Translator: Cinder Translations
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What transpired between the two is unknown, but when Shi Jia's consciousness began to blur, a casual glance caused her fading gaze to suddenly focus. In the next second, she immediately turned around and tapped her two friends beside her.
Yuan Yuan, who couldn't handle alcohol, had already fallen asleep, leaning on another girl's shoulder. She was roughly shaken awake and looked confusedly at the direction they were indicating.
The blurry images before her began to align slowly, until finally...
"Holy sh*t!"
The exclamation came from another girl named Jin Xizhen. She was of mixed Chinese-Korean descent, average-looking, wearing a loose, rugged motorcycle jacket with a head of sharp short hair. On her exposed collarbone, she had a rare snake-and-skull tattoo, with a cobra's head emerging from the skull's eye sockets, its tongue hissing out.
Although she was the youngest among the group, she spoke with the authority of an older sister. Whenever she went on about extreme culture, the other three girls just laughed, never contradicting her.
Otherwise, it would embarrass her.
Tonight, she had driven everyone here in a sports car.
Xizhen's mother was troubled by the fact that her daughter seemed to have a few issues with her preferences. Growing up in a private school, Xizhen was already accustomed to fighting and skipping class, but what really bothered her family was that the principal had called to say that Xizhen had been teasing female classmates.
And not just once.
Fortunately, Xizhen had not shown any romantic interest in her three friends, keeping their bond strictly platonic.
On the bar's sofa, the sweet-natured Yuan Yuan shook her head vigorously, then opened her eyes, clearly telling her she wasn't seeing things.
"Am I seeing things?" Yuan Yuan said, half-waking from her drunken stupor. After a pause, she added, "I think I am going blind."
Shi Jia bit her lip and replied, "I guess I'm going blind as well."
The shyest girl in their group, Nan Jin, was now sitting on Jiang Cheng's lap, holding a glass of wine in one hand, leaning in closely to him, staring intently into his eyes.
The dim lighting barely reached them, making the scene seem unusually intimate.
Jiang Cheng took a small sip of his drink, then leaned closer to Nan Jin's ear, whispering something with his lips barely moving.
In the next moment, Nan Jin froze, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Jiang Cheng's neck. He struggled slightly, but ultimately succumbed to her force and was pulled into her embrace.
The wine glass in her hand slipped and shattered, and the red wine spilled across the floor, shimmering in the light.
For the next little while, the three friends watched Nan Jin's emotional ups and downs. Sometimes, she would cry to Jiang Cheng like a wronged child, and other times, she fell silent, her beautiful eyes seemingly lost in another world.
"What's wrong with Nan Jin?" Xizhen blinked, having drunk a fair amount but still somewhat aware. She stood up unsteadily. "I'll go check."
But before she could move, two hands pulled her back into the sofa, one on each side—Yuan Yuan and Shi Jia.
"Trust me on this one, leave her be," Shi Jia didn't even glance at Xizhen, her attention still on Nan Jin. After a long pause, she softly added, "If you still want Nan Jin to talk to you again, then stay put."
All this time, Jiang Cheng had been playing the role of a listener. He rarely spoke or offered his opinion.
Over the years, Nan Jin had been subjected to too much education, scolding, and advice from people who claimed to be doing it for her good. But no one had ever bothered to sit down and quietly listen to her grievances.
Jiang Cheng couldn't remember how long he listened. Even Nan Jin herself couldn't recall. Luckily, it was late, and the remaining people were slightly drunk, so no one was paying attention.
Nan Jin lowered her head, as though all her strength had been drained. She wasn't drunk; it was just that all the emotions she had been holding in had exploded, leaving her feeling dazed and weak.
"Sorry, Mr. Jiang," she said softly. "I... I think I said too much, I was just rambling, didn't mean to interrupt you. I can't even remember where I left off, please don't…"
"Did you bring cash?" Jiang Cheng raised his head, looking calmly and gently into her eyes. His gaze was non-threatening, yet it stirred something in her heart.
After a while, Nan Jin seemed to suddenly snap out of it. She grabbed her chain bag, carelessly tipped it onto the table, and a beautifully designed lipstick rolled across the surface, eventually falling to the ground and disappearing.
Nan Jin fumbled through her wallet, which only had a few bills.
She wasn't in the habit of carrying cash.
She pulled the money out and handed it to Jiang Cheng, then blinked at him.
Jiang Cheng, without a word, placed his drink down and, in full view of Nan Jin and the three other girls who were watching curiously, took the top bill.
He then pressed it onto the table, slowly folding it with a distinct crease.
His fingers moved in a flurry, like a colorful butterfly in motion. Under the influence of alcohol, his pale skin turned slightly pink, and the light occasionally caught his sharp eyebrows.
"Whoosh—"
Jiang Cheng's hand enveloped the neck of an empty bottle. His long fingers spread out slowly, and in the next second, Nan Jin's eyes widened.
She saw a rose blooming at the bottle's opening.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she suddenly remembered what she had said to this man earlier.
Because of her mother's strict upbringing and control, she had always been isolated among her classmates. Her excellence felt somewhat unreal, and her shy, withdrawn nature made her appear as an aloof iceberg in everyone's eyes.
She had never been in a relationship, let alone received a gift like a rose.
Even the most beautiful princess needed a prince to match.
As Jiang Cheng pulled out one bill after another from Nan Jin's wallet, more and more roses bloomed from the bottle's opening, becoming more vibrant with each passing moment. It didn't take long—though perhaps it was just in Nan Jin's perception—before her vision was filled with an entire sea of roses.
"Miss Nan Jin," Jiang Cheng slowly stood, bowing to Nan Jin, who was frozen in shock, her mouth slightly open but unable to speak. He spoke gently, "Happy birthday."
(End of the Chapter)
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