But sometimes people place too much trust in their own rationality. Chen Fangli wasn’t this kind of person before, but now he had become one. With alcohol, when you think you’re just right, you’re actually already drunk.

Chen Fangli lay on the bar, pinching the bridge of his nose, suddenly feeling a bit nauseous. He had barely eaten lunch today, because Yao Yue’s words had put him in a bad mood at the dining table.

Others didn’t notice, thinking his expression was as usual. Maybe only Xu Yingchun, sitting next to him, sensed something was off, but she didn’t realize that at that time, a big hole had opened in his heart, with cold wind whistling in, making a harsh sound like an old fan.

With his hand pressed on his abdomen, the young man’s face was now extremely pale, with even some cold sweat on his forehead. The bartender, turning back, was the first to notice something was wrong.

Chen Fangli’s shoulder was patted, and a strange female voice sounded in his ear, calling him.

“Sir, sir, are you alright?”

That voice was too far away and unclear. His stomach was hurting badly now, he could only lie on the table and press hard with his hand to relieve it a little.

The wind in his heart was still blowing fiercely.

Chen Fangli couldn’t help but curl up, feeling an uncountable coldness.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhao was about to enter the cinema when she received a call. The caller ID showed Chen Fangli. When these three characters appeared on the phone screen, Wang Zhao froze for a few seconds, then frowned, glanced at Li Zhenguan beside her. The Wang and Li parents were just in front of them, having just passed the ticket check, waiting for them.

Li Zhenguan met Wang Zhao’s gaze and blinked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Wang Zhao handed Li Zhenguan’s movie ticket to him and raised her phone, saying to him, “I’m going outside to take a call, I’ll be right back. You go ahead and get your ticket checked and go in with Mom and Dad.”

She had a feeling that Chen Fangli’s call wouldn’t end quickly, and for some reason, Wang Zhao didn’t want to reveal Chen Fangli’s existence in front of Li Zhenguan, at least not at this moment.

But she had to take this call. Chen Fangli was too close to her social circle to be completely separated. She didn’t really understand that man, and talking through the phone was also a good way to understand the other person’s character.

In dealing with people and conversations, some trivial tone words and habits can sometimes reveal the tip of the iceberg of a person’s character.

Li Zhenguan looked up at Wang Zhao’s expression, which was still composed. It probably wasn’t anything urgent, and he also knew that Wang Zhao had declined a classmate gathering today to accompany both families to play together. Maybe it was an old classmate calling.

Li Zhenguan thought casually, but smiled and nodded obediently, “Then I’ll wait for you inside. The movie is about to start in seven or eight minutes.”

“Mm. I’ll come in as soon as possible.” Wang Zhao added, “Follow Mother-in-law and the others when you go in, watch your step, be careful.” It’s very dark in the cinema, especially in the aisles. If you’re not careful and miss a step, you might fall.

She left after this reminder, finding a quiet place to answer the phone. Li Zhenguan, who had gone in, looked back at Wang Zhao at this moment. He subconsciously thought, if it was an old classmate calling, why couldn’t he hear it, and even if he answered the phone in front of him, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to hear what the other side was saying. But Wang Zhao still had such an evasive attitude, which subconsciously made him think more.

Essentially, Li Zhenguan was a person who was suspicious and lacked a sense of security. Because from the beginning to the end, Wang Zhao’s marriage to him was not her initiative, but something he deliberately sought, not righteous or proper.

Even now that they had obtained their marriage certificate and had legal protection and proof, Li Zhenguan still felt insecure. He couldn’t help but overthink, and to a large extent, the thoughts that surged in his mind were negative.

Wang Zhao didn’t know about Li Zhenguan’s full mind of speculations. She was now standing in a corridor, with doors closed on both sides, only a little wind blowing in from the window.

She stood at this windy spot and answered the phone.

“Hello, is this Ah Zhao?” The woman’s voice on the other end was somewhat distant, as if unsure of her identity. Hearing this, Wang Zhao swallowed the words she had prepared in her heart. She frowned slightly and asked uncertainly, “Who is this?”

The caller wasn’t Chen Fangli, but a strange woman.

“Hello, this is Mountain City Bar. Your friend is drunk, please come and pick him up.” After saying this, there seemed to be some noise on the other end, and the woman added, “Also, he’s not feeling well, his complexion doesn’t look right. Can you come pick him up quickly?”

Wang Zhao was at a loss for words.

She was quiet for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry, but I’ve actually broken up with that gentleman long ago. Please call someone else to check on him. I’m not in a convenient situation right now.”

The woman on the other end, afraid Wang Zhao would hang up, quickly said a long string of words without pausing for breath: “He’s not in a good state right now, and he keeps calling your name. He pushes away anyone who tries to help him. We’re at our wit’s end here. Please understand, lady. We’re just employees, and running a business isn’t easy.”

“You know drinking too much is bad for health. A good-looking man like him isn’t safe in a place like this, accidents could happen. If you really can’t come, at least call someone to pick him up. We really can’t spare any staff right now.”

People these days really know how to talk, but Wang Zhao really couldn’t leave. She had just gotten her marriage certificate with Li Zhenguan, and it wouldn’t be right to leave both families on the first night to pick up an ex-boyfriend. It would also be difficult to explain afterwards. One lie leads to countless more to cover it up.

So after thinking for a moment, she said, “I’ll contact someone to go there now. Please help take care of him for a while. Thank you for your trouble.”

The other side breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Please ask your friend to come as soon as possible, otherwise it’s really difficult for us to run our business.”

Chen Fangli’s position was quite unfortunate, right at the bar counter. Half of his body was slumped there, actually very quiet, not causing any drunken trouble. Sitting there with his good figure, basically every woman who walked in would glance at him.

However, they were all too afraid this person would have problems from drinking. He was now constantly holding his stomach, his lips somewhat pale, but he wouldn’t let anyone touch him. If Wang Zhao hadn’t agreed to come, they might have had to call the police.

After Wang Zhao asked them to send her the address, she started scrolling through her contacts, realizing that at this moment, only Xu Yingchun could be relied upon. So after a brief consideration, she decisively made a call.

The call was quickly answered, followed by a burst of howling noise from the other end, the sound somewhat distorted.

Wang Zhao was speechless for a moment: “You haven’t dispersed yet?”

The noise in the private room was too loud for Xu Yingchun to hear Wang Zhao’s voice. She hurriedly left the room and stood in the corridor to talk, “What did you just say?”

Wang Zhao didn’t repeat her previous question, instead saying, “I need a favor. I just got a call from Mountain City Bar saying Chen Fangli is drunk there and having some health issues. You know I’m with my husband and family today, so I definitely can’t leave. Can you help me take Chen Fangli to the hospital?”

Xu Yingchun was quiet for a moment. The private room had been too noisy, and her mind was still a bit foggy. Hearing Wang Zhao’s words, she reflexively asked, “Mountain City Bar? How did Chen Fangli end up there? Just an hour ago, he told me he was driving home.”

No wonder no one answered when she called him. Chen Fangli had been gone for too long. By now, he should have been home, but Xu Yingchun hadn’t received any message. She had even sent a few messages to inquire, but they hadn’t been replied to. So he had gone to a bar to drink.

She thought for a moment and didn’t refuse: “Alright, I’ll drive over there in a bit. I know Mountain City Bar, it’s quite close to here.”

“Thank you.” Wang Zhao felt she was really troubling Xu Yingchun this time, disturbing someone else because of her relationship with him. “I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

“Come on, I might not even get to eat your meal. You’re usually as busy as a spinning top. Just remember to send us old classmates invitations when you have your wedding ceremony.”

“Of course.” Wang Zhao smiled, “Let me know when you’ve picked him up.”

“OK.” Xu Yingchun agreed readily, went back to the private room to get her coat, and told one of her classmates that she had something to attend to and needed to leave. She also mentioned that she had already paid for the room, then hurriedly left the club.

She had been to Mountain City Bar a few times before and still had the navigation record in her car. Xu Yingchun arrived at the bar entrance ten minutes later. As soon as she entered and walked a few steps, she saw the man half-slumped at the bar counter. A woman was sitting next to Chen Fangli, seemingly saying something, but the young man remained motionless, showing no reaction.

Xu Yingchun quickly walked over.

“Excuse me, this is my friend,” she said to the woman. After the woman left, she hurriedly looked at the man beside her. Chen Fangli’s entire face was buried in his arms, so she couldn’t see his expression or complexion.

The bartender saw Xu Yingchun’s actions and quickly came over: “Are you Xu Yingchun?”

Xu Yingchun nodded.

The bartender still verified her identity, looking at her ID card, before letting her take Chen Fangli away.

“He’s been drinking since he came here, had six or seven drinks at once, different kinds too. He’s been holding his stomach for a while now, his complexion doesn’t look good. He might have a stomach problem. You should take him to the hospital, just in case something happens.”

The bartender repeated this, fearing Xu Yingchun might be careless and just send him home without care. If something happened, they wouldn’t know who to turn to.

Xu Yingchun quickly nodded and thanked him, saying they had been very kind. She understood they meant well.

After the bartender left, she freed her hands to help Chen Fangli up, but was pushed away by him. This man was like a boulder, firmly planted there, unwilling to move, not even raising his head, like a snail.

Getting closer, Xu Yingchun finally realized he was constantly calling someone’s name.

Ah Zhao— Ah Zhao—

Over and over again. Like an obsession.

This pathetic sight angered Xu Yingchun. She cursed and spat, wanting to hit him but not daring to. She was utterly helpless.

I must have owed you two in my past life!

Xu Yingchun sighed and tried again, but Chen Fangli still wouldn’t move. His brows and eyes were drooping, as if he knew without looking that the person who came wasn’t the one he wanted to see. He pushed her away again.

Seeing this wasn’t working, Xu Yingchun had no choice but to call Wang Zhao again. However, as the ringtone sounded, her heart inexplicably started beating faster.

She turned her head and saw that Chen Fangli, who had been slumped there before, had somehow sat up. He was now supporting his head with his hand, sitting sideways and looking at her. His face was pale, his lips an unhealthy color, his whole person looking listless.

Only his eyes were pitch black, as if bottomless, staring at people in a truly frightening way.