BXBX NOVEL Chapter 58 - Fifty-Eight: Rescue
Shi Nian fumed, ‘She’s so dense! Urgh, this blockhead!’ He turned around and went upstairs to sulk.
Yun Nan tidied up the kitchen, did a few stretching exercises, and walked towards her painting studio in the living room, ready to work on more paintings. After all, work is a most loyal partner and will never betray you!
Shi Nian received a call from Ye Kun, and as soon as the call connected, Ye Kun immediately said, “Yo, bro! Come out for a drink with us! Please, Shi Nian, you have to come! I need your help!”
“What’s wrong?” Shi Nian asked with a frown.
“Well, Xi Cheng returned with Lin Yu. They asked us out for a drink, but now the situation is a little… delicate,” Ye Kun said in a hushed tone. “Liang Han and I can’t keep this up. Lin Yu brought her best friends along! I’m about to die from the awkvvardness. Shi Nian, this is an emergency, so hurry and come to my rescue! I’ll owe you big time for this!”
Shi Nian decided to push his luck and commented, “What’s in it for me?”
That caught Ye Kun off guard, and he demanded, “Shi Nian, how could you?!
Aren’t we brothers for life? Have a heart!”
“Alright, I’ll put this on your tab. You now owe me a favor,” Shi Nian relented. He was in a bad mood due to that bonehead downstairs and decided that a change in scenery wasn’t a bad idea, and he could do Ye Kun a favor in the meantime.
“*Sigh!* Okay, fine, I owe you, you hustler!” Ye Kun replied, annoyed.
‘ You say that as ifyou aren’t one yourself,’ Shi Nian thought as he went downstairs. “I’m going out for a while!” Shi Nian shouted out.
Yun Nan was painting on the balcony when she heard him, and she responded, “Okay.”
Shi Nian turned to stare at her. The balcony lights were on, and Yun Nan was sitting cross-legged in front of her drawing board, focused on her drawing. It was a warm and beautiful scene. Unfortunately, the person in this lovely image didn’t pay him any attention.
Shi Nian felt dejected and left. ‘She called me a collaborator! To h*ll with that! Would a collaborator go to such lengths for theirpartner? Do everything in theirpower to treat her well? He might as well be living with a stone monkey with how thick-headed she is.
Xi Cheng was drinking like a fish this evening, downing glass after glass of alcohol. His handsome face looked a little gloomy beneath the dim lights of the bar. Lin Yu sat demurely beside him and smiled as she watched her besties chat enthusiastically with Ye Kun and Liang Han.
Ye Kun and Liang Han saw Shi Nian almost simultaneously. The two stood up and called him over, “Shi Nian, Shi Nian! Here, over here!”
Shi Nian paused. He could count the number of times they had been so enthused to see him on one hand. He knew them like the back of his hand, so something fishy must be going on.
However, it was too late for him to turn around and leave. Ye Kun had come up and grabbed him, complaining, “What took you so long? Is the Shi Corporation so poor they couldn’t hire more staff? Look at you, so busy at such hours! Come, tell your old pal here about it; I’ll be sure to help you out!” As he spoke, he put his arm around Shi Nian’s shoulders. Shi Nian batted his hand away in disdain and brushed his shoulders.
Xi Cheng had remained seated. He handed Shi Nian a bottle of alcohol and lightly tapped it with his own bottle. He then raised the bottle to his lips and took a large swig.
Shi Nian reached out, snatched the bottle from him, and placed it on the table. “Hey, don’t get drunk and blame it on me. Your fiancée’s right here; I have a witness.”
Lin Yu smiled at him graciously and said, “Shi Nian, it’s been a while.”
Shi Nian gave her a slight nod and replied, “Hello, Mrs. Xi.” Lin Yu was very pleased with being referred to as “Mrs. Xi” and cheerfully introduced him to her friends. “These are my besties, Gu Man and Shi Gao. Girls, this is Shi Nian. He’s also one of Xi Cheng’s buddies. All of us grew up together.”
The two intellectual beauties reached out to shake Shi Nian’s hand and greeted him, “Hello.”
Shi Nian retracted his hand after a second’s contact. He sat beside Xi Cheng and asked, “I heard you two are engaged?”
Xi Cheng didn’t respond. “We just held our engagement ceremony. It was a small family-only event, so we didn’t invite you guys, ” Lin Yu stated.
Shi Nian nodded and gave his congratulations. Lin Yu smilingly thanked him as Ye Kun and Liang Han sat back down. ‘It’s now three of us guys against them two girls,’ Liang Han and Ye Kun thought. They were no longer flustered with Shi Nian here to back them up.
Lin Yu gazed at the trio and remarked, “The three of you aren’t getting any younger. Isn’t it about time you guys consider marriage?” Her demeanor and tone were much like a mother or elder worried about their kids’ marriage prospects.
Xi Cheng coughed and calmly told her, “Let’s not talk about that, you know they hate being urged to get married.”
Lin Yu glowered at him reproachfully and retorted. “We all grew up together, and I’ve never seen them get together with anyone. As their friend and elder, I’m worried for them! Besides, if you guys get married, I’ll have more company. Your wives and I can drink tea and go shopping together. Wouldn’t that be great?” Xi Cheng didn’t say anything to that, and the whole group fell silent.
“So, you’re aiming to find companions for yourself instead of helping us find a girlfriend!” Liang Han joked feebly. Lin Yu rolled her eyes at him and then laughed with her two best friends..