The forum users were right. When she was rejected and swallowed the morning-after pills, she had lost not only her courage but also her confidence. Earlier in the afternoon, it was not that it didn’t cross her mind to go to Su Zhinian to demand an explanation, but no matter how strong that desire was, the only thing her courage allowed her to do was those two unanswered phone calls between them and the message that only went one way.
His rejection and cruelty had made her a coward in the world of love. One bottle later, Song Qingchun was still in need of courage. Three bottles later, Song Qingchun was seventy percent drunk but was still clear-minded enough to fear facing Su Zhinian.
Four bottles, five bottles, six bottles… Song Qingchun had drunk herself into a stupor and could barely tell which way was up. She sprang up from her seat to wave the waiter down for the bill. After paying, she stumbled out of the restaurant. Leaning against the lamp post, her hand dangled weakly in the air for a long time before a taxi finally stopped before her.
Song Qingchun reached out to grab the car door, but the door seemed to move away from her hand on its own. Eventually, the driver had to get out to help Song Qingchun into the car. She climbed into the car in a daze, and the moment she felt the headrest at the back of her head, she closed her eyes.
The taxi driver asked her multiple times for her destination before her eyes fluttered open to look at the blurry vision before her. After some time, she mumbled softly, “What time is it?”
“It’s 8.30 pm.”
“It’s so late already?” A trace of panic crossed Song Qingchun’s face. She stammered due to the alcohol in her body. “Sir, you have to drive me back to Shining Light Residences now. I was to return home before 7 pm to prepare dinner. If I’m late, he’ll be pissed…
“Yes, he’ll be pissed.”
Song Qingchun mumbled the last phrase of her sentence twice before closing her eyes again. The taxi driver heard the term “Shining Light Residences” and assumed that was the best destination he was going to get out of Song Qingchun, so he drove her there.
However, since she didn’t give him an exact house number, the driver could only drop her at the gate. “Miss, we’re here.”
Song Qingchun peeled her eyes open and turned her head around to look at her surroundings. She caught the words ‘Shining Light Residences’ that were carved onto a rock standing by the gate, and she pushed the car door open and climbed out.
“Miss, you still haven’t paid your cab fare.”
“Right, my bad.” Song Qingchun stopped walking and dropped several notes into the car through the open window without even asking for the price.
“Miss, that’s too much.”
Song Qingchun turned and walked away as if she had not heard the taxi driver. Song Qingchun walked for about thirty minutes before she reached the door to Su Zhinian’s bungalow.
She didn’t knock but directly keyed in the gate password and walked into the house compound. She followed the trail of rocks to the front door. She was about to key in the password when the door was pushed open from within.
Song Qingchun’s movement halted before she slowly turned her head around to look at the person standing at the door.
Su Zhinian was standing away from the light in the living room. She looked at his shadowed face for a long time before she realized the deep frown between eyes. Is he unhappy that I’ve returned home late?
Song Qingchun smiled softly at Su Zhinian before saying, “I’m sorry, Mr. Su, for coming home late.”