Chapter 108 - 107: I’ll Quietly Tell You a Secret, Mua~

Chapter 108: Chapter 107: I’ll Quietly Tell You a Secret, Mua~

Seeing the bitter, dejected smile on Wang Ming’s face and the empty beer bottles scattered all over the ground, the couple exchanged a look. They seemed to understand what was going on.

"Jiang Xia, I’m going to head back first. You stay here and look after him," Lin Yanwan said in a low voice.

He nodded lightly. "Okay, I’ll see you home first."

’After all, there’s no point in my wife staying here. When you’re heartbroken, what you need most is someone to talk to, to vent all your frustrations. If Lin Yanwan stayed, since she’s Shen Ying’s good friend, it would just make Wang Ming withdraw even more.’

Jiang Xia saw a taxi approaching, his eyes lingering on the license plate for a few seconds before he quickly hailed it.

"Driver, Brocade Splendor City."

"Get in."

He pulled open the rear door. Before getting in, Lin Yanwan reminded him, still a little worried, "Talk him through it properly, but don’t you drink. Don’t forget how you got into that car accident in your last life."

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror in surprise. ’A car accident in his last life? Was it in a dream?’

’Crazy people!’

"Okay, I won’t drink."

"Promise me."

She stared fixedly into Jiang Xia’s eyes. It was a well-known fact that guys were a strange species. They’d start by promising not to drink, but after a few words, they’d start commiserating over their pasts and then begin chugging away. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG, GLUG, GLUG.

"I absolutely won’t drink," Jiang Xia promised, resigned.

"Forget it, I’m not going back after all. I’ll just wait for you guys nearby. When you’re done talking, I’ll take you both home."

She couldn’t quite bring herself to trust someone with a prior record.

Most importantly, she cherished this second chance at life and didn’t want to lose anyone important ever again.

"Hurry up, are you two going or not?" the driver urged, getting impatient.

"We’re going, we’re going! East Gate of Brocade Splendor City."

Jiang Xia gently but firmly pushed his wife into the car and shut the door.

The window rolled down. Lin Yanwan looked him in the eye and said seriously, "If I find out you drank any alcohol, don’t even think about me talking to you for the rest of summer vacation. I’m not kidding. Do you hear me?"

"Comrade Lin Yanwan, for the sake of being able to see you every day from now on, I will definitely not drink. And I’m not kidding either," Jiang Xia said with great solemnity.

"Mm, as long as you know..."

She gave a slight nod, then pursed her lips. "Lean in, I want to tell you a secret."

"Huh?"

Jiang Xia was a bit baffled. ’What kind of secret requires me to lean in to hear? There’s no one else around. If she just lowered her voice, even the driver wouldn’t be able to hear.’

"Hurry up!"

"Oh..."

He leaned his face closer. Lin Yanwan drew near his ear and whispered, "You have to call me when you get back, or I’ll be really mad. That’s all. Mwah~"

Her soft lips pressed against his cheek. Jiang Xia froze for a second. When he turned his head, he saw the car window was already rolling up quickly.

"Driver, we can go now. East Gate of Brocade Splendor City, thank you." Blushing, Lin Yanwan didn’t dare to look him in the eye. This was his reward for being obedient.

The taxi driver’s cheek twitched. ’Damn it,’ he thought. ’Making me wait all this time was one thing, but the so-called secret was just a kiss? I’m an old man trying to make a living, and I still have to get a face full of PDA from this young couple.’

Watching the car drive away, Jiang Xia touched his cheek, which was still warm and faintly fragrant. His heart hammered in his chest, betraying him. They had been married for eight years, yet today, his wife had still managed to make his heart skip a beat.

He smiled faintly, let out a soft breath, and turned to walk back toward Wang Ming, whose heart was shattered all over the floor.

"What happened?" Jiang Xia sat down on the steps, picked up a beer bottle from the ground, and shook it. As expected, not a single drop was left.

Wang Ming was completely wasted. He didn’t say a word, just mechanically picked up a beer, tilted his head back, and poured it into his mouth without hesitation.

"Alright, that’s enough."

Jiang Xia snatched the bottle away. Even in his past life, he knew the guy was a hopeless romantic.

Back then, right after Wang Ming had broken up with his girlfriend, he’d called Jiang Xia, saying he was upset and wanted to drink. But when they sat down, it was just Wang Ming drinking by himself from start to finish.

"Leave me alone. Let me drink. Once I’m drunk, all my troubles will disappear."

Swaying, Wang Ming opened another bottle of beer. He raised it in a toast toward Jiang Xia and let out a huge, drunken burp. "Old... Old Jiang, I wish... you and sister-in-law... a long and happy... life together. And... to hell with youth!"

"Oh, for fuck’s sake, don’t say that. You said the same thing in our last life, and then we both kicked the bucket." Jiang Xia was speechless. A dead memory had suddenly decided to attack him.

"L-last... life? What... what do you mean?" Wang Ming’s eyes were half-closed, his expression dazed.

Jiang Xia immediately backpedaled. "Er... you’re drunk, you misheard me. I said you’re being too humble. You and Shen Ying should also have a long and happy life together."

"Sob..."

Wang Ming let out a sorrowful cry. "It’s impossible now. It’ll never be possible. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG, GLUG..."

"That’s enough, stop drinking."

"No, let me drink. It hurts if I don’t. Old Jiang, you’re so happy now, you don’t understand how I feel."

Jiang Xia had just snatched the bottle away when Wang Ming immediately grabbed it back.

"..."

His cheek twitched. "So, you confessed to Shen Ying, and she rejected you?"

"Sob..."

Hearing this, Wang Ming seemed even more devastated. He picked up the bottle and started chugging straight from it.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, BLEGH— BLEGH—"

Perhaps he had drunk the beer too quickly. Wang Ming’s stomach suddenly revolted, and he threw up a large amount of beer mixed with the hot pot he’d eaten tonight onto the side of the road.

"Holy shit!"

Jiang Xia’s reflexes were lightning-fast. The moment he saw Wang Ming start to cough, he knew something was wrong and leaped back, narrowly avoiding being sprayed with vomit.

Once he started vomiting, he couldn’t stop. He kept going until his stomach was completely empty, then let out a few dry heaves before smacking his lips and swallowing the residue left in his mouth.

Looking at the filth all over Old Wang’s shoes, Jiang Xia grimaced, the corner of his eye twitching. ’That was close. Good thing I was prepared.’

"Old Jiang, *hic*..." Wang Ming wiped his mouth with his hand and turned to look at Jiang Xia, his eyes filled with dejection.

He sobbed, "It’s over. I didn’t even get to confess, and Shen Ying already rejected me. She said... she said I’m a good guy, and that she’s not right for me."

Jiang Xia suddenly understood. ’So he got hit with the ’good guy’ card by the girl he likes. And she gave it to him before he even confessed. That really is heartbreaking.’

"Sob, sob, sob, my heart hurts so much. It’s like the world has lost all its color, and the whole sky has turned black..."

"That’s because it’s nighttime," Jiang Xia said.

"...Even if the sun were out, it would be black right now!"

"Alright, alright, whatever you say. You’re right, you’re right."

"Anyway, from now on, I’m never going to like another girl again. My heart... has died along with my dead love. Do you understand this feeling?"

Wang Ming sighed at the sky, then suddenly threw his arms around Jiang Xia and began bawling his eyes out on his shoulder.

’Fuck, I... Ah, forget it. Who else’s fault is it that you’ve been my brother for two lifetimes?’

Jiang Xia closed his eyes, refusing to look at the handprint on his shoulder. He patted Wang Ming’s back and comforted him.

"Try to look on the bright side. Life isn’t always smooth sailing. You’ll find that there are plenty more ups and downs... and downs and downs and downs and downs and downs waiting for you."