Fearing she would feel worse if she stayed in the car, Zhan Jingchen did not hail another taxi. Instead, he carried her for over half an hour back to the Wanlong Hotel. Pei Kexin, either too drunk or too comfortable being carried, had lost consciousness.
Given their state, Zhan Jingchen worried they might be turned away again. Fortunately, as soon as they entered the hotel, the doorman recognized her.
"President Pei is back. Did she have too much to drink?"
"Our hotel has a recreation department. If she feels unwell from drinking too much, you can ask their doctor for some hangover medication."
Zhan Jingchen was more than happy to oblige. "Thank you. Please have the medicine delivered to my room."
The front desk staff, seeing Pei Kexin being carried back, were very accommodating. They not only didn't question Zhan Jingchen's identity but also stood up to ask if he needed any assistance.
Zhan Jingchen asked her for a spare room card and successfully returned to the room.
Pei Kexin was incredibly wealthy; she had booked the presidential suite. Upon opening the door and seeing the furnishings, Zhan Jingchen finally understood why everyone was so polite to her.
She was the epitome of a powerful female CEO. Who wouldn't respect her?
Unfortunately, at this moment, the CEO was far from her usual commanding presence. After a day of working in the warehouse, she was covered in dust. Now, with her hair disheveled and reeking of alcohol, she lay there, a stark contrast to the clean, white bed.
Although Zhan Jingchen was young and had good stamina, he was tired from carrying her all the way. He had intended to let her sleep, but after looking at her, he couldn't help but cover her with a blanket and pull off her clothes from within the covers.
He fetched a towel, prepared hot water, and brought it into the room. He wiped her entire body before tucking her back into bed. After attending to his wife for half the night, he was sweating. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, he went to the bathroom to wash up.
He thought his tiring day was over. However, after washing up and blow-drying his hair, he walked into the living room. Pei Kexin, whom he had cleaned and tucked into bed, should have been fast asleep. Instead, she was awake, sitting in the living room in her underwear, her hair a mess, staring blankly.
Zhan Jingchen knew that some people had a high tolerance for alcohol but poor behavior when drunk. They rarely got drunk, but when they did, their actions were completely different from their usual selves. His own mother, Madam Jiang Nanfang, was like that.
Wondering if Pei Kexin was the same, he walked over, drying his hair, and patted her on the back. Pei Kexin immediately turned around. After looking at him for two seconds, her lips quivered, and she started to cry.
"Waaah, I'm so thirsty, I want ice cream. Gu Wei, will you buy me ice cream?"
Zhan Jingchen felt she was truly ungrateful. He had traveled so far to find her, spent the entire day with her, working hard, only to be mistaken for someone else.
"Who is Gu Wei? Where is Gu Wei? Are you crazy about him? Don't tell me he's not here. Even if he were, it's late, and it's not the season for ice cream. Where am I supposed to get ice cream for you?"
Pei Kexin didn't listen to him, only blinking her big, watery eyes and crying, "I'm thirsty, I want ice cream..."
Zhan Jingchen: "..."
He tried to reason with her. "If you're thirsty, I'll pour you some water. Or we can have some juice. It's too late for ice cream."
Perhaps seeing his softened attitude made her feel she could bully him, or perhaps being refused genuinely upset her. Just as Zhan Jingchen thought he was about to convince her, she suddenly burst into loud sobs.
"I don't want it! I want ice cream! I haven't had ice cream in so long! I haven't had ice cream for so many years! I want it!"
"Gu Wei, no one loves me, no one cares for me, no one is willing to buy me ice cream. Are you not going to care for me either? We're sisters, Gu Wei, you can't abandon me..."
"..."
For a mere ice cream, she had to resort to such pathetic pleas. In the morning, she seemed like an iron-willed strong woman, but now, dressed like this, she was crying and making a scene... Zhan Jingchen felt his soul had been profoundly shaken.
"Alright, alright, I'll buy it for you! Stop crying, let me check my phone. If I can find it, I'll have someone deliver it right away, okay? Don't cry!"
Pei Kexin stopped crying instantly and looked at him timidly, like a little rabbit.
"Okay, buy it for me now."
Zhan Jingchen picked up the phone on the coffee table and opened the food delivery app. "What flavor do you want?"
"Strawberry. The cutest, most girlish kind~"
"...Say everything you want at once. Besides ice cream, is there anything else you want to eat?"
Pei Kexin tilted her head thoughtfully. "I also want sticky rice dumplings with meat. The kind with big pieces of cured meat and a salted egg yolk inside. I'm craving it so much, I've been craving it for a long time."
Zhan Jingchen was shocked again. "Sister, it's late at night, and we're in Harbin. You really dare to dream! Meat dumplings? Do you think I'm a chef? Where am I supposed to steal meat dumplings for you?"
Pei Kexin, tired from crying, let her head fall, her face pressed against the carpet, her legs kneeling on the floor. She looked utterly defeated and determined to be unreasonable.
"I don't care, I want meat dumplings~ I'm hungry. You won't even give me food. Are you trying to bully me with Pei Zongrui? Waaah... you're all bullying me! No one respects me! No one values me! You won't even let me eat, why should I live?"
"Dad! Mom! Where are you? Why didn't you take me with you when you left? Living is so hard, so bitter, waah, I've lived enough, my life is so bitter, I don't want to live anymore..."
Suddenly, she started lamenting again. Zhan Jingchen's head ached from her crying. He was afraid that if someone came to deliver the medicine and saw her in this state, their reputations would be ruined. He could only try to appease her.
"Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you, don't cry anymore. Meat dumplings, meat dumplings, I'll buy them for you!"
As he said this, he reached for his phone again. Pei Kexin suddenly pounced and grabbed his bath towel.
"Don't go, I haven't finished talking."
"Besides meat dumplings, I also want: sesame paste noodles, stewed chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried mushrooms, grilled mushroom skewers... Anyway, anything made with mushrooms, I want it. Buy it for me!"
Zhan Jingchen was truly exasperated. "You ate several pounds of meat and drank a liter of white wine, and you're still not full? How big is your stomach?"
Pei Kexin, with her mature face, tugged at his bath towel, sitting on the carpet and kicking her limbs in a display of childish petulance.
"I don't care, I don't care! I want it, I want it! I like mushrooms, I want mushrooms, buy them for me!"
"If you don't buy them for me, I'll cry! Living is so tiring, waah, anyway, I can't stay in the Pei family after Dad left. I have no home, nowhere to go, just let me die..."
Zhan Jingchen was truly afraid of her. Threatening to die or live at the drop of a hat – this woman could never drink alcohol again. A little alcohol made her more terrifying than Bai Niangzi drinking. He held onto his bath towel with one hand to prevent it from falling and reached out to pull her up with the other.
"Okay, okay, I'll buy them for you, I'll buy them. Is it worth it for you to die over such a small thing?"