Chapter 77 Extra 7 (Continuing from the Normal World Ending)

Qu Mingyuan walked to the sofa as usual and sat down, casually draping his coat over his shoulder. He sank into the soft leather seat, leaned back, and looked at the boisterous young people with a lingering hint of alcohol in his eyes.

Fueled by alcohol, Li Jinzhao grew bolder and even tried to sit up straighter in Qu Mingyuan's direction, attempting to engage in what he considered a serious social interaction.

“Uncle,” he slurred, but his tone was unusually solemn, “Qu Chen, he’s my best buddy, really! The two of us are… uh, the pillars of our fan club, the beams that hold up the sea!”

He spoke incoherently, yet with an air of great pride.

Qu Mingyuan listened quietly, and when he heard the exaggerated metaphor, his eyebrows curved into a shallow arc.

After Li Jinzhao finished speaking, he nodded slightly, his voice gentle yet capable of calming the surroundings unconsciously.

"Xiao Chen is quiet and doesn't have many friends. It's good that you can come and talk to him often."

Li Jinzhao immediately thumped his chest loudly, as if he had received some important mission: "Uncle, you can rest assured! With me, Li Jinzhao, here, I guarantee my brother will be happy every day!"

Qu Mingyuan nodded again, as if he wanted to say something, but Secretary Sun, who had just left, returned.

Secretary Sun walked a little faster, re-entered the living room, leaned down and whispered a few words into Qu Mingyuan's ear.

As Qu Mingyuan listened, the relaxed look on his face, which had been caused by the alcohol and casual conversation, slowly faded.

After a brief silence, he let out a soft sigh.

“It’s so late…” he began, “Let her come in.”

Ling Wei's heart skipped a beat. Who was coming this time?

She really wanted to take out her phone and send a "So many people.jpg" emoji.

Is this Qu family's place some kind of late-night club? It's so lively every night?

Soon, Ling Wei heard a series of light footsteps, accompanied by Secretary Sun's guiding words: "Miss Chen, this way please."

A woman's gentle voice rang out, sounding quite familiar: "Brother Mingyuan, did I disturb your rest? My dad insisted that I bring this to you, saying it's for relieving hangovers and protecting the liver. He said you drank quite a bit tonight."

Ling Wei hid behind the cabinet and could only hear the rustling of clothes and the soft sounds of things being gently placed on the coffee table.

The voice continued, its concern evident: "Mainly... I think I need to come and see for myself to put my mind at ease."

"Crunch."

Ling Wei made a slight frictional sound, which startled her, and she quickly let go.

Qu Mingyuan's voice rang out quickly, his tone unreadable: "Thank you for your trouble. I'm fine, thank you. Please give my regards to Uncle Chen."

His tone naturally shifted to seeing the guest off, "It's getting late, Secretary Sun, please see Miss Shen out for me."

The sound of Secretary Sun responding came from behind.

Miss Shen chuckled softly, her voice tinged with affectionate reproach: "I just arrived and haven't even had a sip of tea yet, and Brother Mingyuan is already trying to send me away? That's too much of a formality."

Ling Wei couldn't help but grind her teeth. What time is it?! They're still at someone else's house!

System: "...And you too?"

Ling Wei huffed, "How can that be the same? Did he tell this Miss Shen he would 'wait for her'?"

She had originally planned to find a chance to slip away, but now she wasn't in a hurry anymore. She wanted to see how Director Qu would respond.

Qu Mingyuan's voice rang out again, gentler than before: "It was my oversight that I failed to provide adequate hospitality. I will definitely thank Uncle Shen in person another day. It is already late tonight, and Uncle Shen will probably worry about you going home alone."

Miss Shen seemed to pause for a moment.

Ling Wei strained her ears, but instead of hearing her footsteps leaving, she heard her voice softened even more: "Another day is never going to happen. As for your thanks, I'm right here, so thank me. You can't really not even offer me a glass of water, can you?"

Secretary Sun immediately took action, her footsteps heading towards the tea cabinet.

Ling Wei's heart tightened. It was over; there was no escaping it.

Just before Secretary Sun's footsteps turned the corner, Ling Wei quickly turned her back to the direction from which they came and reached out to steady the white porcelain teapot on the tray.

She lowered her head slightly, pretending to concentrate as she poured water into the cup, the sound of the dripping water making the corner seem exceptionally quiet.

As Secretary Sun turned the corner, she saw a figure wearing loose work clothes with a low bun on the back of her head.

The clothes fit her well, but the style was too big, making her look rather thin from behind.

He paused, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Before he could speak, the figure turned around, still with his head slightly bowed, and steadily handed over the poured tea along with the tray.

Ling Wei lowered her voice, her tone muffled: "The tea you requested."

Secretary Sun clearly hadn't expected someone to be in the corner. He paused noticeably as he took the tray, his gaze falling on Ling Wei's mask and attire. He hesitated before asking, "Wang Ma?"

Ling Wei's mind raced. Instead of revealing her identity, she said, "Wang Ma went to make hangover soup."

Secretary Sun didn't delve into the matter, nodded, and turned to leave with the tray.

Ling Wei had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Secretary Sun walking and turning her head in her direction, the sound clear enough in the suddenly quiet living room:

"Please prepare another pot. Young Master Chen and his friend are also here, one pot might not be enough."

Li Jinzhao, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, stared wide-eyed at the tea cabinet: "Huh? There... there's someone there?"

Just then, Butler Zhou came over from the other side carrying a hangover soup. Upon hearing this, he immediately took over the conversation, trying to sound as natural as possible: "It's Xiao Zhao, who came temporarily to help look after the tea."

His expression remained normal, but his heart tightened. He knew that this was not the time for Ling Wei to appear, so he could only cover for her for now and explain to his master later.

But he was not used to lying, and there was a hint of hesitation at the end of his sentence.

Fortunately, no one investigated further. Only Qu Mingyuan raised his eyelids and his gaze lingered on Butler Zhou's face for a moment.

Before this subtle gaze could attract anyone's attention, it was interrupted by Miss Shen's voice.

She picked up the tea that Secretary Sun had just poured, took a small sip, and then gracefully put down the teacup, her brow furrowing slightly: "This tea... was brewed a little too quickly, the aroma wasn't fully released, and the flavor isn't mellow enough."

She looked up at Qu Mingyuan with a polite smile, "I have some good rock tea. I'll bring some for Brother Mingyuan to try next time. My dad also said that the tea is good for the stomach."

Ling Wei silently inhaled and exhaled from behind the counter.

Li Jinzhao replied naively, "Huh? Won't you have trouble sleeping at night if you drink such strong tea?"

That's how the conversation died.

Li Jinzhao's attention quickly shifted. He picked up the hangover soup and took a big gulp, his face immediately scrunching up: "Pfft—what's this taste? It's so weird."

He turned and called out towards the tea cabinet, "Um... Sister, do you have any plain water? I'd like a cup!"