Chapter 158 - Make Me Forget II

Five hours later...

'Prove that you're not the same as everyone...' Matthew Xi recalled her words earlier. However, what was currently going on now was Zoey partying her heart out. 

Along with the loud bass and annoying music, causing her heart to involuntarily thump with the beat, Zoey downed her 5th glass of her tequila. On the other hand, Matthew Xi just watched her grin from ear to ear, while they perched at the bar counter. 

The noise of the music and clamoring of equally sleek men and women defeated his voice, "Hey."

"Darling, algae will soon grow on your glass l if you don't drink it." Zoey shouted, pointing at his drink that he hadn't touched yet. 

Matthew Xi, who hated shouting, maintained his poker face since she wouldn't hear him, anyway. His eyes were enough to speak for his mind. 

"Don't worry, we'll get there." She answered, figuring out his inner thoughts spoken through his eyes. "Hey boss, is the thing that I asked for ready?" Turning to the bartender, Zoey inquired which he answered with a nod after checking on the other bartender. 

"Great!" Clasping her hands together, Zoey asked for another shot of tequila with a smile. "Come on, Browny. I'm telling you, you'll need that shot." She said, tipping Matthew Xi off beforehand. 

However, Matthew Xi ignored her warning and let his drink remain untouched. After Zoey downed two more shots, her face was flushed as she was a bit more carefree than usual. 

By the looks of it, Zoey was a bit tipsy. Well, she wasn't drinking wine, thus it was no surprise. Moreover, she kept swaying sideways along with the song. So, it only hastened the alcohol's effect. 

"Just as I told her to stop drinking..." Matthew Xi muttered, sighing deeply as he felt that Zoey tricked him so she could have her way. 

"Let's go!" Slamming her palms on the surface of the bar counter, Zoey hoisted herself up as she glanced at him carelessly. 

Matthew Xi wanted to ask where, but she wouldn't hear him without raising his voice. Thus, he kept his unconcerned front as he watched her get up. 

"Somewhere silent." She added, winking at him as she dragged her feet towards the private lounge. 

"Your place is silent." He murmured, alas Zoey was already several steps away from him. Well, she already tricked him, hence Matthew Xi wanted to see how things would end. 

At the very least, if ever Zoey vomited, he wouldn't be the person to clean it. Having that simple excuse in mind, Matthew Xi watched her from behind, vigilant and alert to her every step so if ever she tripped, he could catch her. 

Fortunately, Zoey managed to keep her balance. Alas, as he followed her, his brows creased with every passing second. 

The area they were heading... it seemed so familiar to him. He knew, because no matter how hard he'd buried that memory, it never left his mind completely. 

"Seven years ago... I was walking in this hallway." Raising her left hand — shoulder level — Zoey cleared her throat as she walked in the same messy fashion she had that night. "It's weird that I don't hear the music in here anymore unlike seven years ago." She added, sniffing as she blinked her eyes hard to keep a clear sight of the way. 

"Damn... I'm not used to drinking tequila anymore. My head is spinning." Zoey murmured, not expecting to feel the alcohol's effect immediately. 

Meanwhile, Matthew Xi's steps already came to a full halt after hearing her first remarks: seven year ago. That year... it was exactly the year that night happened. 

Did she do her research? Did she use Milo to check on his track record? Alas, that was impossible. 

All the records about that night, about Matthew Xi, were erased. No matter how high a person's connection might be, it was just impossible if Matthew Xi personally deleted it. 

Moreover, if Zoey ran a background check on him, they would have found out he was the real Matthew Xi, CEO and current head of the Xi Family. Although the chances of finding out his identity through Milo was slim to nothing, he couldn't scratch the possibility, could he? 

Still, he must consider that if that was what happened, does that mean Zoey knew he had been keeping his secret all along? 

"Darling, seven years ago, I was bawling my eyes because of a heartbreak — Zeke's fault." Slowly, Zoey turned around and faced him. 

Upon hearing Ezekiel Tang's name, his eyes grew darker as he frowned. That person's name was the last thing he wanted to hear at the moment. It was distracting. 

"You know what happened? I received a message from him to come to one of his favorite restaurants. So, of course, I went in my best dress that I possessed at the moment. Oh, poor naive Zoey..." Not noticing the sudden chill around the hallway, Zoey resumed as she shook her head. She felt bad for her previous self for going through such a situation. 

"Obviously, the drama is about to start. Fast forward, I was slapped with a few hundred thousand yuan to leave them alone — that family isn't that generous, just like what everyone thinks. Out of anger, I thought that I should at least earn something in return aside from anger and pain" Zoey shrugged, turning her back against him as she explained further. 

"That money, I burned them all by buying myself a good dress, nice perfume, a little makeover, and dolled up just to drink in this fancy place." As Zoey narrated the shortened version of that night's event, she stopped in front of a familiar door. 

Slowly, she turned her head towards the door. "When I was feeling lost, this door suddenly opened. God... he was to die for." Recalling how he looked that night, danger with a touch of desperation and need, the corner of her lips hooked up. 

"He pinned me to this very wall, debating whether to succumb to his need or not. Can you believe a man in a desperate situation asked me to go? Well, it's no surprise, since we were strangers." A faint sigh slipped past her lips. 

"However, he wasn't the only person who was desperate that night. So, instead of taking the chance to escape... I made a request." Slowly, Zoey cocked her head to the side as her shaking eyes searched for the russet orbs which were staring at her intently. 

"Make me forget." Zoey repeated the same words she had whispered that night. 

"Make me forget..." At the same time, Matthew Xi whispered as his eyes slowly widened in disbelief.. Indeed, he could remember those words very clearly that he couldn't forget till date.