Ban Lan said, "The one who smashed the wine pot just now."
Oh. How did these two get chatting so quickly, and even drink so much? Cen Ji fought off his drowsiness and remained silent.
Ban Lan pursed her lips from time to time, and the dimples on her cheeks appeared and disappeared, while the flush on her cheeks made her skin look as delicate as if it could be broken with a touch.
"You must think so too, right?" Ban Lan asked Cen Ji.
"Huh?" Cen Ji was taken aback.
Ban Lan's eyes were half-closed in a drunken haze, reminding Cen Ji of the little cat that loved to sunbathe in the yard when he was a child.
"They think I'm not like a girl," Ban Lan said.
She really wanted to tell him that if she had a good upbringing like Wen Moyin, if she had the Kongshan Secret Guards to protect her from being bullied, and if she had a devoted lover like Cen Ji who loved and cared for her, she would also understand what it means to be gentle, refined, knowledgeable, and reasonable.
But she didn't say it.
What Ban Lanping least believed in throughout his life was "what if".
Cen Ji suddenly thought of Wen Moyin, the only gentle woman in his life who had ever moved his heart.
Ban Lan felt Cen Ji's profile becoming blurry. She tried to open her eyes, but Cen Ji's image in her eyes was swaying.
Ban Lan grabbed Cen Ji's shoulder. "Don't shake me."
“…” Cen Ji glanced at Ban Lan, who was swaying slightly from side to side, looking like a roly-poly toy that had been gently pushed.
Ban Lan sighed deeply, "It seems like the senior students have never said anything about how girls should behave?"
Wei Li of Fish Eye Valley was notoriously undisciplined in his disciples, which is why he taught Ban Lan, a pure boy disguised as a girl. Cen Ji was quite satisfied with his analysis and couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a slight, imperceptible smile.
“Cen Ji,” Ban Lan suddenly said.
Cen Ji glanced sideways.
Ban Lan's expression turned aggrieved. "I've fallen for you."
"Why are you upset if you like me?" Cen Ji thought for a moment, then swallowed those words back down.
Cen Ji looked at Ban Lan, thought for a moment, and said, "I don't like you."
Ban Lan pouted and said, "You're too direct."
Cen Ji said, "You don't need to be tactful."
Ban Lan was stunned for a moment, then smiled sadly, "You must love my senior sister very much."
Cen Ji raised an eyebrow and said, "You know?"
Ban Lan rolled the small jar of wine around on the table and said, "Of course I know."
Cen Ji nodded. "That's good."
Ban Lan sincerely said, "Senior sister is very good."
Cen Ji smiled gently, a rare occurrence. "Mm."
Looking at Cen Ji's sharply defined profile, Ban Lan suddenly understood.
It turns out that Wen Moyin is a mountain she can never overcome.
Ban Lan pushed aside the wine jar and stood up, a smile plastered on her face. "Sweet dreams, Cen Ji. I'm leaving. Thank you for chatting with me."
Cen Ji looked up. "Where are you going?"
Ban Lan said, "I'm sleepy, go to sleep."
Cen Ji asked in confusion, "Weren't there no vacant rooms?"
Ban Lan shrugged. "Hey, I was just kidding."
Why bother?
When they left the hotel, Lao Gu had just woken up. He walked out of the room, grinned at Ban Lan with his yellow teeth, and Ban Lan was truly dazzled.
Old Gu stepped forward and greeted her warmly: "Miss Ban, did you sleep well last night? My head still hurts from drinking so much!"
Ban Lan chuckled and said, "Who told you to mix things up? Of course you'd get a headache."
Old Gu laughed heartily: "It's rare to meet an expert, so of course I have to learn the art of drinking from him, otherwise I'll lose face!"
Ban Lan said, "The point of drinking is to have fun. As long as you're happy, who cares about being embarrassed?"
Old Gu continued, "But Miss Ban, don't blame me for being too blunt. Just don't drink in front of your sweetheart in the future. I saw that he was very unhappy yesterday."
Ban Lan said, "He's unhappy not because of me, but because it's too noisy."
Old Gu was stunned for a moment. Seeing that Ban Lan had packed her things and was about to leave, and that Cen Ji behind her had not said a word, he gave her a few words of advice and waved goodbye to Ban Lan.
Cen Ji had been listening to their conversation, because he was also curious about how the two had gone from drawing their swords in anger to drinking and singing together.
On the way to find Zhai Huan, Ban Lan suddenly said, "Just think of me as a talking stone."