C14 Borrowing Wine to Dispel the Sorrow

Chu Yang snapped back to reality with a smile that crinkled his eyes. "Pfft, she's probably fast asleep by now, and here we are, still trying to put on a show for her."

Putting on a show? Yes, that's exactly what it was—a charade. From start to finish, he was the only one taking it seriously. It was all an act. "Gu Panpan, how long has it been since you've been with a man? It's made you so desperate."

Despite Chu Yang's words, Gu Panpan didn't release his arm. Together, they entered the house, arms linked. The lights were on, yet Meng Jingxian was nowhere to be seen. Her door was shut tight, leaving them to wonder if she was asleep or something else.

Once inside and not finding her, Chu Yang withdrew his arm from Gu Panpan's grasp and strode ahead of her. As he pulled away, a shadow fell over Gu Panpan's eyes. She hadn't expected Chu Yang to detest her touch so much.

Frozen in place, Gu Panpan watched as Chu Yang crossed the living room and disappeared into his room, oblivious to her halted steps and the shift in her mood.

A sharp pang of hurt throbbed in Gu Panpan's chest, leaving her feeling miserable. Alone in the vast living room, she couldn't bear it any longer. Finally, she switched off the lights and retreated to her own room.

Lying in bed, Gu Panpan was plagued by restlessness. She questioned whether her actions that evening were justified, whether Chu Yang was truly worth all her efforts.

Meanwhile, Gu Panpan wasn't the only one wrestling with sleeplessness. Meng Jingxian lay in bed, perfectly still. To the casual observer, she might have seemed asleep, but her eyes were wide open.

Meng Jingxian had waited a long time for a message from Chu Yang, but since sending her own, she hadn't received a single reply. She was aware that Chu Yang and Gu Panpan had come home; she had heard the door open, even though they hadn't spoken. In the stillness of the night, every sound seemed amplified.

Chu Yang had returned, yet he hadn't responded to her messages. It wasn't that he hadn't seen them; he simply chose not to reply. She couldn't pretend it didn't hurt, but she lacked the courage to confront him. After all, she had no real place here; she was merely an outsider seeking shelter.

Her eyes ached from being open too long, yet sleep eluded her, with too many burdens heavy on her heart.

In the house, everyone was kept awake by their own troubles, except for Chu Yang. The instigator of all the unrest, he was the only one who managed to sleep soundly.

The following day, a weekend, found the sleepless still in bed. Chu Yang returned from his morning run to a quiet house. He brought breakfast but let them be, understanding the joy of waking naturally.

After eating alone, Chu Yang left breakfast for the others and headed out. His driver took him to school. Though it was the weekend, Chu Yang was intent on getting a head start on his school responsibilities, to avoid being at a loss later on.

The sound of the car departing finally stirred the occupants of the two rooms. It was clear they were now awake.

Gu Panpan emerged first. Her appearance suggested she'd been up for a while but had stayed in, uncertain how to face Chu Yang, her pretend boyfriend.

Minutes later, Meng Jingxian appeared, surprised to see Gu Panpan. She'd assumed Gu Panpan would have left with Chu Yang. Perhaps they'd had a falling out the night before?

Truth be told, both were unsure how to face Chu Yang, which is why they'd lingered in their rooms. Only after hearing the car pull away did they venture out. It was quite the irony—both harbored feelings for Chu Yang, yet now they were both avoiding him.

Throughout breakfast, not a single word was exchanged. Both individuals quietly consumed their meals in solitude.

Gu Panpan was the first to start and also the first to finish her breakfast. Once done, she promptly left the dining table, leaving Meng Jingxian alone amidst the vast emptiness of the space, the silence almost deafening.

Meng Jingxian had no classes today, but she had plans. She yearned to visit her grandfather, whom she hadn't seen in a while, and truly missed him. After her visit, she intended to wander around the city, as she had no plans to return early.

Deep down, she contemplated seeing Chu Yang, yet couldn't muster a valid reason to do so, and thus dismissed the thought.

As Meng Jingxian was about to step out, Gu Panpan's words sent a chill through her heart.

"Chu Yang and I are together now, as of last night," Gu Panpan declared, leaning casually against her bedroom doorframe.

Meng Jingxian stared at Gu Panpan, her face a portrait of disbelief, her eyes dimming with sorrow. Gu Panpan, feigning ignorance of Meng Jingxian's despair, went on to detail her evening with Chu Yang.

"You might struggle to accept this so suddenly, but it's the truth."

"How could that be possible?" Meng Jingxian murmured in a daze, her voice barely a whisper, her words lost in the quiet of the room.

"If you don't believe it, that's your choice," Gu Panpan continued, stepping closer to Meng Jingxian with a tone that brooked no argument. "I laid it all out for him last night. I confessed my feelings, and he accepted them."

Meng Jingxian collapsed onto the stool, her legs giving out beneath her. Her eyes were wide, brimming with unshed tears.

Watching Meng Jingxian's reaction, Gu Panpan couldn't help but feel a bitter twist in her heart. What was she doing? Had she become so impatient since becoming Chu Yang's girlfriend that she needed to provoke such a reaction? Did she take pleasure in seeing the tears of heartache?

Meng Jingxian was at a loss for what to do next, her mind a whirlwind of confusion, fixated on Gu Panpan's revelation: "Chu Yang and I are now a couple."

Gu Panpan was visibly shaken as she looked at Meng Jingxian, who appeared lost and fragile. With a sympathetic tone, she attempted to console her, "You'll find someone who's a better match for you. As for Chu Yang, he..."

Before Gu Panpan could finish, Meng Jingxian cut her off sharply. "Just stop. I bet you're thrilled, aren't you? Probably laughing at me, thinking I'm too full of myself." Tears brimmed in her eyes, the kind that only come from loving someone deeply and hopelessly.

Ultimately, Meng Jingxian couldn't bear to listen to Gu Panpan's response. She stormed out of Chu Yang's house and as she walked down the street, the reality of the situation sank in.

She had once boldly declared to Gu Panpan that they would compete fairly for Chu Yang's affection. But now, it was over before it had even begun.

Roaming the streets, Meng Jingxian had no desire to return home, fearing her tear-streaked face would alarm her family. She also couldn't bring herself to share her heartache with them, not wanting to appear overly dramatic.

Meng Jingxian couldn't bring herself to confront Chu Yang for confirmation. She was terrified of hearing him acknowledge his relationship with Gu Panpan, a truth that would shatter her completely. She was already in agony.

Earlier, when Gu Panpan questioned her disbelief, Meng Jingxian internally debated whether disbelief could change reality. She thought, if only her refusal to believe could make it untrue, she would cling to that denial forever.

This was the first time she had ever fallen so hard for a boy, and reality had cruelly shown her that she had already lost before the game had even started. Today, her emotions were in ruins like never before.

Meng Jingxian knew she needed to distract herself from her grief, or she might just collapse right there on the street.

She passed a bar. It was late, and the place was nearly empty. Without a second thought, Meng Jingxian walked in, intent on drowning her sorrows in alcohol until she lost consciousness. In the past, she would never have considered setting foot in a bar, as it went against everything her family stood for. But today was different.

Inside, the bar was a stark contrast to its nighttime counterpart. A few scattered patrons sat quietly, the blaring music and blinding lights replaced by soft illumination and gentle tunes—a stark contrast to the vibrant chaos of the night.

Meng Jingxian took a seat at the bar and, with a hesitant finger, pointed to an unfamiliar item on the wine list. "This one, I'll have a glass of this," she told the bartender.

The bartender, a young man not much older than Jingxian, could tell at a glance that she was troubled. Tears streaked her face, and she was silent except for her request for a drink.

Instead of pouring the drink she asked for, Fang Yinan mixed up a non-alcoholic beverage. He could tell by her demeanor that she was not accustomed to drinking alcohol.

Unaware that what the bartender passed her was a mocktail rather than liquor, Jingxian downed over half the glass in one go. Had it been actual wine, she might have been gasping for air, but since it was just a beverage, she felt no ill effects after finishing the glass.

Puckering her lips in dissatisfaction, Jingxian complained, "This has to be fake wine, right? It's so sweet."

Fang Yinan couldn't help but find her reaction endearing. "Miss, that's not the case. The drink you ordered is simply made this way," he assured her, keeping the truth to himself.

"Really?" Jingxian pondered, her head cocked to the side, but she couldn't make heads or tails of it. She pointed to a different selection on the menu and said, "Then, I'll try this one."

The drink she indicated was a much stronger spirit, but Fang Yinan had no intention of serving her that. He prepared another non-alcoholic concoction, different from the first.

Jingxian admired the beautifully crafted drink before her, almost too pretty to consume. She hesitated, cup in hand, but eventually, she took the plunge and finished it in one swift gulp.