Chapter 119: Chapter 118: Hold the Fort if You Can
The car was halfway there when Qu Chaozong called again. This time the car was silent, and Zhao Meimei clearly heard Qu Chaozong slurring on the phone: "No need to go to Haoting, we’ve been taken to the Tiexi Branch."
Just as Shi Yang was about to speak, Qu Chaozong yelled again: "I didn’t call any girls, I just touched her chest a couple of times, what did I spend money on, I didn’t consume anything at all!"
Bang!
The phone call was cut off.
Shi Yang’s mouth twitched, and instinctively he glanced at Zhao Meimei sitting beside him.
Zhao Meimei sat expressionlessly, obviously lost in thought.
Seeing this expression, Shi Yang felt a tingle in his scalp. After turning onto another street, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhao Meimei slowly raised her head and asked, "Bro, was Brother Chao caught by the police for finding a girl in KTV?"
Shi Yang cleared his throat: "Yeah."
Zhao Meimei pursed her lips: "Is your so-called socializing always like this?"
Hearing this, Shi Yang quickly explained: "No, your Brother Chao wouldn’t call girls over; tonight was a company gathering, with female colleagues present. There might be some misunderstanding."
Zhao Meimei muttered: "I heard it, he touched the girl’s chest."
Shi Yang: ".....It’s definitely a misunderstanding. Don’t you know what kind of person your Brother Chao is?"
Zhao Meimei snorted coldly: "And you...."
Zhao Meimei didn’t finish her sentence, silently looking down at her own slightly raised chest, then thinking of Zhang Xin’s more prominent pair, feeling deeply discouraged.
Poof!
Out of the corner of his eye, Shi Yang caught sight of her movement and couldn’t hold back, bursting into laughter.
Zhao Meimei was angry and embarrassed, glaring over: "I’m not fully grown yet! There’s room to grow!"
Without thinking, Shi Yang replied: "It’s fine; smaller is just as touchable."
Shi Yang: "....."
Zhao Meimei: "....."
Shi Yang cleared his throat softly, focusing on the road.
The atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Zhao Meimei held back, but couldn’t, and grumbled indignantly: "Hmph!"
Shi Yang finally cracked: "Hahaha....."
The frozen atmosphere instantly dissolved. After a while, Shi Yang said lightly: "No matter how you turn out, I’ll always like you."
Zhao Meimei stayed silent, her tightly pursed lips slowly curling into a smile, feeling a warm current passing through her heart. She shot a glance at Shi Yang and her heart pounded wildly. She puzzled over whether the "liking" in his words was the same as what she hoped for.
It was the first time Zhao Meimei ever went into a police station, all to go with Shi Yang to bail out Qu Chaozong, who was caught for looking for a girl in KTV. This farcical event was enough to make her laugh every time she thought of it, to entertain her for the rest of her life.
When Shi Yang brought Zhao Meimei there, Qu Chaozong was walking out with several colleagues under the accompaniment of the police.
Seeing Shi Yang, Qu Chaozong immediately wore an expression like he wanted to cry but had no tears.
Shi Yang almost immediately spotted Zhang Xin, surrounded by everyone, wearing a wool coat and leather pants, with her wavy hair draped over her shoulders, walking with a distinctive grace despite the cold weather.
Shi Yang and Zhang Xin’s eyes met in the air.
Shi Yang’s gaze was cold.
Zhang Xin suddenly smiled, her determined look in her eyes unmistakable.
The police accompanying them smiled apologetically at Zhang Xin, who returned a bewitchingly charming smile.
Qu Chaozong, looking disheartened, rushed over to Shi Yang, cast a glance at Zhao Meimei, and felt embarrassed.
Zhao Meimei asked with concern: "Brother Chao, are you okay?"
Qu Chaozong forced a smile: "I’m fine."
A whiff of alcohol hung in the air.
After politely bidding the police goodbye, the company folks noticed Shi Yang and greeted him eagerly. Shi Yang generously handed out taxi fares, 50 bucks each, until everyone left, and then turned to Zhang Xin.
Zhang Xin was already warmly chatting with Zhao Meimei.
Shi Yang looked away and asked the apparently drunk Qu Chaozong, who was actually quite sober inside, "What happened?"
Qu Chaozong gritted his teeth: "Damn, I finally figured it out. That wicked woman set me up. She paid for those two girls to be placed in my room. I was a bit tipsy then, and those girls kept sticking to me. In the dim light, I touched them a few times, and just when I placed my hand, the police rushed in, caught red-handed."
Qu Chaozong lowered his head, hiding his expression, muttered softly: "I just don’t get it, she’s got the looks and the body, why is she so desperate?"
Shi Yang patted Qu Chaozong on the shoulder, smirking: "If you ask me, just give in. You’re both willing. Maybe after a couple of times, she’ll tire of you and let you go."
Qu Chaozong pushed his hand away: "Get lost! If I were to actually get with her, who knows who would take advantage of whom!"
Holding back his laughter, Shi Yang asked: "What’s your plan?"
Qu Chaozong snorted: "I’m a man. Am I scared of her being aggressive? Let her cling. As much as I can handle, I will. If I can’t, then I’ll go for it. Women, I understand them well enough now. As long as I don’t play with sincerity, everything else is negotiable."
Shi Yang tapped him on the chest: "Can you hold on?"
Qu Chaozong grinned: "If I can hold, I will. If not, I surrender. At worst, it’s just another affair."
Shi Yang laughed: "You sure take it easy."
Qu Chaozong glanced at the graceful Zhang Xin standing nearby, a note of appraisal in his eyes.
Zhang Xin noticed, looked up, their eyes met, and she suddenly smiled.
Against the pitch-black night, her face blossomed into a bright smile. She really did look quite stunning.
Qu Chaozong lifted one corner of his mouth, rubbed his chin, and turned to Shi Yang: "Alright, it’s late, and you came out for this nonsense. You should take Meimei home now, be careful on the road."
Shi Yang raised an eyebrow at him: "What about you?"
Qu Chaozong gave a naughty grin: "I’m about to burst with this ammo, might as well unload it tonight. No point keeping it in."
Shi Yang looked at him, giving a layered advice: "Take it easy."
Qu Chaozong nodded, patting him on the shoulder: "If it’s fated, it’s unavoidable. I’ve been a bit tempted by her teasing lately. Just consider it a second spring."
Shi Yang was so tickled by him that his teeth hurt, cursing: "Go be pretentious elsewhere!"
Qu Chaozong’s expression was frivolous, but his words were earnest: "Don’t worry, I know my limits."
The two walked over, and Shi Yang put his arm around Zhao Meimei: "We’re heading off first."
Qu Chaozong, standing by Zhang Xin, waved them off: "Okay."
Zhao Meimei bid farewell politely: "Bye, Brother Chao, Sister Xin."
Zhang Xin glanced at Qu Chaozong beside her, smiled slightly: "Take care on the road."