Chapter 126: Love and Loyalty Are Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold — Dedicated to Mu Qinyao

I wasn’t startled; I simply turned on the desk lamp and said irritably, “Luo Ange, do you know that the worst kind of scoundrel is one who disturbs another’s peaceful dreams?”

Under the light, his drunkenness vanished completely. He stared intently at me, hesitating to speak, and suddenly, I felt a pang of sadness.

“Luo Ange, don’t scare me. What’s wrong with you?”

I thought he might have a fever, so I bent down to touch his forehead, only for him to pull me into a tight embrace.

I struggled, but he held me firmly. “Don’t worry, don’t move. I’ll hold you for a while. I promise, just for a little while.”

This was the embrace I had longed for, the sense of security I craved—but it would never belong to me again.

Drowsiness swept over me, and I dozed off in his arms, feeling him pull me closer again and again into his embrace in a haze.

Finally, something warm was pressed against my stomach. It felt comforting, and I fell into a peaceful sleep.

When I woke up, I was alone in the bed. Barefoot, I ran outside, but there was no sign of Luo Ange anywhere.

If not for the hot water bag and the warm bowl of porridge on the dining table, I might have thought the night before was just a foolish dream.

The days that followed were spent helping Old Zhou organize materials and preparing for graduate exams. Xia Qi reverted to her carefree heiress self, and none of us mentioned that night. We simply watched TV together.

When Shu Congxuan came by and saw me, he was startled—probably not used to seeing me with my hair tied up and wearing black-rimmed glasses. He asked Xia Qi, “What’s wrong? Is she in a bad mood?”

Xia Qi laughed. “When you have time, take her to get a new hairstyle and some new clothes. Don’t let her look like a nun.”

I glanced down at my outfit: a bun, black-rimmed glasses, denim dress, and canvas shoes. Where did I look like a nun?

Shu Congxuan good-naturedly ruffled my bangs. “No, no, you look like a fairy.”

Xia Qi snorted. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Shu Congxuan invited us to have dinner at Langyuan. After all the dishes were served, Xia Qi wasn’t happy. “Shu Congxuan, you know I can’t live without spicy food. Why did you order all these bland soups and such?”

Shu Congxuan said, “Lanshan’s stomach isn’t good. You’ll have to bear with it.”

Xia Qi wouldn’t settle for less than her standards—she’d said before that only men and good food were non-negotiable.

She ordered a plate of spicy boiled fish for herself and sat eating on the side. My taste buds were teased, and before I could reach out with my chopsticks, Shu Congxuan stopped me. “Behave.”

I pouted, “Just a little bite.”

He shook his head. “I’ve checked with your doctor. In your condition, you can’t touch even a bit of chili.”

Xia Qi stifled a laugh and gave me a sly wink, almost bragging.

But today, I was determined to have some spice. As we argued, the door suddenly opened, and a familiar but long-unseen face appeared.

I blurted out, “Little Dragon…”

Long Jue smiled as he stepped in. “I knew it was you the moment I heard. Long time no see. Have you missed your brother?”

I felt awkward—my hand was intertwined with Shu Congxuan’s. What would Long Jue think?

Then I thought, what did it matter? Luo Ange was no longer part of my life.

Long Jue sat beside me, nodding to Shu Congxuan and Xia Qi, but his gaze quickly locked onto me. “Sister, I heard you were bitten by a poisonous snake. Tell me what happened.”

I asked back, “How do you know I was bitten by a poisonous snake? Are you in cahoots with it?”

He laughed. “No nonsense. Just tell me.”

Taking advantage of the pause, I grabbed a piece of Xia Qi’s spicy fish and took a bite, satisfied. “Life is full of storms; the past is best left unspoken.”

He frowned, then leaned over to whisper in my ear, “Sister, have you really split with Third Brother?”

I paused, my heart tugged painfully, but I had learned to hide it.

With a faint smile, I replied, “What do you think?”

Suddenly, the manager called him away—turns out he had other guests waiting and was being sought after.

Long Jue stood to leave, bidding farewell. Before he left, he asked me, “These are all my friends. How about you come with me?”

As if fearing my refusal, he turned to Shu Congxuan. “Congxuan, you come too. We’re all friends. Mei Xiuyi mentioned you the other day. He’s there as well.”

Hearing this, I guessed Luo Ange would definitely be there, and if I was right, the eldest Miss Yuan would be there too.

I didn’t want to go—I was afraid to face it all, afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself.

Shu Congxuan glanced at me. “I’ll follow Lanshan’s lead.”

Xia Qi seemed to catch on. “Hey, you two are like a perfect match. Enough already—do I even exist?”

Before Long Jue could speak, I hurriedly said, “I don’t want to go. Maybe next time. Next time I’ll treat you.”

He stared at me. “What are you afraid of?”

He was too sharp for me to hide behind half-truths. I decided to be honest. “You name it, and that’s what I’m afraid of. There’s nothing shameful about that.”

He caught my meaning and asked, “Because of Third Brother, you don’t want to hang out with me anymore?”

I felt a little listless. “Whatever. I don’t care.”

He was so annoyed he pointed his index finger at me and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the whole place shook.

When he left, I breathed a sigh of relief, but lost my appetite and suggested going home.

Shu Congxuan and Xia Qi, worried I might be upset, also stopped eating and called the waiter to settle the bill.

But just as I feared, more trouble arrived. Shu Congxuan was pulling out my chair when the door burst open, and a crowd poured in.

This time, I saw clearly: besides the furious Long Jue, there were Yong Changzhi, Gai Nie, and Mei Xiuyi. Bringing up the rear was Zheng Nanfeng.

They all carried drinks and swarmed around me, insisting on toasting.

None of us drank, but with a wave of Yong Changzhi’s hand, the manager quickly brought out a bottle of red wine.

Yong Changzhi poured me a glass, beaming. “Sister-in-law, come, drink with Second Brother.”

Shu Congxuan blocked him and grabbed the glass. “I’ll drink it for her.”

Gai Nie pressed down on Shu Congxuan’s hand, his tone sharp. “Hey, hey, Shu Congxuan, what do you mean by that?”

Tensions rose, and I hated to see Shu Congxuan struggle on my behalf.

I didn’t want to see anger in his eyes when he was biting back for my sake.

I owed him enough already, truly.

I took the glass from their hands, tipped my head back, and drank it all in one go. Then I poured another glass and raised it to them. “This one’s for you.”

Shu Congxuan moved to stop me, but I pushed him away and downed the wine.

He was genuinely furious now. He shrugged off Gai Nie and shouted, “Are you satisfied now? Satisfied?”

He held me up, wiping my mouth with his sleeve, his voice full of concern. “Do you feel like vomiting?”

I hung on his shoulder. “Shu Congxuan, I want to go home. Take me home.”

I couldn’t stay here any longer because I knew that somewhere out of sight, he was watching me.

But I didn’t notice Gai Nie exchanging a glance with the others, and in the next moment, Long Jue sat beside Xia Qi, while Yong Changzhi and Gai Nie flanked Shu Congxuan and pulled him away from me.

Mei Xiuyi supported me toward the door, quietly apologizing, “Sister-in-law, sorry.”

I wasn’t drunk—I just felt unwell in my stomach, nauseous.

He took me to a private room upstairs and helped me sit on the sofa. The lighting was dim, but I still saw Luo Ange.

He sat across from me, swirling his wine glass, a beautiful woman resting in his arms.

But the woman was not Yuan Shengxiao.

He sipped, then fed the woman mouth to mouth. She clung to his neck, greedily wanting more.

I watched quietly and suddenly realized it wasn’t so terrible. Though it still hurt inside, it wasn’t the soul-crushing agony I had imagined.

As long as I told myself that Luo Ange was dirty and impure, my heart didn’t ache.

I suddenly smiled and shook my head at Mei Xiuyi beside me. “If fate brings us together, why complicate things? Go call the others in.”

He hesitated, then left. I watched the pair continue their passionate embrace, silently counting to three.

The woman’s coquettish voice came: “Ange, stop, there are outsiders…”

But Luo Ange held her down, ravenous as a wolf.

Counting to forty-six, they still hadn’t stopped, and just then, Shu Congxuan and the others burst in.

Xia Qi rushed over and sat beside me, nervously asking if I was alright. Then she saw the inseparable couple opposite us.

She tried to stand, but I pulled her down, shaking my head at both her and Shu Congxuan.

If we were to meet like this, if we were to play a part, then we might as well go all in.

Honestly, I felt a bit sorry for Luo Ange. Whether he was trying to prove something to me or not, he had succeeded. But what did it prove?

That he didn’t love me and didn’t want me—I had known that long ago.

That I still had feelings for him—that he could be reassured of that. As Xia Qi said, frozen fingers would thaw with the passing winter.

I remained composed, but Gai Nie seemed uneasy. He cleared his throat twice and asked the manager to bring another dish.

Luo Ange finally released the woman, as if noticing us for the first time. His gaze swept over my face.

In that moment, he seemed truly childish.

I looked at Yong Changzhi. “Is this going to continue? What’s the meaning of this?”

He raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

I smiled. “Love and loyalty are priceless. You treated me well in Jingnan. Tonight, I’ll stand by a gentleman to the death. But let me warn you, my stomach’s not good. If I end up vomiting blood, don’t be scared.”

My casual words made Yong Changzhi glance toward Luo Ange. Luo Ange pulled the woman by the waist and sat at the dining table, waving them all over. “Why are you standing around? Sit down.”

Shu Congxuan sat beside me and whispered, “Do you want to die?”

I looked at him. “Shu Congxuan, everyone should learn to bid the past farewell. To look forward, I have to take this step.”

He shook his head, muttering, “Crazy, all of you are crazy.”

On my other side, Xia Qi tugged at my sleeve and whispered, “Drink the baijiu; I have a plan.”

I nodded. Seeing the manager bring the red wine, I said, “Red wine’s not strong enough. Bring the baijiu.”

Gai Nie looked at me. “Seriously?”

I smiled. “I’m not lying.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yi Lanshan, are you out of your mind?”