Chapter 255

Chapter 255: Drunk Even after all these years, mentioning Su Qingyun still made Ruan Shaodong deeply sad. He lowered his eyes, his expression shifting from anger to sorrow. Chu Tang said nothing more and turned to leave. Ruan Shaodong stood silently in place for a while, then turned and went upstairs. Originally, Chu Tang was supposed to come home for dinner tonight, and Yang Xuelian had personally cooked a large table of dishes that Chu Tang loved. But the father and daughter ended up in such an unpleasant dispute that neither of them ate. Yang Xuelian walked out of the kitchen, looked at the full table of dishes, and let out a long sigh. ... After leaving the Ruan residence, Chu Tang felt restless and went straight to a bar. She called Chen Yuanyuan. "Yuanyuan, where are you? Come out and have a drink with me. I'm in a bad mood today." On the other end of the phone, Chen Yuanyuan's voice carried an uncontrollable light panting. Chu Tang understood immediately. Chen Yuanyuan was busy. Chu Tang was about to hang up directly, but as soon as Chen Yuanyuan heard that Chu Tang was in a bad mood, she immediately suppressed her breathing and asked with concern, "Tangtang, what's wrong?" "I had a fight with my dad." Chu Tang pursed her lips. "It's nothing. You go ahead and do what you're doing. I'll just be alone for a bit." Chen Yuanyuan slapped away Qin Yan's mischievous hand. "Do you need me to come keep you company? Where are you? I'll come right away." Chu Tang knew Chen Yuanyuan was in the middle of an intimate moment with Qin Yan, and she didn't want to disturb them, so she said, "Forget it. I'll just process it on my own." "Alright then, stay safe. Is A Wen with you?" Chen Yuanyuan asked. "Yeah, she is." "That's good." As Chen Yuanyuan talked on the phone, Qin Yan's hand crept up again, and she shot him a glare. "I'll hang up now, Tangtang." "Okay." After hanging up, Chen Yuanyuan glared at Qin Yan in annoyance. "What are you doing? I was on the phone with Tangtang." Qin Yan kissed her, his voice hoarse: "Fucking you." ... Zhou Xueluo couldn't drink, and Chen Yuanyuan was busy. Chu Tang then called Yu Jiaojiao and Xiao Xiao. As soon as Yu Jiaojiao heard Chu Tang was in a bad mood, she immediately volunteered to come keep her company. Xiao Xiao had just finished dinner and was lying on the sofa scrolling through shows out of boredom. She loved drinking anyway, so she came as soon as Chu Tang called. Anyway, tomorrow was Saturday—no work. Both Xiao Xiao and Yu Jiaojiao had good relationships with Chu Tang, so they both wanted to come and keep her company. At the bar. The three girls sat in a booth, with six bottles of various liquors placed on the table in front of them. Chu Tang casually opened a bottle and drank straight from it. She downed half the bottle in one go. Yu Jiaojiao watched in shock and quickly grabbed the bottle from Chu Tang's hand. "Sister Chu Tang, you can't drink like that! Take it easy—let's drink slowly, no rush." Yu Jiaojiao knew Chu Tang couldn't hold her liquor well. She clearly remembered what had happened last time at the law firm's department gathering when Chu Tang got drunk. Xiao Xiao also said, "Yeah, Sister Chu Tang, what happened to make you so upset?" Chu Tang lowered her lashes and said sadly, "My dad wants me to break up with Jiang Shixu, but I just don't want to." Xiao Xiao and Yu Jiaojiao exchanged a glance. Yu Jiaojiao asked, "Is it because of that illegitimate son of the Jiang family?" When Fu Yuanzhou's people had come to retaliate last time, Yu Jiaojiao and Xiao Xiao were both present and nearly lost their lives. Luckily, A Wen was there. Even now, thinking back on that situation made Yu Jiaojiao and Xiao Xiao feel lingering fear. Later, when the police investigation results came out, Chu Tang had given them a general rundown of the whole story. So Yu Jiaojiao and Xiao Xiao knew a bit about the Jiang family's illegitimate son, just not in great detail. Hearing Yu Jiaojiao ask that, Chu Tang nodded. "Yes. That illegitimate son of the Jiang family had the backing of a country's prime minister before—he had a lot of power. When I was with Jiang Shixu, both I and my family were caught up in it. My dad has strong objections because of that." Yu Jiaojiao said, "That's understandable." Chu Tang took another couple of gulps, and her face was already flushing slightly. "But now that illegitimate son of the Jiang family is locked up. Once the judicial process is complete, he'll be executed. That adopted daughter was also sentenced to life imprisonment. The obstacles between me and Jiang Shixu are gone. Besides, I have a personal bodyguard by my side now—no one can hurt me because of Jiang Shixu anymore. So why can't I get back together with him?" Xiao Xiao took a sip of her drink and said, "Objectively speaking, that's true. But subjectively, after everything Uncle went through, it's normal that he can't accept it in his heart. It's only human." "My dad said anyone is fine except Jiang Shixu." Tears welled up in Chu Tang's eyes, glistening. "But I only like him. I only want him." Yu Jiaojiao let out a heavy sigh from the side. "Sigh, that's how love is. It's not something you can just cut off on a whim." Xiao Xiao said, "Actually, Lawyer Lu is pretty good. Sister Chu Tang, why don't you try getting to know Lawyer Lu? Maybe you'll get over President Jiang?" Chu Tang shook her head. "I can't. My heart is already filled with Jiang Shixu." ... By the time Jiang Shixu arrived at the bar, it was already past ten in the evening. Past ten at night, the nightlife was just getting started. One pulsating dance track after another filled the bar as men and women twisted and swayed their bodies in wild abandon, thoroughly caught up in the excitement, the air thick with the scent of alcohol. Black-suited bodyguards cleared the way as Jiang Shixu walked into the bar. The blaring music stopped instantly. The clamor of voices fell silent as well. The bar manager led the way to find Chu Tang. Chu Tang, Yu Jiaojiao, and Xiao Xiao had all already drunk themselves into a stupor. Chu Tang was leaning against the sofa, her eyes still moist, tear streaks not yet dry on her face, mumbling incoherently under her breath. Yu Jiaojiao sat on the floor, clutching a liquor bottle, crying as she drank, slurring words that were barely intelligible. Xiao Xiao lay beside Chu Tang, fast asleep and snoring. A Wen stood ramrod straight nearby, expressionless, like a statue. The bar manager gestured toward A Wen and said to Jiang Shixu with utmost deference, "Mr. Jiang, with that young lady here, Miss Ruan and her friends are perfectly safe—no one dared to bother them." The patrons in the bar were cleared out. The place that had been raucous moments before suddenly became very quiet. It seemed the abrupt silence unsettled Chu Tang. She opened her hazy, drunken eyes and looked over, her gaze meeting Jiang Shixu's in midair. Chu Tang's eyes paused briefly when they landed on Jiang Shixu's tall, imposing figure. The next moment, almost instinctively, she stretched out her arms toward him, her voice soft and pleading. "Jiang Shixu, hold me." Like ice melting at the arrival of spring, the chill radiating from Jiang Shixu vanished in an instant. He walked over, reached out, and gathered Chu Tang into his arms.