"Shen Xiao, you've been drinking for nearly two hours. Are you raising fish in your glass?"
Shen Xiao didn't know how to respond. Was this really the Lu Qingyue he knew? She had clearly had quite a bit to drink today. In such a short time, she had somehow picked up so many sharp new words and phrases.
"Drink this one, then we're going home."
"No, I can do one more. I'm not drunk, really. No, I have to test you."
"Aren't you the one who should be tested? Why are you testing me instead?"
"Let me lean on your shoulder for a bit."
This lean… As she rested against Shen Xiao's shoulder, Lu Qingyue finally understood why her father used to drink so much to cover up his debts. It was true, being drunk could drown a thousand sorrows, but waking up only brought trouble.
Tomorrow, when she sobered up, she would be in big trouble. Shen Xiao would probably be disgusted by her behavior today. Whatever, she would worry about that tomorrow. She had promised Shen Xiao she would have a wonderful day. This was also why she wanted to drink more, with a clear head, she felt ashamed thinking about everything she had done.
There were only twenty minutes of precious time left. It felt so heavy, she wished time could just stop.
"Shen Xiao, do you know why I didn't let you take me to a hotel earlier? Ask me! Ask me why! How can I answer you if you don't ask me!"
"...Why." Shen Xiao muttered. She was truly wasted. He really shouldn't let her drink this much in the future, her drunken behavior was terrible.
"Okay, Shen Xiao, I'll tell you the reason. Because I'm afraid..."
I'm afraid that if I play my last trump card, you'll just leave after the mission ends, and we won't even be friends anymore. My demands aren't high, just being ordinary friends is enough. After this mission, I'll go back to school. A week, a month, even a year… You'd only need a few hours or a few minutes to chat with me. Even if we can't meet in person, a few words on the phone would be enough. That's all I ask. If you could make that happen, I'd be so happy!
"What are you thinking? You can chat with me whenever you want, I'm available anytime."
"You're lying. With your charms, finding friends is just a matter of saying a few words. There will be plenty of people sucking up to you. How can I compete with them? I'm bad at talking, lacking in talent and ability, and I'm disabled… I hate my father. He didn't keep his promise. He promised to heal me, and after waiting for over ten years, he just left. But I don't blame him, it's all my fault. If I hadn't acted recklessly, this wouldn't have happened."
"Do you want to hear it, Shen Xiao?"
"Go on."
"Then refill my glass."
"Let's make sure this is the last glass."
She filled her glass, took a small sip, and then said: "When I was seven years old, I still had my arm, but I lost it in an accident. Back then, my family wasn't wealthy, but we were a comfortable middle-class. My father owned a small factory. Because of that day, everything changed. That day was Children's Day, and my father promised to take me out for fun in the afternoon, but he had to work, so he took me to his factory first."
"He was busy working and told me to play by myself, saying we'd go to the amusement park once he was done. That's when I was naughty, and my arm got caught in a machine. Even though I was okay, the doctor said my arm couldn't be saved, and it would take a lot of money to reattach it."
"At that time, the factory was struggling and couldn't raise that much money all at once. My father promised me he would definitely help me, and told me to wait a few years. Because of this, I lost some friends, and I often heard them gossiping about me behind my back. I didn't tell anyone, because I knew once my father made enough money, I'd recover."
"Everything would go back to normal then, that's what I told myself when I couldn't sleep at night. Then my younger brother was born, the factory went bankrupt, all the money was gone, and we were burdened with so much debt. The family's load became heavier and heavier. The promise to wait a few years was extended again. My father didn't give up, thinking there was still a chance, so he took out another loan to start a business, but it failed again in less than two years."
"Our debt grew even more, and our family situation worsened, we had to sell our house and car. That's when we moved back to our old house, where we live now. I still didn't get the promise he made, but I never complained, not once. I knew my family was struggling, and my parents had their own hardships. I knew he was still working tirelessly from dawn till dusk to pay off his debts. I remember the helplessness in his eyes every time he held my left arm…"
"As I got older, my friends seemed to move away from me on purpose. Even when I tried to talk to them, they'd avoid me. It might sound silly, but I haven't had a single friend since junior high. Those who used to chat with me a few times in elementary school eventually refused to speak to me again for various reasons. I even lied to my brother before, saying I had many friends. Looking back, it's ridiculous."
"But there were good things too. Even in the darkness of life, there's always a ray of light. I'm grateful my parents gave me a younger brother. He's still willing to play with me and talk to me. With no friends around, to keep myself from overthinking, I started doing odd jobs. I wanted my brother to have a better life, and I wanted to earn more money to help lighten my family's burden, so I could become a normal person sooner."
"But this didn't last long. Three years ago, my father had an accident. He was driving while exhausted, making his car plunge into the river. His body was never found."
"That promise will never be fulfilled."
"It's okay, your arm—I'll fix it for you. Wait a while, and I'll give you a fruit to eat. Then your arm will be completely healed, and everyone will be sucking up to you." Yes, once Lu Qingyue's talent changes, won't plenty of people be sucking up to her?
"Really? You're not lying?"
"Yes, I promise."
Lu Qingyue thought for a moment and then shook her head: "No, I heard it costs a fortune to fix it. I really can't pay you back. I'm sorry, Shen Xiao, I was a bit impulsive today and spent so much of your money."
"It's fine, as long as you're happy, I'm happy too." This is nothing! Even if you spent all 300 million of my money today, I wouldn't mind!
"Shen Xiao, is your family a bunch of loan sharks?"
Shen Xiao: "..."
"Today you kept trying to trick me into borrowing money from you to spend. I've always felt you had an ulterior motive. I really couldn't think of anything else besides that. Maybe I'm just overthinking. I believe you're not that kind of person. Don't let my drunkenness fool you, I still remember how much I borrowed. Even if I work for two hundred years without eating or drinking, I still won't be able to pay it back."
"Let's be clear first, that money was borrowed, and I will definitely pay you back! If you want it back, you can only ask me. Don't make things difficult for my family and friends! Friends, friends... Let me think... Shen Xiao, Su Qiao, and Yang Junlong don't count, I'll let them go. Anyway, you must not make things difficult for my only two friends and two family members, you loan shark! You understand?! Otherwise, I'll haunt you even after I'm dead!"
Being falsely accused and unfairly blamed made Shen Xiao feel bad, but in the end, it was his own fault (for baiting her to borrow money), so he had to take the hit.
"Silly girl, you're truly drunk, what kind of nonsense are you thinking?"
"Promise me!"
"Definitely, even if you don't pay me back, I won't make things difficult for your family and friends."
"That's more like it. As compensation, refill my glass."
"You still want more?"
"There are only 9 minutes left today, can't you let me be a little headstrong just this once?"
"Alright, I'll let you be headstrong just this once. Let's be clear first, finish this last glass before you go home. If you dare ask for more later, don't blame me for dragging you out."
"Shen Xiao, you're the best!"
Ding!
[Gained Lu Qingyue's support, Fate Ticket +100!]
You still remember my name is Shen Xiao? What were you thinking when you called me a loan shark just now?