Chapter 56 Unrelated People
"Alright, alright," Shang Qiyue nudged Meng Simiao with his elbow, "Now that things have come to this, even the dumbest person wouldn't keep bothering Jiayan. Are you sober yet? Didn't you say you were going to get me drunk? Why aren't you being so enthusiastic?"
"I already had someone get it. I'm magnanimous, so I won't force you to smoke today." Meng Simiao frowned slightly when she saw him come back after finishing his cigar. "I'm not saying this to be mean, but you should smoke less. You've only been here a short time and you're already looking for a smoke. You probably smoked quite a bit in the car too."
Shang Qiyue naturally couldn't say that he had just gone out to smoke a cigar because he didn't want to stay in the private room. He smiled and said he would smoke less.
The waiter started serving the food, and after a few sips of wine, everyone quickly forgot about the somewhat awkward scene from earlier.
Ren Chengzhou suddenly chuckled, put his wine glass on the table, looked at Shang Qiyue, and changed the subject: "By the way, what about yours? It looks pretty well-behaved. I took a look the other day... I'm not saying this to be mean, but after what happened with Jiayan just now, I've come to understand that those who seem quiet, don't cry, don't make a fuss, and aren't clingy might actually be the most troublesome."
Shang Qiyue expressionlessly tapped the rim of his wine glass without replying.
Ren Chengzhou, still in high spirits, continued, "I'm not being nosy, but look at him. He doesn't seem like someone who's just looking to be someone's lover. The less compatible you are with someone, the more careful you should be. If he falls in love one day and you can't get rid of him, you'll be the one in trouble."
Shang Qiyue still didn't respond.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Fu Jiayan reached for the wine pot and filled their glasses, smiling as he tried to smooth things over: "You've only had a few sips, Chengzhou, and you're already drunk. What are you saying? How many people are that clueless? I'm just unlucky. I met that beta when I got engaged. He seemed pretty well-behaved and knew his place. Besides, he's definitely not from our world. Even if we wanted to teach him a lesson, it would only take a few words."
"Let's drink." Shang Qiyue raised his glass. "We finally managed to get everyone together, why bring up irrelevant people?"
The atmosphere became lively again. Once all the dishes were served, everyone started joking around. Since they had all grown up together, no one would take a careless remark to heart and cause unhappiness.
Meng Simiao and the others were going to karaoke, so they drank relatively restrainedly. Fu Jiayan and Shang Qiyue planned to go home after drinking, so they were both a little tipsy.
The two said goodbye to the rest of the people. Fu Jiayan's driver was waiting for him in the parking lot downstairs, so he asked Shang Qiyue if he wanted a ride home.
Shang Qiyue shook his head and said that he had driven here, so he should call his assistant to pick him up. The parking lot was big, and it would be too much trouble to ask his assistant to find his car in a few days.
"You're quite understanding, what a good boss. Yue Xia Lige," Fu Jiayan joked.
Shang Qiyue told him to get lost. When the elevator stopped on the first floor, he got off and slumped onto the sofa in the hotel lobby to call Luo Cheng.
The alcohol was starting to take effect, and Shang Qiyue was feeling a little dizzy. He didn't have many contacts on his phone; the person he contacted most frequently was his assistant, Luo Cheng. Seeing the top two characters of the contact name, he called him.
Because it was about to rain, dusk fell early, even though it wasn't sunset yet.
Mu Yan had just taken his mother back to the hospital and then hailed a taxi for his brother downstairs at the outpatient building. He had also hailed a taxi to go home, and had just leaned back in his seat to catch his breath when his phone suddenly vibrated.
It was Shang Qiyue calling.
He answered the phone, and immediately heard a man's somewhat incoherent voice, tinged with irritation: "Where are you? Come pick me up."
Mu Yan was taken aback: "Huh?"
Shang Qiyue gave him the name of a hotel, told him to arrive within half an hour, and then hung up the phone with a snap.
Mu Yan glanced down at the location; it was a high-end hotel in the city center with excellent privacy.
The taxi driver frowned immediately when he heard that he wanted to change the address.
“I heard the broadcast before you got on. It was a yellow alert for heavy rain. I definitely have to go home now. If my engine stalls in this heavy rain, I'll have worked for nothing for days. If it weren't on my way, I wouldn't have given you a ride today.”
The driver's tone was firm, so Mu Yan had no choice but to get off the car at the intersection.
As if deliberately bullying him, large raindrops began to fall shortly after Mu Yan got out of the car. He hadn't even brought an umbrella, so he quickly retreated to the eaves of a building on the side of the street to take shelter from the rain.
Springtime in southern cities rarely brings such heavy rain.
A few taxis with their "for hire" lights on occasionally drove by on the street, but when Mu Yan waved, they all ignored him and drove past.
The ride-hailing app was still spinning, and no one accepted the order. Mu Yan stood in the rain for almost twenty minutes and paid twice the usual fare before finally a car was willing to take him.
The windshield wipers kept swishing, briefly clearing the window before quickly returning to normal, which was a bit annoying. There wasn't much time left until the half hour Shang Qiyue had mentioned.
He hesitated, unsure whether he should call Shang Qiyue in advance to explain.
"Fine, if you don't want to explain, then don't," Mu Yan sighed. He'd seen many leaders like this; if their demands weren't met, explaining or not wouldn't change anything. Calling beforehand would only mean another scolding.
By the time he arrived at the hotel, an hour had passed. Mu Yan was worried that he wouldn't be able to get a taxi, so he told the driver to wait at the entrance while he picked someone up.
The hotel lobby was warmly lit, a stark contrast to the cold rain outside.
Mu Yan stood at the front desk, gave Shang Qiyue's name, and was led to the VIP lounge. When the door opened, a strong smell of alcohol hit her. Shang Qiyue was lounging on the sofa, his collar loose and his coat draped to one side.
"Why are you so slow?" Shang Qiyue heard footsteps and looked up to complain.
He was originally sitting on the sofa in the lobby waiting for Luo Cheng, but when Luo Cheng didn't arrive for a long time, the hotel staff asked him to wait in the VIP lounge.
When Shang Qiyue looked up and saw who it was, he was stunned for a moment. Mu Yan's white shirt, which was already a bit thin, was wet and clung to his body, outlining his slender waist.
"Why is it you? Wasn't I calling Luo Cheng?"
Normally, Shang Qiyue would have explained that he wasn't angry with Mu Yan. But today, he had been drinking and was getting impatient, so he kept a straight face and skipped over this trivial step.
"I... Mr. Shang just called me and asked me to come pick him up." Mu Yan lowered her head, wondering why Shang Qiyue was suddenly acting so crazy again. "Just now... it was raining quite heavily on the road, and I couldn't get a taxi."
Shang Qiyue frowned as he stared at Mu Yan's soaked appearance, but didn't say anything. He realized he had dialed the wrong number, and knowing he was in the wrong, he didn't say anything more, but handed the packaged dessert to Mu Yan: "For you."
Mu Yan stepped forward, took the dessert, and before she could reach out to help him, Shang Qiyue stood up on his own, but his legs wobbled and he was still unsteady.
Mu Yan had no choice but to gently support his arm and lead him toward the door.
He glanced at the road not far away—the taxi he was supposed to meet was nowhere to be seen.
"Why did he... leave?" Mu Yan was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously whispered what was on her mind.
"Huh?" Shang Qiyue didn't hear clearly.
“I just told the driver to wait for me to pick you up and then take us back…” He paused for a moment, “but he has already… left.”
Shang Qiyue seemed to click his tongue, leaning unsteadily against Mu Yan. It was understandable that the taxi driver was impatient and couldn't wait any longer: "Why don't you just take another taxi?"
Mu Yan looked down and unlocked his phone. He had been trying to call a car for a while, but the screen still showed "Waiting for order" and he had been rejected by the driver several times.
They might not be lazy; their cars are their livelihood, and it wouldn't be worth damaging them if they went out to pick up passengers in the rain.
Shang Qiyue's patience was wearing thin. He stared at Mu Yan for a while, then suddenly asked, "Don't you have a driver's license?"
Mu Yan was taken aback: "Ah...yes, there are."
"I have a car, so why don't you go drive it?"
"I haven't driven it in a long time, and it's raining now, so I'm worried it might not be safe."
Shang Qiyue stared at him, his displeasure growing more and more obvious: "I drove an SUV, what's unsafe about it? Did you buy your driver's license? You're too scared to drive this."
Mu Yan lowered his head and quietly endured the scolding.
Even if Shang Qiyue was unhappy, Mu Yan wouldn't dare joke about something like this. He couldn't afford to pay for the damage if he hit Shang Qiyue's car, and he couldn't bear the responsibility if something happened to Shang Qiyue.
Besides, Mu Yan already knew Shang Qiyue a little; he was probably drunk, which was why he was so short-tempered. Even if he cursed him now, he might not take it to heart.
The two stood silently under the eaves for a while, the rain falling softly. Shang Qiyue stared at Mu Yan's wet shirt, then took off his own coat and put it on him.
For some reason, Shang Qiyue found it difficult to control his temper after drinking.
He was clearly in a hurry to take Mu Yan home to take a shower because he saw how wet Mu Yan was, but for some reason, his words turned into accusations as soon as they came out.
The rain has lessened a bit and looks like it's about to stop, but the streets are still heavily flooded, and it's still difficult to hail a taxi.
"Do you dare to open it now?"
"You're soaking wet too, go back and take a shower. My car has a high ground clearance because it's an SUV, so just drive carefully. Taxis don't have as high a ground clearance as mine, so they're probably more prone to getting water in..."
It was difficult for Shang Qiyue to admit that he had lost his temper and lashed out at Mu Yan. He tried to justify his words from every angle, but he couldn't bring himself to say, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper with you."
"I'll be watching from the side. Just drive carefully and don't worry about anything. I won't make you pay for anything if you break something."
Mu Yan hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the car keys from Shang Qiyue's hand.
The car was a black SUV with excellent visibility. The moment Mu Yan sat in the driver's seat, he took a deep breath, fastened his seatbelt, and then slowly stepped on the brake and started the engine.
The rain had stopped, but the streets still shimmered with water in the night, reflecting car headlights in a hazy glow. In low-lying areas, water still lingered, making a splashing sound as tires rolled over it.
Mu Yan drove very carefully. He focused intently on the road ahead, keeping a slow speed and maintaining a steady steering wheel. He even carefully avoided shadows that might conceal puddles when turning.
The carriage quieted down, with only the low hum of the air conditioning.
"It was driving quite well, so why are you afraid to drive it now?"
Mu Yan didn't even dare to glance at Shang Qiyue in the passenger seat; he just looked ahead and gave an embarrassed smile.
"You have to drive a lot. If you don't drive, you'll always feel scared. I'll accompany you to practice driving when I have time. The more you practice, the braver you'll become."
Halfway through the journey, it grew even darker, and the roadside drainage system seemed to be malfunctioning, with water accumulating at several bends. Mu Yan became even more cautious and slowed down.
"Beep—!"
The piercing horn blared almost tore the night apart, and Mu Yan's heart stopped beating.
An out-of-control black minivan sped out from the side road on the right. Its brakes seemed to have completely failed, and like a monster driven mad by the rain, it crashed straight into them!
"Damn it!" Shang Qiyue sat bolt upright, grabbing the door handle. "Turn to the left! Did you hear me? Turn to the left!"
On the left... there's a guardrail on the left. SUVs are heavy, so breaking through the guardrail won't have a big impact. However, if you swerve sharply to the left and a black car from the opposite direction crashes into you, the passenger side will definitely be hit the hardest!
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