Drunken Truths and Ripples on the Lake of Her Heart

The Rolls-Royce traveled smoothly through the city streets at night. Outside the windows, lights shimmered in a dazzling display, but inside the car, all was quiet.

Lin Chen lay limp in the back seat, his head tilted to one side, leaning almost entirely on Yan Qingyue's shoulder.

The heavy smell of alcohol mingled with the faint scent of body wash on him and Yan Qingyue's rich perfume, creating a strange, intimate fragrance.

He was clearly dead drunk, unconsciously mumbling incoherent sentences.

"Drink... more... I can still drink..."

"President Zhao... don't... don't make President Yan drink... come at me instead..."

Yan Qingyue frowned slightly and tried to push him into a more upright position, but his whole body was as limp as a puddle of mud.

As soon as she pushed him away a little, he fell back against her, going even further and nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

His warm breath brushed her sensitive skin, sending a faint shiver through her.

Yan Qingyue stiffened and instinctively wanted to move away, but when she saw how defenseless he looked in his drunken state, she ultimately held back and merely turned her head slightly aside.

Drunk as a skunk... what a nuisance.

She felt somewhat irritated. She really had brought him along tonight partly because she wanted to see him make a fool of himself, as a little revenge.

But she hadn't expected President Zhao's people to be so ruthless, much less that this guy would be so guileless as to foolishly rush right in.

Just as she was wondering how to deal with this "big nuisance," Lin Chen started mumbling again, his voice much clearer this time.

"President Yan..."

He called to her indistinctly, rubbing his head against her shoulder like a large dog seeking comfort. "Actually... you... you really are quite beautiful..."

Yan Qingyue: "..."

She lowered her eyes to the handsome face so close to hers, its cheeks flushed an unnatural red, and her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Nothing but drunken babble.

She tried to ignore him, but Lin Chen clearly had no intention of stopping.

"Especially... especially your figure..."

He seemed to be struggling to put his thoughts into words. His voice was halting, yet it carried a drunken sincerity and... desire?

"Perfect figure... those legs... that waist... hehe... every time... every time I see them... I... I..."

The rest of his words were indistinct, but his tone and what he had left unsaid were enough to make Yan Qingyue's cheeks burn.

She could even clearly recall the previous times in the conference room and the elevator when his inner OS had been all about her figure.

This bastard! Even drunk, he can't stop thinking about those things!

Flustered and annoyed, she wanted to push him away, but when she heard what he said next, she froze.

"I feel... I really want to marry you..."

His voice dropped, carrying a trace of dreamlike longing, which was promptly replaced by profound dejection. "But... no... I can't..."

At that moment, Yan Qingyue's heart began to race beyond her control.

Marry her?

He... actually...

An immensely complicated feeling welled up in her heart: absurdity, astonishment, and a hint of something even she couldn't understand... a flutter?

But Lin Chen's next words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the faint flame that had just sprung to life.

"I have... I have an online girlfriend..."

His voice was thick with attachment and guilt. "Little Moon... my Little Moon... I miss you so much..."

"She... she's wonderful too... so gentle... I... I can't betray her..."

"But... President Yan... I also... I also really want to cherish you... protect you..."

"Seeing you... so tired every day... working so hard... I... my heart aches for you..."

"I really want to... hide you away... so you don't have to work so hard... or entertain those... annoying people... I... I can protect you..."

His words were confused yet sincere, full of drunken frankness and contradictions.

On one side was his loyalty to and longing for "Little Moon"; on the other was his involuntary heartache and desire to protect "President Yan."

The two utterly different feelings intertwined and collided in his drunken words, seeming utterly confused, yet strangely... touching?

Yan Qingyue was utterly stunned.

She looked down at the man in her arms, drunk out of his mind yet expressing his concern and heartache in the clumsiest words.

It was as if something had struck her heart hard, leaving it aching and tender, yet filled with an indescribable warmth.

His heart ached for her?

He wanted to protect her?

So... he had fought so hard to drink in her place tonight not just because of her orders, nor just for a man's pride... but because he truly wanted to protect her?

That realization threw the lake of Yan Qingyue's heart into utter turmoil.

She had always thought she had everything under control, enjoying the fun and sense of control this game of double identities brought her.

She teased him, tested him, and watched him lose his senses over her while pining for "Little Moon," finding it amusing and feeling pleased with herself.

But she had never imagined that, deep down, this seemingly foolish guy, who was sometimes bold enough to let his lust reach the heavens, harbored such... genuine concern and heartache.

Even when he was dead drunk, he still wrestled with his loyalty to "Little Moon," yet couldn't suppress his desire to protect "President Yan."

Yan Qingyue's feelings became immensely complicated.

Was there a little guilt over playing with his feelings?

A faint touch of emotion upon learning how he truly felt?

And... a softness born of being so cherished and protected by him, one she herself was unwilling to examine too closely?

There had indeed been turbulent undercurrents beneath tonight's business dinner.

She had long grown accustomed to President Zhao's ill intentions and the difficulties of doing business, and could handle them with ease.

But now, Lin Chen's drunken words left her more unsettled than any trouble a business rival could throw at her.

This had strayed completely from what she had originally expected.

She had thought it was just a lighthearted game, yet without realizing it, she had invested more... something than she had anticipated?

And the other party, it seemed, had also responded in a way that exceeded her calculations.

The car slowly came to a stop. They had arrived at the apartment building where Lin Chen rented a place.

The driver asked respectfully:

"President Yan, would you like me to take Assistant Lin upstairs?"

Yan Qingyue came back to her senses and looked at the guy in her arms, who was still mumbling "protect you," "want to marry you," and "Little Moon." She fell silent for a few seconds.

Her original plan had been to have the driver take him upstairs while she went straight home.

But now...

She took a deep breath and made a decision.

"No need. I'll take him up."

Her voice had regained its usual coolness, but to a careful listener, it seemed to carry a nearly imperceptible tremor that wasn't normally there.

She struggled to help Lin Chen up and said to the driver:

"Wait for me down here."

Then, half carrying and half dragging the heavy guy, who was still immersed in his confused emotions, she got him into the elevator.

The elevator slowly ascended. In the confined space, only his heavy breathing and her somewhat erratic heartbeat remained.

Yan Qingyue looked at their reflections in the elevator mirror, at herself, usually so aloof and proud!

At this moment, she was carefully supporting a man who was dead drunk, her face still flushed and showing a trace of... bewilderment?

It suddenly struck her that this game seemed to be getting a little out of control.

And it seemed Lin Chen wasn't the only one losing control.

So was her own heart.