There is an old saying that states, drink but don't get drunk but it seemed Qie Ranzhe didn't get the memo. Under Machu's encouragement they headed to a restaurant downtown just as they reached the borderlands. He didn't even get a chance to speak to Feng Zi when they arrived. It seemed like Feng Zi was still furious as he was deliberately ignoring him.
Wen Qinxi's anger was absolutely justified, who in this world wouldn't blow a fuse if they found out someone wanted to abduct their child? Yes it was just a game but the feelings were real. That kid represented the happiest time of his life and someone dared to taint that.
Since things were like this, Qie Ranzhe decided to drown his sorrows accompanied by Machu. The two tipsy men tried to make sense of everything but no matter how much they analysed, none of it added up.
"So, so you didn't do the birds and the bees.... with him but hahaha you still got a man pregnant?" said a flush faced Machu before stuffing some hot wings into his mouth. It was a good thing they were in a private room otherwise the entire world would wake up to the headline 'General Qie gets a baby without the blissful moment'.
Qie Ranzhe didn't reply choosing to down another shot of Baiju with a dreamy expression. Staring at Qie Ranzhe, Machu didn't know what he was thinking and could only say, "What is the purpose of your face? Di-did you actually do it with him and you are just lying to me? I thought....I, Machu and you, Ranzhe are bestfriends but turns out we are not. Then what am i doing here?" before making a miserable attempt to stand up. Yes, he went that low. The only way to get the truth out of Qie Ranzhe was emotional blackmail.
As expected, Qie Ranzhe pulled him back down and poured more for him urging him to stay. "Drink," said Qie Ranzhe his glassy eyes looking at Machu. Since Machu wanted the truth, he would gladly dish it out to his drunk friend which meant he would forget everything the next morning.
It was only after Machu drank the entire glass that Qie Ranzhe finally opened his mouth.
"I kissed him, that's all," confessed Qie Ranzhe causing Machu to exaggeratedly gasp before saying,
"General Qie is indeed so powerful. You got a man pregnant with just a kiss....hahaha so you can easily get a woman pre-pregnant by sneezing.....hahaha," in a loud voice that could be heard for miles if there wasn't any sound proofing. "May-maybe Ran-ge should start wearing a mask where ever he goes otherwise the child maintenance will suck your bank, bank account dry."
Of course, Qie Ranzhe knew his friend was talking nonsense but he didn't care. He decided to open up and express his repressed feelings. "I think I.... ahem..... I definitely made a mistake," said Qie Ranzhe before falling silent for a while. It was a good thing the drunk Machu was patiently waiting for him to continue while obediently stuffing his mouth with some spicy hot wings.
After a good moment of thinking it over, he said, "I don't know if it makes sense but I... I started pursuing Zhao Huangzhi because Feng Zi was interested in her. At that time I..... I didn't realise that I actually disliked the fact the Feng Zi liked her. I hate to admit it but I agreed to go out with Zhao Huangzhi because I didn't want her to be with Feng Zi and when Feng Zi lost interest in her I was so happy. Uh, shit! That makes me feel stupid. I caused him such heartache," with a sullen expression.
From this conversation, Machu who could barely keep his eyes open deduced one thing. Qie Ranzhe was most definitely a whipped boyfriend. He was hopelessly in love with the father of his child.
"Then why are you wasting time here? Ran-ge go, go get your man," said the drunk Machu gently slapping Qie Ranzhe's face like a puppy intentionally provoking a tiger. Qie Ranzhe's face darkened commending his friend for being stupidly brazen. What saved Machu that night was because he had lend Qie Ranzhe an ear otherwise Machu would have woken up tied up to a pole in a football field. And yes, Qie Ranzhe had done it before when Machu dared to dip his fingers into his food.
"You are right," said Qie Ranzhe standing up to leave but just as he held the door handle to open the door to exit the private room, a loud thud resounded in the room. Machu had tried to stand up but came tumbling down face first like timber. Groaning in pain Machu lifted a finger with his face still kissing the floor saying, "I think, I think I am drunk."
Qie Ranzhe suppressed the urge to laugh and carried him out the room towards the hotel. He really wasn't in the mood to take care of the drunk Machu as he himself was tipsy. He intended to pass Machu along to any of his subordinates he met along the way but the only person he bumped into was Airen. Recalling the punch from the other day, a wicked smile crept up Qie Ranzhe's face. It was time for Airen to pay the piper.
With remarkable speed and precision, he dropped Machu in her hands and said, "He's your problem now," before vanishing into thin air like a seasoned magician.
Airen wanted to refuse and hand Machu back to the general but Qie Ranzhe had vanished without a trace. Feeling played she swore, "Fuck!" planning to put Machu down. Because of her gigantic height and strength she could easily carry Machu but just because she could didn't mean she would. She decisively put the man down but Machu shamelessly wrapped his arm around Airen's neck refusing to let go.
"Airen.... ah it's you? Waaaaa..... so pretty" exclaimed Machu who was being carried in a princess carry not the least bit concerned with the onlooker's gazes.
If she was hesitating then, she wasn't hesitating now. She immediately knocked on one of the sergeants' door and dropped off this hot potato with slightly red ears.
While Airen was running away from Machu, Qie Ranzhe was sneaking into Feng Zi's room. He was expecting to find Feng Xieling sleeping besides his dad but to his surprise, the kid wasn't there. Feng Zi was alone in bed with the faint light rays from the street lamp outside reflecting on his porcelain jade like skin.
Without thinking twice he took off his shoes and crawled into bed before settling right next to the sleeping man. Soon he was lying down staring at Feng Zi's handsome face but looking alone wasn't enough. Even he couldn't understand where the courage came from. It was most likely from the alcohol. Where ever it came from, it didn't matter but what he did next. He stretched out his hand and tucked Feng Zi's red hair behind his ear.