Chapter 760: Do You Not Like Drinking Anymore?

After Xuan Chengzi led him aside, the King of Wei simply sat down on a stool. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, threw a cold glance at Chen Changsheng sitting in the distance, and snorted as he looked away.

He looked at Xuan Chengzi standing before him and said, "This is absolutely outrageous!"

Xuan Chengzi understood the King of Wei better than anyone. He smiled helplessly. "Prince Wei, it's already in the past. Why not turn a big issue into a small one, and let it go?"

"Do I not need my dignity?" the King of Wei demanded.

Xuan Chengzi gave a helpless smile. "No one else knows."

The King of Wei shot Xuan Chengzi a resentful look, then turned his head away and muttered, "What does a Priest know..."

He grumbled that single sentence and said no more.

Sitting at the table, Chen Changsheng finished his meal and only stood up once he was full.

Seeing the hour, he walked over to Xuan Chengzi and said, "Priest, it's getting late. This Chen will head down the mountain now."

Xuan Chengzi nodded hurriedly. He stood, stepped forward, and said in a low voice, "Mister, please don't take offense at the King of Wei. Prince Wei just has thin skin; deep down, he knows what he did was wrong."

The King of Wei had sharp ears. He turned sideways. "Is the Priest speaking ill of me behind my back again?"

Xuan Chengzi smiled. "How could this poor Daoist dare?"

The King of Wei snorted coldly, then shot another icy glare at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng looked at Prince Wei and said, "Prince Wei, you are rather like a donkey."

Hearing this, the King of Wei's temper immediately flared.

"You dare insult me?!"

Chen Changsheng said mildly, "Of course this Chen is insulting you. Did you think it was a compliment?"

Furious, Prince Wei grabbed a teacup from the table and made to hurl it at Chen Changsheng.

But halfway through the motion, he stopped.

Seeing the cup hang in the air, Chen Changsheng asked, "Why aren't you throwing it?"

The King of Wei cast a sidelong glance at him and said, "I am magnanimous. I will not stoop to bickering with an unreasonable person like you."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng said, "Alright. If you truly are magnanimous, Prince Wei, go apologize to Miss Yun at the trading firm. Then this Chen will believe Prince Wei is genuinely magnanimous."

"Who do you think you are? You tell me to go, and I should just go?"

The King of Wei snorted coldly and threatened, "Just you wait. You won't even have to wait until tomorrow; tonight, I'll send my men to invite you for a stay in the dungeons."

Chen Changsheng waved a hand. "I'd welcome it."

With that, he bid farewell to Priest Xuan Chengzi once more, turned around, and walked down the mountain.

Prince Wei frowned slightly and let out a long breath. "He infuriates me..."

Xuan Chengzi sat down with a bitter expression and advised, "Prince, you absolutely must not compound your mistakes."

Prince Wei pursed his lips. "I made no mistake."

Xuan Chengzi sighed helplessly. He couldn't help but find it amusing, yet at the same time, this entire spectacle left him at a loss for words.

He didn't argue further with the King of Wei, but right before leaving, he offered one last piece of advice. "Prince, please tread carefully."

Hearing this, the King of Wei paused. He waved a hand and reluctantly headed down the mountain.

Seeing the Prince's anger, his two accompanying guards didn't dare ask any questions and merely followed in silence.

Meanwhile, Chen Changsheng had already returned to Chuanfeng Alley.

Yu Hongjin had run over to Chen Changsheng's courtyard to play.

Calling it playing was just an excuse to find a place to secretly drink.

She was afraid of being caught by Zhishu and Sister Yun, which would mean the end of her drinking.

"Catch."

Chen Changsheng casually caught the wine pot and asked, "Where did this wine come from?"

Yu Hongjin replied, "I bought it on the street."

As she spoke, she poured a mouthful down her throat and broke into a wide grin.

She was just a foolish little fish; as long as she had wine to drink, she would be incredibly happy.

"You're going to get scolded again when you go back after drinking," Chen Changsheng said.

Yu Hongjin blinked. "Let them scold me. I already drank it down into my belly anyway, and they can't make me spit it back up."

"You really are..." Chen Changsheng gave a helpless smile and said, "a dead pig doesn't fear boiling water."

"I'm a fish."

Yu Hongjin took a sip of wine and then pointed out, "Besides, you just don't understand. Think about it: if I don't drink, I won't be happy. If Sister Yun scolds me, I'll also be unhappy. But if I drink, I'll be happy! If I'm going to end up unhappy in the end anyway, why shouldn't I drink?"

Chen Changsheng agreed, "That is quite a convoluted way of putting it, but it does make some sense."

Yu Hongjin grinned broadly. "Right?"

She clinked her wine pot against Chen Changsheng's, then started drinking again.

Chen Changsheng watched her cheeks gradually flush with color. He also took a couple of sips, but felt that the wine was missing some flavor.

Yu Hongjin let out a boozy hiccup and said, "Chen Changsheng."

"What is it?" Chen Changsheng turned to look at her.

Yu Hongjin asked, "Is this wine no good?"

"It's fine."

"Then why are you acting so strange?"

"How am I acting strange?" Chen Changsheng was a bit confused.

Yu Hongjin blinked and said, "I don't know, it just feels a bit strange. It's like... hmm..."

She suddenly realized she couldn't quite describe it.

After a pause, Yu Hongjin finally said, "Anyway, it's just not like before."

Chen Changsheng paused slightly.

He thought for a moment, looked at the wine pot in his hand, and said, "It seems so. This Chen sometimes feels the same way."

It was as if the wine had lost its flavor.

As if he didn't like it as much anymore.

It was the same for tea; he had lost some of his fondness for it.

More often than not, he was simply drinking to drown his sorrows.

Yu Hongjin nodded. "Right, exactly."

She thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you not like drinking anymore?"

Chen Changsheng was momentarily taken aback. Without thinking, he shook his head in denial. "Of course not. This Chen has always loved good wine. It's just not the same as before."

Yu Hongjin smacked her lips and said, "If you like drinking, then you like drinking. How can you like it less than before?"

"Is it like how men like women? Chen Changsheng, have you also grown tired of the old and fallen for the new?"

Yu Hongjin seemed a little drunk to be spouting such nonsense.

Chen Changsheng didn't mind, simply chuckling as he asked, "And who taught you that?"

Yu Hongjin blinked. "That's what the neighbors say! Men and women are all the same. Once they get a new flame, they forget their old love. Isn't it all the same principle? So if you don't like drinking as much, you must have gone and fallen for something else."

Chen Changsheng said, "Those two things aren't related, and that principle doesn't apply here."

"Then how does it apply?"

"It should..."

Chen Changsheng trailed off, pausing before letting out a sigh. "Why is this Chen taking a child so seriously..."

Yu Hongjin curled her lip. "You're the child."

Chen Changsheng smiled and said, "I wouldn't mind being a child."

How wonderful it would be to be a child. You wouldn't have to think about anything, wouldn't have to worry about anything.

But he couldn't.

Chen Changsheng's life was simply missing a piece, an indispensable piece. He would spend his entire life chasing and fighting for it. Even if he stopped in his tracks and wanted to turn back, there would still be someone pushing him forward from behind.

It was completely different.