When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 261: Drunkard

"Emotions are often a maze for those involved, and sometimes even she couldn’t figure it out herself, let alone give Zhang Xinxin any advice."

Whenever they set out together, Jiang Xubai would stand patiently waiting in front of the mall’s railing.

Different from the last time at the graduation ceremony, today’s Jiang God dressed in a shirt and trousers, a pricey steel watch adorning his wrist, and his black shiny hair impeccably groomed, exuding the aura of a successful person.

It was astounding how much a person could change in just a half year.

Last year on Pei Yan’s birthday, she also bought him a watch, but it was rare to see him wear it.

Spending his days amongst codes, wearing something on the wrist was always inconvenient.

Perhaps programmers were inherently destined not to bond with such accessories, at least until they truly stepped away from the compiler. In her lifetime, it would be hard to see a watch on Pei Yan’s wrist again.

Lost in thought, she heard Zhang Xinxin excitedly suggest, "Yaoyao, whatever plans you have later, why don’t we go sing at the KTV?"

When acquaintances meet, it’s only natural to get together.

But there probably wouldn’t be time for singing.

Jiang Shuyao said, "I haven’t finished eating yet. Why don’t you come sit with me in the restaurant? They offer drinks, and you can start with those."

"Sure," Zhang Xinxin nodded, then turned to ask for the opinion of the person next to her, "Xiao Bai, what do you think?"

Jiang Xubai sighed subtly, with a touch of helplessness, "Whatever you decide is fine."

That expression, somewhat resigned, reminded Jiang Shuyao of how Zhang Xinxin used to pester Jiang Xu​​bai to accompany her to the movies or for hotpot at the base.

After dinner, the anticipated group of four did not materialize.

Each man ordered several bottles of liquor, seemingly ready for a heart-to-heart talk. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Xinxin approached saying, "Yaoyao, since it’s still early, let them chat. We can go check out the women’s section on the fourth floor."

Actually, Jiang Shuyao was somewhat fearful of browsing clothing stores, but also wanted to leave space for the two men. Her presence could prevent many things from moving forward.

She didn’t understand why she had such a hunch, it was just an unconscious feeling that everything was coming together just right.

Jiang Shuyao never believed in 100% coincidences in this world.

But why did it have to be Jiang Xubai?

After a night of shopping, Zhang Xinxin was in high spirits all along, her hands carrying full shopping bags, cheerfully fluttering like a butterfly.

In contrast, Jiang Shuyao seemed somewhat distracted.

During a lull as they tried on shoes in a brand store, Zhang Xinxin must have noticed her disquiet and asked softly, "What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy, or are you just tired?"

She shook her head slightly, "No, it’s not that."

Looking at the innocent face before her, Jiang Shuyao couldn’t help but address her directly.

"Xinxin."

"Hmm?"

"In your eyes, Jiang Xubai is the best man in the world," her tone was light yet serious, "Even if he’s becoming different from what you expected, you’d still like him unreservedly, right?"

The sudden mention of Jiang Xubai left Zhang Xinxin stunned for several seconds.

After a moment of silence, she spoke in a muffled voice, "I’ve been destined to be tied to him since I was young. If not him, who else could I like?"

Zhang Xinxin understood what Jiang Shuyao meant; she wasn’t foolish. She had seen all of Jiang Xubai’s recent changes, suddenly coming into a significant amount of money, purchasing plenty of luxury items, and becoming more generous to her when going out. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She didn’t believe for a second that Jiang Xubai could strike it rich by winning the lottery with that kind of luck.

The only explanation was that the money came from a dubious origin.

Being from the same circle, Zhang Xinxin could tell that Jiang Shuyao must know something, otherwise she wouldn’t have said what she did just now.

But one thing Zhang Xinxin always believed was that her Xiao Bai was not the kind of person to be blinded by money.

He must have been misled or forced into it.

Around nine o’clock, Jiang Shuyao and Zhang Xinxin carrying their large and small bags, returned to the restaurant to find that both men had somehow ended up slumped over the table, drunk.

The two women exchanged helpless glances, then went to the front desk to settle the bill before each propping up their respective drunkards and heading out of the mall.

On this early autumn night, the neon lights flickered on both sides of the street. Jiang Xubai had a flush red face, incessantly muttering, "You’re just a cheater, betraying my love, wasting my youth, squandering my innocent heart, cheater, cheater."

Zhang Xinxin, fuming, stamped her foot and grabbed Jiang Xubai’s ear, demanding fiercely, "Who betrayed your love, huh? Are you cheating on me with another woman? Confess!"

The drunk was not clear-headed, but he knew pain.

Jiang Xubai howled in pain, tearfully crying out, "You idiot, trash, bug, I’ve had enough of you, damn it, I’ll definitely beat you to death when we get back."

Jiang Shuyao: "..."

Zhang Xinxin screamed in breakdown.

"Ah! Jiang Xingwang, open your eyes and see who I am, who do you want to beat to death, just try saying that one more time!"

Soon, a ride-hailing car arrived with its hazard lights flashing, stopping by the roadside. The driver almost refused to take them, scared by the chaotic scene unfolding before him.

Jiang Shuyao, with a throbbing headache from the noise, hastily assured the driver, "The woman is normal, don’t worry, just follow the GPS directions."

Actually, her explanation only made the driver more suspicious that he was dealing with a hot potato.

In the end, despite hailing cars all night, not a single driver wanted to take a mad woman and a drunkard.

Jiang Shuyao couldn’t leave on her own with good conscience, so she ended up propping up the drunkard with one hand and dragging Zhang Xinxin with the other, with another drunkard in tow, stumbling and bumbling along, they finally found a nearby hotel to settle down for the night.

There is a saying that people who are usually very proper turn the craziest when drunk.

Tonight, on Jiang Xubai, it was an eye-opener for her indeed.

Not only did he go crazy, but he also drove Zhang Xinxin mad.

Luckily, her own companion was relatively quiet and easy to deal with, a little heavy, but behaved well the whole night.

After washing up, it was already late at night.

Jiang Shuyao wiped the person’s face and hands with a towel, took off his shoes, then crawled into the bed covers and fell asleep hugging him.

Pei Yan could hold his liquor well, so to be drunk like he was tonight, she didn’t want to imagine how much he must have drunk.

But she knew that he didn’t drink so much just because he was acting; it was more because he felt bad inside.

Those turbulent years are not easily forgotten or erased by anyone.

Jiang Xubai was not willing to let go, and Pei Yan was the same.

But what could be done about being unwilling? Fate had pushed the two into opposition, destined from then on to confront each other uncompromisingly.

In the quiet night, Jiang Shuyao closed her eyes, leaning against his chest, smelling the strong scent of alcohol on him, feeling his steady breaths, her heart gradually calmed down, and her consciousness slowly sank into the distance.

The next morning, Jiang Shuyao awoke to a piercing scream from next door.

She had just stirred when her whole body was enveloped in a warm embrace.