173: Chapter 173 If she's drunk, then I can only take her home.

Although she said she wouldn't be polite, Hao Jinghan ultimately brought Zhao Xiaoshuai to a barbecue restaurant.

"What's this? We aren't even married yet, and you're already trying to save me money?"

"Don't flatter yourself. The owner of this place used to run a street food stall selling fried skewers. When I was a kid, I loved their grilled sausages the most. I hadn't been back in many years, only to find out they opened this shop. I've come to eat here a few times, and it still tastes like my childhood."

"You're quite nostalgic."

"What about you? Is there nothing worth remembering?"

"Me?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai had rarely looked back on the past lately, because his present days were incredibly exciting.

But if he truly tried to recall, he realized there was actually very little left in his memory.

Aside from attending classes, it was just studying; aside from test papers, it was just homework.

His high school romance ended without a result, and his college romance was a bitter fruit.

What he had a slight impression of were the days back in elementary school, catching dragonflies on the playground with his childhood friends, squatting in the arcade watching others beat The King of Fighters with a single coin, and sneaking into shady internet cafes to play CS.

He drifted off for a moment, then snapped back to reality and continued, "I was pretty ordinary before, so I don't have that many valuable memories."

"Really? I thought a big entrepreneur like you, wealthy at such a young age, must have had a magnificent youth. Don't tell me you just don't want to tell me?"

"Because I was always an ordinary person. I just got lucky and inherited a fortune from a wealthy elder."

"Oh? Is that so? But based on your physique, you really can't be considered an ordinary person."

"My physique could be considered something in the military?"

"If we're talking purely about physique, it's quite good. But if it really came down to a life-or-death encounter in a narrow alley, a slightly exceptional veteran could kill you."

It was supposed to be a romantic date, but the topic went a bit off-track, so Zhao Xiaoshuai quickly adjusted to bring it back.

Hao Jinghan ate skewers and drank alcohol with such boldness that for a moment, Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't feel like he was on a date with a beautiful woman, but rather having a meal with a close buddy.

"You've asked me so much, aren't you going to talk about yourself?"

"Me? What is there to say? I was mischievous since I was little and loved to fight. My dad beat me a few times, but I didn't change, so he threw me into the military, intending for me to suffer a bit."

"Unexpectedly, I was naturally suited for the military. I liked it immediately, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight years have passed."

Hao Jinghan was only 25; it seemed she joined the military right after graduating high school.

"Sometimes you suddenly become very sad. Are you willing to tell me about it?"

"Do you understand the concept of taking things step by step? You're digging into my painful memories right off the bat. Are we even that close?"

Hao Jinghan said this while smiling and drinking, appearing somewhat tipsy.

"However, you're quite easy on the eyes, and your body can take a beating. You're my type, so I'll make an exception and chat with you more."

She acted indifferent, but Hao Jinghan downed a large glass of alcohol before slowly speaking again:

"I had a very, very, very close friend. We joined the military together, trained together, and went on missions together."

"She was even a bit stronger than me—just a little bit. Every day when I woke up, my goal was to figure out how to surpass her, to hit one more moving target than her, to finish a cross-country drill a few seconds faster than her..."

"But during a mission not long ago, she sacrificed herself to save me."

"It's just that simple."

Zhao Xiaoshuai imagined the scene of his best brother dying in front of him to save him, and he could empathize slightly.

"There is no way to call that a simple matter."

"I'm not qualified to tell you to grieve in moderation, but I think your comrade, since she chose to protect you in her final moments..."

"...then you should also carry her portion and live well, living happily every day. That is likely what she would have hoped for."

Hao Jinghan slammed her glass onto the table with force, and with a slap, alcohol splattered everywhere.

"I understand the big principles!"

"I understand!"

"But, my heart feels empty. Every day when I wake up, I see her lying by my side covered in blood. My heart hurts... enough of that, drink with me."

"This beer is too weak. Boss, give us two bottles of baijiu. Can you still drink?"

"I can drink until you pass out."

"Hey! I hope you're not just all talk!"

"Actually, I'm quite capable everywhere. I'll let you try it sometime."

This time, Hao Jinghan was certain that the other party was making a dirty joke, but she didn't seem to dislike it very much.

The two began the second round, downing the baijiu glass after glass as if it were plain water.

It must be said that Hao Jinghan could hold her liquor; the old Zhao Xiaoshuai really wouldn't have been able to outdrink her.

But now, his tolerance was simply superhuman—to the extent that he could drink anyone under the table regardless of the amount.

This drinking session, which lasted until after nine in the evening, finally ended with Hao Jinghan passed out on the table.

Zhao Xiaoshuai was now a man with a company. Under the company's name, he employed two part-time drivers for morning and evening shifts. While he took a moment to blow off some steam and sober up, he had someone called over.

"Manager Zhao, are we heading back to your residence?"

"Yeah."

With Zhao Xiaoshuai's current strength, carrying a hundred-pound woman was naturally a piece of cake; even if she was as heavy and limp as a "dead pig," it wouldn't take much effort.

Hao Jinghan's impression of him must have been quite good. Yesterday's "meeting through martial arts" quickly helped them get past the acquaintance phase, and her favorability rating shot straight up to 120.

Today's training session plus the drinking session pushed her favorability up to 180.

It could basically be determined that Zhao Xiaoshuai very much met the standards of Hao Jinghan's ideal partner.

Although her address was on her ID card, how could Zhao Xiaoshuai just go through a lady's things? So he had no choice but to reluctantly bring her home.

He slightly opened the back seat window and let Hao Jinghan lean on his shoulder.

At this moment, Hao Jinghan was hanging on him without any decorum, completely unaware that a glimpse of her cleavage was exposed.

Her hair was rather coarse, and it tickled Zhao Xiaoshuai's ear, making him feel itchy inside.

Before dinner, Zhao Xiaoshuai had already sent a text to his Sister-in-law saying he wouldn't be home for dinner, and he also happened to know that his little girlfriend had woken up before noon and left for work at iSport.

So, bringing a woman home at this time didn't violate his promise to his little girlfriend in the morning.

At this point, Hao Jinghan seemed to have reached a blacked-out state. Her eyes were tightly shut, she had no strength in her body, and she only muttered "I can still drink" from time to time.

It seemed that at this moment, no matter what he did to her, she would be completely unaware; even if something really happened, he could just shift the blame by saying she was "drunk."

But Zhao Xiaoshuai still had his principles.

After all, Hao Jinghan's favorability hadn't even broken 200 yet; the two could only be considered relatively familiar friends, and she wouldn't have silently permitted such intimate things to happen.

At the very least, he had to be worthy of the trust Hao Jinghan showed by agreeing to go out drinking with him—a man she had only known for two days—and drinking without reservations.

Therefore, he carried her home, only helped her take off her coat and shoes, and settled her into the guest room on the basement floor.

He placed a bottle of water on the nightstand, put a basin by the bed, and finally tucked her in before turning off the lights, locking the door, and walking out.

Not long after closing the door, in the quiet, pitch-black room, Hao Jinghan, who should have been dead drunk, suddenly opened her eyes.

Her eyes held some drunkenness, but not much.

She smiled at the corner of her mouth.

[ Hao Jinghan Favorability + 20 ]