Chapter 88: Good Friend

At first, Ning Wei could sit quietly between the two of them, listening to Chen Feng and Qin Zhen chat away in their hometown dialect.

Of course, she couldn’t understand a word.

Before long, she couldn’t take it anymore. She frequently covered her mouth to cough lightly, turned to look around with a constant frown, and seemed very uncomfortable with the noisy environment.

Or perhaps it could be called disdain.

Seeing this, Chen Feng glanced at his phone. It was almost nine-thirty at night, which was still a bit early. To be honest, Chen Feng wanted to chat with Qin Zhen a little longer, but with his girlfriend acting as a “third wheel” wedged between them, Chen Feng felt awkward.

So, Chen Feng took the initiative to suggest ending the gathering and meeting up another day.

Qin Zhen, of course, knew that with Ning Wei present, they couldn’t drink and chat to their hearts’ content, so he nodded in agreement.

Chen Feng called the owner over to settle the bill. Qin Zhen didn’t stand on ceremony; they had always operated on the principle that whoever had money would treat. Now that Chen Feng was rich, of course, he would pay.

Qin Zhen put his arm around Chen Feng’s shoulder and said softly, with a hint of apology, “It was a bit of a downer at the end of our drinking session this time. Let’s find another chance for just the two of us to have a good drink.”

Chen Feng smiled. “It’s nothing. Don’t get into a fight with her when you get back. Her being nervous about you just means she loves you a lot. You should cherish what you have, especially since she’s so beautiful and comes from a good family. Her temper doesn’t seem too bad for now. Why don’t you just give in?”

“Screw you! We just met, and you’re already speaking up for her. Whose side are you on?” Qin Zhen said, annoyed, shaking Chen Feng vigorously with his arm still around him.

And it had to be said, the guy had a strong grip.

“Damn! Can you not be so affectionate with me? People will think we’re a couple.”

Hearing this, Qin Zhen was so startled that he quickly let go of his arm, stepped a meter away, and gave a look of disgust.

Then, the two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing.

They had done this many times back in their school days, their expressions always perfectly on point. Realizing it now, of course, they both roared with laughter.

Ning Wei, standing to the side, couldn’t understand their hometown dialect, and she certainly didn’t understand why they were suddenly laughing so hard. She looked completely bewildered, and at the same time, felt a sense of being excluded, ignored, and even disregarded.

The three of them walked out of the food stall street together. Ning Wei had driven over and parked nearby. Chen Feng declined the invitation for a ride. After watching them drive away, he walked back by himself.

Meanwhile, in Qin Zhen’s car, as soon as it started, Ning Wei said with a hint of jealousy, “You and your friend seem to have a really good relationship. Have you known each other for a long time?”

“Yeah. We met when we were sixteen, were classmates for three years in high school, and went to the same university for two years. If you really think about it, he’s my best friend from back home. So, in the future, if I’m out drinking with him, don’t be a wet blanket like you were this time.”

In the end, Qin Zhen couldn’t hold back and complained.

This was supposed to be a long-awaited reunion where they could have a good chat and drink until they dropped.

But Ning Wei had insisted on coming and ruining the mood, which made him somewhat angry. One, he was angry at Ning Wei for being so clingy, and two, he was angry that she wasn’t very polite to Chen Feng, which made him lose some face.

Ning Wei, on the other hand, looked aggrieved. “I just missed you, didn’t I? I was also afraid you’d get drunk outside and be too wasted to get home. I feel more at ease watching over you.”

“Alright, thank you for your good intentions. But I don’t get drunk easily, and even if I did, I could call you to come pick me up then. You insisting on coming along definitely ruins our mood. Also, in the future, be a little more polite to this friend of mine. This time, you had almost zero interaction with him the whole time, and your smile at the beginning was very fake…”

“What am I supposed to talk to him about?” Ning Wei said, a little angry. “He’s your good friend, not mine.”

That was also true, and it left Qin Zhen at a loss for words.

“Alright. In short, from now on, when I go out drinking with him, just stay out of it.”

“I’m your girlfriend, how can I not be involved? What if you get drunk and something happens to you outside? Don’t tell me you can hold your liquor. I’m just concerned about you, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Qin Zhen: “…”

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Chen Feng didn’t wake up until almost noon the next day. They had drunk nearly two cases of Budweiser yesterday. On average, that was at least 20 cans each. After drinking that much, the after-effects were still a bit strong.

Fortunately, when he woke up the next day, he didn’t have a headache, a sore throat, or an upset stomach, which surprised and pleased Chen Feng.

In the past, whenever he ate barbecue and drank beer, he would usually have some problems the next day—a headache, a sore throat, or an upset stomach, always one of them. But not this time, which was a pleasant surprise for him.

Lying in bed, he picked up his phone. There were two missed calls, one from Lin Wan and the other from Qin Zhen.

It was just noon, so Chen Feng called Qin Zhen back first. It was nothing important, just Qin Zhen asking how he was after drinking so much yesterday, whether he had thrown up or anything.

Besides showing concern, he was of course also hoping to hear that Chen Feng was in some sort of trouble, so he could gloat a little.

But there was nothing, really nothing, which inevitably disappointed Qin Zhen. He had to get up early for work this morning and still felt a little dizzy.

Chen Feng also asked about him in passing, and Qin Zhen quickly said he was completely fine.

The two chatted for about ten minutes, agreed to meet again tomorrow at a place of Qin Zhen’s choosing, and then ended the call.

After finishing the call, Chen Feng went to check his unread WeChat messages.

Sun Xiaorui and Xiao Ya had each sent him a few messages.

Sun Xiaorui told him that her dad’s condition had stabilized and he could start speaking normally again, albeit slowly. He was expected to be discharged from the hospital in about a week.

This was good news for her dad, and also good news for Chen Feng. Chen Feng was now looking forward to her return every day.

So, Chen Feng sent her an animated sticker of encouragement and blessing.

He also directly transferred 8,888 yuan to her on WeChat, saying it was a gift for her dad.

Sun Xiaorui quickly replied with several happy and kissing emojis. She accepted the money readily.

Xiao Ya, on the other hand, said it was her first day working at the milk tea shop. She also sent him a few pictures of the shop, the last one being a picture of herself in a Japanese-style work uniform and apron, making a kawaii face.

After looking at it, Chen Feng didn’t reply.

As for Lin Wan’s WeChat message and missed call, Chen Feng temporarily ignored them as well.

He got out of bed, washed up, took a shower, went downstairs to grab two pieces of bread, and ate them with milk, considering it a late breakfast.

Going back upstairs, Chen Feng once again stared at the “Orchid Pavilion Preface” hanging on the wall. Before long, it once again put him in that dizzy state.

Time flew by. When Chen Feng came to his senses and picked up his phone, he saw that 42 minutes had passed, though it felt like only a few minutes.

It seemed like a long time, but it was much shorter than the nearly two hours from the last time.

This made Chen Feng suspect that the feeling this “Orchid Pavilion Preface” gave him was gradually diminishing.

Chen Feng then wanted to try again, but this time, after staring at the calligraphy for several minutes, he didn’t enter that state, so he had to give up for the time being.

He would try again after some time; there was no rush.