Chapter 115: Swordsman Online 3 BL (IX)

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Chapter 115: Swordsman Online 3 BL (IX)

Amid the clinking of glasses, no one knew how much alcohol had been consumed. They said male friendships were forged over drinks. While that saying was not entirely true, it held some truth. The alcohol loosened everyone’s expressions, and people who were already familiar with one another naturally grew closer around the dinner table.

With Miao Lichen’s striking appearance and polished manner, there was no way he could simply sit in a corner drinking by himself. As harsh as it was, the world was simply this realistic. Even people who had only just met him had already begun calculating what benefits they might gain. Of course, those who were genuinely close to him and truly regarded him as a friend would never do such a thing. There were fifty or sixty people at this guild gathering, enough to fill four or five tables. How could every single one of them possibly be free of ulterior motives?

For reasons no one could quite explain, no one stepped in to shield Miao Lichen from the alcohol. His cheeks, fair as fine porcelain, had taken on a faint flush. The slight curve of his lips seemed less gentle and more carefree, while his perfectly neat shirt collar had somehow become askew. It gave him an unrestrained, carefree air, and every smile and frown carried a hint of seductive charm.

Yet from beginning to end, there was not the slightest trace of drunkenness in his eyes. Even after those who had been plying him with drinks had become somewhat drunk themselves, he remained completely unaffected. If not for the scent of alcohol lingering around him and the flush on his cheeks, it would have been almost impossible to believe he had been drinking. Miao Lichen glanced at the mess on the table and set down his glass. The moment he did, someone placed a paper napkin in his hand. Almost at the same time, a glass of water appeared in front of him.

Following the arm that had placed the water down, Miao Lichen looked at the man’s face. A trace of violence instinctively surfaced in his clear eyes. He patted the man’s shoulder, and when their gazes met, that hint of dominance and aggression gradually faded, replaced once again by a gentleness that seemed completely at odds with him. Yang Qifeng was a man with the temperament of a beast, and a beast naturally possessed untamed instincts. Without someone to restrain him, a man like that could be extremely frightening. Now, this beast had personally placed one end of the reins in Miao Lichen’s palm. As long as it was Miao Lichen’s will, he would not disobey, even if he himself was somewhat unwilling.

Miao Lichen watched Yang Qifeng suppress the emotions in his eyes and withdraw the hand from his shoulder. He looked up and met the girl’s hazy gaze. There was still a trace of clarity within it, making it impossible to tell whether she was drunk or still perfectly sober.

The moment Miao Lichen’s gaze fell on her, Mu Kuiqiu naturally gave him a radiant smile. Slightly tipsy, she was still instinctively watching his every movement. Mu Kuiqiu knew she was not drunk. For a woman who had thrived in the workplace, how could she not have an excellent tolerance for alcohol? Yet she was already drunk. It was not the alcohol that had intoxicated her, but the person in front of her.

What had intoxicated her was not the crude alcohol in front of her, but the man himself. She was willing to show him her truest side, her most vulnerable side, and the side of herself that was unlike anyone else. There were so many people in the private room, yet in Mu Kuiqiu’s eyes, there seemed to be only one person.

“Guild Leader, let’s call it a night. I’m afraid the rest of the activities will have to wait until tomorrow.” Miao Lichen drank a glass of water, wiped his fingers with a paper napkin, and looked up at the guild leader, ElegantFlower, who was holding IamaSheep in his arms.

Unlike when he was sober, this extremely lively man looked like a delicate porcelain doll when drunk, revealing an unexpectedly adorable side. When ElegantFlower noticed Miao Lichen looking over, he subtly pulled IamaSheep closer into his arms, concealing his drunken face. All Miao Lichen and the others could see was his back.

“Indeed. It seems some people will be leaving tomorrow, though. What a pity.” ElegantFlower spoke as though he regretted it, but there was not the slightest hint of regret on his face. His smile remained elegant. “Then everyone should find somewhere to rest for now. We’ll meet again tomorrow. As for the hotel…”

“I’ve already taken care of the hotel arrangements. Guild Leader, all you need to do is take care of your little sheep.” GuKing’s stern face carried a faint smile. His gaze fell on MoonisColdHeartisCruel, who was still drinking enthusiastically nearby, and he decided that he would have to work on improving his alcohol tolerance. If he could not even outdrink his own wife in the future, that would be rather embarrassing.

Miao Lichen and the others arrived at the hotel they had booked in advance. The rooms were arranged for two people each. But how could Rong Hansheng and Yang Qifeng possibly allow the other to spend the night alone with Miao Lichen? Some things could change in a single night, especially when everyone had been drinking. Their alcohol tolerance was quite good, but being drunk was an excellent excuse. The two silently competed with each other, one expressionless and the other smiling brightly.

Seeing the two of them fighting over him, Miao Lichen frowned slightly and turned to leave the hotel. Although night had not yet fallen, it was already evening, and the breeze carried a faint chill. This was nothing to Miao Lichen. The scent of alcohol on his body gradually dispersed into the air, leaving behind only his natural fragrance, or more accurately, the faint floral scent characteristic of the Qixiu Sect.

Mu Kuiqiu did not know when she had begun following him. She did not approach, merely watching from a distance. It was just like in her previous life, after she learned that he was with Yang Qifeng. She followed him from places where he would never notice, silently watching his life. Watching him smile at another person, watching him gently caress another person’s face… until she opened her eyes again and awakened, returning to a time when none of it had happened and he still belonged to no one.

From a distance, Mu Kuiqiu watched Miao Lichen lean against the railing of the bridge, and countless scenes surfaced in her mind. Some belonged to her previous life, others to this one. His distance and his tenderness all ultimately became one name: Miao Lichen.

She knew many things about him. She knew that Miao Lichen disliked the taste of alcohol, yet he never refused an invitation and always drank with gentlemanly grace. Someone had even once tried to put something illicit into his drink, but he still did not refuse it. Instead, he smiled and analyzed the drug’s ingredients in front of that person before calmly drinking the antidote. They never realized that such gentleness only made the other person even more unable to save face, causing the supposedly noble people present to refuse to associate with them. Perhaps it was precisely because of incidents like this that rumors began circulating that Miao Lichen’s achievements in other areas of medicine were no less impressive than his accomplishments in psychiatry.

She knew that after drinking, he liked to go for a walk to dispel the smell of alcohol. She knew that he preferred being alone, yet in the end, he had allowed that man to occupy the place beside him. Their intertwined silhouettes had made her so jealous that she had almost wanted to kill someone. And before she had even turned back, she had already begun devising every possible way to drive Yang Qifeng away from his side. For Miao Lichen, she had gone from being willing to do anything to becoming even more ruthless.

Mu Kuiqiu’s expression suddenly changed, and she hurried over, wrapping both arms tightly around Miao Lichen’s waist. Using drunkenness as an excuse was the only way she could make such a bold move. No matter how strong or capable she was, she was still a woman. The scents of alcohol mingled together, and she could not tell whether it was hers or Miao Lichen’s. Of course, that was only her assumption. Miao Lichen knew that not a trace of alcohol remained on him. Their body heat mingled, yet their hearts remained worlds apart.

“Don’t push me away. Just for a little while.” Mu Kuiqiu’s voice was almost a whisper. The cheek resting against Miao Lichen’s back gradually became wet with tears, soaking through the fabric. The red of his shirt darkened where it was wet, becoming closer to the color of blood.

Miao Lichen abandoned the thought of pushing her away. He had once been so gentle that he could not bear to reject anyone. Even when he hurt someone, he did so in the name of gentleness. Besides… what did a hug mean to him? He had long since lost track of where his first hug had disappeared to.

After a long while, Miao Lichen gently pried her arms away and stroked her hair. His voice remained as gentle as ever, and in the cool evening, it seemed to carry a touch of romance. “Feeling better? If it’s because you’re drunk, you should go back and rest. I’m right here. I won’t leave. If you want to pursue me, at least wait until you’ve regained your strength.”

Mu Kuiqiu wanted to argue that he could never wait for her. He had never belonged to her in the first place, which was why she had worked so hard after being reborn. She wanted to seize something that had never belonged to her.

“I’m sorry. I lost control. I just remembered some unpleasant things.” Mu Kuiqiu wiped away the tears that still lingered in her eyes. She had never imagined she would lose control like this. All her grievances and everything she had wanted but could never have seemed to turn into the tears she shed today. Being able to hold him and cry like this felt so good. Even for this feeling alone, she would never give up. She simply could not give up anymore. Even if her soul were stained the darkest black, even if she had to touch the darkness she had once been unwilling to face, she would do it.

“It’s all right. Girls have the right to cry from the very beginning. As a gentleman, all I need to do is offer you a shoulder when appropriate.” Miao Lichen withdrew his hand and rested it on the bridge railing, gazing at the scenery in the distance. The river reflected the setting sun, glowing with a soft halo.

Rong Hansheng and Yang Qifeng looked somewhat grim. The man in red and the woman in white faced each other beneath the setting sun, as though there were only the two of them in the world. More importantly, they did not know whether Miao Lichen might actually fall for that woman. That was Mu Kuiqiu’s greatest advantage. She was a woman, someone who could bear children for Miao Lichen, and someone whose relationship with him would not be constrained by the obstacles that came with being with another man.

The day was coming to an end, and tomorrow would be a new beginning.

Four people stood beneath the same sky, looking at the same scenery, yet each carried a different state of mind.

The scent of alcohol still lingered in the air. Perhaps this was nothing more than a drunken illusion.

Otherwise, how could it be so beautiful?

Otherwise, how could it be so terrible?

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