't know what to say.

With her eyes half-closed, she struggled to lift the lid a crack. Her gaze first met the roof of the car, the blurry lines making her momentarily stunned. Then, she belatedly blinked hard, turned to the side, and looked around.

Ji Ling's profile caught her eye, bathed in the dim light streaming through the car window. She stared at him for several seconds, her gaze unwavering, her eyes filled with tenderness. Then her eyelashes trembled, and her eyelids, unable to hold on, gently drooped.

Then she heard a low sigh, a hint of helplessness escaping from his throat, accompanied by the rustling sound of fabric rubbing together.

Then, the coat, still warm from her body and carrying a faint scent of grapefruit peel, was gently draped over her shoulders and pulled down to keep out the chill.

Xia Li slightly opened one eye and just saw Ji Ling silently leave after doing all this.

The alcohol was fermenting in her brain. She opened her lips, her tongue reeking of alcohol, and mumbled softly, "No."

As she spoke, she turned around and reached out to pull her clothes open.

Ji Ling looked down at her movements without saying a word. After she quieted down, he quietly put the coat that had almost fallen off back on her.

Xia Li opened her eyes, tilted her head back on the chair again, and kicked off her coat.

Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, her eyes darted around, and her voice was soft, with the last syllable drawn out: "Hot..."

Ji Ling looked down at her, and after a while stopped the car. He took a wet wipe and wiped the fine sweat from her hair. Even though he knew she was drunk and wouldn't listen to anything, he still patiently explained:

"The air conditioning is already on."

"If it gets any colder, I'll catch a cold."

"We'll be home soon."

These three short sentences, each spaced several seconds apart, seemed to have been carefully considered before being uttered, as if afraid that any harsh word would appear heartless.

Xia Li didn't listen to his explanation. She only saw his handsome lips opening and closing, moist and looking exceptionally soft. However, his voice was cold. She felt that just hearing Ji Ling's icy tone reduced her warmth considerably.

She groped under her with her palms, her fingertips hooking the edge of the chair, gathering some strength to try to lift her lying body up. The next moment, her wrists were firmly supported.

It was Ji Ling's hand, his palm warm.

She looked up and, with his help, sat up straight, her nose almost brushing against his chin as she tilted her head back.

Ji Ling pursed his lips, his eyes unfathomable as he watched her movements.

"I'm going to throw up." Xia Li said after sitting up straight, her voice muffled and stubborn. She pretended to feel nauseous, her eyes filled with tears, and she looked up slightly at Ji Ling's dark green eyes.

Her eyes were red and brimming with tears. Ji Ling stared intently at her, not even reacting when she spoke. It was only after a while, when the streetlights shone on her, that he came to his senses and said in a hoarse voice, "Yeah, throw up."

Xia Li muttered, "I'll throw up in your car, on your seat."

Ji Ling glanced at her actions, nodded slightly in response, and repeated what he had just said: "Yeah, throw up."

Xia Li hadn't expected Ji Ling to react this way. Her delicate face crumpled up, so she stopped arguing and simply said, "I want to get off the bus."

Ji Ling frowned, glanced at the time on his wrist, then reached out to help her catch her breath and gently replied, "We'll be home in about ten minutes."

Xia Li was drunk and didn't care about anything. Ji Ling's words floated into her ears, completely unconvincing. She shook her head and insisted, "I want to get off the bus."

Ji Ling started the engine and replied, "I can get out of the car when we get home."

Xia Li refused: "No, I want to get off here."

Ji Ling frowned and pursed his lips, pondering her words. He realized that she cared about the location of the drop-off, not the time. He cautiously looked outside the car and, seeing no one around, asked in confusion, "Why do you want to get off here?"

Xia Li was still a bit dazed, so she made up a reason on the spot and slumped out the window: "Because I like that tree."

Ji Ling followed her gaze and saw a neat row of palm trees along the roadside. The one Xia Li pointed to was swaying the most vigorously in the wind. He gritted his teeth and mumbled, "I'll have someone pull it out tomorrow."

Xia Li didn't hear clearly, turned her head, blinked, and asked blankly, "What?"

Ji Ling remained calm and snorted lightly, "It's nothing, I'll take you out of the car."

They were at night, side by side by the roadside, heading towards home, without looking back.

Xia Li was really unruly when she got drunk. She was restless and kept touching and poking people along the way.

Finally, Ji Ling had no choice but to grab her hand and carry her horizontally in his arms. He walked very steadily, but the person in his arms did not stop. Sometimes she would lift her head and pull his hair, sometimes she would kick him lightly, and sometimes she would bite his shoulder in anger, with the savageness of drunkenness.

A hiss suddenly escaped his throat, the last syllable trembling, and he tightened his grip on her arms.

Xia Li paused for half a second, then lowered her head slightly, burying it in his neck. Their hair intertwined, and they held each other tightly.

She suddenly stammered, and mumbled softly, "Brother."

Ji Ling paused, his expression faltering. He remembered clearly that he was two months younger than Xia Li.

A gentle night breeze blew by, and he almost wondered if he had misheard, but the sound was undeniably close to his ear, crashing into it.

"What did you call me?" Ji Ling's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice trembled, a mixture of surprise and joy, his heart still heavy with anxiety.

Xia Li gently tugged at his hair, while simultaneously focusing on intertwining the ends of her own hair with his, tying a loose knot, as if all the ties were contained within this circle, impossible to untangle, and unwilling to be forcibly pulled.

After quietly finishing all this, she responded to Ji Ling's words, gently whispering in his ear again, her voice rising at the end with a hint of flirtation: "Little brother."

Just moments ago, a vague "brother" floated out, and now a soft, sweet "brother" has followed. Ji Ling was completely stunned. The arm holding her suddenly stiffened, and he bent down to gently place her on the ground.

He crouched down, his voice filled with pressure and anxiety, his white knuckles gripping her chin as he looked her straight in the eye.

Who did you just call?

Xia Li reeked of alcohol. In his hazy state, he gently grasped the large hand that was holding his chin and moved it back to his own face, his movements soft and his voice gentle: "I called you."

The tenderness that had just surfaced in Ji Ling's eyes had already turned into a jumbled mess. He grabbed her fingertips, brought her hand to his chest, pressed it tightly, and stared intently at her as he solemnly asked, "Who am I?"

Xia Li closed her eyes and shook her head: "You are you."

"Stop joking, who am I?" Ji Ling asked again, his tone still relatively gentle, though he suppressed his sternness.

Xia Li kept her eyes closed, her voice muffled: "You're a donkey."

His temper is like a donkey's.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Ling pursed his lips, narrowed his eyes, and scrutinized her face. His voice trembled, and every syllable was exceptionally clear in the wind: "Stop teasing me, okay?"

At this moment, Xia Li opened her eyes and looked up. She immediately saw his moist eyes, which were bloodshot. She stared at them in a daze and said directly, "You are so handsome. I like you so much... I like your eyes. I'm not kidding you."

As she spoke, she pulled her hand away from his chest, the back of her hand still warm from his palm, and then gently stroked his cheek, poked his nose, and then moved upwards to tease his slightly curved eyelashes.

He was probably really drunk.

Ji Ling lowered his eyelashes, letting her play with him without saying anything more. When she got tired of it, he took her hand again and continued walking forward.

After walking a few steps, Xia Li suddenly called out, "Ji Ling."

Ji Ling responded in surprise, "I'm here."

"You know, wouldn't it be great if you were a much older brother or a much younger brother than me..."

Wang Shu's unintentional remark disturbed the minds of both parties involved.

After a long while, she heard no response from Ji Ling, nor did she expect one; it was just her talking to herself without any reason.

But at this moment, Ji Ling suddenly tightened his grip on her hand, his voice trembling slightly, yet exceptionally clear: "I can be your brother, or I can be your younger brother."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Li burst out laughing. Her voice was clear and bright. She was slightly drunk as she turned around, touched his head, and said with a smile, "Okay... um, do you have any wishes?"

Ji Ling didn't answer, but instead asked her, "What is your wish?"

Xia Li paused for a moment to think, then answered, "I want to go to winter."

"Go to winter?"

"Because the neighboring city is small and hot."

A person who is drunk is so confused that they can't even speak properly.

Ji Ling lowered his eyes, his gaze almost melting with deep affection: "As long as you're ready, we can set off anytime."