Zhang Shutong let out a sigh of relief and was stuffing a piece of lamb chop into his mouth when someone beside him asked:
"How is it?"
"It’s great. Everything’s delicious," Zhang Shutong said, pretending the coconut pizza didn’t exist.
"Then eat up." Her puffed cheeks relaxed, as if her anger had mostly faded. She pressed the service bell and ordered a bottle of red wine.
"You’re ordering more?"
"Yep." Gu Qiuyan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You’re making it up to me."
The red wine she ordered this time had an even higher alcohol content. He knew a bit about wine, but only from what he’d read in books. He was nothing like Gu Qiuyan, who sipped her wine as she ate her lamb chops. Her movements were graceful, of course, as she took one small taste after another. But she drank so frequently that her glass was soon empty.
She pushed her glass forward, and Zhang Shutong refilled it for her.
"Don’t get drunk."
"I won’t," Gu Qiuyan huffed. "Don’t underestimate me."
’Come to think of it,’ Zhang Shutong mused, ’I’ve never really hung out with her like this before. Maybe she can always drink this much.’ The more she drank, the more excited she became, like a little lush. But other than a healthy flush to her cheeks, she showed no other signs of being drunk.
Except for her terrible drinking etiquette, that is.
Zhang Shutong didn’t understand why she insisted on drinking with him when there were three other friends at the table. Of course, Gu Qiuyan had gone through the motions of asking the others, but they all politely declined, leaving only Zhang Shutong.
By the time the food was nearly gone, it was already a little past one o’clock. Qingyi and Du Kang were the restless types, so they had gone over to the art wall to look at the photographs. Ruoping had excused herself to the restroom. This was how gatherings usually wound down—people breaking off into smaller groups to drink or chat.
Zhang Shutong was in the drinking group.
’So the real challenge was waiting for me here,’ he thought. Now, it was just him and Gu Qiuyan left in the booth.
The candle had burned halfway down, its flame now even dimmer. They had chosen a table in a corner when they’d arrived, the dimmest spot in the entire restaurant. It was a good place for whispering.
Every time he poured her a glass, she would insist that he pour one for himself, too. If he didn’t, she would simply stare into his eyes without a word, twirling the ends of her hair around her finger until he relented.
It was then that Zhang Shutong noticed her nails, which gleamed the color of red wine in the candlelight.
He could only conclude that she’d been seriously cooped up at home all week. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he raised his wine glass and drained it in one go.
Gu Qiuyan had polished off nearly an entire bottle of red wine by herself and was about to order another when Zhang Shutong stopped her. "That’s enough, that’s enough. We have to go shopping this afternoon, you can’t pass out drunk." Only then did she finally relent.
"So what’s the surprise you mentioned?" she asked, parting her rosy lips. Her warm breath carried a fruity scent.
Zhang Shutong glanced at the one remaining slice of coconut pizza.
"What about yours?"
"You tell me first." Gu Qiuyan’s voice had taken on a wheedling, coquettish tone. She’d definitely had too much to drink.
"Mine’s a secret, too."
"Hmph. Fine, don’t tell me then."
"What movie do you want to see?"
Zhang Shutong remembered he still had a task to accomplish.
"You pick." She glanced at the time and gasped, "It’s so late!"
She gave Zhang Shutong a shove.
"Hurry up and eat! I still have to go shopping!"
’I wonder who’s the one who was drinking all this time,’ Zhang Shutong thought with an inward sigh. He glanced at the table.
"We’re pretty much done. Ready to go?"
"But there’s still that slice of pizza."
"You want to eat it?"
"You eat it."
’Even if you’re trying to be frugal, milady, don’t make me eat it. I’m not a garbage disposal,’ Zhang Shutong thought. But Gu Qiuyan just tilted her head, thinking for a moment.
"How about rock, paper, scissors? Loser eats it."
Zhang Shutong threw rock.
She was a beat slow, then showed paper.
"No cheating."
Zhang Shutong frowned, ready for a rematch, but Gu Qiuyan had already speared the pizza with a fork and was holding it to his mouth, her body trembling with laughter. Defeated, Zhang Shutong took the fork from her and waged a fierce internal battle as he stared at the now-cold coconut and fermented black beans.
’Maybe this is what it means to reap what you sow,’ he thought. He squeezed his eyes shut and resolutely opened his mouth.
A flash went off before his eyes.
Gu Qiuyan was already putting her phone away, looking satisfied.
"Going to pay the bill."
Chewing on the cold slice of pizza, Zhang Shutong couldn’t figure out what on earth she was trying to do.
His head was feeling a little fuzzy now.
Zhang Shutong rarely had moments like this, where his limbs didn’t seem to obey him. He didn’t even remember how he’d gotten out of the restaurant. The sun outside was bright, and he squinted at the winter rays. He also had no idea how he had suddenly appeared on the second floor of the shopping mall.
He was standing in the middle of a crowd. The white marble floor was polished to a brilliant shine, clearly reflecting his shadow. When he looked around, Ruoping and the others were nowhere to be seen.
"Where’d they go?" Zhang Shutong asked, a bit dazed.
"They went to the supermarket downstairs to buy some things. I told you that," Gu Qiuyan said. She was peering into the display window of a jewelry store.
"And me?"
"You’re with me."
She pulled Zhang Shutong over to the window, where he saw that Gu Qiuyan was studying a charm.
It was a four-leaf clover charm. ’Are you going to tie this one in your hair, too?’ Zhang Shutong started to think. ’Isn’t that a bit much...?’ But then he realized it was an anklet.
In short, an accessory for your ankle.
"Is it pretty?" Gu Qiuyan asked.
"It’s okay, I guess," Zhang Shutong offered.
"Hey! I’m asking if you think it’s pretty or not!"
Zhang Shutong understood. He could only answer "pretty" or "not."
"Pretty."
"Then let’s go try it on."
And with that, she pulled Zhang Shutong into the store.
"But it’s winter," he couldn’t help but remind her. ’What’s the point of buying an anklet in winter?’
"They’re on winter clearance, so it’s cheap. Twenty-five percent off." She blinked innocently.
"You’re such a savvy shopper..."
But Gu Qiuyan was already settling onto a sofa, greeted by the welcoming staff. She was wearing a pair of thick, nude-colored leggings today, yet even the heavy fabric couldn’t hide the long, beautiful lines of her legs. It was one of the few options for girls who wanted to look good in the winter.