Su Yue felt a bit dejected but had nowhere to vent her frustration. Just then, Chen Ziming finished answering questions. Chen Cheng suggested they all have a drink together, so she picked up her wine glass and downed the beer in one go.
"Yueyue?" Zhang Feiran sensed something was off and wanted to caution her, as she usually declined drinks at gatherings.
Su Yue realized she had lost her composure and quickly forced a smile, saying,
"I thought you all would drink quickly. Why don't you catch up?"
Undeterred, she picked up the wine bottle by her hand and poured herself another drink. She tilted her head slightly to look at Chen Ziming, "Officer Chen, let's clink glasses? Your lecture at our school yesterday was so good, we all admire you."
Normally, any man would be putty in her hands with just a smile. Yet, this Officer Chen was immune to her charms.
But that made him all the more interesting.
Chen Ziming glanced at her, no longer ignoring her. He picked up his own glass and lightly clinked it against hers.
A hint of triumph flickered across Su Yue's face. She took a small sip, then set the glass down, subtly inching closer to Chen Ziming.
She was almost touching him.
Chen Cheng noticed and looked at his uncle with some unease, worried he might be annoyed.
But thankfully, Chen Ziming didn't seem to mind.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, Officer Chen caused quite a stir when he visited our school," Zhang Feiran said innocently, then continued to tell him about the impact he had.
He smiled faintly, listening to her, appearing attentive yet somewhat distracted.
They chatted for a long time, and everyone drank quite a bit, except for Chen Ziming.
He had only drunk the one toast from her.
This made her feel quite pleased.
She wasn't a good drinker, and by now, she was feeling a bit tipsy. She decided to lean on him, using the alcohol as an excuse. Everyone else was engrossed in lively conversation and didn't notice what she was doing.
"Officer Chen, are you single?" At some point in the conversation, Zhang Lu suddenly looked at Chen Ziming and asked.
They were clearly all getting a bit rowdy, their inhibitions lowered.
Su Yue suddenly felt nervous. She realized she hadn't inquired beforehand and quickly pulled away from him.
She still had a basic sense of propriety. If he truly had a girlfriend, her actions would be quite inappropriate.
The conversation at the table ceased. Everyone seemed curious and looked at Chen Ziming.
"You guys..." Chen Cheng was worried his uncle might find it bothersome.
"Yes," he replied calmly.
She felt relieved.
Now emboldened, she took advantage of her tipsiness and looked at him, speaking slowly,
"Officer Chen, can I ask you a question?"
"Ask away," he looked at her.
"If I liked a man, got him drunk, and slept with him, would he report me for indecent behavior the next morning?"
Everyone at the table fell silent...
Not only silent, but Chen Cheng's friends were shocked. They had just found Su Yue sweet and gentle, but now they felt appearances could be deceiving.
"You've had too much to drink! Don't say such things," Li Niannian was the first to react, nudging her urgently.
Her roommates also quickly jumped in to defend her, arguing that someone who had never dated or even kissed would only embarrass herself by saying something like that.
Su Yue, however, didn't realize the impact of her words. Her mind felt a bit blank as she continued to gaze at Chen Ziming. He was so handsome, and his quiet, mature aura was incredibly attractive; she couldn't get enough of it.
Chen Ziming looked at her too. Initially, there was no discernible emotion on his face, but soon, Su Yue detected a hint of contempt.
"Chen Cheng," he suddenly spoke, startling Chen Cheng, who quickly replied.
"I need to get back to the station for my shift."
Although he was speaking to Chen Cheng, his eyes remained fixed on her, making Su Yue feel a prickle of unease. She couldn't quite recall everything she had said, but it seemed she had displeased him.
She instinctively sat up straighter, like a child who had misbehaved, and lowered her head, afraid to look at him again.
Chen Ziming withdrew his gaze and stood up, gathering his phone. "When you leave, give my phone number to the owner of this place. Just put whatever you spend on my tab. I'm leaving."
With that, he strode away without looking back.