We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 46

Tao Ying and Shu Ran usually went to quiet bars. They had been curious about neon-lit nightclubs, but because of their professions, they had never actually entered one.

This place was made for letting go. Tao Ying chose a booth in the main hall and sat down.

She did not know what to order, so she pressed the table light to summon a server and asked for a bottle of imported spirits.

Straight spirits were strong. The server suggested mixing them with a soft drink, and Tao Ying nodded.

Once the alcohol arrived, she sat quietly on the sofa and sipped one mouthful after another. More than half an hour passed, and she drank two or three glasses.

She had no idea that Qin Zheng had nearly worn out her phone with calls.

Tao Ying drank and stared blankly ahead. Even the burn of liquor down her throat could not suppress the emotions threatening to erupt.

She tightened her grip on the glass and tipped back an entire drink.

“Cough—”

She had swallowed too quickly and broke into a violent coughing fit.

A flush spread across her cool features, lending her a fragile beauty.

When she raised her head again, a man stood in front of her.

“Beautiful, let me buy you a drink.”

Tao Ying gave him a cold glance and said nothing. He took the hint and left.

But a beautiful woman sitting alone in a booth naturally attracted attention.

No sooner had the first man walked away than another arrived to strike up a conversation.

Tao Ying ignored him and kept drinking.

This one, however, was harder to dismiss. He hovered and refused to leave.

If he would not move, Tao Ying could change seats.

At that moment, the crowd shifted across the dance floor and colored beams flickered in every direction, dazzling her eyes.

Under the pounding music, men and women moved to the beat and gave themselves over to the night.

Tao Ying’s body wanted to move too. But years of restrained living and the dignity required by her profession forced her to suppress the desperate urge to let go.

Some people came here to release pressure. Others came as hunters, searching for prey that suited their tastes.

Consent hardly mattered to them. They would keep pestering someone, looking for any chance to cop a feel.

Tao Ying attracted one such man, a man in his thirties with his shirt carelessly open over his chest.

“Want to have a drink together?”

Tao Ying no longer had the energy to change seats. “Not interested,” she replied slowly and coldly.

He laughed. “Then should we leave together?”

Leave for where? Tao Ying did not understand. She looked at him as though he were insane. Did she even know him?

It was late enough. While she still had some awareness, she took out her phone to call a designated driver—only for the man to slide beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Half her drunkenness vanished. Tao Ying tore herself free and stood.

The man pressed closer again, but before he could reach her, several young men stepped between them and forced him back.

Tao Ying stared at her rescuers. They were the same group who had followed Qin Zheng back to Lincheng earlier that day.

She sat again. They looked around and asked, “Brother Qin isn’t with you?”

Tao Ying shook her head. “Are you drinking? I’ll treat you.”

The young man leading the group motioned for his friends to watch her, then went aside to call Qin Zheng.

To Qin Zheng, the call sounded like salvation.

“Please keep your eyes on her. I’m coming right now.” He nearly shouted. Remembering Tao Ying had left by car, he had no vehicle and could only run across the road to catch a taxi.

The young man agreed. When he turned back, Tao Ying was drinking again.

He looked at his friends. “Why aren’t you stopping her?”

“She looks so miserable. There’s this sadness around her that I can’t explain. I didn’t dare.”

“Forget it. Someone’s coming to pick her up.”

“Did the couple have a fight?”

Clearly, they had misunderstood Tao Ying and Qin Zheng’s relationship.

By the time Qin Zheng arrived, Tao Ying was slumped against the sofa with a frown. One glance told him she was drunk.

At least he had found her. The knot in his chest finally loosened.

He turned and thanked the young men who had protected her.

Then he lifted Tao Ying into his arms and carried her out of the glittering nightclub.

“You’re incredible. Coming here to drink alone—do you know how many times I called you?” Qin Zheng spoke through clenched teeth, venting his fear as irritation.

Dizzy and uncomfortable, Tao Ying told him to let her go.

The instant he realized she felt sick, he set her down and tried to support her slowly toward the exit.

Instead, Tao Ying stumbled back toward the club.

Alarmed, Qin Zheng caught her wrist and pulled her back. Then he bent, hooked an arm beneath her knees, and carried her away.

Her car keys were in her bag, and he found them easily.

He settled her into the passenger seat, fastened the seat belt, and reclined the chair so she could lie comfortably.

As soon as they reached home, Qin Zheng made her a cup of honey water.

Tao Ying refused to cooperate. Half coaxing and half insisting, he managed to get it into her.

Finishing one large cup felt like fighting a battle. Tao Ying was covered in a thin sweat when she finally opened her eyes.

Qin Zheng sat beside her. “Why did you go drinking?”

“None of your business.” Tao Ying patted her chest, turned halfway, and knelt on the sofa with her knees against the cushions. She looked at him. “Who are you?”

“Qin Zheng.”

“Qin… Zheng?” she echoed. “Qin Zheng… Qin Zheng…”

She repeated the name as if trying to determine who it belonged to.

Afraid she would fall, Qin Zheng raised a hand loosely to guard her.

Tao Ying seized that hand and began to sob.

Large tears struck his skin. Alcohol burned through her body, and years of hurt seemed ready to pour out with them.

Qin Zheng panicked. He tried to catch her tears with both hands and wipe them away at the same time.

Unable to manage either, he finally pulled Tao Ying firmly into his arms.

She buried her face against him and cried until she could barely breathe. Yet she made so little sound, suppressing even her grief, that it hurt to hear.

What had happened at the cemetery?

The anguish had remained knotted inside her all evening. Even drinking had failed to release it. Holding so much in could only damage her body.

Qin Zheng patted her back. “Tell me what happened. You can’t keep it trapped inside.”

Tao Ying raised her head. Tears covered her face, but her expression and eyes were cold.

“What difference would telling you make?” she murmured. “No one can help me.”

Qin Zheng could not stop himself from lifting a hand and wiping the tears from her face with his thumb. “Tell me what you need me to do. Anything.”

Tao Ying moved closer and held his face between her hands, as though she had finally matched him to the name in her mind.

“Why are you so good to me? Or are you this good to everyone?”

“I don’t have much patience for anyone else.” Qin Zheng held her gaze.

Exhausted in body and mind, her reason washed away by alcohol, Tao Ying pushed him down. Reckless abandon flickered in her eyes. “You’ll do anything I ask?”

For this one moment, she did not want to pretend. She did not want to follow the proper path or remain detached from every desire.

Qin Zheng’s hands tightened abruptly around her waist. He clenched his teeth. “Tao Ying, do you know who I am?”

“I know.” She bumped her forehead against his. “Qin Zheng.”

The scent of alcohol and the sweetness of honey touched his lips.

Like someone grasping a piece of driftwood, Tao Ying found the person who could save her before her emotions broke completely loose.

In the bright, spacious living room, she straddled Qin Zheng’s lap—and kissed him.