8: Chapter 8 The Girl's Drunkenness

In the evening, Jian Yun insisted on dragging Zhang Huaijing into the crowds of Huangxing Street. Then, without allowing any room for argument, she stuffed a skewer of oily, shiny stinky tofu into his hand. "Try it; there always has to be a first time."

He would never have touched this thing before.

But the moment his teeth bit through the crispy shell, the fresh, spicy juice exploded on the tip of his tongue. It was so hot that he took a slight breath; it was crispy, fragrant, fresh, and tender—the taste was fantastic.

"Is it good?" Jian Yun's eyes sparkled like stars.

"Yeah, turns out it's not that stinky tofu isn't good, it's just that stinky tofu from elsewhere isn't good. Changsha stinky tofu isn't stinky; it's fragrant." Zhang Huaijing was full of praise.

Seeing him eat so happily, Jian Yun was overjoyed and snapped a few photos of him.

Afterward, she pulled him through the alleys and stopped under a wooden sign that read "Century-Old Rice Noodles."

Beef and celery were being stir-fried in an iron wok; the oil splattered, and the aroma was enticing.

When the beef rice noodles were served, the two of them shared a single bowl. In the warm steam, Zhang Huaijing watched her as she lowered her eyes to slurp the noodles, feeling that this ordinary food actually had a rare sense of warmth to it.

"Can we go back to the hotel now?" After leaving the shop, Zhang Huaijing rubbed his stomach.

Jian Yun immediately linked her arm with his, her perky chest unconsciously brushing against his arm. Her voice was soft and sweet: "Brother Jing, I haven't had enough fun yet. Accompany me for a bit longer."

Walking down the street, it was inevitable that passersby would cast strange looks.

The man was steady and dignified, while the girl was charming and vibrant; the age gap was like a glaring line.

Zhang Huaijing's ears felt slightly warm, and he tried to step back, but Jian Yun seemed completely oblivious. She continued to walk forward with her arm in his, her chin slightly raised and her face full of pride.

They returned to the hotel after nine o'clock and went to their respective rooms to rest, having agreed to tour Orange Isle and visit Lady Xin Zhui at the Huxia Museum tomorrow.

Zhang Huaijing thought to himself that this couldn't go on. Today was the 30th, and tomorrow was the 31st. Would she really have to wait until after the weekend to enroll? That didn't seem right.

He pondered over it and remembered that he actually knew someone in the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee of Huxia Province. It was a university classmate—not a classmate from the same class, so they weren't very close. Currently, he was serving as a division chief in a certain department. A few years ago, he had accompanied provincial leaders on an inspection tour to Haixi Province, and the two of them had met once.

Zhang Huaijing tried calling him, and the other party was very enthusiastic.

Zhang Huaijing said, "A leader's daughter is coming to report to Huxia University, but she arrived early. I was wondering if she could enroll a bit sooner, or at least move into the dormitory earlier. The young girl has never traveled far alone before, and staying in a hotel might not be safe..."

"Rest assured, brother, I'll take care of this. I'll call you back in a moment."

Ten minutes later, the other party replied, "It's settled. Have her go to the school tomorrow morning to handle the check-in procedures. Enrollment can wait until the 3rd."

After thanking him, Zhang Huaijing hung up.

Just after he finished showering, there was a knock at the door. He looked through the peephole and saw it was Jian Yun.

Her collagen-rich face was pressed against the door, and she was swaying slightly, urging him, "Open up."

Zhang Huaijing opened the door halfway, blocking the entrance. "It's past ten. Why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing here?"

"I have something to do." She was wearing a beige camisole nightgown, her wet long hair draped over her shoulders. Her full curves rose and fell gently with her breathing, and the sweet scent of her body wash drifted through the gap in the door.

The young girl's scent was fragrant and enchanting.

"What is it?"

"Private business. I can only tell you inside." She rolled her eyes, her face full of persistence as if she wouldn't give up until she entered the room.

Zhang Huaijing stood like a lone guardian against ten thousand, sneering, "Didn't you say it yourself? Men and women should not touch each other inappropriately. Therefore, you cannot enter."

"Brother Jing, just let me in. I really have something private to tell you." She feigned charm, switching her attack mode to acting spoiled.

"No." He was the nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and was currently in his public notice period. Even though he was far away, he still had to be careful. If someone took a photo of him, he wouldn't be able to go to Haizhou.

After pestering him for a while, she suddenly used both her hands and feet in a series of strong attacks, but Zhang Huaijing blocked and parried them, heartlessly keeping her outside.

"Are you Italy's national goalkeeper, Buffon? You're so impenetrable, it's really annoying." Last year, she had watched Italy win the World Cup with her father and Zhang Huaijing.

"That's right, you'll never break through my line of defense!"

"Hmph, don't be so smug. Sooner or later, I'll make you surrender!"

"Girl, your courage is commendable, but the gap in strength is just too wide." Zhang Huaijing pushed her away firmly.

She stumbled and lost her balance, falling onto her bottom. Fortunately, the hallway was carpeted, so it didn't hurt. She quickly scrambled up and continued her assault.

Zhang Huaijing was truly speechless; he had never seen such a persistent girl.

"If you don't let me in, I'll scream that you're being a hooligan!" Jian Yun had a sudden idea.

As soon as Zhang Huaijing hesitated, she opened her mouth and shouted, "Hoo—"

Zhang Huaijing had no choice but to pull her into the room. He poked his head out to check that he hadn't attracted any attention before closing the door. When he turned around, he almost collided with Jian Yun.

She was very close to him, her eyes sparkling. "Brother Jing, that pull just now was so cool."

Zhang Huaijing rubbed his forehead. "What exactly do you want? Speak up quickly."

Jian Yun pressed closer step by step, pinning him behind the door. She laughed triumphantly, "Look at you, scared witless. Am I going to eat you? I came to have a drink with you."

As she spoke, she pulled out a two-kilogram bottle of XO from her bag.

"You're still young; you can't drink."

"I'm already an adult."

"Since you're an adult, you should have an adult's intelligence. Stop staring at an old man like me. If you want to date, there are plenty of handsome guys on campus." Zhang Huaijing tried to persuade her earnestly.

"I won't! If I wanted to, I would've started in middle school. From middle school to high school, I've received more love letters than the number of documents you've written, and they're longer too. Hmph, like a lazy woman's foot-bindings—stinky and long." She tapped his chest flirtatiously, then walked toward the counter with a cat-like stride and elegantly poured two glasses of foreign liquor.

Zhang Huaijing looked at her delicate figure, feeling that this eighteen-year-old girl possessed a charm that didn't match her age.

Are girls nowadays all this proactive and open?

Zhang Huaijing never expected that after having been with countless women, he, a dignified Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, would be unable to handle a young girl. He walked over and said, "Since you want to drink, I'll have a glass with you."

"Really? That's great!"

After a sip of whisky, Jian Yun frowned, the sting bringing tears to her eyes, but she smiled exceptionally happily: "Another wish has come true. I'm so happy."

"What wish?"

"Giving my first time... to Zhang Huaijing. I mean my first time drinking."

Zhang Huaijing shook his head with a bitter smile. "You've never drunk before?"

"No, not a single drop."

"Then have some more." Zhang Huaijing clinked his glass against hers.

This time she drank most of it. After finishing, she quickly took a few gulps of mineral water and fanned her tongue with her hand, saying, "Oh my god, so spicy, so spicy..."

"You even find foreign liquor spicy; your tolerance must be... quite impressive, right?" Seeing her flushed face and charming appearance, radiating youthful vitality and a girl's fragrance, Zhang Huaijing couldn't help but feel a bit more moved.

But reason told him she was still young and was his old leader's precious daughter; he couldn't touch her.

"My drinking tolerance must have been inherited from my father. I can drink this much." She held up her right index finger and waved it with a giggle.

"Fifty grams?"

"Wrong."

"Half a kilogram?"

"Still wrong, silly."

"How much then?" Zhang Huaijing was actually a bit startled. After all, Secretary Jian Weiguo had a massive capacity; at fifty, he could handle a kilogram of Moutai without an issue.

"Drink forever! Until the end of time, until the sun and moon lose their light! Come on, bottoms up!" She raised her glass with great heroic spirit. Without waiting for Zhang Huaijing to clink glasses, she closed her eyes and drained it in one go.

Before she could finish the second glass, she looked at Zhang Huaijing and giggled. As she laughed, her body suddenly went limp, and she slumped into his arms.

The girl was completely drunk.