Are you feeling unwell?
Chai Qianning propped her head up and realized that it was Sheng Muxi talking to her.
Sheng Muxi shook off the women around her and came to care for her, and all the women looked in her direction.
Chai Qianning's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her cheeks were a little flushed, but she wasn't feeling unwell; it was just a reaction after moving things and doing physical labor.
Just as she was about to say something, Sheng Muxi placed his hand on her forehead.
The woman's palms were warm, but her fingers, perhaps from holding the cup for a long time, were icy in some places.
A delicate touch traveled from her forehead to her skin. As she leaned closer, a few strands of hair brushed against her face, carrying a faint fragrance that made one's heart flutter.
Chai Qianning opened her mouth and then closed it again.
Just then, a woman in high heels came over and asked her if she needed help.
Chai Qianning smiled helplessly. It seemed that she had not only caused Sheng Muxi to misunderstand, but also caused others to misunderstand.
She thanked the woman, saying, "I'm fine, thank you for your concern."
He turned back and looked at Sheng Muxi.
“You don’t look like you’re alright. If you’re feeling unwell, don’t try to tough it out. Should I take you home first?” Sheng Muxi said.
Chai Qianning found it quite amusing. Although it wasn't the first time she had been mistaken for being frail, she still wanted to tease Sheng Muxi: "Why do I look like I'm alright?"
“You don’t look well, and I’ve seen you lying down ever since I came in, without talking to anyone.”
"But I'm really fine."
Chai Qianning simply felt that sometimes playing on her phone while lying down was more comfortable than sitting down. As for interacting with people, she didn't particularly enjoy it and had no intention of joining the party. So, going out without makeup, coupled with her pale skin tone and the lighting, created the illusion that she didn't look well.
But she didn't say that to Sheng Muxi. Instead, she said in a different way, "I'm lying down because I'm a little tired."
That wasn't an exaggeration; she was indeed a bit tired after moving everything. Besides, she would usually be in bed by now at this hour.
She picked up the wine glass next to her, about to take a sip to quench her thirst, when Sheng Muxi raised her hand and pressed it down: "You should try to drink less."
A beam of multicolored light swept across Chai Qianning's face. She tilted her head slightly, her misty eyes looking at Sheng Muxi. Sheng Muxi stood with his back to the light, his outline shrouded in a halo.
The red dress made Sheng Muxi's skin look like white jade, her peach blossom eyes were filled with tenderness, and her full, moist red lips were so luscious that one couldn't help but want to take a bite.
Chai Qianning found her kind and pleasing to the eye, and couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
But it was just those few glances that made Sheng Muxi lose his composure. Chai Qianning's misty, watery eyes were filled with tiny specks of light, and her clean, pristine face was as beautiful as the moon and flowers.
The music playing in the bar was a bit noisy. Chai Qianning tilted her head and leaned forward a little: "What did you say?"
"I'm telling you," Sheng Muxi whispered in her ear, "drink less alcohol, it's bad for your health."
Chai Qianning smiled and obediently released the cup. Sheng Muxi thought for a moment, then ran to ask the waiter for a glass of plain water and placed it next to Chai Qianning.
Then a few girls came over and asked Sheng Muxi to play games. Unable to refuse their invitation, Sheng Muxi told them to wait a while, then went to Chai Qianning's side and waved her phone: "If you need anything, you can message me."
Seeing Chai Qianning nod, Sheng Muxi turned around and went to play games with them.
Chai Qianning picked up her cup, took a sip of water, and sat in a dimly lit corner. She squinted as she watched the light flash in the distance, at the place where a group of people were full of passion.
A girl kept following Sheng Muxi, glancing at her every now and then with an infatuated look. Even though Chai Qianning was sitting so far away, she could sense the girl's great interest in Sheng Muxi.
Chai Qianning watched quietly, one hand supporting her chin, the other resting on the table, her fingertips tapping lightly.
It seemed that Sheng Muxi was quite popular at the party, with everyone vying to add her on WeChat. Chai Qianning even overheard two passing girls discussing how to add her.
Chai Qianning glanced down at WeChat a few times, replied to a few messages, then scrolled through her Moments. She then clicked on Sheng Muxi's profile picture to check his activity. Although it was set to "visible to all," there weren't many posts, indicating that he was the type of person who rarely posted on Moments.
When she looked up again, she saw a girl, who seemed to be drunk, with one arm around the back of Sheng Muxi's neck, whispering something.
Chai Qianning could almost guess what was going on; the pickup lines in the bar were pretty much the same. She guessed that the girl probably wanted Sheng Muxi to take her home, so that she could naturally hook up with him.
But Sheng Muxi probably doesn't frequent bars often, so she was completely unaware of this tactic and didn't seem to realize the girl's ulterior motives. If no one had stopped her, the kind-hearted and beautiful Sheng Muxi might have actually taken her home.
As for whether Sheng Muxi is easy to flirt with, Chai Qianning doesn't know. She only knows that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Sheng Muxi should be taking her home tonight, not someone else.
Chai Qianning lazily opened WeChat and sent a voice message to Sheng Muxi. She saw Sheng Muxi glance down at his phone and then walk towards her.
The drunk girl was still bothering Sheng Muxi, who seemed to be explaining to her that he had something to do, and then pointed in Chai Qianning's direction.
Chai Qianning could hear Sheng Muxi talking to the girl about friends by listening to the opening and closing of her lips. Then she saw Sheng Muxi break away from the others and walk quickly towards her.
Chai Qianning smiled, feeling particularly pleased.
"What's wrong?" Sheng Muxi rested one arm on the bar.
Chai Qianning got off the bar stool, stood in front of Sheng Muxi, leaned over, and whispered in Sheng Muxi's ear: "Good neighbor, could you take me home?"
Chapter 4 Quenching Thirst
The two stood together in a posture that appeared very intimate to outsiders. Chai Qianning was only next to Sheng Muxi, very close, but not touching her body. However, it looked as if Chai Qianning was leaning on Sheng Muxi.
Looking at Chai Qianning's innocent-looking face, Sheng Muxi couldn't refuse her request, even if it was just out of neighborly affection.
Besides, it was she who offered to take her home.
She naturally agreed.
Chai Qianning followed her out and got into the other person's car.
Without the noise of the bar, Chai Qianning really started to feel sleepy. At first, she was fine sitting in the chair, but then she slid down more and more until she was completely paralyzed.
The city lights shone through her, quickly passing over her. Sheng Muxi noticed that she looked weak and listless, and asked her with concern if she hadn't slept well last night.
Chai Qianning sat up slightly in her seat, but slid back down a moment later: "I went to bed around 10 p.m. last night."
Sheng Muxi glanced at him from the side and asked, "You got up very early today?"
"No, I got up around nine o'clock," Chai Qianning replied casually.
Sheng Muxi paused slightly, as if wondering why this person was still so sleepy after sleeping for so long.
Do you live alone?
Although Chai Qianning didn't know why she asked that question, she still answered her, "Yes."
"It's only a little past one in the morning," Sheng Muxi said, glancing at her phone.
The implication is that you slept for so long last night, and it's not that late now, so why are you so tired? Are you feeling a bit weak?
Chai Qianning understood the implication in her words, smiled with narrowed eyes, turned her head to the side, and replied rather uninterestedly, "It's quite late."
If Su Ye had heard that, she would have been exasperated and said, "Are you a pig?! Oh no, even a pig couldn't sleep like you!"
But Sheng Muxi was a kind person and didn't tease her like that: "Get some rest when you get home."
She gripped the steering wheel with both hands and glanced at Chai Qianning. It was as if she could see into the life of a girl living alone who was sick and had no one to care for her. This made her feel even more sorry for Chai Qianning. A girl like her would probably be scared to tears if a small insect appeared in her house.
No wonder you were so tired but still forced yourself to attend a singles party. You probably want to find a partner for your future life, right?
Thinking about all this, Sheng Muxi started muttering to herself, her professional habit kicking in: "If you live alone, you have to be careful. If you're not feeling well or are very tired, don't go out. It wouldn't be good if you ran into some bad people."
Chai Qianning glanced at her profile, her gaze gradually sliding downwards as she scrutinized her with interest.
The other person turned their head because of her burning gaze, and when they met her ambiguous expression, they were taken aback: "Do you think I'm too long-winded?"
"No." Chai Qianning rested her chin on her hand: "Isn't it because you took me home?"
"You ran into me this time, but what about next time? Anyway..." Sheng Muxi's throat bobbed, "Just try to be careful."
Old cadre Chai was always lazy, even lazy to explain. He didn't affirm Sheng Muxi's words, but he didn't refute them either.
After the car entered the community parking garage, Chai Qianning was about to open the car door and get out when Sheng Muxi came over to open the door for her and then helped her out of the car.
Chai Qianning laughed at the joke. Did the other party think she was some kind of seriously ill patient?
While waiting for the elevator, Chai Qianning asked, "May I ask what you do for a living? But it's okay if you don't want to tell me."
Sheng Muxi didn't think there would be anything wrong with saying it, and answered generously, "Teacher."
"Teacher, that's great." Chai Qianning said thoughtfully, "Then you must be a good teacher who knows how to care for students."
"You flatter me. I was just doing my job."
Sheng Muxi stepped into the elevator, pressed the 10th floor button, but didn't press the 11th floor. Chai Qianning realized that she was probably going to escort her home.
"What do you do?" Sheng Muxi turned around and asked her.
Chai Qianning thought for a moment and replied, "It's a shop."
"That's good. What kind of shop does it run?"
Chai Qianning thought to herself, "The bar you went to tonight is the one I own."
She owned many shops, and after going through them in her mind, she chose the answer that best suited her old-fashioned, cadre-like temperament: "Teahouse."
When the elevator reached the 10th floor, the two stepped out. Sheng Muxi supported her arm the whole time, afraid that she might lose her balance and fall.
The blame lies with Chai Qianning, who usually walks with a limp and drags her feet. Coupled with Sheng Muxi's impression of her tonight, it's no wonder that the other party would have such unnecessary worries.
Chai Qianning lowered her eyes and looked at the other person's fair fingers. The nails were neatly trimmed into shallow, curved crescent shapes, with a slight pinkish tinge on the nail plates.
She simply went along with the other person's idea and continued acting.
So she leaned her body forward, her whole body limp against him, forcing Sheng Muxi to reach out his other hand to hold her waist.
Sheng Muxi's body was soft and comfortable to lean on. Chai Qianning felt that she had taken advantage of him, but she did not feel guilty at all. On the contrary, she felt very happy.
Her head swayed, and fine strands of hair swept across her face, fluttering with her movements.
When they reached the door, Sheng Muxi reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Chai Qianning lowered her head slightly, her thick, long eyelashes covering her face. She smelled the pleasant scent on the other person and felt the touch of their fingertips gently brushing against her earlobe. For a moment, she forgot that she was home.
It wasn't until Sheng Muxi reminded her to take out her key to open the door that she belatedly realized what was happening. She then reached into her bag, fumbled around for her key, opened the door, changed her shoes in the entryway, and collapsed onto the sofa in the living room.
Sheng Muxi didn't deliberately look at what was in Chai Qianning's house, but she glanced at the wine bottle on the table next to the sofa and couldn't help but turn her gaze back to Chai Qianning.
Do you drink at home regularly?
"Occasionally."
Sheng Muxi suddenly thought of something: "Do you like to relieve your boredom by drinking?"
Chai Qianning looked at her with half-open eyes, then pulled her to sit down on the sofa. She tilted her head and thought for a moment. She never got drunk when she drank; she only used alcohol occasionally to quench her thirst.