On Friends

The sleeve was slightly wrinkled from being pinched and pulled, and Li Yin realized this, so he let go with a little embarrassment. When he looked up again, he met Wen Youqing's sincere eyes.

He looked at Li Yin earnestly and said, "Yes, you are the first friend I ever made."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin paused slightly in the motion of her fingers stroking the wine glass. She said, "Young Master, isn't the Young Master Wen who came with you a friend of yours? Your words and actions don't seem like those of someone you just met."

Wen Youqing was taken aback at first, then said, "Young Master Wen? He is not my friend, but my cousin."

Li Yin asked, "Is that how you calculate it?" As she spoke, she stopped stroking the wine glass with her fingertips and instead lightly tapped the table three times before picking up the glass.

Wen Youqing nodded and said, "Is this not acceptable?"

Li Yin said, "The affairs of the world are determined by people, and it is not surprising that they are not the same."

A melodious, lingering voice called out from outside the window, "Gourds for sale—big and beautiful gourds!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yin looked out the window and saw a man dressed in burlap clothes with several patches, his clothes were dirty and covered in yellow dust, with damp mud at the edges, and he wore a pair of tattered straw sandals, but without any mud. The man looked quite old, with a stubble beard, messy hair dotted with a few green leaves, and a straw hat on his back.

A bunch of gourds hung from the edge of the straw hat. The gourds were round, well-shaped, and neat. The first time Li Yin saw them, she felt that the white-bearded old man would like them. She stared at the man, looking at the path he would take. When she looked at the man again, he was also looking at her.

The man's eyes were clear and untouched by the vicissitudes of life, unlike someone of his age; he seemed more like a young man, which startled her.

A breeze blows, the curtains sway gently, strands of hair move, and a light touch is made in the palm of the hand.

Wen Youqing felt the cold touch on her palm, her eyes darkened, she lowered her gaze, and finally smiled gently.

He bypassed Qing Si, reached out and slowly picked up another wine glass, his fingertips gently stroking the rim of the glass. The movement was subtle and easily missed. Song Bei, watching from across the river, took it all in. He hesitated slightly, his hand under the table gently twisting the handkerchief, his brows furrowing. Finally, as if making a decision, his eyes hardened.

The words were on her lips, about to spill out, when she received a cold and indifferent look from Wen Youqing, which sent chills down her spine. She froze on the spot, and the words remained stuck in her throat.

After Li Yin saw the person's eyes outside the window, he turned around and looked back.

Song Bei quickly lowered his eyes to hide the momentary panic in them, then smiled and said, "Miss Li, the Hehua wine in Jincheng has a very low alcohol content. Why not try some more? It should be the best quality at this time of year."

Li Yin nodded and said, "Okay."

Song Bei was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately smiled, picked up the pot of wine on the table, stood up, and poured another cup for Li Yin, saying, "Please, young lady."

Li Yin looked at the wine cup in his hand, smiled gently, and presented it to Wen Youqing. She said, "Young master, why don't you give it a try? Getting to drink Hehua wine in Jincheng depends entirely on luck. It's extremely lucky to be able to drink it, hence the saying that it brings good luck. It's said that if you make a wish while drinking it, it will soon come true."

When Wen Youqing saw the glass of wine Li Yin handed him, a hint of joy appeared on his face. He asked, "Really?"

Li Yin observed the changes in this person's expression. For some reason, she always felt that this person was both extraordinary and simple. She wanted to test this person.

Li Yin smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course it's true."

Luck and destiny are related; they are determined by heaven and man. To believe entirely in heaven is a dead end, revealing greed. To believe entirely in man is also a dead end, revealing arrogance.

Those who are greedy and hopeful pray to heaven and make presumptuous demands on the gods. Are you one of them?

I just can't believe it.

Just as Wen Youqing's fingertips touched Li Yin's fingers holding the wine glass, Li Yin withdrew them, and she looked at Li Yin in confusion.

Li Yin lightly tapped the rim of the wine glass with her fingertips, the movement extremely subtle. She said, "Young master, are you sure you want to try it?"

Wen Youqing said, "Of course, since you said it's true, I'd like to give it a try."

Li Yin chuckled upon hearing this, leaned slightly forward, and handed the wine cup to Wen Youqing, bringing it to her lips. The rim of the cup touched her lips, and a drop of wine fell onto Wen Youqing's lips.

Wen Youqing looked at the wine glass in front of him, a slight smile playing on his lips. He lowered his eyes, concealing the dark and unfathomable look in them. He reached out and grasped Li Yin's wrist, drank the wine, and his gaze followed Li Yin's hand all the way to Li Yin's eyes.

Li Yin was initially taken aback, and his hand, which he wanted to withdraw, moved involuntarily in accordance with Wen Youqing's movements. His knuckles slightly bent, and he drank the wine even faster. A wisp of the clear wine, carrying the fragrance of lotus blossoms, escaped from Wen Youqing's lips, ran down her chin, past her Adam's apple, and dampened her clothes.

Li Yin felt a moment of panic, excitement, and palpitations... like a pile of many emotions, like a boulder thrown into a river, creating turbulent waves, like a startled cry in a dense forest, startling birds into flight, one by one, in flocks... as dense as raindrops.

Wen Youqing stared intently at Li Yin, noticing a moment of panic on Li Yin's face, followed by a moment of stunned silence, and then a slight blush rising to his cheeks. He then curled his lips into a slight smile.

The wine in the glass was long gone. Wen Youqing gently bit the glass and released Li Yin's wrist. Li Yin quickly withdrew his hand, not daring to look into Wen Youqing's eyes for a moment.

What she just did was what she wanted to do. Was it a joke to him, or...?

The evening breeze came again, bringing a chill, but it couldn't dispel the smell of alcohol. Instead, it allowed the floral-scented wine to roam freely throughout the room.

The chill did not make Li Yin feel clear-headed; instead, it made her feel even more confused.

She's so confused; she must be drunk today.

Wen Youqing looked at Li Yin without saying a word, just watching quietly.

Song Bei stood to the side, her heart pounding with anxiety, her fingers gripping the handkerchief tightly as she looked at Li Yin with a worried expression.

Li Yin reached for another glass of wine in front of him, then drank it all in one gulp before collapsing to the ground, the glass rolling off his hand.

There was no loud thud as a head struck the wooden table; it wasn't a hard collision, but a soft contact. Both hands reached out towards Li Yin at the same time, but the pair of hands with distinct knuckles were a step ahead of the pair of slender, long hands.

Song Bei was puzzled and looked confused. She withdrew her hand and asked, "Master..." Before she could finish saying "Master," she received another warning look from Wen Youqing.

She had no choice but to change her words, saying, "Young master, I am not a good drinker. If I stay here tonight, it will surely damage my reputation."

Although she said this, she also knew that if Miss Li stayed with this man and left the building, her reputation would be ruined, and it would be the same whether she stayed or not.

Wen Youqing said, "Miss Li said she wants to visit a brothel today, so let's go along with Miss Li's wishes. Please take Miss Li to her bed and send someone to inform the Li family."

Song Bei walked over and picked up Li Yin. Wen Youqing withdrew her hand and smiled gently as she looked at Li Yin in Song Bei's arms.

Such a strong sense of vigilance! You almost fooled me.

However, Li Yin, the way your face is slightly flushed is really cute.

After watching Li Yin being carried to the bed, he left, closing the door slowly and gently without making a sound.

Song Bei stared at the spot where Wen Youqing had left for a long while before turning his head. The person who should have been lying on the bed with her eyes closed had now opened her eyes.

Song Bei was initially startled, but then he suddenly understood Wen Youqing's behavior earlier; it turned out that the adults had already noticed.

Seeing the slight worry on Song Bei's face and her furrowed brows, Li Yin gently patted Song Bei's hand and asked, "What's wrong, Miss Xiao Bei?"

Song Bei laughed and said, "It's nothing, I just felt a little drunk from the smell of the wine."

"Are you drunk?" Li Yin asked, then she reached out and gently touched Song Bei's lips with her fingertips, saying, "Try it."

Song Bei understood. She already knew that Li Yin knew medicine, but she originally thought he only knew a little bit, like a neighborly doctor. But today, she had a new appreciation for Li Yin's medical skills.

The powder can be hidden in the gaps between your fingernails and gently shaken a few times to make it fall out.

Song Bei's tongue touched the powder on his lips, carrying a faint sweetness. The powder dissipated as soon as it entered his mouth, leaving no trace of medicinal taste. He even doubted that the slight sweetness he had felt earlier was just an illusion. His mind immediately felt cool; this was a hangover cure.

Miss Li is quite formidable. Song Bei smiled gently, half of her worries lessening. She said softly, "Miss, were you just pretending to be drunk?"

Li Yin said, "How was it? Was my acting convincing?"

Song Bei said, "Yes, young lady. You don't drink much, and you don't like to ask for drinks. I really don't know anything about your drinking capacity."

Li Yin reached out and patted Song Bei on the shoulder, saying, "I can hold my liquor well. Even without this, I wouldn't get drunk." As she spoke, she gently shook her hand.

Suddenly remembering something, Song Bei asked, "Did that girl also give that young master a hangover cure?"

Li Yin sat up, shook his head, and said, "It's poison."

Song Bei looked shocked. Before she could ask any questions, Li Yin explained, "It's a minor poison, not fatal. I never harm people. This poison just makes him drunk and forget some things. It's called 'Past Events Dispersal'."

It was just to make him forget the absurd scene of him getting drunk earlier.

Li Yin put on his shoes and got out of bed, tugged at Song Bei's sleeve and asked, "Xiao Bei, what do you think of that person just now?"

Song Bei answered truthfully, "He has a handsome face and good character." It's just that the man's thoughts are too deep, making him incomprehensible and unfathomable, like a cold pool where one can only see the bottom stone but cannot know the depth of the pool.

She didn't say the second half of the sentence, only that the person would let her say it.

Upon hearing this, Li Yin gently tugged at Song Bei's sleeve, seemingly pouting, and said, "Good Bei Bei, you must have seen more than just this, right? I always feel that he is not what he seems on the surface."

Upon hearing this, Song Bei looked at Li Yin and said, "This is an illusion. That young master is a person who is consistent inside and out."

He said this on the surface, but in his heart he thought, "Miss Li, you have such an accurate eye for people."