She thought about it and concluded that the only person who could have driven Shaohua to this state was Daisy. So, while he was drunk, she found Daisy's number in his phone.
Moreover, Shaohua had missed several calls from Daisy. This prompted her to contact Daisy, hoping she could persuade Shaohua.
However, judging by Daisy's tone just now, there seemed to be no possibility of reconciliation with Shaohua.
This was truly a headache!
When she re-entered the room, she saw Shaohua lying on the floor, dead drunk, and no amount of shaking could wake him.
She really wished she could slap him awake, but looking at the empty wine glasses scattered on the floor, she figured he wouldn't feel anything even if she did.
Mengqi couldn't think of any other solution, so she called Song Jiaping.
"Where are you?"
Song Jiaping heard her imperious tone, as if he owed her something, and replied, "At the company."
Mengqi stated the hotel's location and room number, then commanded, "Get over here immediately."
"Miss, we already made things clear last time. I sincerely congratulate you, and I won't be going to any hotel room," Song Jiaping refused.
Mengqi, angered, kicked the Shaohua lying on the floor and said, "You're overthinking it. I want you to come because I need your help. You must help me, if not for me, then for Mengyao."
"Mengyao? What happened to her?" Song Jiaping's heart tightened.
"You'll know when you get here," Mengqi said, hanging up immediately, confident that he would appear.
As expected, Song Jiaping arrived not long after.
As soon as he saw Mengqi, he asked, "Where is Mengyao? Where is she, what happened?"
As he spoke, he searched the room for Mengyao, but couldn't find her.
Mengqi pointed to Shaohua lying on the floor and said, "Mengyao isn't here, and she's fine. But her brother is in trouble, and I need you to help me sober him up."
Hearing that Mengyao was fine, Song Jiaping felt his hanging heart relax. He recognized the person lying on the floor, who seemed to have been drinking, as Huangfu Shaohua.
"What's wrong with him? How do I sober him up?" He wondered how Huangfu Shaohua had become like this.
The last time he saw him at the wedding, Huangfu Shaohua had seemed happy and joyful.
Mengqi replied simply, "Emotional setback."
"I'll go buy some hangover medicine, and he'll be fine after sleeping it off," Song Jiaping said, about to go out and buy medicine.
Mengqi stopped him and said, "What medicine? Help me carry him directly into the bathroom and douse him with cold water to wake him up completely. I have something to say to him."
"Are you sure you want to treat your own brother like this?" Song Jiaping knew that dousing someone with cold water when they were this drunk would be very uncomfortable.
"I'm sure. If I'm not tough on him, he'll be even tougher on himself. He's planning to drink himself to death!" Mengqi was very angry seeing Shaohua lying on the floor. How could a grown man be so fragile?
Her parents intended for Shaohua to inherit the family business. With such a weak personality, unable to withstand even an emotional blow, how would he be able to carry the entire family in the future?
Seeing that she was serious and not joking, Song Jiaping bent down, lifted Huangfu Shaohua with effort, and carried him into the bathroom.
Mengqi followed behind, instructing Song Jiaping, "Put him in the bathtub."
Song Jiaping did as she said, placing the unconscious Huangfu Shaohua into the bathtub, and said, "Alright, you can douse him with cold water yourself. I'm done here, I'm leaving."
"Where are you going? Wait for me outside," Mengqi said. "Later, I'll need you to help him change his clothes and get him into bed."
Song Jiaping had no choice but to wait outside the bathroom. It was his way of trying to compensate for his guilt towards her.
After being doused with cold water, Huangfu Shaohua finally regained some consciousness. As soon as he opened his eyes, he yelled, "Wine, give me five more bottles of wine!"
"You want to drink?" Mengqi threw the showerhead she was holding at him and said, "Go buy your own wine with your own money, and give me my card back!"
Only then did Huangfu Shaohua look at Mengqi and recognize her, saying, "Sister, why is it you? The card, where is the card?"
As he asked himself, he pulled a bank card from his soaked pants pocket and handed it to Mengqi, asking, "Is this your card?"
Mengqi looked at the completely wet bank card, estimating it was demagnetized. She took it and immediately broke it in half, saying, "I gave you this card for emergencies, not for you to go on a drunken spree."
"What emergency! I'm over with her, completely over..." Huangfu Shaohua covered his face in pain.
Mengqi threw him a dry towel and said, "I don't know what happened between you two. I called her when you were drunk, and she seemed worried about you. She knew you were in a five-star hotel and fine, but she just refused to come see you..."
"I don't want to see that woman anymore, she disgusts me," Huangfu Shaohua angrily threw the towel he was holding into the water.
Mengqi said, "She asked me to tell you that you can proceed with the divorce whenever you're ready. Have you made up your mind?"
"Divorce, divorce tomorrow."
"Okay, since you've both made up your minds, do as you wish. Why are you tormenting yourself like this? Do you still love her?"
"Sister, what is love? Love is all fake, nothing can be trusted..."
Mengqi interrupted him, hoping he would be more clear-headed. "When you chose Daisy back then, you should have known the gap between you and how difficult it would be to stay together. Now you know that living purely for love is foolish, but it's not too late. You should pull yourself together, apologize to Mom and Dad, listen to them, and live the life you're supposed to live."
"Wasn't your engagement to Yao Feili because you liked him?"
"Like and love are too luxurious for us. Our marriage should be an exchange of resources, increasing both parties' leverage in the business world. We shouldn't ask for too much," Mengqi seemed to have seen through it all.
"Sister, you're right."
Mengqi gave him another dry towel and said, "I've only extended the room fee for this room until tomorrow morning. You'll have to leave when the time comes."
After saying that, she turned and left the bathroom. To Song Jiaping, who was waiting outside, she said, "Go check on him, see if he needs any help, and if he can get out of the bathtub by himself. I'll wait for you at the hotel entrance."
Song Jiaping no longer refused. He also felt sorry for Huangfu Shaohua and Daisy, recalling how happy a couple they had been.
After watching Shaohua fall into a dazed sleep on the bed, he left the suite. In the car at the hotel entrance, he saw Mengqi smoking.
"You smoke?" he couldn't help but ask.
Mengqi rolled down the car window, looked at him, blew a smoke ring, and said, "I've smoked since I was in school, but I don't particularly like it. Sometimes I smoke one or two to relieve stress."
"It's alright, I'll be going now." Song Jiaping didn't ask any more questions and prepared to hail a taxi home.
Mengqi called out to him, "Let's go for a late-night snack. Don't worry, I won't drink, and I won't let you drink either."
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere. I don't think anyone will photograph a young lady like you there," Song Jiaping didn't refuse.
"Okay, let's go to the place you mentioned, get in the car," Mengqi stubbed out her cigarette and smiled at him.