It wasn't very safe for her to be out so late, so Ye Zhi nodded and said, "I'll go tidy up a guest room for you..."
"Tidy up what? I can just go into your room and share a bed with you," Zhan Ruoqing suggested.
"That works too," Ye Zhi nodded. "My bed is quite large."
As the two walked into the living room, Zhan Ruoqing placed the beer on the coffee table. Seeing her reach for a can and prepare to open it, Ye Zhi stopped her. "Wait a moment, let me find you something to eat to go with your drink. If you just drink straight, you'll get drunk easily."
"Okay," Zhan Ruoqing agreed, popping open the tab.
Ye Zhi's lips twitched. She had intended to go next door and ask the butler to help prepare a couple of dishes, but by the time she returned, Zhan Ruoqing would probably be completely passed out.
She opened the refrigerator and took out her last bit of private "stockpiled food"—duck necks, chicken legs, spicy rabbit, beef, lotus root slices, peanuts, and more. She spread them out, filling the entire table.
Zhan Ruoqing tore open a package and, taking a bite of meat followed by a gulp of beer, leaned back on the sofa contentedly. "This is f***ing comfortable!"
Ye Zhi helplessly held her forehead. If her father and brother saw this, wouldn't they come looking for her to demand an explanation? Turning a pampered young lady into this!
Zhan Ruoqing, dissatisfied, opened another can of beer. "Ye Zhi, come over and drink with me quickly. What's the fun in me drinking alone!"
"Alright, alright," Ye Zhi took a beer and took a small sip, saying with some surprise, "You've finally gotten your way. Why didn't you go home and show off?"
"I did go home..." Zhan Ruoqing's expression turned a little awkward.
"And then?" Ye Zhi became more confused. With Zhan Ruoqing's personality, having declared "Do not bully the poor maiden," she should have put on a show of "The three-year period has arrived, welcome the queen" tonight, resolving years of pent-up emotions. Why would she have the mood to come to her place?
"When I got home, my family was all at the door to welcome me. You have no idea how excited I was!" Zhan Ruoqing said emotionally, taking a swig of beer. "I had already prepared what I wanted to say. I was going to tell my parents righteously, 'I'm really no worse than my brother! As long as you give me a chance, I can also do my best!' When I walked in, my nostrils were practically pointing to the sky!"
Ye Zhi imagined the scene and asked curiously, "And then?"
"And then..." Zhan Ruoqing squeezed the can hard, instantly flattening the empty beer can. She said in exasperation, "I tripped on flat ground..."
"Pfft..." Ye Zhi quickly covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
"Laugh, go ahead," Zhan Ruoqing glanced at her gloomily, her face full of frustration. "Never mind you, even I want to laugh at myself! Why did I have to look at the sky with my nostrils? I should have watched where I was going!"
"If you fall, you just get up. Your parents wouldn't laugh at you," Ye Zhi said with a slight smile.
"I know, my parents helped me up. But that fall completely crushed my momentum. I couldn't say any of the things I had prepared!" Zhan Ruoqing said distressedly. "But I really wanted to share my joy and achievements with someone, so I used work as an excuse to leave and came straight to you! Come, let's toast!"
Saying that, Zhan Ruoqing opened another can.
"Don't just drink, have some food," Ye Zhi said, clinking glasses with her.
Zhan Ruoqing waved her hand. "Don't worry, I'm not drunk!"
Ye Zhi: ...
She was already starting to get drunk.
Afterward, Zhan Ruoqing seemed to vent all her accumulated grievances, constantly pouring out her inner feelings of suffering.
Ye Zhi listened quietly while gnawing on a duck neck. However, since Zhan Ruoqing kept asking her to toast, she also drank quite a bit.
Zhan Ruoqing cried and wailed, "Wuwuwu, Ye Zhi, you know, my parents favor my brother more, but I've never even dared to be jealous of him or resent my parents for being unfair! Every time I have such a thought, I feel so guilty... Fortunately, there's you. I can proudly tell them that I'm not worse than my brother at all. It's them, they were wrong..."
"Mm-hmm, they were wrong..." Ye Zhi agreed.
Suddenly, Zhan Ruoqing put down her beer and hugged Ye Zhi tightly. "Ye Zhi, you're so good, why don't you be my sister-in-law? Then we'll be family..."
Ye Zhi was startled, her drunken state clearing slightly. Just as she was about to refuse, she saw Zhan Ruoqing's expression change drastically, and she said with disdain, "No! He's not worthy!"
Only then did Ye Zhi relax. She tried a few times to push Zhan Ruoqing away, but Zhan Ruoqing held on tightly. She could only persuade her, "Ruoqing, you're drunk. I'll help you to rest."
"I'm not drunk! Let's keep drinking! Come on, why aren't you drinking?" Zhan Ruoqing raised her empty glass.
Ye Zhi: "...I'm drunk."
"...Oh." Zhan Ruoqing immediately became quiet.
Ye Zhi helped Zhan Ruoqing up, and the two staggered upstairs. She was also a bit drunk, but much better off than Zhan Ruoqing.
The two of them managed to get upstairs, and Ye Zhi pushed open her bedroom door, helping Zhan Ruoqing inside.
Next door, Qi Xuan saw the light in Ye Zhi's bedroom turn on. He opened his window and looked across with concern.
Ye Zhi helped Zhan Ruoqing, and the two stumbled to the bedside. As soon as she laid Zhan Ruoqing down on the bed, the alcohol hit her, her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the bed as well.
Qi Xuan across the way: !!!
He walked out of his room with a dark expression and found the butler.
"Young Master, what is your command?" the butler asked curiously.
"Ye Zhi and Miss Zhan are drunk. Arrange for two maids to go next door and take care of them," Qi Xuan said in a deep voice.
Just as the butler was about to agree, he suddenly chuckled. "Young Master, you should go and take care of Miss Ye yourself. That way, when Miss Ye wakes up, she'll know you stayed up all night to look after her, and she'll be very touched!"
"She and I are just friends right now, and there's a distinction between men and women. If I go to take care of her, it would be inconvenient in many ways. Moreover..." Qi Xuan frowned slightly. "She's sleeping with Miss Zhan."
The butler: ...
Young Master, do you know how bad your expression is when you say that last sentence?
"Alright, I'll go arrange it now," the butler agreed.
*
In the morning, Zhan Ruoqing woke up, rubbing her aching head, and looked around blankly. "Where am I?"
"My place," Ye Zhi handed her a glass of water.
Zhan Ruoqing took the glass and drank it down, feeling much better.
"You can't drink so much if you can't handle it," Ye Zhi said helplessly. "Last night you were crying and making a fuss, asking for this and that. It was so noisy."
"Were you taking care of me last night?" Zhan Ruoqing asked guiltily.