"No, no, I surrender, I'm a coward..."
Not even an hour into drinking, Jin Xiuwen was already conquered by Wan Yunting, Guan Hongyu, Xue Jianchao, and He Chengping. He lay sprawled on the lawn, his face flushed and drunk, waving his hands in surrender, much to everyone's amusement.
Fang Yanxi, Lin Yanan, Huang Yuqing, and Jiang Peipei, the four beauties, also had rosy cheeks, making them even more charming. Naturally, they weren't drinking baijiu with Wan Yunting and the other men. They held their wine glasses gracefully, sipping red wine, but they had also consumed quite a bit…
"Come on, Old Guan, let's have another toast."
Wan Yunting, a renowned drinker, was not named "wine barrel" for nothing. After seeing Xue Jianchao and He Chengping drunk, he noticed Guan Hongyu had drunk as much as them but showed no signs of intoxication.
"Mm, come..."
Guan Hongyu also raised his baijiu glass to clink with Wan Yunting's, and they both downed it.
"By the way, how's your motorcycle shop coming along? Still short on cash?" Wan Yunting asked, putting an arm around his shoulder and smiling.
Fang Yanxi, sitting opposite them, also looked up.
Guan Hongyu chuckled, "The shop is being renovated and should be ready to open in about a week. We might still be a bit short on funds. Yanxi and I will discuss it then!"
Wan Yunting blinked, and Fang Yanxi, sitting opposite, also looked surprised. Guan Hongyu added with a smile, "You're even busier than Yanxi. I'm afraid I won't be able to find you when the time comes."
"Haha…"
Wan Yunting laughed heartily, "How much do you need? I'll give it to you now."
Guan Hongyu waved his hand, "I don't need it yet. I'll let you know if I'm short after the renovation. I won't be polite then."
"Alright, come, let's have another drink…"
Saying this, Wan Yunting picked up the bottle and refilled Guan Hongyu's glass. They downed another drink, and Wan Yunting laughed, "Not bad, Old Guan, your drinking capacity is immense. Did you learn that from the Tibetans?"
Guan Hongyu smiled, "The barley wine brewed by the Tibetans themselves is very strong, no less than this Maotai."
Wan Yunting grinned, "Barley wine, we've never tried it before. But Old Guan, if I understand you correctly, you've been living in Tibet all these years?"
Guan Hongyu twirled his glass and nodded with a smile, "Yes, I lived in Tibet for the past few years."
"Oh, where?"
Wan Yunting narrowed his eyes, feigning curiosity, and chuckled, "When we have a chance in the future, we should go travel in Tibet too."
Guan Hongyu turned to look at him and said with a smile, "I lived in Rikaze City in Tibet for a while!"
"Rikaze City in Tibet!"
Wan Yunting was startled, raising an eyebrow.
This was too much of a coincidence. Could Guan Hongyu really be Losang Zhuoma's lover?
"Yes, it's quite nice there. If you have time, you can go visit. The scenery is quite beautiful," Guan Hongyu replied with a nod.
Fang Yanxi, Huang Yuqing, Jiang Peipei, and Lin Yanan also chimed in. Wan Yunting continued to smile, "Tell us, did you find a Tibetan girlfriend?"
"Do I even need to ask? You mentioned it last time!" Lin Yanan pointed at Guan Hongyu.
Huang Yuqing also smiled, "Last time you said her name was Zhuoma, right?"
This time, Wan Yunting was completely stunned. He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Guan Hongyu, who nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, her name is Basang Zhuoma!"
"Basang Zhuoma?"
Wan Yunting's expression faltered. Was it not Losang Zhuoma?
Guan Hongyu smiled, "When there's a chance, I'll bring her to meet you all."
"That would be great."
Lin Yanan smiled, "We've never been to Tibet, and we haven't met any Tibetan girls before. But if you, Old Guan, fancy her, she must be a stunner."
"Mm…"
Guan Hongyu looked up, his eyes fixed on Fang Yanxi sitting opposite him, and said with a smile, "She's very beautiful, just like Yanxi!"
These words stunned Wan Yunting, Huang Yuqing, Jiang Peipei, and Lin Yanan. They all turned to look at Fang Yanxi, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Fang Yanxi hadn't expected Guan Hongyu to say that, making her a little embarrassed. She smiled and said, "You're joking. There are many people more beautiful than me."
Guan Hongyu smiled and said no more. Wan Yunting, sitting beside him, also chuckled and raised his glass, "Come, let's have a drink…"
Everyone raised their glasses to clink. Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi exchanged glances. After finishing their drinks, they didn't say much more.
Wan Yunting continued to chat with Guan Hongyu, asking about his time in Tibet. For example, Guan Hongyu had many insights into Tibetan Buddhism, which surprised Wan Yunting, leading them to discuss Buddhist topics at length…
He didn't probe Guan Hongyu too obviously. In fact, Wan Yunting had a feeling, for some unknown reason, that Guan Hongyu was deliberately saying these things for him to hear!
As they drank and chatted, it unknowingly passed eleven o'clock. Fang Yanxi, Huang Yuqing, Jiang Peipei, and Lin Yanan had also had their fill. Seeing that it was getting late, they naturally left.
"Alright, we'll take you back first…"
So, Wan Yunting called for a car and sent Huang Yuqing, Jiang Peipei, and Lin Yanan home. As for Jin Xiuwen, Xue Jianchao, and He Chengping, the three of them were completely drunk and passed out on the living room sofa, snoring. Wan Yunting couldn't be bothered with them. He said to Guan Hongyu with a smile, "Old Guan, are you not drunk? Want to have a bit more?"
Guan Hongyu looked at Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi, waved his hand, and chuckled, "No more. I'm busy with the shop renovation tomorrow. We'll drink again next time."
Wan Yunting nodded and said with a smile, "Alright, be careful on your motorcycle. Don't ride too fast."
Guan Hongyu got on his motorcycle, put on his helmet, and said to them with a smile, "I'm off."
"Ride slower, and send me a WeChat when you get back…"
Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi stood at the door, watching Guan Hongyu ride away on his motorcycle until his taillights disappeared from sight. Fang Yanxi turned to look at Wan Yunting and asked, "Did you deliberately invite Guan Hongyu over for drinks tonight?"
Wan Yunting turned to look at Fang Yanxi. They returned to the patio chairs and sat down. He nodded and said, "Yes. Recently, there have been several murder cases in the city. Captain Zhou and his team have identified Guan Hongyu as a suspect!"
"What, murder cases?"
Fang Yanxi's pretty face showed surprise. "You mean Guan Hongyu killed someone?"
Wan Yunting raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, "They just suspect him, but there's no evidence. That's why I invited him over tonight to test him. But for some reason, Old Guan seemed to be deliberately telling me what I asked him tonight!"
Fang Yanxi was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"It's just…"
As Wan Yunting was about to explain, his phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw it was Zhou Dong. Seeing the late hour, he knew something must have happened. "Captain Zhou, what's wrong?"
"Yunting, there's been a murder case on the outskirts of the western district!"
At this moment, Zhou Dong and his team were in the western district, by a small river on the outskirts, inside a residential building. Looking at two bodies lying on the ground, Zhou Dong frowned and said, "Two people are dead. One was drained of blood, and the other was killed in a sacrificial manner!"
"What…"
Wan Yunting leaped to his feet, his face filled with shock. Fang Yanxi, standing beside him, was also stunned.
"Is Guan Hongyu still at your place?" Zhou Dong asked.
Wan Yunting reacted, quickly saying, "He left just two minutes ago."
Zhou Dong frowned and said, "In that case, the killer isn't him. There's someone else!"
This was because Guan Hongyu had been at Wan Yunting's place all evening, and these two people were brutally murdered two hours ago.
This meant the killer was not Guan Hongyu!