25. Alcohol-induced violence
No one expected Chi Jin's good alcohol tolerance.
After downing half a pound of baijiu, three male editors were already drunk. Jiang Hu, the remaining man, also began to lose consciousness, his eyes vacant and his tongue tied. Chi Jin, on the other hand, had only a faint blush on her cheeks, but her eyes were surprisingly clear, even sharper than usual. She shook the empty baijiu glass in her hand, a subtle curve at the corner of her lips, and said clearly, "White wine isn't doing the trick? Want a beer? I'll take care of you, too."
Jiang Hu waved his hands and struggled to stand up from his seat, his steps unsteady and hesitant: "No, no... I have to... I have to go pee first..."
As he said this, he moved towards the bathroom, taking one step forward and one step back.
Duan Xingche was also drunk, his face flushed red. He slumped over the table, grinning foolishly, "Master...with your alcohol tolerance...can you, could you open a class and take in disciples? I'll be the first to sign up!"
"He won't drink anymore." Liu Yingyue stood up. "Editor Chi, are you okay? It's inconvenient for your editor-in-chief to take you there, so let me take you there."
Chi Jin knew Liu Yingyue meant well, but they weren't close, and she didn't want to owe him a favor. She smiled and declined, "Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Liu. You guys go ahead. I'll just take a taxi later." She emphasized the word "myself," her implication clear—she didn't need anyone to see her off, including Chen Yisheng.
The implication is that she doesn't need Chen Yisheng to send her off.
"Chi, Editor Chi, thank you so much...thank you so much. Originally, I wanted to join Faces the most, but...unfortunately, the requirement became a master's degree the year I arrived, so I could only go to Childhood."
"Editor Liu, please send Xiao Sun back."
Liu Yingyue had just that in mind, so she and the editor of "Her Made" helped Xiao Sun out together.
Duan Xingche looked at the unconscious male editors lying on the table, forced himself to stand up, and staggered to Chi Jin's side: "Master, Master... I... I will take you back! I guarantee... safety!"
Chi Jin didn't look at him, her gaze fixed on the man who had been aloof from the conflict since its inception and who now remained aloof. The alcohol hadn't clouded her consciousness; instead, it seemed to ignite a long-suppressed fire of resentment, anger, and unwillingness, igniting her courage.
She used the alcohol to embolden herself and said in a commanding tone, "Chen Yisheng, you take me there."
It's not a question, not a request, but an absolute demand.
The man named paused. He didn't answer immediately.
After a few seconds, he raised his hand and called the waiter over. He gave a few concise instructions and pointed to the drunk male editors at the table. His voice was calm and unwavering: "Deal with it."
Then, he picked up the coat hanging on the back of the chair, put it on neatly, and walked to the door.
"Let's go. I'll take you there."
"You", plural, seems to be drawing a line.
…
Duan Xingche climbed into the back seat of the car in a daze, almost using both his hands and feet. As soon as he touched the seat, his heavy eyelids could no longer support him. His head tilted and he instantly fell into a coma, snoring softly.
Chi Jin patted him hard: "Hey, Duan Xingche, wake up, move a little, I still need to go in."
The only response she got was louder snoring.
"His address should be found in the navigation records." Chen Yisheng murmured, "Chi Jin, come sit in the front."
Chi Jin didn't hesitate much, and opened the passenger door and got in. The cool touch of leather came through the thin material. The jasmine fragrance in the car had long been covered by the smell of alcohol on the two people, but it was a bit unpleasant.
Chen Yisheng started the engine smoothly. He didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, as if the person sitting next to him was just a ball of air.
"Is Editor-in-Chief Chen allergic to alcohol?"
"No," he answered simply, looking straight ahead, "I just don't drink."
He paused again, and finally turned his head to the side, glancing at her quickly with a complicated look in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to be able to drink so well."
"It's something I've practiced." Chi Jin said lightly.
"Oh? The company rarely has any social events, right?"
"I practiced it in my senior year of high school."
It was a sensitive time. Chen Yisheng's fingers on the steering wheel curled slightly, his Adam's apple moving slightly, but he ultimately didn't pursue this overly personal topic.
The car came to a steady stop at a long red light. The intersection was deserted, with only the changing light and shadow of the traffic lights moving through the car.
"Isn't Editor-in-Chief Chen curious?"
"What are you curious about?"
"Curious about why I can drink so much." Chi Jin turned his head, his eyes falling on his profile without hesitation, his voice slightly hoarse with the unique hoarseness of being drunk, "That's right, you don't even care about my seminar. It's up to you whether you come or not. You agreed so easily, and you stood me up so easily."
"Don't tell me you drank so much because you were mad at me."
"Of course you're not that important." Chi Jin immediately retorted, his voice rising sharply like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "I know my alcohol tolerance and know when to drink. I can either drink a thousand cups without getting drunk or not drink at all. As for you, instead of worrying about how much I drink, why don't you reflect on why you stood by and watched in that situation? I always thought you were very righteous."
Chen Yisheng's expression was indifferent. He didn't refute or seem to want to explain. "I'm sorry, I'm just so unkind. I just wanted to remind you that youth is not an asset. You should take care of your body."
"I swear to God, even if I'm not in good health, I wouldn't do this because of these few sips of wine. I'm working hard on this column."
"...What I mean is that you have to take care of yourself. You're really worrying." Chen Yisheng's voice lowered even more, with a sense of oppression as if he was forced into a corner.
"I take good care of myself, but there are always bad people bullying me."
"...You're talking about me?"
Chen Yisheng finally turned his head, and their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze.
She looked straight into his eyes. If she hadn't been drinking today, this matter might have just passed. But under the influence of alcohol, she had to ask: "Chen Yisheng, why did you break the appointment?"
Chen Yisheng's fingers gripping the steering wheel tightened imperceptibly, his knuckles turning white. He didn't answer, but his Adam's apple rolled ever so slightly, as if suppressing something. The countdown light from the red light flickered in his deep eyes.
Chi Jin hasn't blacked out yet, but whenever he's drunk he always ends up talking a lot: "Chen Yisheng, didn't you promise me yesterday that you'd come to my presentation? Why didn't you show up at all, and didn't even give any explanation? Xiao Duan even gave me flowers... Of course, I don't need flowers from you. I just want you to show up and fulfill your promise. Is that that hard?"
"Does it really matter whether I go or not?"
The green light is on.
Chen Yisheng suddenly stepped on the accelerator, and the car accelerated instantly. The strong push on Chi Jin's back pushed him back into the seat. His heartbeat had not yet calmed down, and a mixture of grievance and anger immediately surged up.
Chi Jin bit his lip and said with a hint of tears, "It's important. At least professionally, you are a senior whom I respect very much. I even feel that being recognized by you, Chen Yisheng, is enough to prove that I am qualified."
She clearly noticed that Chen Yisheng's breathing had become as disordered as her own.
"Chi Jin. Just now you said I'm 'of course not that important'. So am I important or not?"
At the critical moment, Duan Xingche's snoring was heard from the back seat, becoming the loud background sound in this small space.
The conversation came to an abrupt end, and Chen Yisheng’s first priority was to send Duan Xingche home first.
Arriving at the foot of the apartment building, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He opened the back door with a swift movement and half-carried the unconscious Duan Xingche out. He half-carried the still unconscious Duan Xingche, still mumbling nonsense, out.
After a while, Chen Yisheng came back alone, and he seemed to be contaminated by the coolness of the night wind.
Just the two of them were left alone, and the silence was thicker and more suffocating than before. The lingering smell of alcohol mixed with the autumn breeze, making the air inexplicably hot.
Chen Yisheng remained silent and did not start the car immediately. Instead, he carefully put his coat on her, his movements gentle as if he was taking care of a child.
He didn't explain, nor did he look at her. Instead, he took out his phone. The unlocked screen light illuminated the dim car. He swiped the screen a few times, then tilted it towards Chi Jin, just enough for her to see clearly.
A photo is displayed on the screen.
The shooting angle was obviously in the shadow of the control desk area, and the picture was a bit dark, but the protagonist was extremely clear - it was Chi Jin standing on the podium of the School of Journalism.
She was leaning slightly forward, one hand on the edge of the podium, the other holding a page-turning pen, her gaze fixed intently on the audience. The light from the podium illuminated her profile, a soft yet resolute expression, a confident curve at the corner of her lips. She seemed to be radiating, frozen in her own moment of glory.
The photos are... well taken. They're like a fangirl.
Chi Jin's heart suddenly sank and he looked at Chen Yisheng in disbelief.
He... is here? He's right there?
Chen Yisheng didn't look at her, just staring at the car navigation interface. His voice was as low as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper, with a suppressed, almost indistinguishable emotion: "I'm going."
"when?"
“I watched the whole thing from the console area.”
The air seemed to freeze. Chi Jin could clearly hear his own heartbeat, which suddenly accelerated, pounding against his eardrums.
"Then..." She heard her voice tremble slightly, "Why didn't you say hello to me?"
A heavy, almost guilty silence fell. He turned off his phone, and the car fell into darkness again, with only the dashboard emitting a faint light.
Chi Jin's heart was beating so fast that it was about to jump out of her chest. Almost unconsciously, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Why don't you speak?" Her voice was filled with a hint of urgency that she herself was not even aware of.
The skin was warm, and the pulse was beating wildly under her fingertips at an almost frantic rhythm, shockingly fast and without any rhyme or reason, like a drum that was out of control.
"Chi Jin. You're drunk."
Chi Jin raised her head and looked straight into the depths of his eyes. Her fingertips felt his uncontrolled pulse, every word was clear to her.
"Chen Yisheng, your heartbeat...why is it so fast?"
The engine hummed back to life, and the car slid slowly out of the parking space and into the night traffic. Neon lights streamed through the car window, casting flickering shadows on his sharply defined profile.
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