After drinking just two glasses of beer, Xia Yuqing's face had already turned completely flushed, and her eyes had grown somewhat hazy.
"Student An, let's... have another drink." Xia Yuqing took the initiative to invite him to drink, but she herself failed to notice that her speech had already started to break up.
This was a classic sign of being drunk!
An Wuyang did not take the opportunity to pour Xia Yuqing more alcohol, much less did he have any intention of getting her drunk. What kind of scumbag would think that way?
Although An Wuyang did not consider himself a good person, he was not so vile and despicable as to get someone drunk.
"What's your phone password?" An Wuyang asked directly.
"520303." Xia Yuqing barely maintained her awareness, but under the influence of alcohol—and, more importantly, with her favorability already at 90 points—she directly told An Wuyang her phone password.
"'520303.'" A smile appeared on An Wuyang's face.
An ordinary person would take this password as two groups of numbers, "520" and "303," and thus guess that the number "303" was important to Xia Yuqing.
But An Wuyang knew the correct division was "52" and "0303," because 0303 was his birthday. He had been born on March 3, 2003.
So you deliberately got yourself drunk? An Wuyang looked at Xia Yuqing's flushed face. It seemed she was playing a very old-fashioned game.
Jiang Taigong fishing—those willing would take the bait?
Was she the fish?
But An Wuyang had not even cast his hook yet, and she had already impatiently jumped ashore?
Did that make sense?
"Where do you live?" An Wuyang asked again.
"Zhuyu Garden, No. 98, Unit 1, Room 101." Xia Yuqing continued speaking haltingly. Her eyes had grown even hazier. Clearly, she had a poor tolerance for alcohol; just two glasses of beer had already made her feel drunk.
An Wuyang recorded the address, then sent it to Xia Yuqing through WeChat to prevent himself from forgetting it later.
"Student An, let's have another drink." Xia Yuqing invited him to drink again.
An Wuyang refused outright and called out, "Boss, check, please. And pack it up."
He planned to take Xia Yuqing home first. He had no despicable intention of taking advantage of her vulnerability.
At least, An Wuyang felt that he was not that despicable!
Perhaps this was the difference between people?
"Little brother, the total is 182 yuan. You can just pay 180." The middle-aged owner came over and stated the bill, then glanced at Xia Yuqing, who was clearly drunk.
"Little brother, remember to take all your belongings. Although we have surveillance cameras in the shop, it'll still be troublesome if anything goes missing." The middle-aged owner added a reminder.
An Wuyang looked at the middle-aged owner in surprise. He could hear the implication behind those words.
On the surface, the middle-aged owner was reminding An Wuyang to keep track of his belongings. In reality, he was emphasizing that the shop had surveillance cameras. If An Wuyang had any bad intentions toward Xia Yuqing and she reported it to the police afterward, the shop's security footage could serve as corroborating evidence.
At the very least, it could prove that Xia Yuqing had been taken away by An Wuyang while drunk.
"Thank you for the reminder, Boss. She's my classmate. I'm taking her home now." An Wuyang gave a brief explanation, making it clear that he understood the middle-aged owner's hint.
The middle-aged owner gave an awkward laugh.
"I've paid. Thank you, Boss." An Wuyang showed the screen of his phone, then walked over to Xia Yuqing. He helped her up with his right hand and carried the packed fresh-meat barbecue with his left before leaving Xiao Fang Fresh Meat Barbecue.
When the two reached the roadside, the Premium Ride An Wuyang had booked was already waiting. The driver had even thoughtfully stood beside the rear passenger door. When An Wuyang supported Xia Yuqing over, the driver opened the door for them.
After the two sat in the back, the driver walked around the rear of the car to the driver's seat, got in, and drove off. He did not disturb them or show excessive curiosity about An Wuyang and Xia Yuqing's situation.
About fifteen minutes later, the Premium Ride arrived at the first destination. An Wuyang spoke up, "Sorry for the trouble, sir. Please wait a moment. I'll take her upstairs and come back down."
"Okay, sir." The driver gave a brief response.
An Wuyang helped Xia Yuqing out of the car, then used her phone to find the contact saved as "Mom" and dialed the number.
The call was answered in less than twenty seconds.
"Qingqing." A woman's voice came through.
"Hello, Auntie." An Wuyang greeted her first and was about to introduce himself, but the other party interrupted him.
"Who are you? Why are you using Qingqing's phone?" The woman asked anxiously.
"I'm Xia Yuqing's classmate, An Wuyang. We're at the entrance of Zhuyu Garden. She got drunk, so I brought her back. Would it be convenient for you to come and pick her up, Auntie?" An Wuyang asked.
"Yes, of course. I'll be right there." The woman answered quickly.
"Okay, then we'll wait for you at the entrance of Zhuyu Garden. Don't worry, Auntie. I won't hang up." An Wuyang explained.
"I'll be there soon. Thank you." The woman let out a slight sigh of relief.
In less than three minutes, An Wuyang saw a woman with a well-proportioned figure, fair skin, and attractive features running straight toward him, her face filled with urgency.
As she hurried over, the woman sized up An Wuyang and Xia Yuqing's condition.
She found that Xia Yuqing's clothes were neat and her makeup was still intact, which eased her worries somewhat. Only then did she have time to look over An Wuyang.
An Wuyang's first impression on Xia Yuqing's mother was that he was quite handsome, with the air of a sunny boy. Then she noticed that An Wuyang's bearing was calm and steady. Even when facing her scrutiny, he did not show the slightest sign of avoidance or embarrassment.
"Hello, Student An. I'm Qingqing's mother, Lin Xin." Lin Xin introduced herself.
"Hello, Auntie Lin." An Wuyang greeted her while making a motion to hand Xia Yuqing over to Lin Xin.
Lin Xin took Xia Yuqing from An Wuyang's hands and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Student An. Our Qingqing has a poor tolerance for alcohol. I've really put you to a lot of trouble."
An Wuyang replied with a smile, "It was no trouble."
Lin Xin did not continue expressing her thanks. Instead, she beckoned and said, "Come this way, Student An. It's too hot outside. Let's go back in first."
An Wuyang declined. "Sorry, Auntie Lin, but the ride-hailing car is still waiting outside. I'll come visit another time if I get the chance."
"That's fine too. You're welcome to visit us next time, Student An." Lin Xin answered politely.
As for the "next time" they mentioned, it was of course nothing more than a polite formality.
In modern social etiquette, whenever someone said "next time" without arranging a specific date, it amounted to a courtesy exchanged for appearances, not a genuine invitation to meet again.
An Wuyang had been born into a wealthy and prestigious family. His mother was a senior partner at a law firm and a divorce lawyer, so she was exceptionally skilled at handling interpersonal relationships and reading people's minds.
Having been taught by his mother since childhood, An Wuyang was practically an expert at navigating such social interactions. How could he possibly fail to understand polite words meant only for appearances?
Before you continue