Chapter 38, The 38th Beam of Light: "What happened to them last night?"...
Yu Mushang took a small sip and then put the cup down.
This was his second time drinking.
Both times he drank, it turned out that it was related to her.
His fingers traced the surface of his wine glass, and the girl across from him listened intently to her incessant chatter. Her desire to pour out her heart grew stronger, and the sounds of her pouring wine became more frequent…
She talked about her past, her journey, and the emotions of her listeners shifted repeatedly. When they heard about her happy moments, they were happy too; when they heard about her sadness and dejection, their hearts clenched with sorrow...
Until Song Xingyun slumped onto the table in a daze, unconsciously muttering accusations,
"Yu Mushang, you didn't recognize me."
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The next day.
Song Xingyun was awakened by the ringing of the telephone. She pressed her temples, which were still aching from a hangover, and without even opening her eyes, she reached out and groped haphazardly in the direction of the ringing.
She finally managed to touch it, but when she held it to her ear, her fingers wouldn't obey her commands, the phone slipped, and it smashed squarely into her face. "Ouch!"
She clutched the painful spot, her voice trembling with pain, "Hey..." Her voice was still hoarse from the alcohol and the fact that she had just woken up.
This startled Wen Ying on the other end of the phone. "Xingxing, what's wrong? Did you cry? I sang karaoke all night and my voice isn't as hoarse as yours. You were crying last night..."
At this point, Wen Ying paused, remembering the phone call she made to Song Xingyun last night, which was answered by a man!
She glanced at the time again, which was almost noon. Since she had known Song Xingyun, she had rarely slept this late. Wen Ying slowly said, "You didn't really shout all night last night... did you?"
Song Xingyun's attention was focused on her stinging face, but she could still recognize Wen Ying's voice as she slammed the phone on her head. She yawned, indicating that she hadn't heard clearly, and asked, "What did you say?"
Wen Ying's voice immediately softened, and she covered the bottom of the phone with her other hand, "Are you alone right now?"
The question puzzled Song Xingyun, but it brought her to her senses. She opened her eyes and looked around. She immediately recognized that she was in Villa No. 9. "No, who else could be in my room besides me? Changming won't sleep with me."
Wen Ying looked at the villa in front of her. "I brought you some food from outside your workplace."
"Hmm." Song Xingyun sat up abruptly after responding, fully awake. "What? You're at my workplace? Wait for me, I'll come pick you up right away."
She got up, went barefoot, quickly washed up, and rushed out. She had never run this fast, not even when she was running in school races.
As she passed through the lobby, she saw Yu Mushang and Ying Qi discussing something. "Good morning!" she greeted them warmly.
Ying Qi watched the woman "drift" away like the wind, glanced at the clock on the wall, and twitched his lips. "Shouldn't she have said 'Good afternoon'?"
As soon as Ying Qi finished speaking, Song Xingyun turned back. She looked at Yu Mushang and asked cautiously, "Boss, my friend is here to see me. May I bring her in?"
Song Xingyun thought that although this villa was her workplace, it was also Yu Mushang's private residence, so she still had to ask him about it.
Seeing that Yu Mushang did not respond for a long time, Song Xingyun thought she was going to be rejected, so she took the initiative to say, "It's okay if it doesn't work out. I'll go out and talk with her. I won't be back for lunch. You can take care of yourselves."
Yu Mushang only responded after she said that, "You can bring your friends in."
His change of heart was somewhat sudden, which inevitably made people wonder whether he didn't care about outsiders coming in, or whether he simply didn't want to solve his own lunch problem.
Song Xingyun was surprised for a second, then beamed with joy, "Thank you, boss!"
Ying Qi watched her run off into the distance and shouted, "Which friend of yours?"
"So rushed."
As soon as he finished speaking, a chill seemed to run through him. He saw his boss lightly tapping his finger on the table. "What? You know a lot of her friends?"
Does that mean the boss is jealous again?
Ying Qi immediately perked up, "How would I know? I was just asking casually."
As soon as he finished speaking, the image of a woman with long curly hair, drunk, suddenly appeared in his mind.
But he was quickly interrupted by Yu Mushang's cold snort, "Don't ask questions unrelated to work. I think you're too idle."
Yingqi: ...
＊
Wen Ying's sports car was parked in front of Villa No. 9. She hadn't even taken off her sunglasses and was still sitting in the car, trying to avoid the scorching sun outside. The car window rolled down, and soon footsteps could be heard outside. She turned her head and saw Song Xingyun already leaning against her car window. "Why did you come over so suddenly?"
Wen Ying then took off her sunglasses, feigning anger, and said, "Who told you to leave me alone at home yesterday? I just missed you, so I came to see you and check out your work environment. Is that convenient?"
Wen Ying is usually very idle. She's tired of watching shows and male models; nothing is as interesting as her Xingxing. Plus, there was that phone call last night…
“Convenient! I’ve already asked for permission. Come in with me.” Song Xingyun gestured for her to get out of the car. “But how did you manage to drive in?” The security at Villa No. 9 is quite strict.
"I left my ID card there." They even mentioned your boss's name.
She got out of the car and walked around to Song Xingyun's side, opened the passenger door, and found the seat and the area under the seat full of takeout bags printed with "Chun Yuan". "They're all your favorite foods!"
Song Xingyun took the soup from her hand and immediately smelled the aroma she had been craving. "You brought me red date and black chicken soup?" Her eyes were bright. Wen Ying wanted to hug her, but she couldn't free her hands at the moment.
"Chun Yuan" is a famous private restaurant in Beijing. It does not offer takeout service; takeout orders must be packed in person. The menu is limited daily, so you have to go early.
Song Xingyun and Wen Ying had been there a few times and couldn't stop thinking about the red date and black chicken soup. "What time did you go? How did you manage to buy it?"
Wen Ying gave an exaggerated yawn. "Would you believe me if I said I went to line up at seven o'clock?"
Song Xingyun nodded vigorously three times. "I believe you! Wenwen is the best!"
Wen Ying looked smug. "Of course! Since you love to drink, it'll be perfect for sobering you up and also replenishing your blood!"
Song Xingyun raised a hand, "How did you know I drank last night?" She bit her lip, thinking of the person who drank with her last night.
Wen Ying gave an irrelevant answer, "I was too drunk that day and didn't even have a chance to interrogate you. You'd better give me a proper introduction to your boss today."
She added in her mind, "I not only know you drank last night, but I also know you drank with your boss."
Upon hearing this, Song Xingyun, who was about to step into the villa, almost tripped over the threshold. "What? You wouldn't happen to be..."
"Hmm?" Wen Ying waited for her to continue.
Song Xingyun recalled the farcical encounter between the four of them at the bar that night, and then thought of Wen Ying's fondness for handsome men, and pursed her lips, "You wouldn't happen to have a crush on our boss, would you?"
This time, it was Wen Ying's turn to almost trip and fall. "How could that be? One should not covet a friend's wife, nor steal a friend's husband!"
Song Xingyun: ?
"What friend's husband? Me and him... don't get carried away." This is terrible.
As soon as the two entered, the long-lived centenarians who had been running and jumping in the small garden rushed over.
Wen Ying watched as two almost identical Labrador Retrievers approached at the same time. With food in her hand, she could only blink and rub her eyes. "Has my astigmatism gotten worse? I can't see Changming clearly."
These words made Song Xingyun laugh out loud. "It's not a double image. The other one belongs to our boss and is called Bai Sui."
At this moment, the two dogs had come to their feet. Changming rubbed affectionately against Wen Ying's leg as if to say hello, while Baisui rubbed against Song Xingyun's trouser leg. The two dogs' actions were almost identical.
Wen Ying squatted down and patted Changming's head, then looked at Baisui, "Your name is Baisui? You look familiar, and your name sounds familiar too. Have we met somewhere before?"
Then I heard the hundred-year-old bark twice.
Wen Ying helplessly patted Bai Sui's head, "If you don't understand, I'll just take it as a compliment on my beauty." The dog's face froze for a moment.
Song Xingyun smiled and said, "I'll come back later to add some food for you." After saying that, she called Wen Ying and walked into the villa.
Just as she was about to enter, Wen Ying suddenly chickened out and stopped abruptly. "Your boss... is here too?"
Song Xingyun nodded and informed him, "The boss's other male assistant is also here, named Ying Qi, you've met him before."
Wen Ying looked puzzled. "I've seen him before? I've never heard of that name before?"
Song Xingyun then remembered that it was normal for her to be so drunk that she couldn't remember anything that day. She also thought that her previous assumption that she had a crush on Yu Mushang was really outrageous. "That night you were drunk, he carried you home for me. Did you black out?"
Hearing her say that, Wen Ying really tried hard to remember, but could only recall a blurry figure, "I remember..."
Song Xingyun thought Wen Ying remembered, but the next second she said, "I remember touching a muscular man, he felt nice."
Ying Qi, who was on her boss's orders to look for someone, almost tripped and fell when she heard Wen Ying's words as she reached the door.
He recognized the voice; it really was the woman from that night.
The next second, Ying Qi ran right into them.
Song Xingyun was startled by his sudden appearance. "Why are you appearing and disappearing like a ghost?"
Ying Qi habitually reverted to his usual serious demeanor when out in front of outsiders, saying, "The boss thought you got lost while picking someone up, so he sent me to check on you."
From the moment he appeared, Wen Ying's gaze was fixed on him, a blatant scrutiny that Ying Qi also noticed.
He followed that gaze and the woman's bright face immediately caught his eye. That night at the bar, she was so drunk that her long hair was all crooked and covered most of her face. In addition, the dim environment made it difficult for him to see her clearly. Later, when he was carrying her, he didn't pay any attention to her appearance.
I saw it clearly today.
Not only did I see it clearly, but I also remembered it.
The two women had identical expressions. Song Xingyun was about to introduce them, "This is..."
Then they both said in unison,
"It's you!"
"It's you?"
Song Xingyun: ?
She glanced at Wen Ying, "No more memory loss? You remembered?" Then she looked at Ying Qi, "You two met at the bar that night. I didn't have a chance to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to carry Wenwen home."
She continued talking to herself, unaware that the two men weren't listening. Finally, Wen Ying broke the silence, snapping out of her daze, "Dog traffickers?"
When she uttered those three words, Ying Qi became even more certain that Wen Ying was the woman he had met at the pet hospital before, the one who had mistaken him for a "dog trafficker."
Last time he left before he could respond, but this time he finally had a chance to explain, “I’m not a dog trafficker.” His words were pale.
He reached out and took the food from their hands, very gentlemanly.
Wen Ying looked him up and down again. "You don't look like it at all. I misunderstood you, brother."
brother?
She could see the confusion on Ying Qi's face, and waved her hand, "It's just a form of address, it's not important." She remembered what Song Xingyun had said earlier, "Thanks for that night, brother."
Yingqi: ...
Song Xingyun held her hand, afraid that she would raise it to pat Ying Qi's shoulder. She laughed awkwardly and said to Ying Qi, "That's just Wenwen's personality. Let's go inside."
Ying Qi then made way for him.
As Wen Ying walked, she glanced back at the man behind her and their eyes met. For some reason, she felt a little guilty and quickly turned her head back.
Yingqi muttered to himself in the back, "Strange woman."
Wen Ying was not as at ease when she saw Yu Mushang as she was when she saw Ying Qi. Perhaps it was because Yu Mushang's temperament was too cold, and even she, who was usually bold, did not dare to act rashly.
Song Xingyun introduced, "Boss, this is my good friend Wenwen. You met her at the bar the other day."
Yu Mushang gave a faint "hmm," and said, "I remember."
Not only do they remember, they even spoke on the phone last night. "Miss Wen should also remember Mr. Yu, right?"
The man's voice matched his demeanor, and Wen Ying nodded repeatedly. "I remember, I remember. I must thank you for taking care of our Xingxing last night."
Song Xingyun was completely confused by this. "What are you talking about? How could I possibly need his...care?"
Song Xingyun paused, because several fragmented images flashed into her mind.
She drank with Yu Mushang last night.
No, in the end she almost finished several bottles of wine by herself, while Yu Mushang seemed to have only taken a small sip.
Then, she, who had never been drunk before, got extremely drunk last night.
And then, what happened?
Song Xingyun then realized the seriousness of the situation, "Boss, boss..."
Yu Mushang turned his face toward the direction she spoke, "I thought Assistant Song was going to call me 'husband' again."
The other three people present: !!
What kind of husband?
Wen Ying, who had been holding Song Xingyun's arm, tightened her grip. Her eyes were full of gossip as she whispered, "You call him husband?"
Although she spoke softly, everyone was close enough to hear her. Song Xingyun's face instantly turned red. "No... I didn't!"
Wen Ying could easily spot her flustered expression. Afraid she'd be too embarrassed, she quickly smoothed things over, "Ah, no, you called him 'boss,' you must have misspoke!"
Song Xingyun quickly replied, "Boss, you misheard." She spoke softer and softer, sounding quite guilty.
Yu Mushang closed the book in his hand. "Oh, am I old enough to make Assistant Song stutter?"
She repeated the word "old" several times, and everyone present heard it. Song Xingyun was speechless. "I am, I'm nervous, haha."
Yu Mushang accepted her explanation, "I almost forgot that Assistant Song hasn't finished speaking yet?"
She must have had her reasons for calling him; she probably had something to say or ask.
What happened to them last night?
Song Xingyun felt that she couldn't bring herself to ask the question right now, as several pairs of eyes were staring at her. "No, I'm done. I just wanted to call you."
At this moment, the wall clock struck twelve times in a row, and Song Xingyun finally noticed the time; it was already noon.
Ying Qi, who had been watching the drama unfold, couldn't help but speak up when she saw Song's expression, "Assistant Song has been sleeping until the sun is high in the sky."
Wen Ying blurted out, "You weren't tired last night, were you?"
Song Xingyun: ?
She gently pinched Wen Ying's arm and whispered, "Don't cause trouble." She seriously suspected that Wen Ying had misunderstood.
Song Xingyun said with a forced smile, "It's lunchtime, why don't we start eating?"
"Agreed." Ying Qi was genuinely hungry, and he was the quickest to respond, filling the table with all the dishes. "Let's eat and chat."
Still want to chat? Song Xingyun really wanted to stuff his mouth with a plate.
Ying Qi had already noticed that the dishes were from "Chun Yuan" restaurant. As she arranged them, she glanced at Wen Ying and said, "You have a good eye for ordering." Then she turned to Yu Mushang and said, "Boss, these are all your favorite dishes."
His words inexplicably relaxed Song Xingyun. She pulled out a chair for Wen Ying to sit down, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Wenwen." Her tone was unconsciously coquettish.
Unaware that Yu Mushang's fingernails had suddenly tightened, leaving a mark on the book cover.
Wen Ying said casually, "It's not hard work." Then she looked at Yu Mushang, who was sitting diagonally across from her, "What a coincidence, Mr. Yu, all of these dishes are also my Xingxing's favorites. Your tastes are quite similar."
Song Xingyun wanted to keep a low profile, so she tugged at her hem and said, "Let's eat!"
Afraid of not being able to stop Wen Ying, she immediately asked a question she hadn't had a chance to ask before, "Why did you say Ying Qi is a dog trafficker?"
Wen Ying's attention was indeed diverted. She looked at Ying Qi opposite her and asked, "Should you speak or should I?"
Ying Qi didn't say anything, only glanced at her. Wen Ying then recounted their first meeting, which was the first time Song Xingyun had heard of it. She was somewhat surprised, "So the roommate who lives so long at the pet hospital is a hundred years old?"
Ying Qi and Wen Ying nodded simultaneously.
"No wonder the name Changming sounded so familiar?"
"No wonder the name 'hundred years old' sounded familiar."
Hearing the two of them say similar things at the same time, Song Xingyun said, "I think you two are quite destined for each other. Shall we have a soup instead of wine?"
Yu Mushang picked up where she left off, "Soup instead of wine? Has Assistant Song changed her ways? How about another meal to reminisce?"
Song Xingyun's eyes widened.
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