Chapter 36

The courtyard was brightly lit, and a roar of laughter could be heard from the house, interrupting Cheng Jinlan's reverie.

"No, I can't." She finally spoke up, answering his question. The guests were still there, so she couldn't leave a room full of guests to meet up with him.

Shao Chengze took a step back. "Half an hour?"

Cheng Jinlan didn't say anything.

Shao Chengze continued retreating. "Fifteen minutes?"

Cheng Jinlan was helpless. Could this matter be negotiated like this?

"Or maybe just the last ten minutes." There was undisguised dejection in the hoarse voice.

Cheng Jinlan was silent for a moment before giving her final answer. "Five minutes."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She should have firmly refused him. What difference would five minutes make? She didn't lack someone to celebrate her birthday with her. It was just that before she could change her mind, Shao Chengze had already accepted this agreement. "Okay, five minutes. I'll wait for you."

The last three words were spoken very softly, with a hint of lingering attachment in the fading echoes.

Cheng Jinlan looked up at the sea of flowers coming over the wall. The night breeze blew by, and she could vaguely smell their fragrance.

She gave a vague "hmm" in response, which counted as a yes.

The last person Cheng Jinlan saw off was Jiang Jiang. When she returned to the room, she glanced at the man leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed to rest.

"Alright, stop pretending. Everyone's gone."

Cheng Jinchuan opened his eyes. His gaze was somewhat sluggish, but not to the extent of being unable to stand up like he was pretending to be earlier.

Cheng Jinlan gave a soft scoff. "Big brother, I didn't realize you were such a coward."

He didn't even dare to see someone off.

Cheng Jinchuan picked up the glass on the table and downed it in one go before sprawling back weakly on the sofa. He put his arm over his eyes. "You don't understand."

Cheng Jinlan said, "Yes, I don't understand and I don't want to understand what happened between you two. But over these years, you know very clearly who has been on your mind. Now that she's finally back, if you can't let go, then don't shrink away so spinelessly without doing anything. You know very well how outrageously wrong you were back then. Let's not even talk about anything else - you should at least give her a proper apology. She may forgive you, or she may not. Personally I hope it's the latter, because what you did is simply unforgivable. But your apology will at least allow her to slowly move on from the past. This is what you owe her."

She hadn't intended to say these things originally. Emotional matters were not something outsiders should stick their nose into. But just now in the yard she had seen very clearly - Jiang Jiang was talking with Shi Ran, and her eyes would occasionally drift towards the French windows over there. It was obvious who she was looking at.

If the knots from back then weren't untied, it would be very difficult for the three of them to move on.

Cheng Jinchuan didn't speak, just kept drinking with his head lowered. After quite a while, he poured himself another glass and gulped it down before heavily putting the glass back down. Then he got up and strode towards the door. Cheng Jinlan realized something was off. She hurried after him. Although he wasn't completely drunk, he was at least tipsy. And with his bad mood, the effects of the alcohol were probably hitting him faster. At the moment he was only semi-coherent, and Cheng Jinlan couldn't be sure exactly how sober he still was.

Cheng Jinchuan had arrived late, so his car was parked outside. When Cheng Jinlan chased out, he was half crouching and half sitting next to the car with his head lowered, not knowing what he was thinking about. Fortunately he still knew better than to drive after drinking.

Cheng Jinlan called out to him.

Cheng Jinchuan looked up at her. "Take me to see her. I have something I want to say to her."

Cheng Jinlan almost wanted to slap him. He only remembered now that he had something to say, after the person had already left.

She could only coax him like she would coax the drunk little Cheng Liqi. "I've been drinking too, I can't drive you. Whatever you want to say, wait until you sober up tomorrow and then go talk to her, okay? Let's go back and sleep now."

Cheng Jinchuan didn't budge.

Cheng Jinlan was helpless with the drunk man. She took the car keys from his hand and threatened, "Fine, I won't care about you then. You can just sleep here yourself. The weather now is just right for sleeping outside anyway."

Shao Chengze walked out from next door and saw this scene. He came over and asked, "Drunk?"

Cheng Jinlan met his gaze before looking away again. "Had a few too many drinks." Hearing the voice, Cheng Jinchuan looked over blearily, mistaking Shao Chengze for his driver. He swayed unsteadily to his feet. "Little Liu, take me to Yifeng Garden."

Shao Chengze supported his arm and looked to Cheng Jinlan. "He lives in Yifeng Garden? Or should I drive him back?" Jiang Jiang lived in Yifeng Garden. Cheng Jinlan had known early on that her words would stir up trouble like this. It would have been better to wait until he sobered up before saying anything.

"No need, sorry to trouble you but could you help me get him back inside?"

Cheng Jinlan definitely couldn't handle him alone, and she couldn't just leave him out here either.

"Alright," Shao Chengze put Cheng Jinchuan's arm over his shoulder. "Let's go, I'll take you to Yifeng Garden."

Supported half dragged by someone, Cheng Jinchuan was quite obedient for a drunk person and didn't make any more trouble, just followed Shao Chengze's footsteps towards the house. Cheng Jinlan wanted to help, but Shao Chengze said, "You don't need to touch him, I can handle him."

The night breeze sobered Cheng Jinchuan up a little. Hearing the voice was off, he turned and peered closely at Shao Chengze. His footsteps halted abruptly. "You're not Little Liu, you're Shao Chengze."

Shao Chengze also hadn't expected drunk Cheng Jinchuan to be like this. He patiently replied, "I'm Little Liu, I'm taking you to Yifeng Garden now."

Cheng Jinchuan didn't believe him. He put his arm around Shao Chengze's neck and pulled him closer, wanting to see clearly just who this person was. But with that yank and pull, before he could make out who it was, the nausea hit. His head slumped onto Shao Chengze's shoulder, and the alcohol in his stomach started to come back up. Although Shao Chengze dodged quickly, his back was still splattered a little. Fortunately Cheng Jinchuan hadn't eaten much for dinner, otherwise Shao Chengze's back would have been a horrific mess.

Shao Chengze had already exerted strength in his arm, about to fling this drunkard away in the next second, but he forcibly suppressed that urge. His brows were twisted tightly into deep furrows.

He couldn't very well say, letting his daughter vomit on him versus her uncle vomiting on him were two completely different concepts.

Cheng Jinlan couldn't help but take two steps back to keep some distance between them. She turned her head sideways, trying to force down the corners of her lips but really unable to. It seemed he had offended something these past couple days.

Seeing her barely suppressed smile, Shao Chengze's brows relaxed as he slowly said, "If you want to laugh then laugh, don't hold it in anymore."

Cheng Jinlan gave a light cough and cleared her throat. "I'm very sorry on his behalf. I'll take care of the clothes later..."

Shao Chengze cut her off. "Although he's your brother, apologizing is still better coming from him directly."

Whether he apologized or not didn't matter. He would at least get back at Cheng Jinchuan a little.

Oblivious in his drunken stupor, Cheng Jinchuan was fast asleep leaning on his shoulder. Shao Chengze's brows knitted again. After a pause of two seconds, he bent down and picked the man up in his arms, then headed towards the house.

"Which room does he sleep in?"

Cheng Jinlan was astonished. Although she didn't know Cheng Jinchuan's exact weight, at one meter eighty plus tall and working out every day, touting himself as appearing thin clothed but fleshy unclothed, there was no way he could be considered light. How could Shao Chengze carry him so effortlessly?

She was rather looking forward to what expression Cheng Jinchuan would have tomorrow after waking up and finding out he had been princess carried.

Dumped onto the bed in the guest room, as soon as his back touched the bed Cheng Jinchuan hugged the blanket and fell straight asleep. He had thrown up with such perfect aim, not a single drop had landed on himself. Shao Chengze even started to suspect he was pretending to be drunk.

Shao Chengze came out from the bathroom and softly asked the woman before him, "Little Liqi's asleep?"

"Mm. My mom took her over early to sleep next door." Considering he had helped bring the man in, Cheng Jinlan's tone was still decent, otherwise she would have been the one vomited on.

Shao Chengze checked his watch. The minute hand had already passed eleven, leaving only four minutes until midnight. He grasped her hand and strode towards the door, initially walking but soon breaking into a run.

"What are you doing?" Cheng Jinlan couldn't break free of his grip and could only follow his footsteps, running along.

He was in front and she behind, the moon white and wind clear. The wind blew past his shoulders and her long hair and dress. The silhouettes of the two running figures were reflected on the road, connected by tightly clasped hands.

He looked back at her. "Didn't you say you would give me the last five minutes? There's less than four minutes left now."

They had run too quickly and Cheng Jinlan was a little out of breath.

Shao Chengze stopped and swept her up in his arms. Caught unprepared, Cheng Jinlan instinctively grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. As her hands made contact with the heat of his skin, she was about to pull away, but with the momentum of being carried, her body tilted forward and she wound up clinging onto his neck with both arms.

She couldn't help pounding him. "You're crazy."

Carrying her, Shao Chengze ran into the yard and stopped under the crabapple tree in the pavilion. His chest rose and fell slightly as he gazed at the woman in his embrace. He leaned down and lightly pecked the corner of her lips, murmuring softly, "I went crazy long ago."

From the moment he realized there was still a possibility for them to be together again, he had already lost his mind.

Cheng Jinlan's breathing still had not steadied. She panted lightly, mingling with the rise and fall of his chest. The intertwining breaths of the two were woven together. Cheng Jinlan turned her face to hide against his neck.

"Put me down."

Shao Chengze directly set her down on the wooden chair. Next to them on the stone table was a small cake. He lit the candles on it and held it up to look into her eyes. "Happy birthday, Miaomiao."

The crabapple tree enclosed this pavilion in its own ethereal paradise. Pink blossoms, orange light, ink black eyes, a cake ugly beyond words.

Cheng Jinlan lowered her long lashes, concealing the thoughts in her heart as she blew out the flickering flames.

"Thank you."

She returned his well wishes, then stood up. "The five minutes you wanted, I've given them to you too. I should get going."

Shao Chengze held his watch up to her eyes. "Still one minute left." Cheng Jinlan looked at him. "Can't you smell your clothes?"

He should go take a shower instead of quibbling over this one minute. And she really did need to leave too. She couldn't stay here any longer.

Shao Chengze lowered his head and smelled it. It was all the smell of alcohol from Cheng Jinchuan. He had just simply dealt with it a little in the bathroom door, and it didn't have much effect at all. He took off his black T-shirt with one hand and threw it into the trash can outside the pavilion.

"That's better now."

Cheng Jinlan was stunned by his simple roughness.

Shao Chengze was frank and calm. He picked up a spoon, scooped up a piece of cake, and brought it to her lips. "Try it?"

Her eyes swept over his chest and turned to look elsewhere. "I don't eat sweets after ten o'clock at night."

Faint red appeared on her thin white earlobes. Shao Chengze moved closer imperceptibly. "Just a little bit."

It was quiet for a moment before Cheng Jinlan opened her mouth and ate the cake off the spoon.

"Is it delicious?" Shao Chengze asked seriously.

Cheng Jinlan answered seriously, "Not delicious."

Shao Chengze looked at the milky white on her red lips, his eyes turning from black to dark, and he reached out to hold the back of her head and leaned down. "Let me try it."

At first it was just a shallow taste, but the fiery breath lingered around the corners of her lips, eating away the cream on her lips little by little.

"I think..." He wrapped her lip beads and sighed lightly, "It's very sweet."

Just as Cheng Jinlan was about to scold him as a bastard, his tongue followed her half-open lips and drilled in. He took her hand and circled it around his neck, gradually deepening the kiss from light to heavy, slowly.

The deeper the night, the deeper the kiss.

Shao Chengze stretched out his arm around her waist and lifted her onto the stone table, so she could relax a little more.

The cool marble tabletop collided with the heat rising from her body, sending chills up her spine. Cheng Jinlan let out a low moan from between her lips. The long-absent arousal seemed to overwhelm her body. The numbness that existed in distant memories almost drowned her.

Shao Chengze had only intended to stop at a kiss, but he simply couldn't stop. Her taste, her voice, her breathing - everything led him to continue.

His hand went up her skirt, stopping just short, yet he still had to ask, "May I?"

Mist began to appear in her eyes. The Milky Way in the sky seemed to enter her tearful eyes. Shao Chengze couldn't help but kiss her again.

The itch that felt like ant bites drilled into her heart, so he couldn't make so much small talk. Cheng Jinlan fiercely bit his lips and spat back at him, "No, you may not."

Shao Chengze chuckled hoarsely. The next second, his fingers sank into the moist heat.

Cheng Jinlan's long neck tilted back slightly, arching into a curved arc. She firmly braced her palms on the marble tabletop to barely withstand this wave of impact, preventing herself from collapsing onto the table.

"Who am I? Miao Miao."

He wanted her to submit under his hand.

Cheng Jinlan couldn't hold back her moans at all. She bit her mouth tightly, not wanting to make any sound. She didn't care who he was.

The harder she bit, the faster and deeper his movements became.

Finally, the nerves in her brain were pulled up in an instant, fireworks exploded into a misty white, and long-absent pleasure rose.

Shao Chengze kissed her lips again.

Under the moonlight, among the floral scents, panting intertwined with panting, slowly returning to tranquility.

A long time later.

Cheng Jinlan leaned against his shoulder, her voice lazy and soft. "How much should I pay you this time? Boss Shao, name your price."

Her old friend was right. It didn't matter who the man was, the important thing was that his skills were good.

Shao Chengze's hand, which was about to reach into his pocket for the ring box, paused.

He was thinking about how to tell her about their future together.

She was thinking about how to dismiss him with money.

In her heart... he was someone who could be dismissed with money?!