Night Talk

In the middle of the night, Chu Yu was woken by thirst.

His head was still fuzzy. He sat on the edge of the bed and thought for a long time before remembering he had gotten drunk. Zhao Qinyin had escorted him and Su Ruo back to his house.

Recalling the so-called celebration tonight, Chu Yu found it ridiculous. He was a guy, and Su Ruo had been working for several years. Yet, both of them were taken down by Zhao Qinyin, a student who looked like a model of obedience to everyone around her, in a drinking contest.

Given the amount Zhao Qinyin drank, and still being clear-headed enough to bring them back, Chu Yu knew that kind of tolerance wasn't something you could train for. If Zhao Qinyin was good at anything, her talent for drinking could rival her talent for studying.

So, when Chu Yu walked out of his room and saw Zhao Qinyin still awake at this hour, sitting on his living room sofa and engrossed in watching cartoons, he was speechless.

Zhao Qinyin's cheeks still had a slight flush, but Chu Yu could tell from her clear eyes that she wasn't drunk at all. The redness was likely just a physical reaction to drinking, having no effect on her consciousness.

"Are... are you going to rest?" Chu Yu was extremely thirsty. After downing three cups of water, he looked at Zhao Qinyin and asked.

Chu Yu wasn't surprised that Zhao Qinyin could send him and Su Ruo back to his house. After all, for the past two weeks, Zhao Qinyin had been working on her Manga Assistant tasks here, so she was very familiar with Chu Yu's home.

But this was the first time Zhao Qinyin had stayed the night without going back to her own home.

Chu Yu's question had two meanings. First, if she was tired and wanted to rest, she shouldn't feel constrained. Chu Yu lived alone, and there was a guest room available for Zhao Qinyin.

Second, if Zhao Qinyin didn't want to rest at his place, Chu Yu could take her home. Otherwise, Zhao Qinyin couldn't possibly just watch cartoons all night; that would be too bad for her health.

"I don't want to go home. I drank too much tonight, and I smell of alcohol. Grandmother would be unhappy if she knew."

"Also, if I don't get drunk, I'm usually very energetic and don't feel sleepy at all. Since you were all asleep, I could only watch cartoons here!" Zhao Qinyin understood what Chu Yu meant.

"Grandmother? Aren't your parents home?" Chu Yu asked.

"My parents... are gone."

Perhaps it was because they had drunk together tonight, Chu Yu noticed that Zhao Qinyin's usual wariness towards him seemed to have lessened considerably, and their relationship had become much more harmonious. Thus, she was willing to say a few more words to Chu Yu.

"I've always lived with my Grandmother."

Parents... gone!

Chu Yu understood what Zhao Qinyin meant by her parents being gone.

"You have a really good tolerance for alcohol. Is it something you've trained through frequent drinking?" Chu Yu didn't dwell on that topic, instead asking another question that puzzled him.

"No..." Zhao Qinyin replied plainly, and then there was silence.

Chu Yu thought she didn't want to discuss it and didn't press further. However, after Zhao Qinyin was silent for half a minute, she continued.

"Everyone in my family has been a heavy drinker for generations. My Great-grandfather, Grandfather, and my Father were all renowned alcoholics in the surrounding villages back in their day."

"I see, so you inherited their talent for drinking?" Chu Yu nodded.

"No..." Zhao Qinyin said.

"I was born frail and often had cold hands and feet. When I was little, my Grandfather heard some rural doctor and fortune teller say I was possessed by an Evil Spirit, which caused my weakness... and that I needed to drink strong liquor to protect myself..."

"So, after I turned two, my Grandfather would often give me alcohol. At first, it was a very small amount, but later it became a lot."

"Perhaps I inherited their excellent constitution. As I grew, my tolerance for alcohol gradually increased, and eventually, even my Grandfather couldn't outdrink me."

What nonsense is this?

Chu Yu listened, stunned. What kind of terrible elder would let their granddaughter drink with them starting at age two?

"However, a few years ago... my Grandfather passed away due to the shock of my parents' accident. Coupled with entering junior high, I developed my own basic judgment about Evil Spirits. Since then, I haven't drunk much. I only drink with friends or elders when I'm in a good mood, but I always keep myself in check. Once I've had them all drink themselves under the table, I stop."

I see.

Chu Yu nodded. Indeed, you can't judge everyone by their surface!

Everyone in the school saw Zhao Qinyin as a Top Student and a well-behaved girl. Who would have known that in private, she was a hero of the drinking world, whose hobby was drawing manga, and who could even earn income as a Manga Assistant for others?

But she said "when I'm in a good mood"?

"You said you only drink when you're in a good mood. Does that mean something happened today that made you happy?"

Zhao Qinyin gave Chu Yu a strange look.

"Why do you think I participated in yesterday's gathering?"

"As a Manga Creator, I failed for three years. Although I was only an assistant for Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, seeing it serialized on Man Ying, I was naturally extremely happy! I felt like I wasn't a complete failure on the path of manga... Even if no one knows my name, as long as someone who sees the manga I worked on can leave an impression, and praise the art of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, I'll be content!"

Looking at Zhao Qinyin's serious face, Chu Yu didn't know what to say. He felt his question was inappropriate.

Compared to her serious attitude towards manga, he truly fell short.

Because of this, Chu Yu found it difficult to understand why Zhao Qinyin had such deep feelings for manga.

"Why... do you want to be in the manga industry so badly?"

Finally, Chu Yu couldn't help but ask.

This was a question Chu Yu had wanted to ask since the first day Zhao Qinyin became his assistant.

With Zhao Qinyin's grades, she could get into any university major in the country. Furthermore, Chu Yu knew from Su Ruo that Zhao Qinyin wanted to attend university on RB Island for college, wanting to complete her studies in the birthplace of manga and continue her career as a Manga Artist.

No matter what, Chu Yu believed she had much better options compared to the gamble of a manga artist's life.

Zhao Qinyin looked at Chu Yu, paused for a long time, and then said.

"Perhaps, it's because of my Father!"

Zhao Qinyin thought for a moment.

"My Father was a Manga Artist. Influenced by him since I was young, I also fell in love with manga and learned drawing techniques from him."

No wonder her drawing skills are so good... Chu Yu thought.

"My Father's dream was to one day make a name for himself in the RB Manga World..."

"It's a pity he didn't get to realize his dream..."

Zhao Qinyin paused for a moment before continuing.

"However, I wasn't exactly bound by my Father's dream. It's just that after he introduced me to the manga industry, I gradually came to like it and aspired to become a Manga Artist myself. As I grew older, my thoughts gradually aligned with his. His dream slowly became the dream I wanted to pursue..."

So that's how it is!

Chu Yu looked at the cartoon on the TV. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

It was only when Chu Yu looked at her again that he noticed her flushed face, which had turned rosy from drinking, had finally returned to its usual pale complexion.

Her eyes were also slightly closed, and she had collapsed onto the sofa, her breathing becoming even and long.

She fell asleep?

Chu Yu thought for a moment and got up.

He took a clean blanket and pillow from a cabinet at home, covering her with the blanket and placing the pillow under her neck.

He turned off the TV and the lights. He also glanced at Su Ruo, who was cursing someone in her sleep in another room. Seeing that she hadn't vomited after drinking last night, he felt relieved.

It was only four in the morning on Saturday. After things quieted down, Chu Yu also felt a bit sleepy and went back to sleep!