49: Chapter 49 This wish is like a swallow on the beam

Shen Weiyue deeply resonated with what Liang Yuting said.

In his past life, he had been the same at the beginning; after graduating from university, he always felt he was in his prime, a fine young man destined for a bright and noble future.

But alas, ideals are always defeated by reality. After working for a year or two post-graduation, he tasted the harshness of society and thus took the civil service exam to enter the system.

Once inside the system, it was just a routine, day after day.

Every year, it was the same old things: ensuring safety during the Spring Festival, setting targets at the beginning of the year, writing summaries in the middle, and rushing to meet deadlines at the end...

Such a life was truly one where you could see the end at a single glance.

But in reality, the vast majority of people in this world live their whole lives just like this—no grand, earth-shattering events, just the mundane existence of a cog in the machine.

Shen Weiyue really wanted to tell Liang Yuting that 2009 was still okay, but in a few years, when the three great mountains of mortgage, education, and healthcare weighed down on them, life would be even more hopeless.

"It's normal not to be resigned. Not being resigned means you still have burning dreams and drive, and that you are still in the time of your youth. When you willingly accept reality and accept your own ordinariness, that is when youth truly ends."

"Oh? According to you, I'm still in my adolescence?"

"Of course." Shen Weiyue said with a smile, "Isn't the beautiful Liang currently in her prime, as radiant as the autumn chrysanthemum and as lush as the spring pine?"

Liang Yuting was delighted in her heart, but verbally she continued to belittle herself: "I'm already old, twenty-five or twenty-six. Not like you..."

"Where are you old? I think everything is just right. Look at you—beautiful, youthful, with excellent physique management. It is clearly your best time."

"Really? Then if I didn't tell you, how old would you think I am?"

"Slender and graceful, just over thirteen, like a cardamom bud in early February."

"You guy, you really have a sweet tongue."

Liang Yuting's joy spread from the inside out to her face. Under the influence of alcohol, she looked as beautiful as a peach blossom, her face flushed with spring.

She really loved chatting with Shen Weiyue too much.

This guy always knew how to strike the perfect balance; every sentence, even every word, hit the mark in her heart.

No wonder even the icy-cold Zhao Qingyan could be swayed by him.

Liang Yuting held the wine glass in her right hand, her left elbow propped on the table supporting her chin. She looked at him with a dripping, delicate beauty, as if expecting to hear more compliments.

"When life is going well, one must enjoy it to the fullest; do not let the golden goblet face the moon empty."

Shen Weiyue raised his glass to meet her burning gaze: "Anyway, that's just how life is. All we can do is enjoy ourselves while we can and live in the moment. Cheers."

"Cheers~"

Liang Yuting gently swayed her wine glass. Even though the song "Princess" hadn't been released yet, Shen Weiyue felt as if he were seeing the real person.

Another half glass of wine went down.

The candle on the table suddenly crackled. Liang Yuting looked at the charred wick and said coquettishly, "Oh my, it's time to trim the wick."

As soon as these words were spoken, a memory flashed through her mind, and she blurted out: "When shall we trim the candles at the western window together, and talk of the rainy night in Bashan..."

Shen Weiyue picked up a piece of the wick to trim it, and seeing her suddenly become sentimental, he couldn't help but flick her forehead with his finger.

"It's your birthday, don't be so sentimental."

"Annoying~"

Tipsy from the alcohol, Liang Yuting instinctively let out a coquettish sound, then shyly covered her face, feeling ashamed of what she had just said.

"Hahaha, do you have to be so cute..."

"No, I can't drink anymore. I talk nonsense when I drink. I want to drink juice."

Liang Yuting went to change her glass to pour juice.

Shen Weiyue stopped her and said, "The red wine is already opened, we have to finish it."

"Hmm..." Liang Yuting tilted her head to look at him, suspicious, "Student Shen, you're trying so hard to urge me to drink, are you trying to get me drunk and then do something shameful?"

"Hey, hey, hey, that's impossible. I have no such intentions, don't slander me." Shen Weiyue hurriedly explained.

"Is that so? Then how come last time the quilt got dirty..."

"What?"

"You know yourself!" Liang Yuting glared with her beautiful eyes, "If you didn't have bad intentions, how could it have been like that?"

She was hazy with drunkenness and had forgotten her original decision to keep this matter buried in her stomach, speaking it out subconsciously.

Shen Weiyue was shocked.

Damn it, did he make a mistake after all?

He had thought that his snake-like maneuvering last time had been timely and nothing bad had happened.

However, Director Shen had a thick skin. At this time, as long as he insisted on denying it, what could she do without evidence?

"No, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hmph, you know clearly what I'm talking about. Was the laundry last time also intentional? You bad guy must have been impure for a long time."

"I really didn't! I'm wronged. I just wanted to do a good deed and got framed by you?"

Shen Weiyue desperately pleaded his innocence, stopped urging her to drink, and hurriedly poured the juice.

But Liang Yuting wouldn't end the topic so quickly now that she had opened it. She kept pressing him, insisting that he had bad intentions.

What could Director Shen do?

He could only let anger rise from his heart and malice grow from his guts. Gritting his teeth, he said, "That's right! I did it on purpose. Who told you to be so beautiful?"

"Ah? Meaning you blame me?"

"Yes, go ask all the men at The First High School, which one hasn't thought about it?"

"You... you... you are really a bastard."

Liang Yuting's heart beat rapidly, her head buzzing. Feeling dry-mouthed, she picked up the remaining half glass of red wine and drank it in one gulp.

Shen Weiyue also fiercely downed half a glass of wine and, without a word, picked up the red wine bottle to chug it.

"What are you doing?" Liang Yuting snatched it away, "You'll get drunk drinking like that."

She poured herself another glass and handed the rest to Shen Weiyue.

"Let's split the rest of the wine so it doesn't go to waste."

She was already drunk, yet she had the nerve to talk about others.

Shen Weiyue didn't speak, just stared at her blankly, making her feel flustered and wishing she could run away immediately.

But then she thought, this is her home, why should she run?

She glared back fiercely, refusing to be outdone and wanting to regain her ground.

Her gaze crackled like the candlelight. Liang Yuting's head was dizzy; she swayed as she went to bring the cake over and handed him a few small candles.

"Hold these, help me stick them in."

"Where?"

"Don't stick them into the rose petal design, stick them in the middle, on that pile of cream."

"Eh, why aren't there any number candles?"

"I'm 25, you're 19, why would we need number candles? Should we stick one on each side?"

"That's true. I'll light them."

Shen Weiyue used a lighter to ignite all the candles, then said to Liang Yuting, "Happy birthday, make a wish."

"Make a wish together, blow them out together."

Liang Yuting asked him to close his eyes with her.

"Three, two, one... Whoo..."

The candles were blown out, and they smelled the alcohol on each other's breath.

"Shen Weiyue, what wish did you make?"

"You say first."

"I asked first, you say first."

"Alright then, I hope this wish is like the swallow on the beam."

"Oh? What does that mean?"

"To meet often year after year."

The candlelight flickered, and someone's face turned as red as a pomegranate.