Chapter 12: Dizziness

Since Li Qingji didn’t object, she naturally didn’t worry about what his friends thought.

The girl sitting next to her was called Jiang Xiaowen, who had short hair and a bold, striking appearance. She was very enthusiastic.

From her, Jiang Nai learned that she and Li Qingji were high school classmates. Although they hadn’t been close back then, in the past two years, she often hung out with Lu Feng, Chen Jiming, and their group, so she frequently saw Li Qingji as well.

“Jiang Nai, now that you’re back in the country, if you’re ever bored, feel free to ask us out. We’re all friends now,” Jiang Xiaowen said.

Jiang Nai smiled. “Thank you.”

“No need to be formal. Here, cheers.”

“Alright.”

Not long after, Lu Feng’s birthday cake was brought out, and the DJ played a special birthday song, prompting everyone in the room to stand up and celebrate.

Jiang Nai stood up along with Jiang Xiaowen. When she glanced back, she saw Li Qingji still sitting on the couch, holding a glass and smiling lightly as he watched the lively scene. He wasn’t participating, but he didn’t seem detached either.

He seemed to sense her gaze and looked over.

At that moment, a balloon burst with a bang in time with the beat, scattering countless red confetti that drifted slowly down. Jiang Nai stared blankly for a moment and raised her hand to catch a few pieces.

The confetti fell into her palm, and she instinctively glanced at Li Qingji again. In the dim light, he smiled faintly, as if amused by her childish action. Jiang Nai felt a bit embarrassed and released the confetti from her hand.

“Jiang Nai! Come over here!” Jiang Xiaowen called out to her. Jiang Nai stopped looking at Li Qingji and turned to join Jiang Xiaowen.

After the birthday celebration, everyone resumed eating, drinking, and having fun. The music in the bar grew increasingly loud, making conversation difficult without raising voices. This didn’t stop Jiang Xiaowen from enthusiastically chatting with Jiang Nai, eventually reminiscing about their school days.

“You have no idea how popular Li Qingji was in high school. I’m not exaggerating—about two-thirds of the girls in our school had a crush on him. They used to stuff his drawer with love letters by the bundle… Oh! And there were always girls waiting to confront him outside the classroom. It got to the point where our class was just used to the spectacle.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Xiaowen nodded. “But he was pretty cold. On the surface, he seemed polite, but if you actually tried to get close, he was hard to approach. So many girls had their hearts broken by him back then. By the way, Jiang Nai, how does it feel being married to him? Is he the same at home?”

Jiang Xiaowen was already tipsy from drinking so much.

Jiang Nai, who had only a light buzz, hesitated before saying, “He’s usually… pretty good.”

She was telling the truth. Though they weren’t deeply in love, Li Qingji was fulfilling his role as a “husband” well.

“How good is ‘pretty good’? Are you saying Li Qingji can be romantic after marriage?”

“No.”

She couldn’t bring herself to lie.

Jiang Xiaowen patted her on the shoulder. “Figures. Li Qingji, romantic? No way. But with a face like that, who cares if he’s not romantic!”

Jiang Nai chuckled.

Jiang Xiaowen added, “Still, keep an eye on him.”

Jiang Nai looked puzzled.

Jiang Xiaowen squinted. “Even if he’s hard to approach, there are plenty of women who will throw themselves at him. You should watch out.”

Jiang Nai paused, then looked at Li Qingji. He was standing at the front, talking with some friends who had come over to greet him. He was much taller than the other man, so he inclined his head slightly while listening intently. His expression was habitually indifferent.

Jiang Nai smiled and replied, “Alright, I will.”

Soon after, Jiang Xiaowen began leading her through some games. Jiang Nai had never played these bar games before, so she kept losing and had to drink as a penalty. As she played on, stubbornness crept in, and she focused intently on finding patterns in the games.

Once she figured out the rules, she finally stopped losing and even started winning. Just as she was beginning to enjoy the games, a hand tapped her shoulder from behind.

She looked up and saw that Li Qingji had somehow come up behind her, towering over her.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” she asked.

Li Qingji noticed that her expression seemed off. Leaning one arm on the back of the couch, he leaned in closer to look at her. “Have you had too much to drink?”

Jiang Nai quickly shook her head. “No.”

Li Qingji studied her for a few seconds, seemingly unsure whether to believe her.

The bar’s lighting was dim, and with the light behind him, his facial features were sharply defined, and his gaze felt deep, almost like it could pull someone in. Jiang Nai found herself staring, forgetting to look away. The pounding music reverberated against her eardrums and heart, making her feel a bit dizzy.

In her hazy thoughts, she couldn’t help but think that with a face like his, Li Qingji’s life was indeed worth it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again.

“I’m fine…” 

“Alright, then I’ll go over there for a bit. I have a few friends waiting. Stay here for a moment, and if you need anything, have someone come get me.”

Jiang Nai nodded. “Got it, you go ahead.”

Li Qingji turned and walked away.

Jiang Nai straightened up, and after a moment, reached back to massage her neck, which felt sore…

The festive atmosphere in the bar continued as Lu Feng ran around, seemingly unaware of how many good bottles of wine had been opened. Eventually, Jiang Xiaowen got completely drunk, leaning against Jiang Nai’s shoulder and occasionally humming along with the band’s vocalist on stage.

Feeling a bit heavy-headed, Jiang Nai glanced at the time and started searching for Li Qingji.

“Looking for Li Qingji?” Jiang Xiaowen shouted.

“Yeah,” Jiang Nai replied.

Jiang Xiaowen leaned over the back of the sofa to look out. After a moment, she exclaimed, “There he is!”

Jiang Nai followed her finger and indeed spotted Li Qingji not far from the bar.

But he wasn’t alone.

In the dim light, Jiang Nai couldn’t see clearly, but she quickly recognized the woman next to him. It was the same woman she had seen in the parking lot earlier, the one who had shared a table with Li Qingji at the café in the hot spring resort.

“He Shujing? She’s here too?” Jiang Xiaowen slurred.

So, this woman was called He Shujing.

Noticing that Jiang Xiaowen recognized her, Jiang Nai curiously asked, “Who is she?”

In her drunken haze, Jiang Xiaowen had forgotten that she was leaning against Li Qingji’s “wife.” She replied casually, “He Shujing? You don’t know? She’s rumored to be someone Li Qingji liked in the past!”

“Really?”

“She’s really pretty, but unfortunately, her background isn’t great.”

Jiang Nai’s curiosity was piqued. “What do you mean?”

“Her family runs a small business, but they went bankrupt later. If it weren’t for Li Qingji, they wouldn’t have made it through,” Jiang Xiaowen hiccupped and continued, “People like the Li family would never allow their heirs to marry someone from a different class. For Li Qingji to hold that position, he could never be with He Shujing, no matter how much he liked her.”

Jiang Xiaowen tilted her head lazily. “So, liking someone doesn’t mean anything when it comes to power and career.”

Jiang Nai blinked a couple of times, this time seriously considering the implications. “So that’s how it is.”

Two people who liked each other ended up apart because of their family backgrounds.

It felt like a shame.

“What the hell?!” Jiang Xiaowen suddenly came to her senses, realizing she was leaning against Jiang Nai. Cold sweat broke out on her back. “I—I forgot! What I just said isn’t right. Li Qingji marrying you is definitely a good thing! I mean, he and He Shujing were a long time ago! Jiang Nai, don’t take it to heart!”

Jiang Nai observed her flustered explanation and replied, “It’s fine. I know it was in the past. It’s no big deal.”

However, Jiang Xiaowen thought she was just putting on a brave face. Who would be happy about their husband having an unfulfilled love, especially with that person right under their nose?

Jiang Xiaowen looked regretful and quickly poured her another drink. “I spoke too much. Don’t listen to me rambling! I’m sorry! Well, He Shujing is friends with a lot of us, so it’s actually normal for her to be here today… They might just be chatting casually!”

“Really, it’s okay.”

Jiang Nai took the drink and smiled as she downed it, but her mood began to dip. It wasn’t so much about He Shujing’s presence; it was more about the realization that her marriage with Li Qingji felt quite tragic. They had entered this insincere marriage for their own reasons, and it seemed that neither of their true desires would be fulfilled.

“Wow, Jiang Xiaowen, you’ve really had too much to drink,” Lu Feng exclaimed as he returned and saw her slumped over like a rag doll.

Hearing his voice, Jiang Nai sluggishly lifted her gaze to look at him. “She’s a bit drunk. We should take her home.”

Lu Feng glanced at Jiang Nai and saw that she looked fine. “You’re doing well! You managed to drink with Jiang Xiaowen without getting dizzy first. Your tolerance is pretty good.”

“It’s average; I didn’t drink as much as she did,” Jiang Nai replied.

“Alright, I’ll call someone to pick her up.”

“Okay.”

Lu Feng made a quick phone call, and soon two staff members arrived.

“Take Miss Jiang to the lounge to rest and have her people come pick her up.”

“Understood, boss.”

The staff leaned down to help Jiang Xiaowen, and Jiang Nai wanted to assist as well. But the moment she stood up, she nearly toppled over to the side. Lu Feng was startled and quickly caught her arm.

“You can’t handle it? I thought you were fine,” he said.

Jiang Nai felt that she was only a little dizzy. Just as she was about to retort that she was actually okay, someone approached from behind and took over the support from Lu Feng.

“Did you get yourself drunk?” 

His voice wasn’t loud, but since he was standing so close behind her, she heard him clearly.

Jiang Nai paused for a moment and quietly retorted, “I’m fine… not drunk.”

Lu Feng chimed in, “People who are drunk always say they’re not. Li Qingji, can’t you keep an eye on her?”

“I only looked away for a moment. Who was the one who kept pouring drinks?”

“Who else could it be but Jiang Xiaowen? But she’s completely out of it now; we’ll get her home,” Li Qingji replied.

Lu Feng nodded. “Alright.”

Li Qingji turned his gaze down at Jiang Nai. “Can you still walk?”

Jiang Nai nodded. “I can…”

“Good, then let’s go home.”

Jiang Nai turned to look at him and said, “Actually… someone else could take me home.”

Li Qingji raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Aren’t you going to stay a little longer? After all…” Jiang Nai’s mind flashed to He Shujing, but she quickly cut herself off. “After all, it’s your friend’s birthday.”

Li Qingji’s expression remained unchanged. “Lu Feng’s birthday party can go on until midnight. I’ll stay with him until then.”

As he spoke, he directly led her out. While sitting earlier, Jiang Nai felt fine, just a bit dizzy and her thoughts were a bit too energetic. But now that she stood and walked a couple of steps, she realized her legs felt like they were floating, and she could barely keep her balance.

This didn’t make sense… She knew her tolerance for alcohol.

After walking a short distance, Li Qingji noticed her swaying and shifted to support her shoulder, locking her in against his side to steady her. “Have you had a lot of cocktails?”

Jiang Nai found herself leaning against him, enveloped by his warm and familiar scent. Her head spun even more. “They seemed to have the lowest alcohol content…”

“Only seemed like it. Those cocktails pack a punch.”

“I didn’t know…”

“It’s my fault for not reminding you,” Li Qingji said.

They navigated through the crowd, and a long corridor lay ahead leading to the bar’s exit. Jiang Nai was struggling to keep it together, so she grabbed hold of Li Qingji’s shirt.

Li Qingji halted. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t take it anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re moving me too much; I feel like I’m going to throw up,” Jiang Nai said, looking up at him, desperate. “Can I just sit here for a bit?”

The corridor was crowded with people, and Li Qingji firmly refused. “You can’t.”

Jiang Nai grimaced. “But I really feel like I’m going to be sick.”

Li Qingji frowned, staring at her for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and turning around. “Get on.”

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