Zhou Jinbei inwardly scorned him.
His alcohol tolerance was truly abysmal.
It was all her second brother's pampering.
What kind of assistant position was this easy?
Aside from handling the CEO's daily tasks, there were hardly any banquets to attend.
Her second brother was truly a breath of fresh air among CEOs.
But Zhou Jinbei was not someone to be trifled with so easily.
Thinking of her father, her mother, her brother – weren't they all heavy drinkers?
Even if she hadn't eaten pork, she'd seen pigs run. With their strong genes bolstering her, she was bound to be better than him.
Soon, dinner was served.
The three of them sat around a small living room, eating meat and drinking first.
Dad Zhong poured each of them a paper cup.
Zhou Jinbei took a sip. It was so sweet, she didn't feel anything.
"I'd like another cup. Without wine, meat doesn't even taste good."
Dad Zhong poured her another. Ah Zhong reminded her, "It's potent. Take it easy."
Zhou Jinbei joked, "Don't worry, I won't drink it all. Look how stingy you are."
As everyone was enjoying the meal harmoniously, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Seeing the scene inside, Uncle Zhang was a bit stunned.
"Why are you eating at this hour? Is this lunch or dinner?"
"Oh, you have guests. Who is this?"
Dad Zhong enthusiastically welcomed him in, briefly introduced Zhou Jinbei, and then pulled Uncle Zhang to sit down for a drink.
"When I first came here, I was unfamiliar with everything, and you took care of me."
"Ah Zhong has always wanted to thank you properly but never found the opportunity. Today is perfect. Ah Zhong, come, pour your Uncle Zhang a few drinks."
The meal lasted over two hours before they dispersed.
Ah Zhong was dizzy, and Zhou Jinbei helped him to his room to rest.
Truthfully, she was quite tipsy too.
One should never underestimate homemade wine. Although sweet, its alcohol content was genuinely high.
There would be no snowball fight today. Everything would wait until Ah Zhong woke up.
Zhou Jinbei laid him down, tucked him in, and was about to go warm herself by the fire when Ah Zhong suddenly pulled her into his embrace.
His lips pressed against her ear, murmuring warmly.
"Don't go, Beibei, don't go."
"..."
"Don't go, good girl, don't leave..."
Zhou Jinbei had a dream.
In the dream, she felt as if she were among clouds, sometimes floating upwards, sometimes sinking rapidly.
That feeling of tension mixed with joy left her with a mix of emotions, and she was drenched in sweat.
She tried to reach out and grasp something, but her hand met empty air, and she woke up.
Then she was stunned by everything she saw before her.
It turned out her dream wasn't fake.
She, a "nearly bride" who had already accepted a betrothal gift and was about to marry someone else, was actually... with her second brother's assistant...
A chill ran down her spine, and the alcohol instantly cleared.
Zhou Jinbei sat up in bed, her first instinct being to run.
Although she had no idea what to do next.
But she didn't want Ah Zhong to see her.
He had just come out of a relationship. If he fell into it again, and she couldn't offer him anything, wouldn't that just hurt him in vain?
Or perhaps, she would defy her family and insist on being with Ah Zhong.
What about the ten million yuan she had already received from Jiang Sicheng?
No matter what, she had to leave this place first.
Once she found a quiet spot to calm down, she could figure out how to resolve things.
With resolve, Zhou Jinbei turned on her phone and quickly booked a ride using a ride-hailing app.
Then she got dressed, tidied up the scene, and quietly slipped out.
Fortunately, they had gone to bed early. It wasn't too late yet.
Zhou Jinbei paid the driver a thousand yuan to take her back to Nancheng overnight. m..oΓg
On the way, she saw many missed calls and WeChat messages on her phone, including one from Jiang Sicheng.
"My father was busy before the New Year, but now he's free. We'll meet my parents on the second day of the New Year, so prepare in advance. I'll pick you up at your place at six in the evening."
"..."
Zhou Jinbei looked at the rapidly passing night scenery outside the window, her mind in utter chaos.
Honestly, she really liked Ah Zhong.
Although his family background was ordinary, he was steady and sincere, and his father was also diligent and capable.
Crucially, he liked her too. If she were to be with Ah Zhong, she could foresee how peaceful her future life would be.
Moreover, did she even have the face to marry Jiang Sicheng now?
Even though Jiang Sicheng would never discover whether she was outwardly pure or not, at least he was upright and hadn't lied to her.
Having taken his money, wasn't it really wrong to enter the marriage in such an unclear state?
Would she truly not regret giving up her future for a mere ten million yuan and Ah Zhong?
Zhou Jinbei closed her eyes and leaned against the car window, imagining.
Imagining everything that had happened to her today happening to another girl.
Imagining Ah Zhong's father and Ah Zhong extending their warmth to another girl...
No!
Zhou Jinbei was consumed by jealousy.
She couldn't bear even imagining it. Let alone having to see Ah Zhong marry and have children with someone else in the future.
She would be furious to death!
No. She couldn't get married so carelessly.
She couldn't give up the rest of her life for a mere ten million yuan, for such a small immediate gain! No!
So, after the car reached Nancheng, she had the driver go directly to the Zhan family.
Unexpectedly, her aunt wasn't home.
According to the housekeeper, Zhan Bei Jue was injured and hospitalized, and his wife was at the hospital to see him. Zhou Jinbei hurriedly took a taxi to the hospital.
What she didn't expect was that after not seeing him for a while, Zhan Bei Jue had become this way.
His complexion was sallow, as if he had a terminal illness. His eyes were hollow, his expression cold, and he sat in a wheelchair, staring intently at the hospital bed before him.
Was the woman lying on the hospital bed, completely unresponsive, his ex-wife Jiang Nan Fang?
What had happened between the two of them? Why had they both ended up like this after only a few days?
She dared to enter the ward, intending to play the victim and borrow ten million yuan from Zhan Bei Jue to break off her engagement with Jiang Sicheng.
However, as soon as she stepped into the ward with one foot, she was cursed at and kicked out.
"Get out!"
"..."
He didn't even turn around, didn't look to see who it was, and was so fierce?
"Second brother..."
"Shut up. Get out."
"...I came to find aunt, aunt she..."
"Zhou Jinbei, if you utter one more word of nonsense, there will be another you lying on this hospital bed."
"..."
"Don't go to the Zhan family anymore, and don't look for your aunt anymore. She doesn't want to see you."
"..."
"Scram."
Zhan Bei Jue's temper wasn't just bad when he wasn't sick; now that he was sick, he was even more unreasonable.
It seemed borrowing money from him was impossible.
She tried calling her aunt, but before the call even finished, she was blocked!
It was over.
With Zhan Bei Jue and her aunt unable to help her, there was no hope for the ten million yuan.
It was the second day of the New Year tomorrow, and she had to go to the Jiang family to meet his parents.
It seemed she had no choice but to marry Jiang Sicheng.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jinbei quickly left the hospital and went to a drugstore by the roadside.
She bought and took an emergency contraceptive pill, then listlessly returned home.
As she opened the door, she was hit by a wave of smoky alcohol and cigarette smells.
Seeing her return, her mother rushed over and grabbed her hand.
"You little brat, where were you? I haven't seen you all day."
"Quick, come and pay your respects to the uncles and aunts. Everyone wants to give you red envelopes since they know you're getting engaged soon!"