When Cen Ji returned with several jars of old wine, he saw Ban Lan lying on her side, fast asleep on the shore.
He put down the wine, took off his coat and draped it over her, but accidentally woke her up.
Ban Lan sat up, squinted for a moment, and only remembered what had happened when she saw the wine jars on the ground. She got up, walked over, picked up one jar, handed it to Cen Ji, and then took one for herself and sat down on the ground.
Cen Ji looked down at the wine jar in his hand and said, "Drink from the jar?"
Ban Lan asked, "What, are you scared?"
Cen Ji said, "I rarely drink alcohol."
Ban Lan, seemingly oblivious, removed the seal from his face and said, "Having a drink with your savior might be your only chance to repay him."
Cen Ji looked up at Ban Lan, but Ban Lan did not look at Cen Ji.
She picked up the wine jar and drank several mouthfuls, the spiciness sending a warm current through her body.
He hesitated for a moment, then raised the jar and tilted his head back to drink it. After a few sips, Cen Ji felt the tension in his mind suddenly ease.
He discovered for the first time that alcohol was a wonderful thing, making everything blurry.
He would occasionally look back at Ban Lan, because he found the way Ban Lan drank very amusing.
Cen Ji didn't know much about wine, and these few jars weren't exactly fine wine. But Ban Lan drank very seriously, neither gulping it down nor sipping it slowly; each sip seemed like a savoring of the experience. There were no glistening wine stains on her lips, and she didn't even flinch at the spicy wine. Cen Ji couldn't tell how much she enjoyed drinking, yet he felt that drinking was the most natural thing for her.
Ban Lan snapped out of her daze and, seeing Cen Ji staring at her intently, asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Cen Ji withdrew his gaze and said, "I don't understand, how could you fall in love with me?"
He had been wondering about it.
There are many "no's" in a quiet life: one should not be arrogant, one should not be dissolute, one should not act impulsively, and one should not laugh, ramble, or curse.
But now, this bodyguard who even has to be self-disciplined in his emotions is loved by a woman who indulges in the pleasures of the world. They have nothing in common, like the black and white of the sky, or the opposite of things.
Upon hearing this, Ban Lan stopped looking at him and after a moment said, "I've always thought that if I hadn't seen your expression after you discovered Senior Sister's disappearance that day, I wouldn't have been so hung up on that look. Cen Qi, that was the first time I was jealous of Senior Sister, because of a stranger, you."
Cen Ji had not expected it to be like this.
“Perhaps people just like to covet things that don’t belong to them.” Ban Lan raised the wine jar and said, “For the secret I’ve uncovered, you must drink it.”
Cen Ji's mind was in a mess. He saw Ban Lan's wine jar bump against his own with a "bang," so he followed suit and took a sip.
After a long silence, Cen Ji said, "What you've fallen in love with is just a look in someone's eyes. When you meet someone who truly loves you, you'll have that too."
“Yes, back then I did fall in love with just a look in your eyes.” Ban Lan chuckled. “But Cen Qi, remember this: I won’t take a knife for you just because of a look in your eyes.”
Cen Ji was taken aback and before he could figure it out, he saw Ban Lan point at his wine jar and say, "For the knife I took for you, you, keep drinking."
Feeling helpless, he could only lift the altar, tilt his head back, and pour the liquid over himself.
After downing most of the jar of wine, Cen Ji was already quite tipsy. His alcohol tolerance was far lower than Ban Lan's to begin with, so when he started squinting to see Ban Lan's face clearly, Ban Lan finally revealed a triumphant expression.
Ban Lan put his wine jar aside, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, now we can get down to business."
clichés
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Cen Ji clutched the wine jar tightly, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
Ban Lan glanced at him sideways, then looked at the wine jar in his hand. Seeing his bitter face, she unconsciously reached out to smooth the sorrow between his brows.
“…Silently…” Cen Ji mumbled in a daze.
Ban Lan pursed her lips.
With a crisp "smack," Ban Lan gave Cen Ji a sharp slap on the forehead: "It was me who touched your head, not your senior sister!"
Cen Ji suddenly raised his head and looked around, as if trying to find where the sound of the slap had come from.
His face was somber, with a few stubbles of varying lengths on his chin. His eyes, which were not very large to begin with, were slightly narrowed after a few drinks, and his dark eyebrows were also tinged with the smell of alcohol, carrying a hint of sorrow.
"Cen Qi?" Ban Lan called out.
Cen Ji turned his head to the side, his face turned toward Ban Lan, as if he were looking at her, or as if he were looking at nothingness.
Ban Lan smiled and asked, "When did you meet my senior sister?"
Cen Ji looked at her without answering.
Ban Lan thought he was a little slow to react because he was drunk, so she added, "My senior sister, Wen Moyin."
A hint of tenderness flashed in Cen Ji's eyes; he had clearly caught the words "Wen Moyin".
But he still didn't answer.
Ban Lan had no choice but to change the question, asking, "Did you grow up in Kongshanling?"
Cen Ji stared at Ban Lan, but still didn't answer.
Ban Lan asked impatiently, "Are you mute, Cen Qi?"
Cen Ji actually nodded.
Ban Lan was startled and quickly snatched Cen Ji's wine jar to examine it. She then held Cen Ji's head and looked at it from left to right in the moonlight.
Cen Ji broke free from her grasp and slurred, "What, what are you doing?"
Ban Lan clenched her fist and said angrily, "Why are you nodding if you're not mute?"
Before the words had even faded, Cen Ji felt a wave of nausea rise in his stomach, and he shook his head, coughing violently. Since his stomach was empty, he only coughed up a few mouthfuls of alcohol.
Seeing this, Ban Lan softened a bit. She patted his back to help him stretch for a while before saying, "Although Senior Sister is the daughter of Master Kongshan, she rarely talked to me about Kongshan Ridge during the years she studied martial arts in Yumu Valley."
Cen Ji raised his hand, signaling Ban Lan to stop taking pictures.
Ban Lan withdrew her hand and continued, "Cen Qi?"
Cen Ji gave a faint "hmm".
Ban Lan asked, "Are you dizzy?"
Cen Ji nodded.
Ban Lan then said, "Then let's have some more." With that, he handed over his wine jar.
Cen Ji took it in a daze.
Ban Lan watched him with a smile: Since he won't say anything, he must not be drunk enough.
After being tricked and coaxed into drinking a whole jar of wine, Cen Ji was completely drunk. He rested his head on the wine jar, like a limp old garment, and only managed a soft "humph" in response to Ban Lan's repeated calls.
Ban Lan was also a bit troubled when she saw that Cen Ji had drunk too much. She had planned to get some information about him and Wen Moyin while he was in a daze, but she didn't expect Cen Ji to pass out drunk.
Ban Lan was unwilling to give up. In order to keep Cen Ji from falling asleep, Ban Lan called out loudly, "Cen Qi!"
Cen Ji kept his eyes closed and remained motionless.
Ban Lan shouted again, "Kongshan Ridge's secret guard, Cen Qi!"
Cen Ji sat up abruptly, swaying slightly from side to side. His usually bright and piercing eyes were now misty. He slowly turned around and saw Ban Lan craning her neck to look at him. Her delicate face gradually transformed into a gentle and beautiful countenance.