"What's this, you're monitoring my drinking now?" Li Yang, filled with anger, roared like thunder.
His outburst immediately drew the curious glances of many patrons.
After Ren Yuanhao removed the wooden stopper, he carefully poured wine for the two ladies, pointedly ignoring Li Yang. This infuriated Li Yang even further. Had Zheng Qian not held him back, he would have likely stood up and exploded immediately.
"Don't be upset. I have a question for Miss Zheng first. Are you and Li Yang living together?"
As soon as Ren Yuanhao asked this, Zheng Qian blushed and nodded in affirmation.
"Second question: do you find your boyfriend's breath particularly heavy around midnight?"
Zheng Qian nodded slightly again.
This question and action immediately angered Li Yang. Ignoring Zheng Qian's pulling and the odd looks from other customers, he bellowed, "Damn it, what kind of person are you, this pretty boy and flower vase, to insult my breath like that!"
"Young Master Li, your words are quite harsh. I didn't mean it that way at all. I imagine you often feel listless, have blurred vision, and a bitter taste in your mouth, correct?"
Li Yang visibly froze but chose to ignore him, roaring again, "What's it to you? If I'm sick, can't I see a doctor?"
"It's good that you admit you're sick. Bian Que once said that when an illness is on the surface, it can be treated with warm compresses; when it's in the skin, acupuncture can treat it; when it's in the intestines and stomach, decoctions can treat it. Your illness, however, is in the liver. The liver governs the eyes, and strong anger is also a cause of liver problems. Therefore, the treatment is simple: get angry less, be jealous less, drink less. A calm mind leads to smooth qi, and smooth qi leads to a peaceful liver."
"You say I'm jealous of you? What is there about you to be jealous of!"
Zheng Qian could barely hold Li Yang back anymore. The situation was becoming embarrassing for the two women. Yet, the trouble had started with Li Yang. Lin Yue, holding Ren Yuanhao's arm, enjoyed the envious gazes from the crowd and made no move to intervene.
"Naturally, there's nothing about me worth being jealous of. Moreover, Young Master Li is generously treating me to drinks. I am merely informing you of your ailment as a repayment for your wine. If I have caused you displeasure, then it is I who have erred, and I shall penalize myself with three cups."
Ren Yuanhao downed three cups swiftly, exclaiming what good wine it was. The surrounding onlookers all applauded, instantly making him the center of attention and further highlighting Li Yang's narrow-mindedness.
"You brat, don't let me see you again! Zheng Qian, let's go!" Li Yang clutched his chest and pulled Zheng Qian towards the door, looking as pathetic as a stray dog.
At this moment, Ren Yuanhao cupped his hands to the crowd, his demeanor full of a江湖 spirit, and said, "You've all witnessed a spectacle. I shall penalize myself with another three cups!"
Lin Yue found it amusing. She adjusted her glasses and teased, "Young Master Ren, you're truly remarkable. You've drunk tens of thousands worth of wine, gained immense face, and insulted someone without using a single vulgar word. You even made my colleague think you were acting in his boyfriend's best interest. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this young lady is impressed."
"You know, in my entire life, this is the first time I've ever drunk such expensive wine."
"You should drink a little less too. This wine has a strong kick. I can't handle a strong man like you," Lin Yue said, taking off her glasses and wiping away the tears of laughter from her eyes with a tissue.
As she removed her glasses, her features appeared delicate and refined. A blush spread across her slender face, and combined with the wine's crimson hue, she looked utterly beautiful and captivating.
Ren Yuanhao, emboldened by the wine, gazed at her for a couple more moments. Lin Yue, feeling a bit shy, put her glasses back on and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"I'm looking at stars!"
"Looking at stars?"
"You're so beautiful, you must be a star that fell from the heavens."
Lin Yue covered her mouth and chuckled. "You're quite the smooth talker. Be honest, how many girls have you tricked?"
"Not a single one. If I've tricked you, I'm a dog."
"Forget it, I'm too lazy to interrogate you. You wouldn't tell the truth anyway."
Lin Yue was happy and drank a couple more glasses.
They went back and forth, sometimes discussing research projects related to their earlier conversation, and other times complaining about work hardships. Before they knew it, it was already ten o'clock.
However, as Lin Yue had warned, the wine had a potent aftereffect. Ren Yuanhao, having boldly downed six cups earlier, and after having some steak during their conversation, suddenly felt a burning sensation in his stomach, and his mind became hazy and muddled.
"Yuanhao, you're drunk~"
"I, I'm not drunk. My nickname is 'Never-Downed-A-Thousand,' you tell me, have I drunk a thousand cups~"
"Then tell me, what number is this?" Lin Yue, much clearer-headed than Ren Yuanhao, held up two fingers in front of him.
"That's easy! Those are, those are your fingers~"
"Alright, alright, they're my fingers. It's getting late, shall I take you home? Where do you live?"
Ren Yuanhao simply smiled. His eyes hazy, he suddenly slumped onto Lin Yue's shoulder, appearing as if he had passed out.
"Hey, you still haven't told me where you live~"
She paid the bill and took a taxi back to her apartment complex. To avoid any awkwardness, she waited until no one was around before helping the drowsy Ren Yuanhao into the elevator. After some effort, she managed to get him home.
It was already approaching eleven o'clock. The light in the room seemed hazy. Ren Yuanhao's profile rested on Lin Yue's pillow, sleeping peacefully.
Lin Yue sat by the bed, stroking the stray hairs on his forehead, and murmured, "Good thing I'm not some kind of hooligan, or you'd be in trouble today."
After sitting for a while, she showered and changed. After tucking Ren Yuanhao in with a light quilt, she slipped into the side room. She tossed and turned for a long time but couldn't sleep.
She finally got out of bed and quietly walked to the window. The starlight in the night sky was already swallowed by the city's neon glow. The moon was high in the sky, casting its gentle radiance onto the windowsill as the heat of the day gradually dissipated.
Throughout the night, she repeatedly snuck over to cover Ren Yuanhao with his quilt. When she felt restless, she opened her laptop and worked on deducing data according to the ideas Ren Yuanhao had provided.
As dawn gradually broke, her data, after a series of verifications, deductions, and substitutions, began to stabilize the gene sequence!
Excitedly, she called her team leader, who was drowsily on watch, to report the news. By this time, Ren Yuanhao had also woken up and had slept enough.
However, as he turned over, he suddenly discovered that the bedsheet had turned pink!