She was still hugging the roadside tree, unconsciously holding onto it very tightly. Looking up at the starry sky, she realized that in this city of dazzling lights and wine, you couldn’t see any stars at all—the entire sky was filled with fog.

"Xixi, does he treat you well?"

She didn’t understand.

"Xixi, does he really treat you well?"

She stared at him, dazed, then began to giggle. "Well... he’s very good... If he weren’t, would he let me go to Harvard? HEH HEH, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have this chance in my lifetime..."

He remained silent for a while before asking, "When are you two getting married?"

She replied dismissively, "Why rush? I’m just going to Harvard; of course, I need to prioritize my studies first. Getting married and having kids right after starting school would be a hindrance and such a drag, right??? If I did that, it wouldn’t do justice to all my previous efforts."

At that moment, Xu Xiaoya’s car had already pulled out.

She let go of the tree and walked towards the car, swaying. "Xiaojue... goodbye... goodbye..."

There was a low step off the curb, and in her drunken state, she missed it and fell flat on her face. Huang Xiaojue rushed to help her up. She giggled as she got to her feet and casually brushed the dust from her face. "I’m fine... I’m fine... Xiaojue, goodbye, goodbye..."

Huang Xiaojue opened the car door, and seeing she was settled, said, "Xiaoya, please look after her."

Xu Xiaoya said, "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home."

The car sped away, and Yan Xixi leaned against the seatback, giggling non-stop.

Xu Xiaoya tried to say something several times, but seeing Yan Xixi so drunk, she couldn’t bring herself to speak. She didn’t even mention the hospital. She understood that since Yan Xixi didn’t want to talk about it, she would keep it a secret.

Actually, she didn’t think it was a big deal. It wasn’t as if Xixi hadn’t been pregnant before. The doctors had said it was just excessive anxiety affecting her hormones. She would naturally conceive eventually, so what was there to worry about?

Just as Yan Xixi got out of the car at the entrance to her apartment complex, a man rushed over and grabbed her arm. "Xixi, where have you been?"

When she saw Wan Donglin, she giggled and leaned into his embrace. "Were you waiting for me?"

He asked angrily, "What did I tell you this morning? Have you forgotten it all?"

She froze, looking at him blankly. "What did you say?"

Wan Donglin stomped his foot in frustration, but seeing Xu Xiaoya was still nearby, he quickly told her, "You can go back now. Everything’s fine." Only then did Xu Xiaoya feel relieved and leave.

He grabbed her and started dragging her back. "I must have called you dozens of times. Why didn’t you answer?"

"Really? I didn’t hear any... HEE HEE, Donglin, you have no idea, drinking is so much fun... The more you drink, the happier you get..."

There was no point trying to reason with a drunkard. When they got home, the first thing he did was toss her onto the bed. Then he went to get her phone. Good heavens, over a dozen missed calls! She probably hadn’t even looked at her phone all night.

Lying there in a daze, she suddenly shouted, "I want some water!"

He was startled and immediately rushed to get her some water.

She took only one sip, then pushed the glass away and started singing loudly, "Sometimes I feel like a little bird... trying to fly, but I just can’t soar high..."

He laughed in exasperation. "What little bird? You’re a big, clumsy pig!"

She grabbed his hand and giggled, "Donglin, I want grilled skewers..."

"..."

"I just want grilled skewers!"

He snapped, "You ran off to a class reunion without a word, got completely plastered, and now you want grilled skewers?"