“How was it? Didn’t I tell you? Isn’t it a great way to relieve stress?”
Tang Jiner walked over, her cheeks still flushed with the vigor that comes after exercise. As she gulped down a bottle of drink, she handed a towel and another bottle of drink to Secretary Wang.
The lines of her collarbone, traced by beads of water, appeared and disappeared at the neckline of her red dress.
“Mm.”
Secretary Wang, still warm from exercise herself, nodded and accepted the towel and drink handed over by the young lady.
Wait, this… doesn’t seem like a drink…
After unscrewing the cap and taking a few sips, Secretary Wang suddenly realized the taste was a little off. Looking closely, it turned out Tang Jiner had bought a cocktail that looked very much like a soda.
This… did Miss Tang buy the wrong thing? But it’s fine, these kinds of cocktails don’t usually have much alcohol.
Secretary Wang averted her eyes from the cocktail in her hand and looked back at Tang Jiner.
“Miss Tang, should we also head back—”
“Wang Yan!”
Before she could finish, the girl in the red dress shouted loudly. “Um, Miss Tang, I’m here…?”
Secretary Wang tried to respond.
“Wuwuwuwu, why did you reject my confession, wuwuwuwu…”
At the sound of her reply, Tang Jiner seemed to have triggered some strange switch and burst into loud, wailing sobs right on the spot.
“Ah? Miss Tang, I…”
Secretary Wang was at a loss, but then she noticed something off about the girl’s flushed face. That color… didn’t seem to be just from exercise?
Oh no! She’s drunk!
Secretary Wang immediately realized what had happened.
“Um, Miss Tang, please don’t cry, I—”
“Wuwuwuwu, I know, you must not like me, wuwuwu, you must hate my terrible temper and my bad habits, that’s why you rejected my confession, wuwuwuwu…”
Trying to comfort her only made things worse. The moment Secretary Wang opened her mouth, Tang Jiner cried even louder, tears streaming down her face in big, unstoppable drops.
“I—I don’t dislike you—”
“Wuwu… hic… r-really?”
Secretary Wang’s words seemed to have some kind of magical power. At the sound of them, Tang Jiner immediately stopped crying.
After rubbing her teary, mascara-stained eyes, the girl in the red dress hiccupped adorably and asked in a soft, sticky tone.
“Uh, I…”
Secretary Wang had intended to turn her down, but looking at Tang Jiner’s wet, pitiful eyes, the words that came out of her mouth changed before she knew it:
“I—Of course I mean it.”
“Hehe, hic, I knew it, hic, you wouldn’t dislike me.”
The girl who had been crying just moments before immediately broke into a smile, the corners of her mouth curving up uncontrollably.
Whew, looks like she’s calmed down for now.
But… with Miss Tang this drunk, can she even get home on her own?
Secretary Wang let out a sigh of relief, only to be troubled again.
Maybe… I should call the Young Lady and ask for Miss Tang’s home address, then take her back myself…
True to her decisive nature, Secretary Wang immediately took out her phone and dialed the number.
“Hello?”
A sweet voice from the other end—Ruan Zhixian.
“Hello, is this Miss Ruan?”
“Yes, it’s me. Secretary Wang, is something the matter?”
Her voice was recognized right away, though Ruan Zhixian seemed a little confused.
“It’s like this, Miss Ruan, could I ask for Miss Tang’s specific home address?”
“Jiner’s address? Did something happen?”
Before Secretary Wang could answer, a fragrant breeze suddenly brushed past from the side, and then—
“Smack—”
Something soft, wet, and cool pressed against Secretary Wang’s cheek.
“M-Miss Tang…!”
Secretary Wang quickly covered the phone, staring in shock at Tang Jiner, who had just kissed her.
“Hehehe, hic, like, hehe…”
At this moment, Tang Jiner threw her arms around Secretary Wang’s neck, her feverish cheek pressed tightly to her shoulder, the girl’s spoiled, nasally whining mixed with the scent of wine curling around her ears.
This Tang Jiner didn’t seem like the proud Young Lady she usually was at all, but more like a clingy kitten.
Feeling the softness against her body, seeing the girl in her arms with tears still staining her skin, a dazed look in her eyes, and a beautiful face dyed crimson, Secretary Wang felt her throat tightening.
Huff, huff, calm down… calm down…
Secretary Wang turned her head, refusing to look at Tang Jiner’s face any longer, and after several deep breaths, put the phone back to her ear.
“Ahem… um, actually, Miss Tang, she…”
***
Night, the Tang family mansion.
“Ding dong—”
“Old Tang, go get the door. I bet it’s Jiner again, probably forgot her keys.”
The lady of the house, lounging on the sofa with her legs crossed, eating sunflower seeds and watching TV, gave the order to Tang Zhentong beside her.
“Alright, alright.”
Tang Zhentong put down the sunflower seeds he was shelling and walked to the front door.
“Hey, what did I tell you, girl, how could you forget—”
To his surprise, although Tang Jiner really was standing at the door, she seemed to be drunk, leaning on the shoulder of another unfamiliar woman.
“Good evening, Tang Sir. Miss Tang got a bit drunk when we went out tonight, so I brought her home.”
Secretary Wang politely explained what had happened.
“Oh, oh, thank you—”
He didn’t finish his words of thanks. Suddenly, Tang Zhentong noticed a lipstick mark on the woman’s face…?
And when he looked at Tang Jiner, the girl’s lip color was missing a spot, and the shade looked exactly the same as the one on the woman’s face?
Wait, lipstick mark… drunk Jiner… and this woman’s outfit…
Good evening, Tang Sir. Miss Tang got a bit drunk when we went out tonight, so I brought her home.
Damn! Isn’t this just some punk trying to steal my daughter away!
“You bastard! What did you and Jiner do tonight?! Spit it out!”
“Do…? Spit what out?”
There was confusion in Secretary Wang’s eyes.
“Uh, we went out to have fun today. During the day, Miss Tang changed clothes for me, and then at night, we went to a rather exciting place?”
“What???!!!”
“Hey, old Tang, what are you yelling about at the door?!”
At this moment, the angry lady of the house grabbed Tang Zhentong’s ear, cutting off whatever he was about to say next.
“No, honey, look at the two of them!!”
The man pointed accusingly at the two women at the door.
“Well, well!”
Reminded by Tang Zhentong, the lady of the house also turned her attention to the two at the door. It didn’t take long for her to notice what was off about Secretary Wang’s face, either.