Chu Yi still had some clarity in her eyes. She comforted her and wiped away her tears. When she inadvertently looked up and saw Qiao Anchen, she clearly showed a relieved expression.
"Here, here—" Chu Yi waved to him, and Qiao Anchen walked over quickly, his gaze falling on Cheng Li, who was swaying and staggering beside him.
Should we take her home?
"Yes, let's take her home first." Chu Yi struggled to pull Cheng Li up. She was so drunk that she was limp and leaned against Chu Yi like a lump of mud, completely unable to get up.
Seeing this, Qiao Anchen lent a hand and helped Cheng Li out. The night wind outside made the drunken woman more alert. With her arms supported by the two of them and her legs dragging on the ground, she raised her head in a daze.
"Where am I...? Where are you taking me...?"
"This is the bar entrance. Qiao Anchen and I will take you home together," Chu Yi patiently explained to her. After hearing this, Cheng Li said "oh" and immediately lowered her head, seemingly unconscious.
He helped her into the car and made sure she was seated. Both of them fastened their seatbelts. Qiao Anchen glanced at her in the rearview mirror and then started the engine.
Cheng Li's home wasn't far from here. Once they arrived outside the complex, Chu Yi took the keys out of her bag, and then he and Qiao Anchen helped her into the elevator. Finally, they opened her door and threw her onto the bed.
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, Chu Yi felt the advantage of having a man. At least if she were alone, she would probably be lying on the floor, too tired to get up.
"Have a seat outside for a bit, I'll tidy her up," Chu Yi said after a moment's hesitation. Qiao Anchen looked slightly puzzled, but only asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No need, you can go now," Chu Yi replied. Qiao Anchen nodded and obediently left.
After he closed the door, Chu Yi went over, took off Cheng Li's clothes and shoes, and then put a nightgown on her.
After finding makeup remover in the bathroom, Chu Yi filled a basin with warm water and quickly removed the makeup from the sleeping person's face. Finally, she roughly patted on lotion and moisturizer.
"Mmm..." Cheng Li was woken up, and moved her head with a frown. Chu Yi took the opportunity to vent his anger and pinched her face hard.
"I'll let you drink it again next time!"
The person on the bed was sleeping like a log, completely unaware of anything.
When Chu Yi finished getting ready and went out, Qiao Anchen was sitting on the sofa with the back of his hand on his forehead and his eyes closed, seemingly resting.
She glanced at the time; it was already past eleven, and she felt a little guilty.
"Are you very tired?" Chu Yi walked over and asked softly. Qiao Anchen opened his eyes, still feeling a little sleepy. He then stood up and rubbed his face.
"No, she... has it all done?" He gestured towards the door, and Chu Yi nodded.
"I helped her remove her makeup and change her clothes. That should be enough. Let's go home."
“Okay.” Qiao Anchen nodded and picked up the car keys.
Actually, Chu Yi had drunk quite a bit tonight and was already exhausted. He was only holding on by sheer willpower and closed his eyes to rest as soon as he got in the car.
My head was spinning, and I accidentally fell asleep without even realizing when the car stopped.
Qiao Anchen turned off the engine, watched her for a while, thought for a moment, and then patted her shoulder to wake her up.
"First day of the lunar month, we've arrived."
"Hmm..." Chu Yi woke up groggily and rubbed his eyes.
"Have we arrived yet...?"
"arrive."
Chu Yi pushed open the door and got out of the car. She swayed a couple of times as she landed, and Qiao Anchen took her hand and led her toward the elevator.
The night was quiet, and there were only the two of them in the elevator. The overhead light bulb was cold and white, and the surroundings were as bright as a mirror. Chu Yi rested her head on Qiao Anchen's shoulder and closed her eyes to rest.
Qiao Anchen turned his head slightly, lowered his eyes, and looked at Chu Yi's face, which was very close to his.
He didn't say anything, he just reached out and hugged her.
When they got back, they barely managed to change their shoes. The first thing Chu Yi did was go into the bathroom. He felt a little better after taking a shower, skipping all the skincare steps and going straight to bed. He didn't even want to touch his phone.
As soon as Qiao Anchen finished and came upstairs, she immediately snuggled into his arms, closed her eyes, and prepared to fall asleep peacefully.
"Why did you go drinking with Cheng Li tonight?" he asked, his deep voice pressing against my ear, carrying a heavy, magnetic quality.
“She’s in a bad mood…” Chu Yi hugged his waist, pressed her face against his collarbone, and mumbled with her eyes closed.
"My boyfriend has been going on business trips a lot lately and doesn't spend much time with me..."
There was a moment of silence above, and just as Chu Yi was about to fall asleep, she heard Qiao Anchen ask again, "If you're not going to stay with her, are you going to go drinking?"
"Hmm..." Chu Yi was dizzy and sleepy, so she didn't listen carefully to what he was saying and just blurted out a response.
Then, the whole world finally fell silent.
Over the next two days, Chu Yi suddenly noticed that Qiao Anchen was leaving get off work on time every time, but he would stay in the study very late. Sometimes it was almost midnight when she went out to get a drink of water and she would bump into Qiao Anchen, who looked exhausted as he opened the door.
"Why didn't you finish your work at the procuratorate before coming back?" After bumping into him twice, Chu Yi couldn't help but ask, her mind filled with doubt.
As far as she knew, it would be more convenient to look up information there, so why would she bother bringing her work home?
Qiao Anchen paused in rubbing his eyes, then removed his hand, his dark eyes fixed intently on her, and he pursed his lips.
"I... just want to spend more time with you."
"But you're in the study and I'm in the bedroom. What's the big difference between that and you working overtime as usual?"
Chu Yi sincerely expressed her thoughts, and Qiao Anchen's face showed disappointment upon hearing this. He lowered his gaze to the ground, but quickly concealed it.
Chu Yi immediately regretted it and tried to make amends.
“What I mean is…” she struggled to find the right words, and explained sincerely, “If you’re busy, it’s okay to work overtime. Just don’t let my situation affect your work or anything. I can understand.”
“But—” Qiao Anchen looked up, his eyes reflecting the light clearly, his face clean, but his voice seemed to carry a hint of grievance.
I don't want you to go drinking.
"It will be very dangerous." She will also cry.
Chapter 45 The Scent of Perfume
Chu Yi was stunned for a moment, somewhat choked up, and also a little dumbfounded.
"When did I say I was going to go drinking?"
"Last night." Qiao Anchen was also puzzled, looking at her with teary eyes.
"You said Cheng Li's boyfriend was too busy to spend time with her, so she went out drinking."
"Then she is her, and I am me." Chu Yi laughed in disbelief.
Qiao Anchen moved his lips, recalling the last question he asked last night.
"If you don't spend time with her, you're going to go drinking?"
"Um."
It seems that she really didn't say it was her.
But shouldn't we be about the same as other women?
If Cheng Li's boyfriend doesn't spend time with her, she'll be very sad, and Chu Yi will probably feel the same way.
Qiao Anchen pondered this with puzzlement and did not refute her further.
Chu Yi saw him standing there with his head down, his brows slightly furrowed, seemingly annoyed, or perhaps unable to understand.
She couldn't help but speak up again to explain.
"Besides, Cheng Li was just venting a little; it's not that she went drinking because her boyfriend wasn't with her."
"I would definitely not."
"Oh," he mumbled, head drooping, then looked up and answered slowly.
"I see."
Chu Yi's expression softened inexplicably as she looked at Qiao Anchen, filled with affection.
...What a silly child.
She couldn't help but step forward, reach out and hug him, wrapping her arms around his waist and tilting her head slightly upward.
"Why are you being so silly?"
"?" Qiao Anchen narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Chu Yi, you'd better think carefully before you speak."
"Huh? Has no one ever said that to you?" Chu Yi asked curiously, unafraid of death.
“No.” Qiao Anchen replied without hesitation, “They are usually very afraid of me.”
"Okay then." Chu Yi looked at him with a smile, indicating that she believed him. Qiao Anchen patted her head and gave the instructions.
"Go to sleep, I'll be done soon."
Cheng Li has been much freer lately than before, and he would occasionally ask her to go out for meals and shopping together, but Chu Yi dared not go drinking anymore and resolutely refused.
Qiao Anchen didn't do anything unusual again. When they were busy, they could only see each other in the evening. On weekends, when they had time off, they would go out to see a movie or go shopping together.
Compared to before, there may not be much change, but it feels different.
It was as if Chu Yi felt that she was alone in a small space, always separated from Qiao Anchen by a wall, and no matter how much she shouted or bumped into him, she could not get a response from him.
But now, that wall has disappeared.
Perhaps they aren't close enough to be deeply in love yet, but Chu Yi believes that with so much time ahead, everything will only get better.
Time flies. It feels like everything just happened yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, another Qixi Festival has arrived.
Chu Yi cooked a simple meal, but when she came back from outside, she made a special trip to the flower shop to buy a small bunch of red roses. She trimmed the stems and arranged them in a vase when she got home.
She even made a small cake, using strawberries, which they both love. The red fruit adorned the snow-white cream, and there was a ring of piping around it, making it just as good as the cakes sold in bakeries.
They also changed the tablecloth to a new checkered one. After thinking for a moment, Chu Yi took out a bottle of red wine from the cabinet.
After all, it's a holiday, so we need some atmosphere. Drinking it like a beverage is not a bad idea.
Everything was arranged, and it actually looked quite presentable. Cake, red wine, three dishes and a soup were served in porcelain white tableware, and the bowls and chopsticks were neatly arranged. Chu Yi looked at all of this and suddenly remembered that when she celebrated Qiao Anchen's birthday before, she seemed to have left a few candles.
She immediately went to rummage through the lockers and, sure enough, found the two candles in the corner.
When Qiao Anchen opened the door at night, he saw that the whole house was dimly lit, barely enough to see anything. Everything was hidden in the shadows, and there seemed to be a faint candlelight coming from the dining room.
As he leaned against the wall to change his shoes, he asked, "Is there no electricity at home?"