Liu Tianyu? What's wrong with you? If it's inconvenient to talk, just hum - are you okay?"
Inside the ancestral hall, Jiang Chuyan listened to the gurgling, wet sound coming from the microphone, and his bad premonition became particularly strong.
"Gu——"
He heard a muffled sound.
It sounded like someone had water in their throat and was trying hard to blow air out.
The next second, the call was disconnected.
After that, no matter how many times Jiang Chuyan called again, Liu Tianyu did not answer the phone.
Listening to the repetitive electronic sound from the mobile phone microphone, Jiang Chuyan's face became extremely solemn at the dining table.
Then he suddenly hung up the phone, pushed away the chair and stood up
"I'm going to check on Liu Tianyu in his room. Something's not right with him."
The young man said to the others at the table with a gloomy face.
As he spoke, he bent down and prepared to take off the iron chain that was in the way on his feet.
But Budacuocuo hurriedly blocked his way.
"…This is unlucky!"
He yelled.
Jiang Chuyan looked at Budacuocuo in astonishment, and for a moment he could hardly understand Budacuocuo's behavior.
"Huh? Unlucky?"
"The ritual isn't complete yet! If you run away, the Dragon God will be angry. That's bad luck, very unlucky!"
Budacuocuo's voice suddenly became extremely sharp.
Jiang Chuyan was startled by the village chief's suddenly raised voice. The way Budacuocuo looked at him also struck him as strangely unfamiliar: the muscles on her smooth face were twitching slightly, and even her bulging, unfocused pupils were trembling.
It can be seen that Budacuocuo is still trying hard to smile, but the panic that is difficult to suppress and the forced smile only make his expression look more hideous.
"You will meet with bad luck. Mal must not leave before the party, otherwise *&&￥#@#..."
Budacuo stammered, but when he got excited he continued with a string of dialects that Jiang Chuyan couldn't understand.
And his hand was tightly grasping Jiang Chuyan's wrist. Perhaps because of the heavy sweating, Budacuocuo was like an amphibious creature. His hands were wet, cold, and sticky to the touch.
The moment Jiang Chuyan was caught by Budacuocuo, he felt a strong sense of nausea and goose bumps appeared on his arms.
Fortunately, in the next second, He Yuan reached out and pulled Jiang Chuyan's arm out from Budacuocuo's fingertips.
"Budacuocuo, this isn't a question of good or bad luck. We can't control this right now."
He Yuan pulled Jiang Chuyan behind him and spoke to Budacuocuo in a gloomy tone.
However, Budacuocuo still stood in front of the two of them and refused to let Jiang Chuyan leave.
"You will meet with misfortune... The Dragon God is most angry... What he hates most is Maal's departure..."
The village chief muttered to himself, cold sweat visibly oozing from his forehead.
Drop by drop, his collar was soaked through.
Unconsciously, there were many bloodshot in the whites of Budacuocuo's eyes.
Strangely, he was still smiling, even though every wrinkle of his face was covered in cold sweat.
"Sikani..." He stared at He Yuan, "How could you let Mal go?"
He Yuan turned his back to Jiang Chuyan and did not speak at this moment.
Jiang Chuyan didn't notice He Yuan's silence.
"My classmate's in trouble." He took a deep breath, his voice becoming particularly blunt. "I want to respect your customs here, but I can't just sit here and ignore my classmate's safety. He's a member of our study group, and I have to ensure Liu Tianyu's safety first."
But Budacuocuo just looked at him with that weird smile, and kept repeating the same words as if she didn't understand.
Unlucky.
The Dragon God will be angry.
Before the banquet is over, Mal, also known as Jiang Chuyan, cannot leave.
With such an obvious stalemate, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became dangerous.
Bai Ke and Xu Yuanzhou also subconsciously stood up from their seats, their faces pale as they looked around. As expected, with Budacuocuo's shouting, the villagers had already gathered outside the ancestral hall. They were also laughing, but...
But his eyes look so strange.
Xu Yuanzhou even had a strange illusion that if they dared to let Jiang Chuyan leave the ancestral hall, the villagers here would kill all of them.
"Brother Chuyan, don't take it so seriously. Liu Tianyu is a grown man. He won't die just from a nosebleed."
Bai Ke's breathing was heavy, and he tried to persuade her carefully.
"It's just a meal anyway, can't we go find him after dinner..."
Xu Yuanzhou couldn't help but agree.
…
Yes, maybe I was making a big fuss out of nothing.
There was also a voice in Jiang Chuyan's heart warning him.
However, Jiang Chuyan found it difficult to remain rational.
The vague voice on the phone made Jiang Chuyan feel very uneasy.
Budacuocuo's smile and persistence made his hair stand on end.
Even this collective buffet breakfast, full of rural warmth, made him feel suffocated.
"I'm leaving now."
Jiang Chuyan said with a pale face, feeling that his patience and rationality were about to be exhausted.
"Budacuocuo, you have your own rules, but you can't force us to follow them."
Just at this moment, He Yuan said to Budacuocuo in a gloomy tone.
Jiang Chuyan had successfully untied the chains on his feet by this time. He pulled off the heavy red cloth on his shoulders and threw it on the back of the chair.
Seeing Jiang Chuyan turning around and leaving, Budacuocuo's voice suddenly rose octaves.
"no--"
For a moment, Jiang Chuyan felt that Budacuocuo's face seemed to be deformed.
His facial features looked as if they were melting, and his head and face became swollen.
Jiang Chuyan instinctively shrank back, and unconsciously pulled He Yuan.
"rustle--"
At this moment, the sound of cloth rubbing against each other suddenly came from the ancestral hall.
Then a cold wind blew, accompanied by the stale smell of dust rising, and something suddenly fell behind Jiang Chuyan.
Jiang Chuyan turned around in surprise and saw the thick black cloth that was originally hanging on the shrine fall down by itself without anyone touching it.
The thick black cloth suddenly piled on the ground, and inside the shrine, the dragon god statue that had been tightly covered came into Jiang Chuyan's sight.
It was a sculpture beyond Jiang Chuyan's comprehension. In his mind, a statue of a deity should be solemn and dignified. Even if the carving was crude, once imbued with the faith of the inhabitants, the statue within its high shrine would naturally acquire a sacred aura.
However, this sculpture in the ancestral hall of Longzhao Village looks more like a decayed and miserable corpse than a statue of a god.
We cannot say that the sculpture is poorly carved. We can only say that the person who carved the dragon god did a really good job, so good that it is terrifying.
It was a man sitting cross-legged.
He looked much like any other male deity worshipped by the countryside, except that his proportions and body contours were rendered with extreme realism. Even the muscles, exposed outside his sleeves and softened by death, were meticulously detailed.
What bothered Jiang Chuyan most was that the body of the sculpture appeared to be facing forward, but the head of the dragon god had been chopped off. It had been tightly wrapped with a cloth and then turned upside down, facing away from the crowd, directly behind the shrine.
That is an anti-god.
It's so weird.
Jiang Chuyan had been taking folklore classes for so long, but he had never seen people from any other place treat the gods they believed in in this way.
and...
Why did he remember clearly seeing a dragon's tail and scales behind the black cloth? But now, the statue sitting on the shrine, with only golden fish scales painted on its neck and the backs of its hands exposed outside its sleeves, looked just an ordinary human figure.
Did I see it wrong just now?
Jiang Chuyan thought in doubt and surprise.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh——Dragon God, calm down——calm down——"
A scream snapped Jiang Chuyan out of his trance, staring at the Dragon God. He shuddered, and when he turned back, he saw the previously aggressive Budacuocuo, now slumped to the ground. The village chief stared in horror at the Dragon God statue, its head torn from its body beneath the black cloth, its back to the shrine. His entire body was shaking like a sieve.
The villagers who had gathered outside the ancestral hall with strange smiles on their faces also let out various screams.
In the chaos, the makeshift tables and chairs were kicked apart by the panicked crowd, and the overturned bowls and plates, untouched, fell to the ground, splashing mud and water...
The young woman hugged her children and covered their eyes tightly with her hands, forcing them not to look at the ancestral hall out of curiosity.
The elderly man was trembling all over, covering his face with his hands, and muttering in the Longzhao dialect, as if begging for blessings or forgiveness.
…
Shouts and screams replaced the original laughter and echoed inside and outside the ancestral hall.
Now, even if Budacuocuo wanted to continue the banquet, it would be impossible.
Jiang Chuyan stood there in a daze, bewildered by the sudden change. By the time Budacuocuo finally struggled to his feet and, trembling, directed the villagers to re-cover the shrine with the black cloth, Jiang Chuyan and the others had already left the ancestral hall in disgrace. Following Budacuocuo's incoherent instructions, they returned to their small building with bewildered faces.
"Just now, what on earth happened?"
"This is really strange. Don't people here believe in the Dragon God? Is it necessary to be so scared?"
"Shit, I thought that guy would just turn around—"
…
On the way back, not only Jiang Chuyan, but Xu Yuanzhou and Bai Ke also looked dazed and horrified.
"They believe in dragons, but they also revere the Dragon God." Finally, He Yuan, who knew Long Marsh better, spoke up to explain, "The natural conditions here are too poor, so they are filled with awe at the Dragon God, who possesses special powers... Well, in short, the Dragon God they believe in in Long Marsh does have a bad temper, and is a particularly tyrannical and brutal type."
The dark-skinned boy with curly hair walked briskly and spoke in a calm tone.
"Besides, the people here don't have much contact with the outside world and don't have much scientific knowledge. Things related to the Dragon God can easily cause them to panic. Similar things have occasionally happened before, but once they're dealt with, they calm down. There's no need to worry too much."
He Yuan patted Jiang Chuyan's shoulder and spoke in a calm voice.
Seeing that He Yuan looked not surprised but relaxed, Jiang Chuyan's mood calmed down a little.
"I still can't understand it."
The young man murmured.
"They look like they're freaking out, and...this place is so weird."
He Yuan stared at the pale young man beside him with a half-smile.
"If it weren't weird we wouldn't be here, would we?"
*
Before they knew it, several people had returned to their residence. Compared with the chaotic ancestral hall, the small building was so quiet that it was almost tear-jerking.
Jiang Chuyan climbed up the stairs and looked around, but did not see the villager sent by Budacuocuo to watch Liu Tianyu.
He pursed his lips, his chest feeling a little tight.
There was a faint fishy smell in the air, the smell of blood.
But Jiang Chuyan couldn't tell whether the smell came from him or from Xiaolou.
"Liu Tianyu——"
As soon as he got onto the platform, Jiang Chuyan shouted.
He didn't get any response. Jiang Chuyan's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't want to think about the mess in the ancestral hall anymore. He rushed into the small building. He first looked around on the first floor, but when he saw no one, he quickly went up to the second floor.
He stopped in front of the only locked door on the second floor.
"Bang, bang, bang—"
Jiang Chuyan knocked on the door hard.
But there was still no movement inside the door.
"Liu Tianyu, how are you?"
Jiang Chuyan raised his voice.
The dead silence on the other side of the door gave him a very bad feeling.
For some reason, his mind was filled with all sorts of terrifying and gruesome scenarios, and he was even panicking because of the images he imagined. Fortunately, just before he was about to bang on the door, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from the room.
"Crack—"
The old wooden door slowly opened a crack with a sharp friction sound.
The room was dark. It was obvious that Liu Tianyu had closed the curtains and did not turn on the lights.
In the shadows, Liu Tianyu's face was as pale as a ghost.
"Jiang Chuyan..."
He stared at Jiang Chuyan blankly, his reaction seeming a little slow.
The slightly plump boy wore his clothes inside out, looking like he had just woken up.
I don't know if it's because he had been bleeding from the nose, but his voice was heavily nasal, and when he spoke, you could faintly hear some wheezing sounds mixed in with his answers.
"Are you okay? I just called you and heard nothing but noise, and you didn't answer my knocks. Are you really okay?"
Jiang Chuyan asked hurriedly.
This time, Liu Tianyu was stunned for a long time before responding to him.
"I didn't sleep well yesterday. I'm very sleepy. I want to sleep a little longer."
Liu Tianyu answered word by word.
Facing Jiang Chuyan's concern, he seemed particularly numb.
"Then...are you feeling any other discomfort?"
Jiang Chuyan asked again.
Liu Tianyu gave him a blank look without answering, then slammed the door shut in front of Jiang Chuyan with a creak.
Jiang Chuyan stared at the closed door for a few seconds.
"call..."
Then he slowly exhaled.
Liu Tianyu's behavior was very rude, but Jiang Chuyan didn't even have the energy to be angry at this time.
He just felt a surge of relief.
Maybe it was because he was too nervous, but before meeting Liu Tianyu, Jiang Chuyan always had a strong bad premonition. He could even say that he would not be surprised if he found the boy's body in Liu Tianyu's room.
Fortunately, nothing happened to Liu Tianyu.
If it's just because you didn't sleep well and had a nosebleed, it's normal to go back to your room and take a nap.
Jiang Chuyan said to himself.
His body felt weak, and only then did he realize that his back was wet, soaked with cold sweat.
"I told you he'd be fine."
A flat voice suddenly sounded behind Jiang Chuyan.
Jiang Chuyan almost jumped up on the spot. When he turned around, he found that Bai Ke had a pale face and had been standing behind him silently without him knowing when.
When did this guy come?
Jiang Chuyan was surprised because his heart was beating too fast and his chest even hurt a little.
Bai Ke didn't realize how much of a scare she had caused Jiang Chuyan.
The lighting on the second floor was poor, and his eyes looked particularly dark and gloomy.
The boy looked straight at Jiang Chuyan, then he opened his mouth, stuck out his red tongue, and licked his lips quickly.
"Liu Tianyu wants to sleep. Can I have his share of the meal?"
Jiang Chuyan originally thought that Bai Ke was trying to annoy him again, but he never expected that Bai Ke actually opened his mouth to ask for food.
"You mean this?"
When coming out of the ancestral hall, Jiang Chuyan grabbed a few untouched buns and snacks on the dining table and put them in a plastic bag, which he considered as breakfast for Liu Tianyu. He was still holding it in his hand.
Liu Tianyu closed the door too quickly just now, and he didn't have the chance to give the thing to the other party.
"I'm not full. I want to eat more."
Bai Ke said.
"oh..."
Jiang Chuyan was stunned, feeling vaguely strange. He remembered clearly that as a minor internet celebrity, Bai Ke usually controlled his diet, even stricter than the girls. Sometimes, he would inexplicably show off his so-called small stomach in front of him.
He had never seen Bai Ke so greedy before.
But no matter how confused he was, since Bai Ke had already said so, Jiang Chuyan couldn't refuse her.
He handed the food in his hand to Bai Ke.
"Then eat if you want."
Jiang Chuyan didn't know what Bai Ke was planning, so he just responded.
As a result, before he stretched out his hand, he felt a pain in his fingertips - Bai Ke reached out rudely and pulled the plastic bag from his hand.
Then Bai Ke directly picked up the already cold bun from the plastic bag with his hands and stuffed it into his mouth in big mouthfuls.
Jiang Chuyan opened his eyes wide and looked at Bai Ke in surprise.
If Jiang Chuyan didn't know that Bai Ke had eaten breakfast 100%, he would almost think that the boy in front of him hadn't eaten for several days.
"Kaji——"
"Kaji——"
…
In the long and dark corridor on the second floor, Bai Ke's chewing sounds were actually a bit harsh.
A wind blew from somewhere, brushing against Jiang Chuyan's back, making him feel a chill.
He glanced at Bai Ke, and that inexplicable feeling of discomfort came up again.
"Well, then you eat first."
Jiang Chuyan lowered his eyes, avoided Bai Ke, and quickly went downstairs.
"How about it?"
As soon as I went downstairs, I saw He Yuan guarding the stairs.
Jiang Chuyan forced a smile at He Yuan.
"He's fine...I was just too nervous."
Jiang Chuyan said.
He Yuan turned his head and looked at him deeply.
"It's not a bad thing to be a little nervous in an unfamiliar place."
Jiang Chuyan vaguely felt that there was something strange about He Yuan's words, but his mind was a little confused at the time, so he did not respond.
He walked towards the fire pit, and He Yuan naturally followed him.
At this time, Xu Yuanzhou was sitting cross-legged beside the fire pit with his head down. Hearing the footsteps, the boy raised his face. His eyes were a little red because he had been drinking.
"I told you a long time ago, is Liu Tianyu okay?"
Facing Jiang Chuyan, Xu Yuanzhou said unhappily
Jiang Chuyan was still thinking about Bai Ke. He was very concerned about the way she was eating. He only gave Xu Yuanzhou a perfunctory "hmm". Seeing that Jiang Chuyan didn't pay much attention to him, Xu Yuanzhou's face darkened for a moment and he almost lost his temper.
However, after catching a glimpse of He Yuan, Xu Yuanzhou's expression changed instantly. He forced himself to be patient and soften his voice.
"You should be relieved to see that he's okay. With your worrying personality, you'll eventually be dragged down to death... Um, what are the plans next?"
He asked.
Hearing this question, Jiang Chuyan rubbed his eyebrows.
According to the original plan, after the banquet, the group should use paper and pen to record the burial process and ceremony of the Longzhao villagers for the remains of the stupa after it burned.
"According to the schedule, we were supposed to visit Longzhao under the guidance of Budacuocuo. Although we were not allowed to take photos, we were still allowed to draw with pen and paper. This time, our focus was on documenting the several primitive dwellings here."
Jiang Chuyan said.
According to the information provided by He Yuan, there are still some traditional houses in Longzhao that are more than two hundred years old. Similarly, many customs passed down among the elderly in Longzhao have been preserved from that time to the present.
Jiang Chuyan calmed himself down, took out his notebook and checked the schedule of today's activities.
He had made a lot of preparations for today's event, but it was obvious that all his plans had gone to waste.
Jiang Chuyan's shoulders drooped, and no matter how hard he tried to control himself, he couldn't hide the sadness in his tone.
He didn't know how today turned out like this. Everything was going smoothly at the beginning...
However, after what happened that morning, it was likely that Budacuocuo had no time to bother with them. Jiang Chuyan had wanted to help them when they left the ancestral hall. But Budacuocuo was shaking like a lunatic, pushing and shoving them, shouting things like "bad luck," and drove them back to the small building.
Jiang Chuyan unconsciously thought of the dragon god sculpture that caused the commotion.
Why cut off the dragon god's head?
So strange...
The more he thought about Jiang Chuyan, the more his scalp started to tingle, and he couldn't help but shiver.
"Budacuocuo should be very busy today, so we should make our own arrangements."
At this moment, He Yuan spoke softly.
"Oh, really? What is Master He planning to do?" Xu Yuanzhou looked over coldly. "You picked this damn place. Tell me."
He Yuan glanced at him with a calm expression.
"We can go see Luolong Cave."
"Falling Dragon Cave?"
Jiang Chuyan was startled when he heard this somewhat familiar place name.
"Yes, the Falling Dragon Cave," He Yuan said. "It's a natural cave. It's not far away, and outside Longzhao Village. We can go there on our own without alerting the villagers. By the way, you should also know the legend of the Falling Dragon? It is said that the dragon fell into that cave and was then discovered by the villagers."
"How do you know?"
When Jiang Chuyan heard that it was related to Luo Long, his attention immediately focused.
He Yuan smiled, took out his cell phone and waved it in front of Jiang Chuyan.
"I went to the library a while ago and looked up the county annals here. Incidentally, Luolong Cave also contains the most primitive dragon god mural in the entire Xishan area. According to analysis, the dragon god belief in the entire Xishan area originated from here..."
The tall boy winked at Jiang Chuyan.
"So it's okay to go there and take a look, just like an outing, right?"
"But..."
Jiang Chuyan was a little hesitant.
Luolong Cave wasn't a location in his plan, and there weren't any tourist attractions in the area. Even if Luolong Cave wasn't far away, it was still a completely undeveloped wilderness. Entering Xishan without professional equipment was inherently dangerous...
"And there's a wild hot spring there. After we see the Dragon God mural, maybe we can even soak in it."
He Yuan seemed not to notice Jiang Chuyan's hesitation as he added.
"Okay, I just want to take you to the wild hot springs. It's too inconvenient to take a bath here, and my whole body is itchy now. It's just right that we can go there to take a bath."
I have to say that the last sentence completely moved Jiang Chuyan.
Longzhao Village is different from the city. Boiling water is very troublesome. Jiang Chuyan was already uncomfortable enough running around all day yesterday, and today he was also covered with the bloody red cloth. Until now, Jiang Chuyan can still faintly smell the special smell of blood on his body.
He originally thought that he would definitely take a bath today even if it was with cold water, but He Yuan suddenly told him that there was a wild hot spring in Longzhao.
Even a god would be tempted by such temptation, and Jiang Chuyan is no exception.
"Well, it would be nice to go over and take a look."
Jiang Chuyan nodded.
"I'll ask Bai Ke for her opinion later," Jiang Chuyan turned to look at Xu Yuanzhou, "Yuanzhou, what do you think?"
Xu Yuanzhou did not answer Jiang Chuyan immediately. He burped loudly and looked unhappy.
"Haven't you two already decided? Why are you still pretending to ask for my opinion?"
Even from such a distance, when Xu Yuanzhou burped, Jiang Chuyan could still clearly smell the strong smell of alcohol on Xu Yuanzhou.
Coupled with the overly obvious hostility in Xu Yuanzhou's tone, Jiang Chuyan's expression changed for a moment, and then he sighed deeply.
"Then don't go. Luolong Cave is an undeveloped wilderness with no established routes, and it's very dangerous. You've been drinking, so just stay in the small building and rest for a while. You can also take care of Liu Tianyu—"
Before he could finish his words, Xu Yuanzhou suddenly became furious.
"I'm not going? How could I not go?"
He raised his voice.
"I won't allow you to be with this bastard with ulterior motives—"
Seeing that Xu Yuanzhou was about to say something even more outrageous under the influence of alcohol, Jiang Chuyan rushed forward and grabbed Xu Yuanzhou.
"Xu Yuanzhou."
The young man's voice was calm and composed, without any emotion in it.
However, Xu Yuanzhou shuddered involuntarily, and all the words were stuck in his throat.
Jiang Chuyan ignored Xu Yuanzhou's ever-changing expression. He turned his head to look at the tall boy behind him who suddenly lost his expression and quickly gave him a warning.
"Go and inform Bai Ke and see if he wants to go with us. Then, please pack the things we need for the mountain trip."
Jiang Chuyan said.
"I'll take Xu Yuanzhou out to sober up first. Sorry to bother you."
He Yuan's eyes flickered.
He looked at Jiang Chuyan, then looked intently at Xu Yuanzhou who was in Jiang Chuyan's hand.
After a moment, He Yuan nodded.
"Okay, it's a small matter."
He said.
"Then I'll wait for you to come back."
The boy spoke softly, and a mysterious smile gradually appeared on his face.
Jiang Chuyan looked at him in a daze, and even felt that He Yuan at this moment was subtly familiar in some ways.
It was not until much later that Jiang Chuyan remembered that at this moment, He Yuan looked especially like someone in a TV drama about domestic intrigue, where the wife, who was sure of winning, was looking at the concubine who was about to be banished to the cold palace.
Of course, Jiang Chuyan didn't think too much at this moment. All his attention was on Xu Yuanzhou.
When helping Xu Yuanzhou leave the small building, the boy intentionally or unintentionally put all his weight on Jiang Chuyan, just like he had done countless times before...
Xu Yuanzhou rested his face on Jiang Chuyan's shoulder.
...Only at this time can he have as close contact with Jiang Chuyan as possible.
Jiang Chuyan let go of Xiaolou's hand only after he had put some distance between himself and her.
Xu Yuanzhou was still trying to get close to him, but Jiang Chuyan took a step back, and when he spoke, his voice was still flat and cold.
"Okay, stop acting drunk here."
Jiang Chuyan said.
Xu Yuanzhou's movements suddenly froze.
Then, Jiang Chuyan took out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and threw it to Xu Yuanzhou.
Xu Yuanzhou took it steadily, then he muttered: "Why can't I fool you every time——"
After taking a sip of water and stretching out his hand, Xu Yuanzhou found a few licorice tablets in his palm.
Every time Xu Yuanzhou drank alcohol, his stomach would feel uncomfortable and he had to take some licorice tablets immediately to prevent himself from vomiting uncontrollably.
So every time Jiang Chuyan received a call and went to the bar or the street to pick up the drunk Xu Yuanzhou, he would always stuff licorice tablets in his pocket.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Xu Yuanzhou's face, and his heart, which had been restless because of He Yuan, gradually calmed down.
The relationship between him and Jiang Chuyan is something that someone like He Yuan will never, ever be able to achieve.
"Wife, you are still so good..."
Just like before, once there was no one around, Xu Yuanzhou would subconsciously start to act coquettishly towards Jiang Chuyan.
He knew that he would hear Jiang Chuyan's helpless voice next.
He would say...
"I really can't help you. Xu Yuanzhou, please don't do this again next time."
And he would nod and promise as always, that he would stay calm, not drink too much, and not do anything reckless...
However, this time he did not hear the familiar reminder.
What he heard was...
"Xu Yuanzhou, let's break up."